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[_Bro]

I didn't think this episode was that great.

They obviously tried something different: minimalist, only two characters, only one backdrop (except the scene at the very end).

But the episode didn't move things forward, or add any particularly interesting dramatic tensions.

(The actor's explanation in the post-episode preview doesn't really add up either. Is Walt going crazy because of all the lies? Unlikely, because he's been doing that for ages. There's actually less lying going on at the current stage.)

However, Jesse was great in this episode. ("What's the deal with o-possum?") But then again he's always quite good.

The episodes not about the progression of the meth business, it's character development. Walt is facing his actions, what could have been. He opened up to the moment where he wish he fucking died for christ's sake.

Not too mention the possibility

Spoiler

of him having brain cancer.

Jesse opens up about his aunt and Jane and Walt, perhaps for the first time, realizes who has been affected besides him. Yes, the planes crashed but let's face it, he wasn't that bothered by it as someone should have been. Talking to Jesse about Jane, saying it out loud to him about meeting her father that night, it all took root in him then.

Perhaps the drug was an influence on his mood but he looked hurt and saddened at someone else's situation for once.

 

[Costanza]

Um, that was the worst episode of the series. Critics are insane.

It was literally just 45 minutes of Walt and Jesse in the lab trying to kill a fly while reflecting on shit that happened last season. NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED. This was the worst kind of filler.

Completely useless.

One plus - Rian Johnson did a good job directing. Some really cool shots.

 

[akachan ningen]

This episode was boring as shit. First one this season. I'm sorry but a good last 10 minutes doesn't excuse a boring rest of the episode. And yeah I know my opinion won't be popular here but I don't give a fuck.

 

[Washed_Out]

I agree with the above. Thought the episode was slow and dull, up until near the end when I thought Walt would make the reveal to Jesse about Jane. Kinda odd that an episode like this would air so far into the season, I expect the upcoming episodes to really get shit going. This season has been pretty weak, imho.

Great work by Rian Johnson, though I wish he could of directed a different episode with more going on.

 

[OptimoPeach]

Um, that was the worst episode of the series. Critics are insane.

It was literally just 45 minutes of Walt and Jesse in the lab trying to kill a fly while reflecting on shit that happened last season. NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED. This was the worst kind of filler.

Completely useless.

It's like omg rite jacked your account

 

[Schrade]

I can see young'ns having a problem with this episode since it didn't have all the action and boom moments that the series usually has.

 

[thatbox]

I was bored. I mean, I got it, but I was still bored.

I can see young'ns having a problem with this episode since it didn't have all the action and boom moments that the series usually has.

The next page will just be this repeated, calling people who weren't impressed philistines!

 

[Costanza]

I can see young'ns having a problem with this episode since it didn't have all the action and boom moments that the series usually has.

That's not true. The character moments are my favorite thing about this show, but there was nothing insightful or new about anything they talked about in this episode. Totally fucking useless.

 

[Fun Factor]

Um, that was the worst episode of the series. Critics are insane.

It was literally just 45 minutes of Walt and Jesse in the lab trying to kill a fly while reflecting on shit that happened last season. NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED. This was the worst kind of filler.

WRONG!
The last 5 seconds of the episode foreshadowed Jess selling Meth on the side is going to be a big problem with Gus in the following episode.

 

[UrbanRats]

Looks like this episode is going to split the fans in half.
Whatever, i think it was the best episode of the season yet and i completely agree with the reviews.

Ofcourse i don't think that whoever didn't like it is stupid or a brat or whatever.
Also wanna to pinpoint a scene: the final Fly shot, brilliantly show that Walt, in the end, didn't spill'd out the truth(to Jesse), and the "fly" is still there.

 

[thatbox]

WRONG!
The last 5 seconds of the episode foreshadowed Jess selling Meth on the side is going to be a big problem with Gus in the following episode.

We already knew that was going to be a problem - Gus won't like it when someone else is slinging the same blue meth, and when he looks into it he'll find the yield discrepancies.

 

[woodchuck]

uh, how come when i enter this thread, it asks me for username/password for

cetteboite.com? wtf is that


and not sure how i feel about this episode. the last 10 or 15 minutes were brilliant. but i just had a hard time getting on board with the first 30 minutes

 

[Buckethead]

Watched 15 minutes of it and turned it off. No thanks.

