WRITERS: Sam Catlin and Moira Walley-Beckett[SPOILERS] A "bottle show" (or should that be "blue bottle show"?) intended to save money by limiting the episode to a few sets (the superlab and laundromat) while focusing exclusively on Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul), "Fly" was a great character piece full of visual invention -- if slightly frustrating that, post "One Minute", the show's momentum appears to have slowed significantly.
DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
My reviews of Breaking Bad can be long (as most episodes pack such a lot into their hours), but "Fly" was a lighter, simpler story. Overworked, overtired, and frustrated that their meth yields are coming up short, Walt started to obsess over the presence of a fly in the lab, which he viewed as an unacceptable "contamination". There followed comedic sequence of Looney Tunes-esque proportions, with Walt struggling to swat the resilient insect; banging his head on pipes, losing his shoe in a ceiling light, falling from a catwalk railing, etc. The fly even had the temerity to land on Walt's glasses after he'd taken a particularly painful tumble in his increasingly unreasonable attempt to kill the pest.Jesse's arrival did little to quell Walt's obsessive behaviour, despite his attempts to make Walt get things in perspective. It wasn't long before the two were bickering and trying to trying to win their side of the argument (Walt tricking Jesse and locking him of the lab, Jesse finding the circuit breakers and plunging the whole area into darkness), before it became clear that Walt wouldn't rest until the buzzing menace was dealt with. They almost became Dick Dastardly and Mutley in an episode of "Stop The Pigeon", stalking the lab with an array of fly-catching paraphernalia and handmade swatters.
But in-between the obvious visual comedy of seeing Walt and Jesse at loggerheads over a trivial matter, "Fly" managed to weave worthwhile insight into each character. Walt's obsession over the fly and the low meth yield felt like a reaction to his realization people like Gus won't be taken for fools ("there is no more room for error... not with these people"), or the moment Jesse equated his dead aunt's obsession with a possum to Walt's obsession with the fly, hinting that perhaps Walt's cancer has likewise reached his brain. A theory Walter denounced because his lung cancer's still in remission, but admitted that he actually regrets not dying at the "perfect time" (the day Jesse's girlfriend Jane died), and because Jesse had spiked his coffee with sleeping pills his soporific mental state almost made him admit to killing Jane through inaction. Instead, he pondered the random nature of the universe in his tale of meeting Jane's father at a bar one night, having calculated the chances of that coincidence occurring as astronomical. Quite amazing self-control from Walt, as I was bracing myself for the victory of killing the fly coinciding with Walt irreparably damaging his relationship with Jesse by revealing the truth about Jane.
This episode was directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), who certainly managed to bring eye-catching visuals and camera tricks to the table, helping to limit the possibility of boredom with an episode trapped between four walls. At times the direction was a touch too showy and drew attention to itself, particularly in Act One (did we really need a brush-eye-view of Jesse cleaning some equipment?), but it felt like Johnson relaxed into the assignment and the panache he brought to the screen became more integrated.Overall, it's possible "Fly" will irritate those pining for some excitement that appears to have dissipated from the season (for now), but it was a welcome reminder that the heart of Breaking Bad boils down to a compelling odd couple who are venturing down a path of destruction, where a mixture of greed, pride and ego prevents them from settling for the true happiness that's within their grasp. They're the flies buzzing around this life, letting it all contaminate them.
Asides
- The moment when Walt fell from the catwalk, striking a steel vat, before landing on the concrete floor was very well done. There didn't appear to be an edit between the stuntman and Bryan Cranston lying in a heap.
- Another sign that Jesse hates the corporate nature of working for Gus, commenting "I'm surprised he doesn't make us do that," when he saw the laundromat employees punching a clock.
- Walt strongly suspects Jesse's been pilfering meth, explaining their low yield, and it seems likely Jesse's going to get caught with his hand in the figurative cookie jar by Gus soon... prompting some retribution for the finale. I'm predicting Walt will burn his bridges with Gus by helping keep Jesse safe, perhaps somehow eliminating Gus himself. Anyone agree?
- "There must exist certain words in a certain specific order that would explain all of this. But with [Skyler] I just... I just can't ever seem to find them." If only Walt's gift with chemicals stretched to words, huh?
