Breaking Bad: Season 1, Episode 7, "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" (2008)




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

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