Director: Tim Hunter
"What are we doing way the hell out here?What, did they close the mall or something?"
-- Tuco (Raymond Cruz)
The only disappointment with Breaking Bad's first season finale is that it's clearly not a season finale. Owing to the WGA strike earlier this year, Breaking Bad was reduced to a piffling seven episodes, and there wasn't time to ensure things built to a satisfying, premature climax. So, we're left with the awkward feeling of a TV series stopping dead in its tracks, just as it had started to run…
However, it's still a great piece of work; taking the time to pause, catch its breath after last week's explosive end, and push forward into the next chapter. Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) meet with drug kingpin Tuco (Raymond Cruz) at a junkyard, where Walter makes a boastful claim he can provide Tuco with twice as much crystal meth as requested. To succeed, Jesse must procure expensive new equipment to cook the meth in a faster, more efficient manner -- eventually necessitating a daring raid on a warehouse to steal a vital chemical, using thermite to burn through any locks.
Elsewhere, Skyler (Anna Gunn) is given a very expensive baby's tiara by her sister Marie (Betsy Brandt), which she eventually discovers was stolen from a local jewelry store. Is Marie a kleptomaniac? This sudden development of Marie's character has come far too late, although because this episode was never intended to be a finale, I can let it pass. It's not a hugely entertaining subplot, but Breaking Bad definitely does a good job of keeping the supporting characters just as interesting as the Walt/Jesse double-act.
And there were some more well-earned emotional moments; from Walt having to publicly record a video-message to his unborn daughter (whom he might never meet), beautifully played by Cranston, to Walt and Hank (Dean Norris) discussing the thin line of legality. Walt has obviously started to see the world in less black-and-white terms when it comes to right-and-wrong. Indeed, I've been waiting for Walt to see the meth addicts he's ultimately providing for, but we'll sadly have to wait for that inevitability. Would seeing that change his attitude?
There are hints that Walt might rethink his strategy, though, when Tuco viciously beats a henchman to within an inch of his life. It's only at that moment Walt seems to fully comprehend how crazy Tuco is, and how difficult it will be to dissolve their business agreement when he makes enough cash to cover his chemotherapy bills. The big draw of this series is seeing a good man do bad things for the perceived greater good, and this episode is a great example of that. I particularly like the flip Samson & Delilah symbolism that Walter's loss of hair has increased his masculinity.
Overall, "A No-Rough-Stuff Type Deal" is a good episode, poorly positioned as a finale because it doesn't really provide enough impact to keep your mind percolating 'till season 2. Last week's episode would have been a far better cut-off point, if similarly sudden and unexpected. Regardless, these seven episodes have been brave, challenging, entertaining, darkly comical, tragic and enlightening entertainment.
9 November 2008
FX, 10pm
Cast: Bryan Cranston (Walter), Anna Gunn (Skyler), RJ Mitte (Walter Jr.), Betsy Brandt (Marie), Dean Norris (Hank), Aaron Paul (Jesse), David House (Dr. Delcavoli), Beth Bailey (Realtor), Carmen Serano (Carmen), Raymond Cruz (Tuco), Cesar Garcia (Gonzo), Dave Colon (Concerned Parent), Carrie Fleming (Yuppie Woman), Matthew Page (Chemical Plant Guard), Jacob Mullikan (Prospective Buyer), Charles Dowdy (Mr. Wilson), Lorri Oliver (Concerned Parent), Kristen Loree (Concerned Parent), Jesus Payan (No-Doze) & Mike Miller (Jewelry Store Owner)
