Breaking Half: "I See You"

Left to right: Bryan Cranston and Giancarlo Esposito

Are you tired of long, tedious accounts of Breaking Bad episode recaps? Then look no further than Breaking Half: a weekly column that takes the good and bad from each week's episode of Breaking Bad and dilutes it down to the core necessities. Each Monday, Breaking Half will attempt to take a few key moments from the episode and boil it down to one juicy paragraph.

Season 3, Episode 8

"I See You"

"I hide in plain sight, just like you."

-Gus (Giancarlo Esposito)

Upon leaving the hospital, Jesse (Aaron Paul) notices that an ambulance arrives carrying the injured Hank (Dean Norris). Upon arriving at the super meth lab, he talks to Walter (Bryan Cranston), who is also in the middle of firing Gale (David Costabile). Upon hearing the news, he leaves Jesse there, who is unable to cook because he doesn't know how to use the equipment. At the hospital, he deals with his family and the D.E.A., who are out there with hopes of a successful breakthrough. However, there is also the surviving cousin, Leonel (Daniel Moncada), who has lost his legs. Meanwhile, Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is trying to keep business in order as he talks to Cartel leader Juan (Javier Grajeda) about the Cousins' deaths and about further shipments. Walter tries to humor Gus by saying that the shipment will be late, but he is aware and sends Los Pollos Hermanos chicken out to the hospital for the D.E.A.. From there, he calls back Juan, who threatens him, only to get assassinated moments later. Leonel ends up dying and Hank is pulling through. However, Jesse was unable to cook meth, so they are far behind on their quota.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Left to right: Anna Gunn and Betsy Brandt

MVP: Marie (Betsy Brandt)

Usually reserved for side character, Marie finally gets an episode to shine as she becomes paranoid over her husband's potential death. She worries about dirty cutlery and just wants something to go right. She is on pins and needles for the whole episode and it is heartbreaking to watch. Even if she doesn't get that much to do in this episode, she finally establishes herself as a legitimate force in the show, especially when following up her great turn in "One Minute." It may not be all that showy, but if we want Hank to survive for one reason and one reason only, it is so that Marie doesn't have to suffer. 

Aaron Paul

Best scene: In an episode packed with a lot of sad, dramatic moments, it would seem hard to fit in a comedic relief moment. Still, the show knows how to pull that off by simply letting Jesse run around the super meth lab like a kid in a candy store. Banging on the machinery and blowing himself full of air, it is a series of great sight gags that puts Jesse in one of the brightest lights since the show has begun. We haven't really seen him this happy before, and while it is abruptly ruined by Victor (Jeremiah Bitsui), it is still great proof that the show knows how to mix the light and the dark perfectly.

Come back tomorrow when we recap "Kafkaesque"