spasticshock Reviews

Breaking Bad: Down (2009) Season 2, Episode 4

A downer

[4/10 · 22 November 2020]

The plot really slows down in this episode. Walt and Jessie decide to lay low before they start cooking again. The rest of the episode is Walt trying to make amends with Skyler, who passive aggressively brushes him off until the end where she snaps. Oh, and he goes driving with his completely uninteresting son.

Jessie spends all episode just suffering as a homeless guy after being kicked out of his house, misfortune after misfortune.

Repeat each of these scenarios for each characters 2-3 times.

The episode just didn't really have enough plot progression or character moments to really stand out. One good thing though is we see Walt and Skyler's relationship start to deteriorate, and the signs of Skyler going bad when she picks up that cig at the end.

Breaking Bad: Pilot (2008) Season 1, Episode 1

Good start to this stellar series

[7/10 · 21 November 2020]

The series starts off with Walter White, an average working man whose life is less than desirable. He has a low paying job as a high school chemistry teacher, his macho brother-in-law overshadows him at his own birthday party, and his wife is more interested in online auctioning than their sex life.

Then, once he's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, his life gets a bit more exciting once he teams up with former student and druggy burnout Jessie Pinkman to cook meth for money to support his family once he passes. But of course, things don't always go as planned in crime, and he barely escapes with his life from his first escapade into the drug world.

Series does a pretty good job setting up the characters and making you sympathize with the meek mousy protagonist who has been down-trodden by life, with his talents unappreciated and unrecognized. There was a little rushing because we barely see how he processes his diagnosis. This episode was more focused on delivering high adrenaline bangs to excite the viewer than focus in on the characters' psychologies, as will become a staple of the series with episodes to follow. But overall, a good episode to get viewers interested in the series, albeit far from the best.