Breaking Bad

[Jackstar]

I'm with you, Tom. The development there is very forced and sloppy. Still entertaining. Mostly.

[Kirian]

Unless they're going to flip that around into "Walt's trying to keep Jesse out for his own good" it makes no sense. Even that's stretching it a bit, I reckon. It sort of came out of nowhere given the way things have been going.

The POLLOS-cave made me laugh. I couldn't help myself. That said, I don't know quite what to think about Gustavo's speech and Walt's reaction to it, whether it was laid on a little too thick or pitched correctly to Walt.

Nice catch on the composition. I didn't notice the beam but the divide between the two and the baby being some sort of link I did notice.

[DrCrypt]

Gustavo read Walt perfectly. Walt's got some ridiculous notions about pride and manhood.

I think they're setting up Jesse's exit from the show: they actually didn't originally intend for that character to last past the first season. I sort of thought his girlfriend's death might have grounded Jesse, but he's back to the usual hysterical street thug behavior this episode.

One thing's clear: Jesse intends to keep cooking Walt's formula, but given Walt's distribution deal, the only way Jesse will be able to sell his own product is if he undersells Walt and sells it himself. In other words, Jesse's going to be painting a huge target on his chest: if Gustavo doesn't kill him, Jesse is basically setting himself up as "Heisenberg" in the eyes of the DEA.

Maybe both... Gustavo would definitely whack Jesse is Hank starts closing in.

[drake113]

Also there is a repeated theme of breaking glass, first with the airplane and then with Jesse, while last week Walt was unable to do so himself. Perhaps by season's end Walt will be the one able to break windows.

Maybe he's just breaking them badly?

[Jackstar]

I was talking with my mother tonight, who is like eighty and adores Breaking Bad. Like, she told me about it before I heard of it, and a more incongruous conversation I've rarely had with the woman.

Anyway, we were discussing the last episode, and during the course of that, I discovered that she did not know what Gus' name was. I thought back, and realized that I only remember two times in the entire show that his name has ever been used. Maybe it was more than that, but I only recall two instances that were very understated anyway. Also, she's sort of losing her marbles as well as her hearing. I don't even know if she knows what "meth" is. Whatever.

So this all dawns on me, and I go, "Mom, what do you call that guy in your head?"

And she gets this priceless look on her face while she thinks about it, and she says, "...The Entrepreneur." Oh, the note of dread in her voice. It was epic.

I love my mom!

[Calistas]

I still love the show, it's so brilliantly dark :)

[Juntei]

Gustavo read Walt perfectly. Walt's got some ridiculous notions about pride and manhood.

I think they're setting up Jesse's exit from the show: they actually didn't originally intend for that character to last past the first season. I sort of thought his girlfriend's death might have grounded Jesse, but he's back to the usual hysterical street thug behavior this episode.

One thing's clear: Jesse intends to keep cooking Walt's formula, but given Walt's distribution deal, the only way Jesse will be able to sell his own product is if he undersells Walt and sells it himself. In other words, Jesse's going to be painting a huge target on his chest: if Gustavo doesn't kill him, Jesse is basically setting himself up as "Heisenberg" in the eyes of the DEA.

Maybe both... Gustavo would definitely whack Jesse is Hank starts closing in.

This is a fued that can blow up in everyones face, most particularly Walt. Jesse is not a smart person, he's a step away from being pinched by Hank, and when that happens I don't think Jesse can talk his way out of it, and now that his association with Saul is strained I don't know if he'd go with a public defender who would try to get him to take a deal that would involve giving up Walt and/or Gustavo.

I assume Gustavo would just have Walt and Jesse killed rather than risk anything pointing back to him and his partners (But how awesomely redeeming would it be if Hank got Walt to help him take down the Mexican cartel). At this point Jesse is nothing but a liability that needs to be dealt with.

The Meth cave proves to be a substantial investment from Gustavo into Walt. I find it strange that he'll be off the hook after 3 months, unless Gustavo is looking to learn how Walt cooks and take over after Walt is no longer needed.

So many different ways this show can go makes me giddy with anticipation for each episode.

[azzl]

I'm having trouble understanding why Walt is so valuable...his "recipe"? I thought the difficult part of manufacturing meth was getting all the good equipment, precursor chemicals, and being able to disguise the operation. Any chemist following good lab procedure should be able to make pure meth, or refine it until it is pure...right?