 

[ZoddGutts]

Loved this ep.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I think that this was a good place to have a plateau for reflection, a place for Walt to stop at the red light and think about things as they are...and to build up for coming episodes...a calm before the storm. Walt has been stripped relatively quickly of all those things that have made his fantasy able to stand up to this point...and now he's realizing how dangerous who he works for is, or at least, just the level of danger his decisions have put the others he cares about in. He realizes that he's the safest of all so long as he stays working with Gus...but that safety means he puts everyone outside of the bubble at risk of being caught in the collateral damage of the sort of war Gus' empire will have to continue to take part in to stay in business. He's at the center of all of the bad shit all around him in his life...

All it takes is for Jesse to be caught stealing and he's out of the bubble and Walt cares for Jesse like a son, so this is Walt trying to keep his sanity for why he's doing any of what he's doing...and trying to keep those not-so-rotten things left around him intact...the people he recognizes that he's fucked over, lied to. And that's the most important thing...he finally realizes just how fucked up he has made the situation for others...finally accepting that he is to blame for those things he previously relinquished his claim on in order to maintain that drive toward his goal...to retain some sense of righteousness in his aim...all to meet this once simple goal. I don't think that's a minor point to so cavalierly throw into a more action-based episode. Maybe it was more thoughtful and too focused on Walt's and Jesse's minds than what people come to expect of a show in its last few episodes of the season, but I think it'll prove to be so packed to the gills with developments and action that the next three simply won't have room to dedicate and dwell on these important points for two of the central characters.

 

[Spire]

This was an excellent episode for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that last scene. Possibly the most foreboding thing I've ever seen. I literally got chills.

 

[UrbanRats]

I'm getting the feeling that, who liked the Lost finale, didn't liked this episode of BB, maybe there is a connection? :lol

 

[Meliorism]

I'm getting the feeling that, who liked the Lost finale, didn't liked this episode of BB, maybe there is a connection? :lol

I loved both. I think Breaking Bad has been an overall stronger show, but I guess that's not what this is about.

 

[UrbanRats]

I loved both. I think Breaking Bad has been an overall stronger show, but I guess that's not what this is about.

Yeah, i was joking anyway

 

[vazel]

I get what the episode was trying to do putting all that 'depth' into a plot about a fly but I still think it's the weakest episode of the series. Only good thing was the last scene. I hope Jesse doesn't fuck things up with Gus.

 

[xbhaskarx]

I'll take a third position: it wasn't "the worst kind of filler" and it wasn't "the best episode of the season"... it was very good but nothing exceptional, and a nice change of pace.

In terms of Walt-Jesse episodes, the S2 RV episode didn't really do much to advance the plot either (for anyone complaining about this episode, did you also not like that one?), but I liked RB more as it had so much great Jesse humor. But this one went deeper into the two characters.

Watched 15 minutes of it and turned it off. No thanks.

wtf :lol

 

[Spire]

Night has fallen, death is near.

 

[UrbanRats]

Also, wasn't this the first episode where Walt REALLY realized how fuck'd up he has become? That's pretty important and i think the first half of """boring""" claustrophobic paranoia was necessary narratively to get the viewer in the right, alienated "mood"; it had to sink deeper and deeper in this surreal situation, before switching(slowly)from farsesque to serious.
switching between Walt and Jesse trying to catch the fly and, say, Marie or whoever doing something more "actionbased" outside, would have compromised the atmosphere of grotesque obsession and, as i said, claustrophobia; it would have turned the whole fly thing just a nonsense prolungated joke.
Still, i can see why some of you didn't like it, just as i can see some people not liking Lynch(for example).

 

[AlternativeUlster]

That was my favorite episode of the season actually.

 

[KingGondo]

Great episode... such an unexpected change of pace, but it was a perfect way to get across Walt's mental anguish, which to this point has been covered in layers of denial/macho drug kingpin bullshit.

For those that say "nothing happened," this episode probably had the most significant developments for the main characters during the entire season. Walt is starting to crack, and Jesse's vulnerability (brilliantly conveyed by Jane's old cigarette in his car) finally showed through as well.

