Breaking Bad – Walt and Jesse both teeter toward certain disaster

You wouldn’t think that a show like Breaking Bad would have time for what many refer to as a “filler episode,” though that’s essentially what we got here. Now, before you go jumping on me to defend the show or the episode itself, I’m not saying that this episode was necessarily bad. Instead, it was a self-contained episode that served a specific purpose and done in a way unlike any other episode of the show.

Let me start with what I did like about the episode. It was great to see Walter and Jesse back to working like it was the old days in the RV. This is exactly the kind of interaction we’ve seen before between these two, just as they were when stranded in the desert and facing what seemed like death. Alright, so an infiltrating fly isn’t as dramatic as dying in an arid New Mexican desert in one’s underwear, but I think that’s part of the point. Even in the comfy confines of their state-of-the-art lab, there’s going to be drama of these proportions.

I also liked the interaction between Walt and Jesse with regards to Jane’s death. Walter clearly is feeling guilty for leaving her there to die, without even an attempt at help. Would he have spilled everything had he not passed out? I believe there was some symbolism there with Jesse and the teetering ladder, as he swatted away at the fly. Walter was getting so, so close to that tipping point, where he was about to tell Jesse that he saw Jane die. So, at the same time we were bracing for Jesse to fall off the ladder, we were bracing for Walter to let it all out to Jesse.

Bob had mentioned before how he likes the details that go into this show, and this episode was no exception. I really liked that Walter addressed the odds of him happening upon Jane’s father in a bar, but he clearly doesn’t really know all of the variables that went into play behind the scenes to make that chance meeting happen.

What I didn’t really care for in this episode was the sort of slapstick-ness of these two guys hunting down a measly fly. We all already get that Walter’s got some deep seated issues regarding perfection right now, but this went over the top. I have always liked that, as brilliant of a mind as Walter is, he’s got some really strange quirks about him. Chasing down a single fly in the lab really made me raise a brow and question whether Walter has mental issues beyond simply being a neat freak. Even Jesse wondered if he had been dipping into the meth to be acting so irrational. If this isn’t addressed at some point, Walter’s actions are going to start to really bug me.

Clacked by Keith McDuffee
on May 24, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT