Breaking Bad: Season 1, Episode 5, "Gray Matter"




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-

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