Whatever, Breaking Bad?

[Jackstar]

Skilled application of chemistry is not a thing that can be written down like a recipe, I assure you.

Rewind back to the scene where The Entrepreneur tells Walt, "I need 200 pounds a week to make this operation economically viable." Look at Walt's face.

[Athryn]

I didn't find the thing between Walter and Jesse forced at all, they never really have gotten along together all that well.

[alexlitel]

Thought I would mention that the song playing during the lab scene was Peder's "Timetakesthetimetimetakes."

[Brian Seiler]

I don't really see the Walt/Jesse disagreement as forced either. Walt is a bad man. He treats Jesse likes a son sometimes, but he's also insecure and way too proud about his own work to let anybody else horn in without putting his name up in lights over it. If this were a tragedy, his pride would be his flaw, and I suspect that it will eventually get him killed in the last episode of the series, or possibly worse if they follow The Shield template. Jesse, on the other hand, is just an idiot who doesn't believe that there's any other way for him to make the living he thinks he deserves because he's a self-centered twit of the highest possible order. Jesse didn't even try to go straight after his drugs got his girlfriend dead (as far as he knows).

I expect Hank to grab Jesse at some point in the near future and shenanigans should probably ensue from that. I do wish that they'd find something even remotely interesting to do with Hank's wife whose name I cannot remember, but otherwise, they're doing a pretty alright job. Plus, this season doesn't quite make me want to walk out into freeway traffic the way the last one did (seriously - I will never watch those episodes again because that shit was just harsh). I do miss the Walt that I could cheer for, though - it's been a long time since he blew up something that somebody really deserved to have blown up.

[Nawid A]

Every time I think this show couldn't possibly get darker, it invents a new shade of black.

[Kirian]

What a terrific episode.

I thought for a second Jesse was going to be thrown to the wolves. Now I don't know whether Gustavo's going to make a power play and kill them off/sic the DEA on them, or they're going to off Hank and have it play out that way. Jesse's now a loose end who can't really do anything, and I can see Walt either giving up on him after these events or using it to force him straight.

As they've killed off a police officer, which I hope doesn't remain a piece of episode-beginning drama, I don't see things going well for anyone. Except Saul, who gets to smile his smug bullfrog smile even more.

It's been sitting in my mind for a while, so I thought I would say that I love that Bryan Cranston plays Walt completely straight, as if he believes in the character and believes he is a good man with good motivations, who is conflicted and guilty. It pins the whole show together, not to detract from the other great performances.

Addendum: I forgot to mention what balut pointed out. Gustavo's definitely planning on replacing Walt with the assistant, and I reckon Walt is or will become wise to that.

[balut]

I think it's pretty apparent that Gustavo's not worried about a short contract with Walt because by then the assistant will have learned all of Walt's secrets. I'd like to think that the assistant with whom Walt has such great chemistry (ha!) with is as he seems, but the show is dark enough that he could be far more sinister at heart.

[Tom Chick]

Yeah, that was a great episode, wasn't it?

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant. And it was doubly cool to see him and Bryan Cranston given so much time for their scene. Now that's how you introduce a new character! Put him onscreen with someone we know and give the two of them time to just breathe. Very nice.

But I especially loved the entire sequence from Hank gently prying at the RV's windows with his fingers all the way to his silent freak-out at the hospital. I loved the hospital scene with the jump cuts and then Hank's cell phone's ringtone adding sound and then ending with his dark look. Way to really flesh out what used to be an ancillary character. And way to play to that actor's strengths. What a great synergy of storytelling, visual technique, and acting.

Of course, seeing the RV trashed was a great scene as well. I love how much local flavor they add with the soundtrack.

Okay, Breaking Bad, season two's missteps are pretty much forgiven. :)

-Tom

[delirium]

Jesse's now a loose end who can't really do anything, and I can see Walt either giving up on him after these events or using it to force him straight.

Jesse appears to have gotten his shit together. There was the scene towards the beginning of the episode that made two things clear about Jesse: 1) He's learned how to cook some killer meth 2) He's clean for now and is in control enough to have other people do drugs in front of him without fiending for it. I feel like that scene established that Jesse is still very relevant. Maybe now that Jesse is thinking clearly, he can earn back Walt's confidence?

