Breaking Bad: "Bullet Points"

Season 4, Episode 4

Another character-focused episode brings the season’s path into question

“You know, you can buy a paddle.” – Saul

One of the main reasons I never held season three of Breaking Bad in as high of regards as most critics did (it was number 8 on my top ten list for 2010, while most critics put it as number one) was that – and this was quite possibly the result of the fact that I watched all three seasons in a marathon session that December – I never found anything in season three to be as visceral and exciting as when Walter let Jane die in the penultimate episode of season two. One of my favorite things about the show is how unassuming it is; certainly it reaches high with character based drama and thematic connections, but unlike say Mad Men, your appreciation of the show usually isn’t tied into understanding these thing (though it certainly helps). No, Breaking Bad has a very back-to-basics approach, focusing on things like tension and surprise moments, elements that are so old hat that most shows half-ass these things, so that BB doing them right feels almost inventive.

I miss that about this season. Yes, “Box Cutter” was a highly tense hour, exactly as I’ve come to expect from the show. The problem is that the three episodes that followed it have purposely eased away from that tension, and the result is a bit off-putting. Now, I rationally recognize that no show can keep up high levels of tension without eventually resorting to unmotivated, nonsensical plot twists, and I also give the show props for challenging our expectations by differing up the episode format. But I also think there’s something to the line of thought that after you give an audience a few episodes in a row that continually rivet up the tension, as they did during the last stretch of season three, anything that follows that and doesn’t further the tension might feel like a bit of a letdown. I don’t want to imply that this is inherently a bad thing – it’s not – but it does make me wonder what’s Vince Gilligan’s long-term plan for this season, and if and when  the tension is going to return. I miss it.

But – and I cannot repeat this enough – I still really enjoyed this episode, just not in the way I’m used to enjoying the show. The most positive aspect of Gilligan’s new approach this season (and I’ll admit there are several), is that he and his writers seem to be giving more thought as to the thematic arcs of the season. This year it’s a theme of duality, as Gilligan seem intent on exploring the character’s perceptions of the world, and how outside forces will inevitably shatter these fragile self-delusions (as seen in “Open House” and “Thirty-Eight Snub”, respectively). That theme was brilliantly carried over tonight, as “Bullet Point” seemed to be a companion piece to “Open House”. Whereas the last week’s episode seemed to be focused on everybody besides Walt, tonight’s episode was all about how Heisenberg seems to be losing the high ground, and it’s a testament to the show’s ensemble nature that focusing on the main character for an episode felt like a strange move.

Though it’s not like he doesn’t have a lot to worry about. Even though she’s not too upset to work with him, Skyler still seem intent on making herself the victim of all of Walt’s actions, even in the lie that they are trying to sell to the rest of the family. I have always found Skyler to be the most problematic character, and while I appreciate that she has been screwed over by Walt, and I certainly enjoy watching their antagonistic exchanges that come from this attitude, something about how bitchy and controlling the show is making her out to be just bothers me on a moral level, as it's all very misogynistic. I prefer when the show undercuts this haughtiness with humility (like they did last week), but when that’s not there, Skyler becomes almost wholly unlikeable, and I expect something better from a show this nuanced.  

Meanwhile, Walt’s attempts to learn about Hank’s investigation into Gale’s death provided much more tense and likeable fare, and once again brought the two patriarchs into similar orbits, where they always provided the best narrative tension. This storyline is still in its beginning stages, but it’s already providing some nice tension out of having Walt try to get in closer with Hank than he’s ever had before, and I can’t imagine that’s the last we’ve seen of Gale’s coupler dedicated to “W.W.”

Hank’s last major problem is Jesse. The show has been running Jesse through roughly the same beats these past few weeks, but doing so in such a way that’s showing him slowly sliding deeper and deeper into his bout of depression and self-hatred. But tonight that changed up a bit. Though it may have been weird for the show to shift focus from Walt to Jesse a little more than halfway through the episode, it is important to note that for the first time this season, we are seeing Jesse through the lens of what he means to Walt, and that gives most of his scenes a new perspective. Suddenly we are more worried about how Jesse could be connected to Gale’s murder, and how that might bring down Walt. Even in his discussion with Gus, who finally makes a brief appearance after being absent for two episodes, Mike is sure to mention how Walt might react to him “taking care of” Jesse. This is not to say that Aaron Paul wasn’t fantastic enough that we don’t worry about him (he was, and we do), but this was an episode all about Walt, and though it might sound pathetically narcissistic coming from his own lips, this little corner of the meth world really does revolve around him in many ways, and other people’s actions do effect him.

But what is Mike doing with Jesse? In the first cliffhanger ending this season (remember when there used to be on almost every episode?), we see Mike drive off with Jesse, the latter not even caring what his fate might be. Now I doubt this drive will end in murder or even attempted murder – at this point in the show’s run, it would be sort of boring if that were Mike's end goal – but I am betting it’s still something unpleasant, and taking Jesse away from Walt certainly isn’t going to help things out back at the lab. The show has never shied away from showing how rocky their relationship is, but as Walt’s change of tone when he saw Jesse’s empty house signifies, there is some love between the two, and no doubt Walt’s not going to be happy about the loss of his assistant. It not only means that his world is being screwed with once again by those above him, but also means that he’s losing the closest thing he has to a friend.

Quotes, Etc.:

It didn’t really have much to do with the rest of the episode, but I like how Mike, at the end of tonight’s cold open, did a little sigh while feeling the bullet wound to his ear like it was just a common annoyance, and not a big deal.  

“Don’t ‘chop-chop’ me.”

“I think we should start off with the good news that we’re buying the carwash…” “Yay.”

“Where is the ‘I slept with my boss’ bullet point? I don’t see that anywhere.”

“Damn Dad, why’d you quit? I can totally get a car for my birthday, right?”

So apparently Gale supported Ron Paul. That in no way surprises me.

“Goes after him on what, his Rascal scooter?...That perhaps sounded insensitive…”

“Smoke it up, bitches.”

“You want to know what’s next for little Miss Pissed-In-His-Pants?”