We have here another fabulous episode of Breaking Bad and one of the best in the series so far. There are many things to like about this episode ranging from the bleak and chilling opening of an abandoned car and the shower of bullet casings to the introduction of a interesting character, Tuco’s mute wheelchair-bound uncle played wonderfully by Mark Margolis. This is definitely the most intense episode of the season from start to finish. I was dripping with sweat by the end due to the intense nature of the episode.

This episode, “Grilled” picks up after the excellent cliffhanger from the previous episode where Tuco forces Walt in his car at gunpoint. So Walter and Jesse are kidnapped by Tuco because he believes that they are the source for the DEA because they ended his drug organization. They are taken to the shack in the desert where he hides out and takes care of his sick uncle. Walt and Jesse try to cook up a plan to murder Tuco with the ricin they have. Meanwhile, Skylar and Marie reconcile due to Walt’s missing whereabouts. They, along with Walt Jr, pass out flyers among the streets of Alberquerque on information about Walt. Hank remembers that Jesse was supposed marijuana supplier of Walt’s, so Hank tries to track him down. The episode ends with Hank arriving at Tuco’s shack culminating in a fierce gun battle.

So there are many amusing moments in the episode. The most savory moment was in Tuco’s shack. As Tuco was cooking burritos, going on about possibly his henchman Gonzo was the source, and throwing knives in his countertop, Walt and Jesse were frantically arguing about how to poison Tuco. And of course Walt’s mannerisms are very amusing in the situation. As I said before, Margolis is wonderful, He works his wheelchair bell almost Hitchcock-like. The funny thing is he heard the entire conversation about them poisoning Tuco’s food, and he could do nothing about it.

So this episode is a treat visually and story-wise. The tense and the suspense is palpable. When Hank comes around, it was a close call to almost catching his brother-in-law. But luckily Walt and Jesse were able to jump the fence and escape both Tuco and Hank. And SPOILERS! Tuco is shot to death by Hank. But overall this is one amazing episode.

My Grade: A+

We are back for another season of Breaking Bad! Breaking Bad has become one of my favorite shows for a variety of reasons. The acting, the stylish and artsy nature of the show, the relevant topic, and so forth. After a powerful introductory season, we are back for more adventures of Walt and his delicious blue meth. This episode begins the season with quite a bang for many reasons. Right away, we are given the sense of foreshadowing. The episode starts off with a burnt stuffed animal with a detached eyeball floating in Walt’s backyard pool. What on earth could this mean? It looks like we will know at some point this season. The big theme of this episode is paranoia. If we remember correctly, Walt and Jesse met up with the dangerous Tuco to become their meth supplier last season. Now this season, they get the paranoid sense that Tuco is trying to kill them. After all, it’s not normal to see a black Escalade sitting outside their house in the dead of night. So paranoia is a prevalent theme here this episode and it works very well.

In this episode, “Seven Thirty-Seven,” Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) finish their deal with Tuco (Raymond Cruz). But they soon realize that he is a very dangerous man when he killed one of his employees over a few nothing words. After the murder, Jesse becomes paranoid thinking that he sees Tuco’s black SUV parked outside his house. Jesse purchases a weapon in case anything would to happen and he tries to convince Walt of the danger, but Walt believes Jesse is only paranoid…….until he sees the SUV parked outside his home. Jesse comes up with a plan to shoot Tuco, but Walt comes up with a better solution to rid themselves of Tuco…..an genius plan involving science and ricin. But they decide to act fast when they believe Tuco is killing the associates involved with the first murder. Meanwhile, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) sees footage of the warehouse robbery from last season…..without realizing it is Walt and Jesse. Finally, Skylar (Anna Gunn) confesses to Hank about Marie’s (Betsy Brandt) kleptomania, but Hank surprisingly admits that he knew about it this whole time.

So this episode is a wonderful episode to start the new season. It is dripping with intensity and tension as you try to piece together on who is going to make the next move. This season promises that each character will be fleshed out even more. Bryan Cranston still steals the show as the newly-crowned drugpin of New Mexico Walter White. I was not a big fan of Skylar last season, but Anna Gunn shows potential this season based on this episode so fingers are crossed. And my Lord, Tuco is really a crazy and violent man! This is such a dynamic show and I am really looking forward to what happens next. Also, Bryan Cranston superbly directed this episode. Is there anything that the man cannot do?