Also, I wonder if Bryan Cranston does his own stunts? :lol

 

[yacobod]

missed the episode last night for the lost finale, heard it was good tho, got it dvrd for tonight

 

[Chaser]

I was uneasy, and in some ways annoyed, during the first twenty minutes of this episode.
It just felt like they were taking too long to get to what we were waiting for.

But the last half was just perfect. Such fantastic dialogue and acting, and Rian Johnson had some truly amazing shots (that particularly helped during this episode, which was constricted to a confined space). The final scene in particular felt absolutely grim.
Fantastic episode overall, I really enjoyed it.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Worst episode of the season, even if it was focused more on the human nature side of Walt.

 

[Puddles]

There were a lot of things to like about that episode, but... I really hope the next one is more eventful.

 

[akachan ningen]

The really sad thing is that even though they really got into the more personal sides of both characters, they could have that done that in a way that was actually entertaining if they hadn't been so far up their own ass with the fly joke and just done something else.

 

[Spectral Glider]

I'll take a third position: it wasn't "the worst kind of filler" and it wasn't "the best episode of the season"... it was very good but nothing exceptional, and a nice change of pace.

In terms of Walt-Jesse episodes, the S2 RV episode didn't really do much to advance the plot either (for anyone complaining about this episode, did you also not like that one?), but I liked RB more as it had so much great Jesse humor. But this one went deeper into the two characters.

I'm with you, I was kind of on the fence. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. Had some good stuff in it, no doubt. But something felt off about it. Not sure what exactly. I will say, the difference between this and the RV episode is that the RV episode worked in that there wasn't as much story to "ignore", for lack of a better word, at that point. Back then, there was no Gus, no divorce, Mexican cartel, wounded Hank, all that stuff. Up to that point, Walt and Jesse were the two main focuses of the show so an episode dealing with just them made all the sense in the world. Now, there's so much other stuff than can get air time so I can understand some people's frustration with this episode.

 

[dave is ok]

Loved the episode, one of my favorites of the season.

For the people who weren't too impressed with it - I'd classify this as the 'calm before the storm' - Jesse is definitely going to be found out by Gus by the end of the season. I think part of Walts breakdown was because he knows it and he knows how ruthless these people are. The "bug" flying around the lab, the blinking red light.. Walt knows these men are smart enough to equip their lab with video/audio surveillance and he knows Jesse is stupid enough to steal from them.

Walt needs control. He doesn't have control in this situation and it's driving him mad. The fly was one more thing he wanted control over, just to feel like he's somewhat in charge of his own life.

The monologue where he was deciding when he should have died was heartbreaking. Watching the scene of him with the elephant documentary on will be very different in repeat vieweings.

 

[Charmicarmicat]

The symbolism of the ladder scene was incredible. We've seen Jesse teetering between losing his shit and coming to terms with the death of Jane, and as we feel Walt might reveal the thing to send him over the edge we are worried he might literally take a fall from the ladder. Untouchable.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

That was my favorite episode of the season actually.

Yeah, it might be mine too. I loved the abundance of symbolism and its subdued tone. I got worried they might go to the well again with Walt revealing too much while sedated, but they didn't. Great episode.

 

[sprsk]

One of the most tense eps in a while.

 

[Clipjoint]

Brilliant, brilliant episode. Just genius. My favorite line was Walt going on about some perfect sequence of words that, placed in the right order, can yield the desired outcome. That explains him perfectly - he's a chemist, and he thinks like a chemist in all aspects of his life. He can't understand people on an emotional level, he only understands formulas and combinations and bonds - which is the real cause of all his problems.

The fly in the room is a great metaphor for the gap between them. Walt's monologue helped Pinkman kill the fly, but to Walt, it still exists until he tells the truth.

Just an incredible episode, on all counts. Absolutely compelling and riveting.

 

[KingDirk]

Brilliant, brilliant episode. Just genius. My favorite line was Walt going on about some perfect sequence of words that, placed in the right order, can yield the desired outcome. That explains him perfectly - he's a chemist, and he thinks like a chemist in all aspects of his life. He can't understand people on an emotional level, he only understands formulas and combinations and bonds - which is the real cause of all his problems.

The fly in the room is a great metaphor for the gap between them. Walt's monologue helped Pinkman kill the fly, but to Walt, it still exists until he tells the truth.

Just an incredible episode, on all counts. Absolutely compelling and riveting.