On the other hand, he flipped out about the RV and led Hank right to it, but I think that screwup was more Badger's fault. The way Jesse flew off in a rage, he obviously didn't know anything about the DEA being on his trail. I'm pretty sure Walt made that clear when he talked to Badger.

"This is my own private domicile and I won't be harassed.....BITCH!"

[Papageno]

That "wife's been in a car accident" ploy was some seriously underhanded shit. Not that I wasn't rooting for Walt and Jesse. I love the murderous look in Hank's eyes when he figures out he's been had.

[Kirian]

I meant that Jesse has just lost all means of producing meth, so he's either starting from scratch or he's getting out because he's a loose end as far as the meth part of the storyline is concerned. I think Walt may take this chance to force him out, but Hank will be going for him like the possessed man he is.

I can see Walt taking him back as a gambit against the assistant. It may go that way.


The whole scene running from Walt calling Jesse to Hank's black face was just superb, first in ratcheting up the tension, playing it out beautifully (kudos to their cinematography team) then giving the perfect, bitter ending to the whole thing.

I knew I recognised the assistant from somewhere, but it wasn't Flight of the Conchords. He was the Baltimore Sun manager on the Wire. I had to look that up, shame on me.

[LionelThompson]

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant. And it was doubly cool to see him and Bryan Cranston given so much time for their scene. Now that's how you introduce a new character! Put him onscreen with someone we know and give the two of them time to just breathe. Very nice.

Thank you Tom, that was driving me nuts where I knew him.

I now predict broken glass, or an attempt at breaking glass, to appear in every episode this season, this time around it was the windows of the RV.

Also, while I am on some Andy Rooney series of side notes, the opening scene reminded me very strongly of 'No Country for Old Men' and that in addition to being related to Tuco, the cousins could well be nephews of Anton Sigur.

For the past season I had a lot of doubt in casting Odenkirk as Saul. Between loving him on Mr. Show and Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, I could never see him beyond the schtick, but the scene where he had his secretary make the phone call, he showed just a hint, a touch of a dramatic side, and I really loved him for it.

[Athryn]

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant.

Also from Damages, which was where I was remembering him from. This was truly an awesome episode.

[Tom Chick]

For the past season I had a lot of doubt in casting Odenkirk as Saul. Between loving him on Mr. Show and Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, I could never see him beyond the schtick, but the scene where he had his secretary make the phone call, he showed just a hint, a touch of a dramatic side, and I really loved him for it.

Yep, he's really grown on me as well. As first, he was just a clown, like Giancarlo Esposito was just a cipher. But now I'm quite fond of how the characters have, well, character. Furthermore, they're both so integral to the whole chessboard arrangement of the cast. Great great writing. Which is why I get excited when they introduce new characters like the lab assistant.

-Tom

[Nawid A]

Also from Damages, which was where I was remembering him from. This was truly an awesome episode.

Or the newspaper guy from the Wire.

[serling]

Making me pee my pants in excitement, eh? Whatever, Breaking Bad.

I seriously don't know how they will ever top this. Holy hell.

[Athryn]

AMC came out with a cute little set of photos today. Breaking Bad Mugshots.

The one of Jesse makes me giggle.

[drake113]

I seriously don't know how they will ever top this. Holy hell.

I think they just did.

[Bandersnatch]

Great ending, very intense.

[Animus]

Holy shiittttt

EDIT: it may be cuz I'm a bit stoned and drunk, but I haven't been that into/freaked out that much watching something in ages.

[LionelThompson]

While the end scene was fantastic and intense, it seems a bit of a let down that they spent the season hyping up what bad motherfuckers these Cousins are only to have them go down so quickly. I mean, Hank knows what he is doing, but I was a little disappointed that neither he nor Jesse ended up dead (Jesse for threatening to take down Walt).

One of the few good things Battlestar Galactica had going for it was that nobody was immune to death and it seems like that is not the case here.

Again, more broken glass, either it has some underlying meaning like male virility, or they just got a great deal on sugar glass.

[Juntei]

While the end scene was fantastic and intense, it seems a bit of a let down that they spent the season hyping up what bad motherfuckers these Cousins are only to have them go down so quickly. I mean, Hank knows what he is doing, but I was a little disappointed that neither he nor Jesse ended up dead (Jesse for threatening to take down Walt).

I think had Hank not been tipped off he might have been killed. I just wonder if it was Gus who called like I suspect.