WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.660 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we are cracking 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:09.039 open a really specific, a very intense chapter 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.619 in the whole saga of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. 00:00:11.779 --> 00:00:14.619 Oh yeah, a really dark one. Yeah, it is. We're 00:00:14.619 --> 00:00:17.339 looking through a huge stack of notes, articles, 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:19.800 and all this great production trivia regarding 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:22.059 the second episode of the fourth season of Breaking 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:26.660 Bad. An episode titled 38 Snub. Exactly, but... 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:28.839 Before we really get into the nuts and bolts 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:30.460 of it all, I want to pose the question to you, 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:33.759 the listener. How do you handle it when you realize 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:35.780 you have absolutely no control over your own 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:38.259 life? That is, I mean, that's the fundamental 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:41.140 question of this entire hour of television. Right. 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:43.960 Because we are looking at two men reacting to 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.060 that exact realization in, you know, polar opposite 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:49.600 ways. Literally opposite. Yeah. One buys a gun 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:51.259 he doesn't know how to use and the other buys 00:00:51.259 --> 00:00:53.859 a massive stereo system he can't even stand to 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:56.590 listen to. It's just wild. And our mission today 00:00:56.590 --> 00:00:58.329 is to really unpack this. We aren't just going 00:00:58.329 --> 00:01:00.990 to recap the plot. No, we never just do that. 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:04.269 Right. Though we obviously will get into Walter's 00:01:04.269 --> 00:01:06.629 totally ill -fated attempt to become an assassin 00:01:06.629 --> 00:01:11.109 and Jesse's descent into absolute chaos. But 00:01:11.109 --> 00:01:12.930 we're going to look under the hood. The production 00:01:12.930 --> 00:01:15.650 side. Yeah, the production secrets. Like how 00:01:15.650 --> 00:01:18.250 they filmed a mirror shot that totally confuses 00:01:18.250 --> 00:01:21.469 your brain, or why they needed a 180 -foot crane 00:01:21.469 --> 00:01:23.670 for a single shot of a guy just standing in the 00:01:23.670 --> 00:01:26.349 street. And how a literal physicist ended up 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:29.370 playing a car wash owner. Yes. I can't wait to 00:01:29.370 --> 00:01:31.950 get to that. So good. We also really have to 00:01:31.950 --> 00:01:34.390 talk about the sound. The audio landscape of 00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:36.810 this particular episode is frankly a character 00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:39.489 in itself. Totally. But before we get into all 00:01:39.489 --> 00:01:41.950 the technical wizardry, let's set the stage for 00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:45.790 you. Where exactly are we in the story? OK, right. 00:01:46.049 --> 00:01:48.629 Context time. We are in the immediate aftermath 00:01:48.629 --> 00:01:51.230 of the box cutter incident. And a hangover. The 00:01:51.230 --> 00:01:53.870 ultimate hangover. Gus Fring has just brutally 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:57.109 murdered his own henchman, Victor. right in front 00:01:57.109 --> 00:01:59.569 of Walt and Jesse. And he did it to send a message. 00:01:59.810 --> 00:02:02.930 A very loud, very clear, and very bloody message. 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:05.030 It was so visceral. You know, the season premiere 00:02:05.030 --> 00:02:08.659 was all about shock. It established Gus as a 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:11.900 very real physical threat, not just this, you 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:14.919 know, quiet managerial guy in a suit. Right. 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.080 He's not just the fast food boss anymore. Exactly. 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:20.780 So now in 38 Snub, the initial adrenaline has 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:23.879 kind of faded, but the terror absolutely hasn't. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:26.479 Walt is terrified. He is convinced that he is 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:29.479 a dead man walking. He thinks Gus is just waiting 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:31.979 for an excuse to take him out. And then on the 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:35.719 other side, you have Jesse. he is trying and 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:38.280 really failing to numb the guilt of murdering 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:40.400 Gale Boetticher at the very end of season three. 00:02:40.539 --> 00:02:42.759 And that's just the cartel side of things. Right, 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.900 then you have the domestic front. Skylar is maneuvering 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.219 to buy a business to launder all this drug money, 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:51.280 and Marie is dealing with a very depressed, completely 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.719 bedridden Hank. It's basically a pressure cooker. 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.400 Yeah. And the creative team behind this specific 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.900 pressure cooker included writer George Mastros 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:01.759 and director Michelle McLaren. Oh, Michelle McLaren. 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:03.620 Yeah, McLaren is a name we are going to say a 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:06.099 lot today because her visual stamp on this episode 00:03:06.099 --> 00:03:10.319 is just undeniable. It really is. So let's dive 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:14.259 right into the A -flat. The Walter White narrative. 