My Grade: A-

Well, here we are! The season one finale of what is so far the greatest television series on this planet. This first season came to an abrupt end as there are only seven episodes. But these episodes are high-powered pieces of art, and this episode is no exception. This episode did not act like a finale and the high-charged megawatts were kept to a minimum. But this episode finely sets up the next season as we should expect bigger and badder things to come. There are many things I loved about the episode. But I liked the chances it gave Jesse and Skylar to shine. It has essentially been “The Walt Show” since day one so it was nice to see the producers shine a light on these characters. That being said, Walt remains an excellent character as he basks in his Heisenberg persona and Tuco remains to be a crazy villain who may have something up his sleeves.

Lets get to it! After the events of the past episode where Walt and Jesse made a deal with Tuco to supply two pounds of meth the following week, Jesse breaks it to Walt that they may not be able to get an essential ingredient for that amount of meth. So Walter comes up with a plan. He only delivers half-a-pound to Tuco, but he promises four pounds the following week only if he gets the entire amount of cash right away. Nice scam, Walt! In order to get the proper ingredients, they will have to break into a pharmaceutical warehouse. Meanwhile, Skyler’s sister Marie gives a baby shower for her. Her gift was a rather expensive tiara. When Skyler tries to return it to the store after deciding it was too much, Skyler realizes that her own sister may be a kleptomaniac.

Acting remains to be a focal point in this series. Everyone delivers amazing performances yet again. Bryan Cranston continues to impress as Walter White. I actually found Anna Gunn’s performance to be decent. She and Cranston have good chemistry. One of my favorite scenes with the two is when Walt fondles his wife at a PTA meeting. Good camerawork and great facial expressions make this scene go a long way. Aaron Paul delivers a fine performance as Jesse Pinkman. This may be Betsy Brandt’s first memorable performance as Marie. This episode is where we realize she likes to steal things, thus getting her family into trouble.

Overall, this is a very good episode of Breaking Bad. It was a different finale than I expected, but it works very well. There is a very tense sequence as Walt and Jesse break into a supply warehouse. Despite the tension, I love how the script teaches us science amidst that tension. That sequence was very well done. There is an abundant supply of dark comedy too. After Skylar is accused of stealing, I just couldn’t stop laughing as she fakes her pregnancy in the back office scaring the manager. That’s what I like about this first season. The ability to mix humor and painstaking reality in a believable way.

My Grade: A

Welcome back to another review for another solid episode of the fantastic series, Breaking Bad. This fifth episode is once again entertaining and very fun to watch, but we actually get a little historical background. We know Walt as the man who works as a teacher and at a car wash, but we get to delve deeper into his past and what kind of career he had going for him. It was all very insightful. Not only did I like learning about the past, I also like how Jesse is putting the drugs behind him and attempting to find a job. Is he successful? No, not really. But at least he tried. The episode features several fine comedic moments. Two scenes that stand out are 1. When Jesse is interviewing for a job, his buddy Badger runs across the street wearing an overlarge chicken suit. Damn funny it what is. 2. When Walt is at a dinner party at an old friend’s place, he and some people are talking about their careers. When Walt talks about moving into education, his peers ask about what college he teaches at. Humiliation at its finest. These are the two scenes that stick out in the many classic scenes there are.

In this episode, Jesse is trying to go down the right path and find himself a real job. But he realizes he may not have the right qualifications for many jobs, so he recruits Badger to continue making meth. But their batches don’t come nearly as good as the ones he made with Walt. Walt is invited to a dinner party with his rich old friends Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz hosting. It is later learned that Walt and Elliott started a company together focusing on science. Elliott offered to pay for the cancer treatment, but a humiliated Walt declines. Finally, Walter Jr. is caught trying to buy beer underage from an undercover cop. Skylar had enough and she stages a family intervention, where Hank finally learns that it was Walter who was the one trying to buy the marijuana.

Overall, this was a somewhat slow episode but it was a very entertaining one. There is a heavy momentum forward plot-wise and I’m looking forward to see what happens next. I loved that we got clues on the past of Walter’s, and that lends credence to the story. The acting continues to be phenomenal, especially from Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. However, shoutouts must go out to Adam Godley and Jessica Hecht in their guest roles as the Schwartz family. They did a solid job. Another fine episode, and you all should eagerly anticipate what happens next.

My Grade: A-

Well, we finally go back down to earth in this fourth episode of Breaking Bad. The first three episodes were crazy, non-stop fun but now we need a quieter episode that will set up the building blocks for future episodes. Mostly, this reflective episode succeeds. Although it’s an episode based on the future, it’s still plenty of fun to watch. There are several cool one-liners (mainly by Jesse). “Check out these mad Pop-tarts. They’re mad tight.” See, isn’t that awesome? But this episode does have moments of sadness. After all, this is where Walt finally tells his family about his cancer. He tells Skylar at first, but her breakdown at a family dinner forces him to let Hank and his wife, Marie as well as Walter Jr. in the scoop. It was interesting to see how his family make up ways for him to get treatment although Walt does not believe it’s the right thing to do.

