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| Bryan Cranston |
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 4, Episode 2
"Thirty-Eight Snub"
"You won, Walter. You got the job. Do yourself
a favor and learn to take yes for an answer."
-Mike (Jonathan Banks)
Walter (Bryan Cranston) is in fear of Gus coming after him, so he buys a gun. However, when he gets to work, he discovers from Mike (Jonathan Banks) that he is not allowed to see him ever again. Jesse (Aaron Paul) tries to forget the past with one big elaborate party with Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) that turns into a weekend long rave. Hank (Dean Norris) is starting to recover while also collecting minerals, which makes Marie (Betsy Brandt) worried. Skyler (Anna Gunn) tries to buy the car wash, but Mr. Wolynetz (Marius Stan) is offended by when Walter worked for him and cannot settle for less than $20 million. After Walter tries to confront Gus at his house, he is called to leave. Jesse gets a visit from Andrea (Emily Rios), who wonders why she got an envelope full of money in her mailbox. Jesse says that everything will be all right. At the bar, Walter talks to Mike, who is wishing that he would stop making things more complicated. This results in a punch to the face and Walter on the floor. The party ends and Jesse is left listening to music out of his great sound system.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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| Aaron Paul |
It is hard to really determine who the best was in this episode. Walter was too busy contemplating his next move. However, it has been building and building and how does Jesse relax? He buys an expensive sound system and invites everyone over to do drugs and party. It is pushing off the inevitable realization that he has seen some horrors in the past few episodes. He doesn't talk about it, but his desperation to be respected has overpowered his ego that he just wants everyone to admire his place. Including a great Left 4 Dead conversation at the top of the episode, this was one of those great episodes where Jesse, Skinny Pete, and Badger just sit around and talking. Those episodes are rare nowadays, but when they come around, they are a blast to watch.
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| Left to right: Cranston and Jonathan Banks |
Best scene: Maybe it is just Mike, but who doesn't believe that Walter has been doing too much in the past few episodes? His desire to cover his traces and talk his way out of corners is starting to look ridiculous. When Mike gives him advice to just relax, that only makes things worse. Walter is a man on the verge of boosting his ego beyond respecting anyone who stands in his way. That is why Mike punching him in the face resulted in one of the show's most gratifying moments. Walter has bought a gun and wants to kill Gus, but at what extent? He needs to slow down and realize that he is ruining a good thing if he doesn't calm down. In a way, Mike is the real hero of the show.
Come back tomorrow when we recap "Open House"
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