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:17.379 It all starts with the title of the episode itself, 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:22.039 38 Snub. Which refers, of course, to the .38 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:25.060 caliber snub -nosed revolver that Walter illegally 00:03:25.060 --> 00:03:27.520 purchases right at the beginning. Yeah, and this 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.120 scene really sets the tone for the next hour. 00:03:30.780 --> 00:03:34.500 Walt is in this dingy motel room meeting a black 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:36.659 market dealer. And the moment that dealer turns 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:39.020 around, if you are a fan of genre television, 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.879 you probably shouted at your screen, Jim Beaver. 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:44.400 Jim Beaver, the legendary character act. I mean, 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.360 you might know him as Ellsworth from Deadwood 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.620 or deeply beloved as Bobby Singer from Supernatural. 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.360 Yes. Seeing him in the Breaking Bad universe 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.439 was such a massive crossover moment for TV nerds. 00:03:56.460 --> 00:03:58.500 It really was. But getting him there was actually 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.919 a complete logistical nightmare. Really? Yeah, 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:02.759 you have to remember, this was filmed back in 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:06.520 2011. Jim Beaver was a series regular on Supernatural 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:08.580 at the time. Which shoots in Canada, right? Right. 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:12.479 He was incredibly busy. And usually in TV production, 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:14.759 that means it just doesn't happen. Casting directors 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:16.939 just move on to the next guy on the list. Usually, 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:19.819 yes. But Beaver really wanted to do it. He was 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:22.620 a huge fan of the show. So the production basically 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.819 moved mountains. Wow. They flew him into Albuquerque 00:04:25.819 --> 00:04:28.319 and they had him for literally half a day. Half 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:31.620 a day. That is it. They had to get this incredibly 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:35.959 pivotal dialogue heavy scene done in just a few 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.279 hours before putting him right back on a plane. 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:41.399 That adds such a crazy layer of tension to the 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:43.660 performance when you know that. They didn't have 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:45.839 time to mess around. Not at all. And despite 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.819 the rush, the performance is just so grounded. 00:04:49.619 --> 00:04:52.439 George Mastros, the writer, noted that he loved 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:54.819 the irony of this character, Lawson. Yeah, the 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:57.240 dealer. Right here you have a black market gun 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:59.680 runner, an actual criminal, who is suddenly acting 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.339 as the sound of morality in the room. It creates 00:05:02.339 --> 00:05:04.959 this wonderful tension. You expect the illegal 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.439 arms dealer to be the chaotic element, pushing 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:09.800 for violence. Sure, pushing the biggest, baddest 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:12.860 gun. But Lawson is actually trying to talk Walt 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:15.579 out of the illegal purchase. Or at least he's 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:17.220 trying to steer him towards something illegal 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:20.019 for defense, like a shotgun for the home. Because 00:05:20.019 --> 00:05:22.800 he's looking at Walt, this high school teacher, 00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:25.500 in a beige windbreaker, and he's doing a risk 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:29.180 assessment. Exactly. He sees a man who is clearly 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:31.759 way over his head. He's basically saying, you 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:34.620 do not look like a killer, you look like a liability. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:38.389 But Walt insists. He wants the snub nose. He 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:41.129 wants something highly concealable. Right. And 00:05:41.129 --> 00:05:43.850 that reveals his true intent. He isn't buying 00:05:43.850 --> 00:05:46.029 this for home protection. He is buying it for 00:05:46.029 --> 00:05:48.269 an assassination. He fully intends to walk right 00:05:48.269 --> 00:05:50.670 up to Gus Fring and shoot him. Which, as we will 00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:54.029 see, is a terrible plan. An awful plan. But before 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:56.279 we leave that motel room... We really have to 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:58.480 talk about how the scene opens because visually 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.339 it does something very, very tricky. The mirror 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:04.319 shot. Yes. Let's unpack this shot because it's 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.199 one of those things you might miss if you aren't 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:08.360 paying close attention. But once you see it, 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:10.759 it's brilliant. It really is. The episode opens 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.079 with Walter speaking directly into the camera. 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:17.040 He's asking. So how does it look? And as a viewer, 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.160 you think he's talking to the dealer. You assume 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:21.519 the camera is the dealer's point of view. Right. 