I think Breaking Bad is the best show I've seen, but I nevertheless have mixed feelings about this episode.
I want to start with that I find this episode to be one of the most distinctive episodes of Breaking Bad, and it is very memorable because of this. I respect that they made this episode due to going over budget, and I don't think it's necessarily the worst episode of the show. They could have done so much worse, but there was some love and care put into this episode.
I like that this episode does an excellent job of portraying how dedicated Walter is to his craft in how he is incredibly concerned with a fly. At the same time, his competitors wouldn't care about stuff much more significant, it's accurate to his character, and I can respect the general concept.
The highlight of the episode is the moving conversation between Jesse and Walt. Jesse discusses his aunt and her struggles through cancer, Walt talks about Jane, and Walt describes what he feels was the perfect moment for him to die. This is scene is moving and is a great moment between the two, and I'm glad that it transpired. The main issue I have with this episode is how much of it isn't that conversation; throughout most of the episode, very little happens.
The cinematography is excellent at specific points in the episode, there are some memorable shots, but most of this episode was a bit of a bore.
I know some liked the humor of Walt chasing around the fly comically, but I found it to be a bit of a tonal whiplash. Breaking Bad, as a whole, keeps a consistently serious and grounded tone. Yet, a lot of Walter chasing the fly felt "cartoony," it simply felt out of place, especially considering Walter is usually the show's most serious/intelligent character. He does switch to using more logical means to take care of the fly, but it alone felt off. The humor contained in the banter between Jesse and Walter is good, though.
Again, I respect the concept and the brief scene with moving dialogue, but for me, it wasn't enough to hold up a 45-minute episode. This is partly due to the interaction between Walt and Jesse. But also, while I feel the episode itself provided tonal whiplash, I think it adds tonal potency in building towards the penultimate episodes that follow.
I want to start with that I find this episode to be one of the most distinctive episodes of Breaking Bad, and it is very memorable because of this. I respect that they made this episode due to going over budget, and I don't think it's necessarily the worst episode of the show. They could have done so much worse, but there was some love and care put into this episode.
I like that this episode does an excellent job of portraying how dedicated Walter is to his craft in how he is incredibly concerned with a fly. At the same time, his competitors wouldn't care about stuff much more significant, it's accurate to his character, and I can respect the general concept.
The highlight of the episode is the moving conversation between Jesse and Walt. Jesse discusses his aunt and her struggles through cancer, Walt talks about Jane, and Walt describes what he feels was the perfect moment for him to die. This is scene is moving and is a great moment between the two, and I'm glad that it transpired. The main issue I have with this episode is how much of it isn't that conversation; throughout most of the episode, very little happens.
The cinematography is excellent at specific points in the episode, there are some memorable shots, but most of this episode was a bit of a bore.
I know some liked the humor of Walt chasing around the fly comically, but I found it to be a bit of a tonal whiplash. Breaking Bad, as a whole, keeps a consistently serious and grounded tone. Yet, a lot of Walter chasing the fly felt "cartoony," it simply felt out of place, especially considering Walter is usually the show's most serious/intelligent character. He does switch to using more logical means to take care of the fly, but it alone felt off. The humor contained in the banter between Jesse and Walter is good, though.
Again, I respect the concept and the brief scene with moving dialogue, but for me, it wasn't enough to hold up a 45-minute episode. This is partly due to the interaction between Walt and Jesse. But also, while I feel the episode itself provided tonal whiplash, I think it adds tonal potency in building towards the penultimate episodes that follow.