In this episode, Walt finally tells Skylar about his cancer. After she breaks down at a barbecue, he is forced to tell the rest of his family. His family sets about on finding the best oncologist available and they are ready to pay the money required for treatment. However, Walt is worried about putting financial debt on his family especially if the treatment is proven to be unsuccessful. The DEA discovers the car of Krazy-8 that still has some meth in it, and Hank agrees that there is a new drug lord in town. Jesse returns to his estranged parent’s house but is immediately in conflict with his parents because of a marijuana joint. Finally, Walt reconsiders working with Jesse in cooking more meth when he receives his money from the first batch.

Overall, this is a somber but still entertaining episode of Breaking Bad. There is nothing incredibly special about the episode, as its concerned about moving pieces for the next big event. This is a necessary episode, however. It’s important that Walter finally discloses the cancer information, because it will have a profound impact on what happens next. The acting remains impressive. Bryan Cranston collected himself a niche as Walter White. I was onboard with Cranston from Day 1, and he remains great as ever. Anna Gunn can improve on her dramatic acting, but this episode is a start. Aaron Paul as Jesse remains an ass as usual, but I do love the conflict that arises between him and his family. The ending of his storyline this episode is quite cool. I enjoyed this episode, but I know things will get crazy again soon.

My Grade: A

If you have noticed, last episode and this episode share interconnected titles. I will say an interesting piece of trivia on the origins of these titles, which is a good way to start off this review. This title is based of the 1957 film, Sweet Smell of Success. One man asks another man if he can deliver. The other’s man response is, “Tonight, before you go to bed. The cat’s in the bag and the bag’s in the river.” I enjoy modern media that pulls from older media. The title of these episodes aroused my curiosity, and it’s nice to get my answer. If you can relate these words to the context of the plot, then you know what the title means.

So does this third episode follow in the footsteps of the first two great episodes. My answer is a big, resounding yes. Actually, I think this improves upon those episodes just a little bit. The episode consists of rather dark, heavy material but there are some instantly memorable deadpan comedic moments. There are two excellent scenes in this episode that are great proof of that. The first instance is when Walter creates a list with the pros and cons of not killing Krazy-8. He rights Judeo-Christian principles as a pro, but as a con he writes the guy will kill him and his entire family. The second instance is when Hank takes Walter Jr to a shady motel to lecture him about how drugs are bad and Walt Jr’s response, “I thought we were going to the Coldstone Creamery.” Just a classic response.

The episode starts off with Walt and Jesse cleaning up human remains after Jesse’s mistake involving hydrochloric acid from the previous episode. Jesse realizes he would rather smoke their product rather than sell the product. Walt then still has to deal with what to do with Krazy-8. He creates a list listing pros and cons on killing him, but that plans fails. Instead he makes him another sandwich, but as he delivers the sandwich he goes unconscious causing him to shatter the plate. When he wakes, he begins a rapport with Krazy-8 as he is the first human Walt tells about his lung cancer. But Krazy-8 is able to get one of the shards from Walt’s broken plate, and that may make Walt’s decision to kill Krazy-8 easier. Meanwhile, Skylar is worried about her husband. She believes marijuana is the cause of Walt’s personality change. She broaches her sister, Marie (played by Betsy Brandt) about marijuana, whom she excuses it as part of a short story she’s writing. Marie, whom is a nurse and is married to Hank, jumps to the conclusion Walter Jr must be on the weed, so she arranges Hank to speak with him. Finally, Hank discovers the location of the meth lab used by Walt and Jesse.

So, this was a very fun episode to watch. This is the first episode where family becomes a big player in Walt’s newly-formed drug business. It will be interesting to see what happens with Hank on Walter’s tail. Now with Walt alienating his wife and now someone who committed murder, this is only the beginning of the end for Walter White. This is an excellent episode, and a prime example why Breaking Bad is called the greatest television series of all-time.

My Grade: A

What I normally find about television shows after a powerhouse premiere is that the quality tends to go downhill. Not to say these episodes are bad, but they tend to settle in a routine-to tie up events that occurred in the premiere. So just imagine my surprise when I discovered this episode was just as strong as the first episode. This is when I realized just how special this series truly is. This episode manages to be funny, dramatic, and tense. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul continue to prove their skills and chemistry in this episode. Another thing that sticks out is detail. This show is all about detail, and sometimes it’s just the small details that make each episode engaging. There are some detailed scenes that stick out. One: how Walter and Jesse bribe their way out of the desert after they killed the drug dealers by trying to explain their situation to a Native American and that involves the spilling of coffee. Just priceless dialogue. Two: This show is good in learning chemistry. There is a scene where Jesse tries to dispose of one of the bodies, and you just learn why plastic and hydrochloric acid does not mix. Three: The other drug dealer, Krazy-8 actually is alive and Walter decides to keep him in captivity. The funniest scene is where Walter precisely rolls him, one-by-one, water jugs, a bologna sandwich, a bucket for bathroom waste, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. The way that scene occurred is just one of sheer brilliance. Although I loved this episode, not all is perfect. The storyline featuring Walter’s wife snooping around was rather poor, and not quite believable.