00:06:21.620 --> 00:06:24.959 It establishes this really intimate, almost confrontational 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:27.740 connection with you, the viewer. But then the 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:30.040 camera moves, or rather the perspective shifts, 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:32.060 and you realize he isn't looking at the dealer 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:34.800 at all. He's looking into a mirror. We're just 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:37.959 seeing his reflection. It was filmed to be deliberately 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.819 disorienting. Michelle McLaren wanted you to 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:43.920 feel unmoored, just like Walt feels. It totally 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.600 works. But there is a deeper critical interpretation 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:51.199 here, too. Logan Hill, writing for New York Magazine, 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:53.379 pointed out that this is a brilliant symbol for 00:06:53.379 --> 00:06:55.420 self -reflection. He's checking his mask, right? 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:58.500 Precisely. He is wondering if the internal burden 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:01.079 he is carrying, all that fear, the murderous 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:03.720 intent, is actually visible on his face. He's 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:06.220 asking, can the world see what I am becoming? 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.420 Yes. It's a moment of intense narcissism and 00:07:09.420 --> 00:07:12.279 deep insecurity. He is practicing the role of 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:14.319 a killer before he actually tries to be one. 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:16.980 It's such a cool way to start the episode. And, 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:19.459 you know, here is a little nugget for the set 00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:21.959 design nerds out there. Oh, the room itself. 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.079 Yeah. That motel room. Totally fake. Which is 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:27.339 surprising because it looks incredibly gritty 00:07:27.339 --> 00:07:29.779 and authentic. It has that, you know, stained 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.240 carpet, cheap wood paneling vibe. Director Michelle 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:36.339 McLaren wanted a real rundown motel feel. But 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:39.240 have you ever tried to fit an entire camera crew, 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:43.079 a boom operator, actors, and full lighting rigs 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:45.920 into a real Motel 6 room? It is physically impossible. 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:48.160 They're way too small. You'd be shooting everything 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:50.819 in extreme close -up and the actors would just 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:53.589 be bumping into the equipment. Exactly. Production 00:07:53.589 --> 00:07:56.310 designer Mark Freeborn built a set completely 00:07:56.310 --> 00:07:59.069 from scratch. But get this, it had removable 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:02.009 walls. Oh, wild wall set? Yeah. They could pull 00:08:02.009 --> 00:08:04.970 a wall out to get a camera angle from a distance 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:06.769 that would be literally impossible in real life, 00:08:07.189 --> 00:08:09.410 and then just slot the wall right back in for 00:08:09.410 --> 00:08:12.230 the reverse shot. That kind of control is essential 00:08:12.230 --> 00:08:14.889 when you are on a super tight schedule with a 00:08:14.889 --> 00:08:16.730 guest actor like Jim Beaver. Right, because they 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:19.689 only had him for half a day. Exactly. It allowed 00:08:19.689 --> 00:08:23.170 McLaren to get those really cinematic, wide angles 00:08:23.170 --> 00:08:25.889 that make the characters feel isolated in the 00:08:25.889 --> 00:08:28.670 space without being constrained by actual drywall. 00:08:29.189 --> 00:08:32.629 So Walter gets the gun, he has the tool, and 00:08:32.629 --> 00:08:35.250 he practices his draw in his apartment, which 00:08:35.250 --> 00:08:38.009 is just another scene that oozes awkwardness. 00:08:38.250 --> 00:08:40.570 He's literally posing with it. It's Taxi Driver 00:08:40.570 --> 00:08:42.769 without the cool factor. He is desperately trying 00:08:42.769 --> 00:08:44.769 to psych himself up. And then he decides to make 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.970 his move. He drives to Gus's house at night. 00:08:47.049 --> 00:08:49.649 Here we go. He puts on this black hat Heisenberg 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:53.090 mode, fully activated. He's marching up the street. 00:08:53.370 --> 00:08:55.210 And then he gets intercepted. He doesn't even 00:08:55.210 --> 00:08:57.269 get close to the front door. Not even close. 00:08:57.629 --> 00:08:59.429 Tyrus, the new henchman who replaced Victor, 00:08:59.590 --> 00:09:01.710 just calls him on the phone. Walt answers, looking 00:09:01.710 --> 00:09:03.870 totally confused, spinning around. And the message 00:09:03.870 --> 00:09:07.669 is chillingly simple. Go home, Walter. It's so 00:09:07.669 --> 00:09:10.370 defeating. He is all revved up, adrenaline pumping, 00:09:10.529 --> 00:09:12.509 thinking he's the hunter. And with three words, 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:15.250 they turn him right back into the prey. They're 00:09:15.250 --> 00:09:18.110 watching him the entire time. It perfectly emphasizes 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:22.450 the asymmetry of information. Gus's organization 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:25.269 sees absolutely everything. Walt sees nothing. 00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:28.370 Nothing at all. But the way they filmed his defeat, 00:09:28.570 --> 00:09:30.110 I mean, this is where the deep dive really gets 00:09:30.110 --> 00:09:32.529 good. There is a shot at the very end of the 00:09:32.529 --> 00:09:34.690 scene where the camera is looking straight down 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:37.590 on Walt from way, way up high. Oh, man. This 00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:39.909 is one of the most discussed shots in the entire 00:09:39.909 --> 00:09:43.850 episode. It is an extreme overhead crane shot. 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:47.299 Yes. Now, usually for television, a standard 00:09:47.299 --> 00:09:49.980 crane might go up 30 feet. Maybe 40 if you're 00:09:49.980 --> 00:09:51.720 getting really fancy. Michelle McLaren rented 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:56.600 a 180 foot tall crane. 