Director: Bronwen Hughes
I'm amazed by how often this series truly surprises me, but there's always something waiting to make my eyes dance and head spin with joy. Breaking Bad is a pitch-perfect mix of riveting family drama and gritty crime thriller. Wonderful chemistry, you could say. If you're not watching this, you're missing out...The penultimate episode of a desperately short season finds Walter (Bryan Cranston) facing the repercussions of his chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer; finding his urine has turned luminous orange, and his hair has started falling out. Skyler (Anna Gunn) believes her husband has accepted his rich friend's offer to pay his medical expenses, but in fact his pride has led him to turning the offer down flat. The only way Walt can possibly pay for the treatment is by cooking more crystal meth with Jesse (Aaron Paul) -- but this time their product will need wider, more lucrative distribution…
Meanwhile, Walt's brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) is growing dangerously close to discovering his illegal activities, when police forensics reveal the gas-mask they found at the desert "cook site" belonged to Walt's high school. Fortunately, Walt is so unassuming and sickly, that Hank is blind to the evidence incriminating Walt (like the incorrect stock take of his chemistry equipment.) Indeed, the finger of suspicion falls elsewhere…
Once again, the episode juxtaposes its ending with the beginning, to immediately hook viewers' attention. Why is a bald Walt walking through a bad part of town with a bloody nose, carrying a canvas bag? Over the course of the episode, we'll find out -- and, in typical Breaking Bad style, it's as logical and perfectly-explained as usual.
In fact, one of the great strengths of this series has been how it sticks ruthlessly true to its characters' personalities and never once slips up. More than any television show on-air right now, I totally believe in its reality -- thanks to the strength of writing and performances. It's never once strained to explain a daft plot-twist, or required too much suspension of disbelief from its audience. You could almost believe this were a true story.
One of my favourite elements in Breaking Bad has been seeing mild-mannered, henpecked Walter become a gritty, determined, bad-ass. So far we've seen some fairly comedic societal revenge stories, but this episode takes it to a whole other level…
After Walt orders Jesse to try and hook-up with a drug lord called Tuco (Raymond Cruz), in an effort to make serious money by distributing their meth through his contacts, Walt is horrified to find Jesse hospitalized when bullish Tuco takes advantage of the young, smart-mouthed upstart. It leads him to mastermind a seemingly futile retaliation, single-handed and alone, in the lion's den of Tuco's stronghold.
Even away from the obvious action spectacle this episode offers, Breaking Bad never forgets the quiet character moments. I enjoyed seeing Jesse being more sympathetic towards Walt, after discovering his partner has cancer (an ailment that killed his aunt), Walt's fatherly concern and guilt over pushing Jesse into the Tuco situation was touching, a family card game had an obvious but fun pay-off, and there was a signposted but still effective tragedy for a kindly high school janitor.
Overall, episode 6 marked another courageous performance from the Emmy-winning Cranston -- both in the small details of his cancer battle, and in his tragic descent into the criminal underworld to give himself a chance of beating his condition. I'm slightly disappointed the writers' strike cut Breaking Bad down to a mere seven episodes, but at least that's resulted in a concentrated high of writing, performance and direction. I can't wait for the final hit next week.
2 November 2008
FX, 10pm
Cast: Bryan Cranston (Walter), Aaron Paul (Jesse), Dean Norris (Hank), Betsy Brandt (Marie), RJ Mitte (Walter Jr.), Anna Gunn (Skyler), Steven Michael Quezada (Gomez), Dennis Keiffer (Lookout), Seraphine DeYoung (Student), Judith Rane (Office Manager), Vivian Nesbitt (Mrs. Pope), Cesar Garcia (Gonzo), Jesus Payan (No-Doze), Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), Pierre Barrera (Hugo), Raymond Cruz (Tuco) & Carmen Serano (Carmen)
