Breaking Bad: Season 2, Episode 4 "Down"


Breaking Bad: Season 2, Episode 4 "Down"

Sometimes the best episodes in a series do not include big set pieces or a ton of explosions, but they include tense, psychological drama. It is a testament to Breaking Bad that it is able to pull off these kind of episodes so easily. These episodes in lesser dramas can be tedious, but this show does enough to catch the interest of the mass audience. After the intensity of the earlier episodes featuring Tuco, we see the aftermath of the kidnapping and how Walt, Jesse, and Skylar are affected in different ways.

Since we are talking about the aftermath of the kidnapping, once thing I instantly noticed is the mood of the episode. We seem to be reaching into grimmer territory with each episode. This episode is sad to watch to see how the lives of Walt and particularly Jesse were destroyed. I knew we would be into a grim episode with that cold open, where we see a guy in a hazmat suit scooping a burnt teddy bear out of which would look like Walt’s pool.

The title of the episode aptly describes the mood of the film very well. In “Down,” life is quite down for both Walter and Jesse. Jesse has no cash to his name, and he is kicked out of his house because it turns out that his parents owned his house and they have had enough of his behavior. Jesse tries to kick back with several friends, but to no avail. He then decides to find the RV that he sold to his friend, Badger’s cousin and spends the night there. Meanwhile, Skylar is very suspicious of Walt. She keeps leaving the house without telling him anything. She is tired of Walt’s behavior and she only wants the truth. The problem is, Walt will not tell her the truth.

This episode is definitely a downer episode in the way how it made me feel. The episode is made very well and is one of the best episodes of the season, but my mood was so heavy after this episode. For Walter, his wife ignoring him and not knowing much about what is going on about his family is heartbreaking. I liked watching Walt teaching his son how to drive in this episode. But reconnecting with his family may not be easy as he thinks. For Jesse, when he broke down in tears in the RV, I wanted to join him. It even got bad for poor Jesse in the RV, because Badger’s cousin asked for two grand to get the RV back and if not, he will sell off all the cooking equipment.

I thought this was a very strong episode. The psychological aspects of the episode gave both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul a lot to work with, and they did so well with the material. Despite all the heartbreaking material, there were some light moments. I liked the Steely Dan quote where the band was compared to modern bands. Speaking of bands, apparently Jesse has a friend and was in a band called “Bloodhammer” together. Interesting!

My Grade: A

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