[SPOILERS] We're approaching the end of season 2 now, and "4 Days Out" could very easily have been a filler episode, but that's never been the case with Breaking Bad. Everything counts, every episode pushes the characters forward an increment, and it's rounded off with arguably the season's most important reveal...In "4 Days Out", Walt (Bryan Cranston) realizes after talking to his crooked lawyer Saul (Bob Odenkirk) that he'll have to cook for a solid four-day period to recoup recent losses. So, he lies to Jesse (Aaron Paul) about potentially wasting chemicals unless they get back to business, tells Skyler (Anna Gunn) he's flying out to visit his mother, and the pair of miscreants head off in their RV to a remote part of the desert to replenish their crystal meth supplies.
Unfortunately, dimwit Jesse accidentally leaves the keys in the ignition and drains the RV's batter, leaving them stranded in the middle-of-nowhere with limited water and all hope resting on Badger being able to find them...This was essentially a two-hander for the most part, with Walt and Jesse (a kind of modern, twisted version of Laurel & Hardy) sharing the load. And they make a find double-act; two very different people, thrown together for a common goal to get rich quick. And after the days of work, they calculate they've made a phenomenal $600,000 each in saleable meth. Of course, once the battery situation is discovered, the episode takes a rather depressing turn as we quickly realize just how life-threatening being stuck in a desert can be. As Walt reminds Jesse in one scene, if he dared to venture out and walk, he's be dead in an hour because his brain lacks the chemical nutrients to transmit message to his body.
Fortunately, their certain doom proves avoidable when Walt's genius again comes into play (indeed, it's been awhile since he used his chemistry know-how to get them out of a tight-spit), and here he hits upon an idea to create their own fully-charged replacement battery, using cut-up sponges and coins. Although, I got my biggest laugh of the series when Jesse seriously believed Walt was going to create some kind of robot to rescue them. Disaster avoided, the pair head home with their fortune in meth, having actually grown a little closer. Jesse promises Walt that, whatever happens, he'll make sure his family get their share of the drug money.
The episode was also bookended by the continuing story of Walt's cancer treatment, as he undergoes a PET scan of his lungs to see if his tumour has reduced in size, then steals a look at the resulting scan ahead of time and notices a worrying white cloud in the lung area. Convinced this means his cancer has advanced, and still exhibiting that hacking cough that's been a fixture of season 2, Walt and his family gather in his doctor's office for the episode's final scene... with Walt braced for bad news. Only, there is none. His tumour is in remission and has actually shrunk an amazing 80% in size!
There follows a surprising and rather tragic scene with Walt in a hospital rest room, cleaning up. With a palm-full of water in his hand, he's suddenly reminded that his life only began to have purpose when death seemed inevitable. The lack of water in the RV spurred him on to victory, he can now draw as much water as he likes from this sink. And when you have too much of something, you just don't value it.So, while this should be a happy time, we leave Walt punching his reflection in a hand-dryer, turning his knuckles red raw. His plan, to die on his terms, utilize his latent genius and make his family rich, has actually been dealt a terrible blow. Somehow I doubt Walt will want to stop cooking meth, even if his tumour completely disappears.
Overall, "4 Days Out" was a wonderful character piece for Walt and Jesse, strengthening their shaky relationship, capped with a significant moment for Breaking Bad's broader picture. The story perhaps made it too inevitable that Walt and Jesse would breakdown in the desert, but it was solid brilliance once the battery went flat, and director Michelle MacLaren certainly found plenty of beautiful imagery to shoot on location. Breaking Bad's definitely one of the most eye-grabbing dramas around whenever it ventures into the blazing desert with those gorgeous sunsets...
3 May 2009
AMC, 10pm
Writer: Sam Catlin
Director: Michelle MacLaren
Cast: Bryan Cranston (Walter), Aaron Paul (Jesse), Anna Gunn (Skyler), Betsy Brandt (Marie), Dean Norris (Hank), Bob Odenkirk (Saul), Krysten Ritter (Jane), David House (Dr. Delcavoli), Matt L. Jones (Badger) & RJ Mitte (Walt Jr)