180 feet. That is 18 stories 00:09:56.600 --> 00:09:59.899 high. Just for this one single shot. Think about 00:09:59.899 --> 00:10:02.440 the logistics of that for a second. They're shooting 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:04.779 at night. They have a very limited window of 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:06.740 darkness. Yeah, I read the sources on this. They 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:08.940 only had four hours to shoot the night scenes 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:11.500 before they lost the permit time or the sun came 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:13.840 up. So they had to set up this monster piece 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:17.139 of machinery as the very first shot of the evening. 00:10:17.179 --> 00:10:20.120 Which is terrifying for a crew. Completely. If 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:22.500 the crane malfunctioned or if the setup took 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:25.019 too long, the whole night schedule would have 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:28.000 been completely ruined. It was a massive financial 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.419 and practical risk. So why do it? Why go to that 00:10:31.419 --> 00:10:33.899 kind of trouble and expense for a shot that lasts, 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:36.399 what, maybe 10 seconds on screen? Because it's 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.480 about scale. If you shoot Walt from eye level, 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:41.620 he just looks like a man standing on a street. 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:44.360 If you shoot him from 30 feet up, he looks like 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:46.480 a man being watched from a rooftop. Sure. But 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.340 from 180 feet up, he is just a tiny, helpless 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:53.659 dot in the middle of a vast, dark world. It minimizes 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.700 him completely. Exactly. McLaren wanted to convey 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.240 Walter's absolute insignificance in that moment. 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:01.480 He thinks he is this powerful player, this kingpin 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.639 in the making. Right. But from the perspective 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:05.980 of the universe, or from the perspective of Gus 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:09.559 Fring, he is an ant. He is entirely alone, and 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:12.840 he is totally out of his depth. literally a god's 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:16.299 -eye view of a very pathetic man. And practically 00:11:16.299 --> 00:11:19.259 speaking, it's just a stunning piece of cinematography. 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:21.879 Yeah. It elevates the show from a standard crime 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:25.340 drama to something almost operatic. And that 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:27.879 theme of, you know, pathetic aggression continues 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.899 because Walt doesn't just give up. He can't. 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:33.019 Right. He learns he can't get to Gus directly. 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:35.840 So he tries to find a proxy. Which leads to the 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:37.820 bar fight. Or, well, I should really say the 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:41.169 bar beat down. Yes, the confrontation with Mike 00:11:41.169 --> 00:11:44.470 Ehrmantraut. So Walt tracks Mike down to a local 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:47.990 bar, which, by the way, McLaren filmed so beautifully, 00:11:48.509 --> 00:11:51.029 she backlit Walt as he enters the bar. So he 00:11:51.029 --> 00:11:53.429 appears as just a stark silhouette in the doorway. 00:11:53.669 --> 00:11:55.669 It felt exactly like a scene out of a Western. 00:11:55.809 --> 00:11:58.470 Very Sergio Leone. We see that influence all 00:11:58.470 --> 00:12:00.590 over this season, really. The tense silence, 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.590 the focus on the eyes, the wide framing. But 00:12:03.590 --> 00:12:06.950 the dynamic here is crucial. Walt sits down and 00:12:06.950 --> 00:12:09.350 tries to pitch Mike. He says, look, we're in 00:12:09.350 --> 00:12:11.690 the same boat. Gus killed Victor. He could easily 00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:13.769 kill you. Put me in a room with him so I can 00:12:13.769 --> 00:12:16.289 use this gun. It is such a desperate sales pitch. 00:12:16.470 --> 00:12:18.690 He's trying to use pure logic to recruit the 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:21.669 guy who actively hates him. And Mike. Mike is 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:24.590 simply not buying it. No. Mike reveals he was 00:12:24.590 --> 00:12:26.769 steps ahead the whole time. He knew Walt was 00:12:26.769 --> 00:12:29.330 tailing him all day. He even knew Walt was carrying 00:12:29.330 --> 00:12:32.049 the pistol into the super lab. That part is so 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:34.909 embarrassing for Walt. It is. Mike basically 00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:37.049 tells Walt, you are not a partner in this. You 00:12:37.049 --> 00:12:40.049 are just a problem. And when Walt pushes too 00:12:40.049 --> 00:12:42.750 hard, when he implies that Mike is actually in 00:12:42.750 --> 00:12:47.190 danger, that is the trigger. The physical explosion. 00:12:47.850 --> 00:12:50.669 Mike just punches Walt, knocks him down and then 00:12:50.669 --> 00:12:52.610 kicks him hard while he's on the floor. And then 00:12:52.610 --> 00:12:55.570 he just walks out, leaves him there. It's brutal. 00:12:55.970 --> 00:12:58.330 And here's where it gets really interesting regarding 00:12:58.330 --> 00:13:00.549 the production and the stunt work. You might 00:13:00.549 --> 00:13:02.470 naturally assume, oh, they use stunt doubles 00:13:02.470 --> 00:13:05.330 for that. Especially with older actors. Nope. 00:13:05.909 --> 00:13:08.289 Bryan Cranston and Jonathan Banks performed the 00:13:08.289 --> 00:13:10.409 stunts themselves. Which adds a level of gritty 00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:12.590 realism you just can't fake with a wide shot 00:13:12.590 --> 00:13:15.649 and a double. Exactly. Stunt coordinator Al Godo 00:13:15.649 --> 00:13:18.840 arranged it, but the actors executed it. Now, 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:21.620 safety is obviously paramount on a set. To make 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:24.519 the kicking safe, they placed a really large 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:27.580 sandbag against Bryan Cranston's torso. Oh, hidden 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:29.820 under his clothes. Either hidden under his clothes 00:13:29.820 --> 00:13:32.340 or just blocked entirely by the camera angle. 