Walter and Jesse brings the RV back to Jesse’s house, and there they realize that Krazy-8 is still breathing. Krazy-8 is taken to the basement where he is tied to a pole with a bicycle chain. They try to decide how to get rid of the dead body, and Walter suggests using hydrochloric acid. But they must flip a coin to see who will dispose of the body and who will kill Krazy-8. Jesse wins the coin toss, so he decides to get rid of the body. Jesse goes to the store, but in unable to find a bin big enough for the body. Meanwhile, Walter is pondering how to kill Krazy-8 but all he does is feed him. Meanwhile, Skylar begins to suspect Walt of his secrecy. She finds about Jesse online and she confronts Walt, whom lies and says Jesse is his marijuana dealer. Skyler then warns Jesse about her brother being a DEA agent. Jesse decides to dissolve the corpse in the bathtub, but it does not go according to the plan.

So, this is a very wonderful episode. The scenes with Jesse and Walt are perfect. When Jesse tries to dissolve the corpse….well just see for yourself. That scene is one for the history books. I also love how Walt attempts to use logic when he gets into crazy situations. Ah, the beginning of the end must always be fun. I felt like Skyler’s scenes should have been better. But I do not believe Anna Gunn to be a capable actress as of yet. Myspace, Skyler? Really? Anyhow, this is a fun episode and I’m ready for what comes next. Hopefully you all feel the same way.

My Grade: A-

Breaking Bad, over the course of its five seasons, has often been given the praise as “the best television show in history.” Quite frankly, that is actually a sentiment I can wholeheartedly support. From this first episode aptly named “Pilot,” we can tell right away the show, which premiered on AMC, won’t hold back on its gruesome imagery. I also like the realistic tone of the story. Many shows or movies will intentionally give their product an over-the-top tone, but this show gave me a realistic vibe. I enjoyed this episode very much. It really packs a lot into the first episode, but its important that the story is set up correctly. The showrunner, Vince Gilligan, created an episode that is dark and intense, but also features some humor. I mean, I laughed when I saw a naked middle-aged man running around in a desert. I also liked how this episode was told via flashback method. We figure out in the five minutes that hardcore stuff went down. I won’t forget the opening where our main character, Walter White films himself in the desert wearing only his underwear saying that he loves his family as he thinks he is about to die.

So let’s delve right into the storyline for our pilot episode. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) leads a normal life as a high-school chemistry teacher in New Mexico. His income is poor, so he also works at a car wash to gather more money. He lives with his pregnant wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his teenaged son Walter Jr (R.J Mitte) who suffers from cerebral palsy. One day, his life becomes complicated when he is diagnosed with terminal stage-three lung cancer after collapsing at his car-wash job. For the time being, Walt decides to keep this information away from his family. His brother-in-law, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) is a DEA Agent and he offers Walt the chance to tag along for a meth lab bust. During the bust, Walt notices former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) fleeing the scene. Walt tracks down Jesse and blackmails him into starting up a meth lab, in order to gather money to support Walt’s family after he is gone. Jesse and Walt attempt to sell their product to two dealers, Emilio and Krazy-8 (Maximino Arciniega). They make it clear that they want to kill Walt and Jesse, so Walt takes drastic action to protect their lives.

So we are introduced to a variety of characters, many of them enjoyable. The acting is excellent and is one of the top strengths of the show. The main thing that stands out is the performance of Bryan Cranston. Cranston is very delightful as Walter White. He shows good chemistry with Aaron Paul, who also delivers a good performance. However, Jesse does come across as a whiny character who uses profanity more than he should. The supporting cast does a fine job as well. I liked Dean Norris’s character Hank. Hank is a man whose sarcasm I value. I love the dry humor he brings to the show. The jury is still out for Anna Gunn. Her performances are usually hit-or-miss.

Overall, this is a really fun beginning to an incredible series. Over time, you see a man change into a monster. I guess that it was terminal cancer can do to a human being. Greed is also a big theme of the show. Walter White gets the feeling that you can never have enough. Well this pilot was a success and I liked the high-pace, the action, and the incredible acting.

My Grade: A-