Oh man I almost forgot about that monologue. It just choked me up--I've often thought that people's failure to understand my actions was a result of poor communication skills on my part or something along those lines. I also loved how Walt chastised Jesse with the line 'No rationalizing!' So fucking ironic, and yet still tragic.

Also, damn did Johnson do an awesome job with the cinematography. All the POV shots were just beautiful.

 

[dead souls]

What an amazing episode. Brilliant performances by both Paul and Cranston. Walt's almost confession to Jesse was completely nerve-racking.

I really needed an episode this well done after watching Lost's awful finale.

 

[dave is ok]

For some reason, it really makes me feel better about this show using such a HUGE coincidence like Walt meeting Donald when the character acknowledges how big of a coincidence it was.

This episode did a great job of showing that Walt really considers letting Jane die be the turning point in his life. He feels tremendous guilt towards Jesse, Donald and even the people on the airplane. He even wishes he died before it happened.

 

[Speevy]

The fact that something eventful has to happen for some of you to appreciate this show means you haven't really understood what kind of show this is.

Here I'll write an alternate episode for you, completely made up.

Spoiler

Walt tells Jesse about Jane, Jesse leaves the lab. Skyler extorts Walt for hundreds of thousands of dollars out of spite. Gustav meets with a mysterious third party, perhaps hatching yet another deal on the side. Hank clings to life as Marie waits, he has a near-death experience, doctors revive him by taking emergency measures. Saul pays the bald-headed guy to kill Jesse for stealing meth. He plants a car bomb in Jesse's car, but something else sets it off. Jesse hits the road and disappears. Walt puts a gun in his mouth, decides against it. Episode ends.

Guess what? Seen all of this before on other shows.

 

[Leunam]

You're missing a funny bit. Make Jesse reference Walt in the first episode when he grabs his crotch.

 

[CygnusXS]

For some reason, it really makes me feel better about this show using such a HUGE coincidence like Walt meeting Donald when the character acknowledges how big of a coincidence it was.

This episode did a great job of showing that Walt really considers letting Jane die be the turning point in his life. He feels tremendous guilt towards Jesse, Donald and even the people on the airplane. He even wishes he died before it happened.

Kind of makes those people defending Walt's decision look silly when the actual character admits to having tremendous difficulty reconciling it.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I can't believe the people hating on this episode. There's a lot of psychological things going on with Walt and it was put on display for 45 minutes. I loved it. I'm particularly fond of the scene where Walt is trying to make sense of that chance encounter with Jane's father. Also explaining the perfect moment to just drop out of existence.

 

[gdt]

Just watched it, and I thought it was pretty brilliant.

First of all, Rian was stupendous.

Lots and lots of subtext this episode too. I get why some wouldn't like it, but I just really dug it alot.

I don't think it was the best of the (stellar) season though.

 

[Costanza]

the S2 RV episode didn't really do much to advance the plot either (for anyone complaining about this episode, did you also not like that one?)

I actually loved that one.

 

[Speevy]

Also, I should point out that events in these character's lives are only "past episodes" to us.

It's seriously stupid that more dramas don't reference past events more often. Taking away the memory of a show is a terrible way to proceed with its plot.

 

[Kal]

Definitely the worst episode of the series. Boring. Yes I know people will jump on me for not being "artsy" or looking at the character development but the whole episode could have been split into other episodes... it felt like a waste of time even though it it was shot beautifully. Nothing more than an "Emmy bait" episode (hope they get nominated and win though lol!)

 

[dave is ok]

Definitely the worst episode of the series. Boring. Yes I know people will jump on me for not being "artsy" or looking at the character development but the whole episode could have been split into other episodes... it felt like a waste of time even though it it was shot beautifully. Nothing more than an "Emmy bait" episode (hope they get nominated and win though lol!)

Not enough explosions

 

[UrbanRats]

Definitely the worst episode of the series. Boring. Yes I know people will jump on me for not being "artsy" or looking at the character development but the whole episode could have been split into other episodes... it felt like a waste of time even though it it was shot beautifully. Nothing more than an "Emmy bait" episode (hope they get nominated and win though lol!)

As i said, splitting it in two wouldn't have had the same impact.

 

[WillyFive]

OH NO

I missed this last episode!

They didn't rerun it after it's original airing like they always do!