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:34.659 So when Jonathan Banks is winding up and kicking 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:36.580 him on the ground, he's actually kicking the 00:13:36.580 --> 00:13:39.620 sandbag with full force. So Cranston is getting 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:42.299 physically jolted by the real impact, but his 00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:44.480 ribs aren't shattering. Right. It allows Banks 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.700 to really commit to the violence without holding 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:49.360 anything back. But there was also a really specific 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.279 editing choice that Vince Gilligan made that 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:54.879 totally changed the feel of the fight. Oh, right. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.659 Originally, the scene was blocked so that after 00:13:57.659 --> 00:14:00.139 the conversation at the bar, they both stand 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:02.759 up, square off, maybe exchange a look, and then 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:04.779 the punch happens. It was more of a traditional 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.480 fight start. Like a duel in a saloon. Exactly. 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:09.679 But in the editing room, Gilligan decided to 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:12.440 cut the standing up part entirely. Really? Yeah. 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:15.620 So in the final broadcast version, Walt is just 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:17.860 sitting there talking, trying to convince him, 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.320 and then suddenly, bam! He is on the floor. Mike 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:24.340 punches him almost out of nowhere. It makes it 00:14:24.340 --> 00:14:27.379 so much faster. It's incredibly surprising. It 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:30.340 emphasizes Mike's raw efficiency as an operator. 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:32.620 He doesn't posture. He doesn't need to square 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:35.519 up or warn you. He just strikes. It makes Mike 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:38.320 scarier and makes Walt look even more helpless. 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:40.580 So that is Walt's journey in this episode. He 00:14:40.580 --> 00:14:43.179 buys a gun. He tries to use it. He gets told 00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:45.480 to go home by a guy on a phone. He tries to recruit 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:48.100 a grumpy ally and he gets punched in the face. 00:14:48.429 --> 00:14:51.370 He is just flailing. He is trying to control 00:14:51.370 --> 00:14:53.889 his fate through aggression, and he is failing 00:14:53.889 --> 00:14:56.350 miserably. Now let's pivot to the other side 00:14:56.350 --> 00:14:58.809 of the coin, Jesse Pinkman. Yeah. If Walt is 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:01.350 trying to control everything, Jesse is trying 00:15:01.350 --> 00:15:04.509 to drown everything out. Jesse's storyline in 00:15:04.509 --> 00:15:08.129 38 Snub is, it's honestly just heartbreaking, 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:10.450 and some of the darkest, most oppressive stuff 00:15:10.450 --> 00:15:13.590 the show has done. He is totally miserable, he 00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:16.529 killed Gale, and now he is completely terrified 00:15:16.529 --> 00:15:19.139 of his own thoughts. So what does he do? He buys 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.000 stuff. He engages in sheer manic consumption. 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.679 He buys a very high -end stereo system. And famously, 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:29.139 he buys a Roomba. The Roomba. I love that detail. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.679 Why a Roomba? Well, Raider George Mastras included 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:34.820 the Roomba specifically because it is inane. 00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:37.919 Right. Think about it. It's a robot vacuum. Jesse 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:39.980 lives in what is essentially a frat house mixed 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:42.480 with a meth den. He does not care about cleaning. 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:44.899 Right. Hygiene isn't really his priority right 00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:48.490 now. He wants the Roomba simply because it is 00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:51.110 a thing that moves. It's like a little robotic 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:54.490 pet. It makes a humming noise. It occupies physical 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:56.929 space. It's activity for the sake of activity. 00:15:57.350 --> 00:15:59.309 Exactly. He just wants something moving in the 00:15:59.309 --> 00:16:01.250 house so he doesn't feel alone with his brain. 00:16:01.590 --> 00:16:03.929 And when the gadgets aren't enough, he brings 00:16:03.929 --> 00:16:07.190 in the people. He has Badger and Skinny Pete 00:16:07.190 --> 00:16:11.090 arrange this multi -day non -stop party. This 00:16:11.090 --> 00:16:13.690 is the Sound and Fury segment of our deep dive. 00:16:13.990 --> 00:16:16.450 The party was a huge, fascinating production 00:16:16.450 --> 00:16:18.029 challenge. They couldn't film this in a real 00:16:18.029 --> 00:16:20.590 house. They're messy. Way too messy. You've got 00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:23.350 graffiti, pizza, drugs, hundreds of extras, and 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:25.009 they needed to do things with the camera that 00:16:25.009 --> 00:16:27.190 you simply can't do in a real living room. So 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:29.429 this was also shot entirely on a soundstage. 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:31.759 And the camera work here gets really experimental. 00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:33.679 We talked about the mirror shot and the crane 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:37.019 shot for Walt, but for Jesse... They went totally 00:16:37.019 --> 00:16:39.460 gonzo. We actually have shot from the point of 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.779 view of the Roomba. Which is such a weird low 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:44.379 angle scurrying perspective. It makes you feel 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:46.940 like vermin scuttling across the floor through 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:49.379 a forest of legs. And we also have a shot from 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:51.659 the point of view of a pizza box. It creates 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:54.279 this intense sense of nausea. You are trapped 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:57.320 in this party and there is a specific editing 00:16:57.320 --> 00:16:59.779 trick called a match cut that director Michelle 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:02.480 McLaren conceived on the fly. Oh, explain that 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.890 for us. So you have a shot of Badger. out of 00:17:05.890 --> 00:17:08.609 the frame to snort meth. The camera just holds 00:17:08.609 --> 00:17:11.410 on the empty space for a split second and then 00:17:11.410 --> 00:17:14.250 instantly Skinny Pete pops up into the frame 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:16.609 in the exact same spot. It basically loops them 00:17:16.609 --> 00:17:19.250 together. It creates this weird endless loop 00:17:19.250 --> 00:17:22.750 effect like one junkie leaves another appears 00:17:22.750 --> 00:17:25.470 and they are essentially the same entity. Exactly. 00:17:25.690 --> 00:17:28.430 It visually suggests that these people are completely 00:17:28.430 --> 00:17:30.210 interchangeable. They aren't real friends to 00:17:30.210 --> 00:17:32.329 Jesse. They are just warm bodies filling the 00:17:32.329 --> 00:17:35.269 empty space. The party feels like this This endless, 00:17:35.730 --> 00:17:39.390 repetitive nightmare, it is not fun, it is dizzying. 00:17:39.730 --> 00:17:42.349 And the music supervisor, Thomas Galubic, chose 00:17:42.349 --> 00:17:44.589 tracks that heavily reflected that nightmare 00:17:44.589 --> 00:17:46.930 vibe. It's not party anthems, it's variations 00:17:46.930 --> 00:17:49.710 of punk rock, hip hop, and heavy dubstep. Songs 00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:52.970 like Money by Dee, Slash R, Period, or Digital 00:17:52.970 --> 00:17:55.329 Animal by Honey Claws. It's super aggressive. 00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:57.730 It's an assault. It's not background music. It 00:17:57.730 --> 00:18:00.450 is an active weapon against silence. And that 00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:03.829 leads us to the final breakdown. The party eventually 00:18:03.829 --> 00:18:07.269 clears out. Everyone leaves. And Jesse is left 00:18:07.269 --> 00:18:10.549 alone with the exact silence he's been dreading. 00:18:10.769 --> 00:18:13.589 So he sits directly in front of his massive speakers. 00:18:13.769 --> 00:18:15.910 This is really the climax of the episode for 00:18:15.910 --> 00:18:18.470 me. He turns the volume all the way up and sits 00:18:18.470 --> 00:18:21.250 inches away. He is literally vibrating against 00:18:21.250 --> 00:18:23.950 the speaker to stop himself from thinking. Now, 00:18:23.950 --> 00:18:25.970 here's a tech challenge I honestly hadn't thought 00:18:25.970 --> 00:18:28.690 about until reading the sources. How do you film 00:18:28.690 --> 00:18:31.269 a speaker pulsing like that without totally deafening 00:18:31.269 --> 00:18:34.269 the actor? Right. You can't actually blast music 00:18:34.269 --> 00:18:37.109 at 120 decibels right into Aaron Paul's ear. 00:18:37.170 --> 00:18:39.630 It would cause permanent hearing damage in minutes. 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:41.690 Yeah. Safety regulations wouldn't allow it. And 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:43.490 you wouldn't be able to give the actor or any 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:45.609 direction during the take. So they tried special 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:47.410 effects. They tried a lot of things. They tried 00:18:47.410 --> 00:18:49.569 shaking the speakers manually off camera. They 00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:51.750 tried pulling the cones with invisible strings 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:54.309 from the back to make them bounce. But it all 00:18:54.309 --> 00:18:57.329 looked incredibly fake. It didn't have that violent, 00:18:57.470 --> 00:19:01.309 rapid vibration of a real subwoofer pumping air. 00:19:01.529 --> 00:19:03.529 So what was the solution? How did they get it? 00:19:04.130 --> 00:19:07.009 Michelle McLaren went shopping. Right. She went 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:09.769 to a local stereo store in Albuquerque and just 00:19:09.769 --> 00:19:12.029 explained the problem to the guys working there. 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:15.170 She said, I need a speaker to move like it's 00:19:15.170 --> 00:19:17.769 blasting, but I need it to be quiet. That is 00:19:17.769 --> 00:19:21.289 just classic on the ground problem solving. She 00:19:21.289 --> 00:19:24.109 actually found a device there called a bass tester. 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.539 It's meant to test the limits of audio equipment. 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:29.839 It allows a system to push air and move the speaker 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:32.559 cones at what they call maximum excursion. That 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.039 means the cone moving in and out as far as it 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:37.900 can physically go, but it does it at a frequency 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:40.579 that doesn't generate the loud audible booming 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:43.619 sound. No way. So the speaker's physically thumping, 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:45.940 pushing real air, but it's basically silent. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.940 Relatively silent, yes. Just the mechanical sound 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:50.940 of the physical movement. They even hired the 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:53.380 actual store employee to come to the set and 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:55.799 run the system for them. That is amazing. So 00:19:55.799 --> 00:19:58.440 Aaron Paul is literally leaning against this 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.059 violently throbbing speaker, acting his heart 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:03.819 out, physically shaking from the vibration. But 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:06.900 the actual deafening dubstep music we hear on 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:09.930 TV was dubbed in... later in post -production. 00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:12.910 That is pure movie magic. It explains why the 00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:15.650 performance is so visceral. He's actually physically 00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:17.690 interacting with the prop. It's pushing against 00:20:17.690 --> 00:20:19.509 him. And the critical reception to that scene, 00:20:19.630 --> 00:20:21.410 I mean, critics were floored. Tim Surrett from 00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:23.990 TV .com said, Karen Paul's acting ripped his 00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:26.269 heart out. Yeah. Emily van der Werf from the 00:20:26.269 --> 00:20:28.029 Los Angeles Times called it the most chilling 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:30.990 thing so far this season. It's a genuine portrait 00:20:30.990 --> 00:20:33.509 of a man in hell. It really is. Yeah. So we have 00:20:33.509 --> 00:20:36.109 Walt completely failing to be a gangster. and 00:20:36.109 --> 00:20:40.170 Jesse failing to escape his guilt. But the world 00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:42.809 of Breaking Bad is bigger than just them. We 00:20:42.809 --> 00:20:44.390 have to check in on the supporting cast because 00:20:44.390 --> 00:20:46.369 there's some serious drama happening elsewhere. 00:20:47.029 --> 00:20:49.170 Let's talk about Skylar White. She is taking 00:20:49.170 --> 00:20:51.970 the initiative. She actively wants to buy the 00:20:51.970 --> 00:20:54.549 car wash where Walt used to work as a cover to 00:20:54.549 --> 00:20:56.750 launder the drug money. The A wanted car wash 00:20:56.750 --> 00:20:59.349 and she has to go deal with the current owner. 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.940 Bogdan. A man with the eyebrows? The eyebrows. 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:05.220 They are absolutely legendary. Now Bogdan is 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:08.539 played by Marius Stan and here is a fact from 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:12.180 the sources that completely blew my mind. Marius 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:14.980 Stan is not an actor by trade. No he is not. 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:16.460 Do you want to tell everyone what he actually 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:19.859 is? He is a Physicist. A physicist. Yeah. Like 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.779 an actual working scientist. A literal PhD scientist. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:25.740 He was teaching at the University of Chicago 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:28.119 during the filming of the show. How on earth 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:30.859 does a physicist end up playing a car wash owner 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:33.740 on a prestige television drama? Well, he was 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:35.660 living in Albuquerque for work at the time, and 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:38.039 he just has a very distinctive look. The casting 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.599 directors saw him and just loved his presence. 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:42.740 He'd never acted professionally before in his 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:45.160 life. That is wild. So you have an actual physicist 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:48.420 playing a car wash owner. yelling at a fictional 00:21:48.420 --> 00:21:50.740 chemistry teacher who is secretly a drug lord. 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.700 Only on Breaking Bad, but in this episode, Skyler 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:55.660 approaches him with an offer and he shuts her 00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:58.650 down hard. He is still furious about how Walt 00:21:58.650 --> 00:22:00.990 insulted him when he quit back in the pilot episode. 00:22:01.250 --> 00:22:03.609 That's a great narrative callback. It shows that 00:22:03.609 --> 00:22:06.049 Walt's past ego trips, like when he grabbed his 00:22:06.049 --> 00:22:08.930 crotch and told Bogdan, wipe down this, are creating 00:22:08.930 --> 00:22:11.769 very real obstacles for their current criminal 00:22:11.769 --> 00:22:15.049 enterprise. Exactly. Walt scorched the earth 00:22:15.049 --> 00:22:17.430 because of his pride, and now Skyler has to try 00:22:17.430 --> 00:22:20.109 to plant seeds in it. It is not going well. And 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:22.210 then we have the Schrader household. Yeah. Hank 00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:26.000 and Marie. Yeah. It is. It's really grim. It 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.740 is very difficult to watch. Hank is bedridden, 00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:30.619 recovering from the massive shooting injuries 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:33.240 with the Salamaka cousins from last season. He 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:35.980 is deeply depressed, incredibly bitter, and taking 00:22:35.980 --> 00:22:38.680 it all out on Marie. He is just so relentlessly 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.960 mean to her. He is. There's a scene where he 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:42.900 celebrates a small victory with his physical 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:45.619 therapist. He manages to move his leg or stand 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:48.119 for just a moment. And in that moment, he's charming. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.799 He's happy. He's the old Hank. But then the therapist 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:53.819 leaves. Right. The therapist leaves, and Marie 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:56.920 tries to share in that excitement. She is genuinely 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.359 thrilled for him. And he just walls her off completely. 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:02.220 He absolutely refuses to share the joy with her. 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:05.660 He goes totally cold. Critics really noted that 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:09.019 this script effectively conveyed Marie's increasing 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:12.400 isolation. She is trying so, so hard to be the 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.359 supportive wife, and he is punishing her simply 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.559 for witnessing his weakness. It's devastating. 00:23:18.019 --> 00:23:20.440 And speaking of witnessing things, we also get 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:23.559 introduced to a new face. in the criminal underworld, 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:26.500 Tyrus Kitt. Played by Ray Campbell, he is the 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:28.819 new Victor. The permanent replacement. Interestingly, 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:30.799 the script just called him new Victor for a long 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:32.940 time. It was the writer, George Mastros, who 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.500 finally gave him the actual name Tyrus. How does 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.220 he compare to Victor in your view? He is colder. 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:40.740 Victor was a bit of a hothead, always kind of 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:43.839 eager to please Gus. Tyrus is quiet. He's hyper 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.079 -efficient. He feels much more corporate, but 00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:48.619 in a very, very dangerous way. Right. He's the 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:50.380 one who makes that chilling phone call to Walt 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:54.420 outside Gus's house. Go home. Just ice cold. 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:56.740 Moving on to the broader production style of 00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:59.180 the episode. We touched on the Western vibes 00:23:59.180 --> 00:24:01.240 earlier with the bar scene, but this episode 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:04.460 is absolutely drenched in them. Totally. Reviewers 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:06.359 were constantly comparing it to Sergio Leone 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:08.619 movies like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:11.539 What specifically gives it That vibe, do you 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:13.980 think? Well, according to the sources, it's the 00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:16.480 extreme close -ups on the eyes and hands. It's 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:18.579 those tense, drawn -out silences where nobody 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:21.400 is talking, just staring each other down. It's 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.480 the saloon fight feel of the bar scene. Entertainment 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:27.220 Weekly writer Melissa Maris actually specifically 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:29.319 pointed that out in her review. It's a modern 00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.119 Western. Instead of horses, we have Aztecs and 00:24:32.119 --> 00:24:34.299 Monte Carlos. Instead of a six shooter. Well, 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.940 actually, Walt literally buys a six shooter. 00:24:36.099 --> 00:24:39.460 A .38 snub. Exactly. The iconography is completely 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:42.180 intact. We really can't ignore the pop culture 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:44.720 references. This show always grounds itself in 00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:48.059 the real world so well. At Jesse's party, amidst 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:51.410 all the darkness and the drugs. Badger and Skinny 00:24:51.410 --> 00:24:53.910 Pete are having this incredibly heated debate 00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:57.130 about zombie video games. A classic Badger and 00:24:57.130 --> 00:25:00.130 Skinny Pete conversation. They are debating the 00:25:00.130 --> 00:25:02.809 mechanics of different zombie franchises. Left 00:25:02.809 --> 00:25:06.509 4 Dead, Resident Evil 4, and Call of Duty. World 00:25:06.509 --> 00:25:08.500 at War. They are arguing about whether zombies 00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:11.180 can run, right? The classic slow versus fast 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:14.500 zombie debate. Right. And Badger has that hilarious 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:17.339 line describing the Nazi zombies in Call of Duty 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:20.579 as the Taliban's of the zombie world. It adds 00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:22.940 that perfect layer of absurd humor that Breaking 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:26.599 Bad is so famous for. Even in the midst of Jesse's 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:28.700 total psychological breakdown, you have these 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:31.440 two guys arguing passionately about video game 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:33.819 logic. It serves a narrative purpose too, though. 00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:35.779 It shows that life goes on. Jesse is falling 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:38.240 apart, but his friends are just being their usual 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:40.720 kind of oblivious selves. It actually isolates 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.759 Jesse even more because he can't participate 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:45.200 in that innocent stupidity anymore. He's seen 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:47.460 way too much. That's a great point. And there's 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:50.720 a pizza callback. Yes. The large, unsliced pizza 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:53.059 at the party. It's a direct visual reference 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:55.900 to the season three episode, Caballo Sin Nombre, 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:58.460 where Walt famously throws the pizza on his own 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:01.140 roof. I love that they keep that strange continuity. 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:03.750 In Albuquerque, apparently they just don't slice 00:26:03.750 --> 00:26:05.829 their pizza. Fans were totally obsessed with 00:26:05.829 --> 00:26:08.549 that detail. Vince Gilligan eventually had to 00:26:08.549 --> 00:26:11.049 explain it on a podcast or an interview that 00:26:11.049 --> 00:26:13.630 this particular fictional pizza chain just doesn't 00:26:13.630 --> 00:26:16.430 cut their pies. They pass the savings on to you. 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:19.509 It's so funny. So let's look at how this episode 00:26:19.509 --> 00:26:21.609 was actually received by the public when it aired. 00:26:22.269 --> 00:26:26.509 Ratings -wise, it had about 1 .97 million household 00:26:26.509 --> 00:26:28.609 viewers. Is that considered good for season four? 00:26:28.789 --> 00:26:31.170 Well, it was the third most watched episode by 00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:33.069 that point in the fourth season, but it was actually 00:26:33.069 --> 00:26:35.849 a significant drop from the premiere, which had 00:26:35.849 --> 00:26:39.089 over 2 .5 million. But, you know, this is pretty 00:26:39.089 --> 00:26:42.289 common in TV. Premiers grab everyone who's curious, 00:26:42.769 --> 00:26:44.690 and then the audience settles into its core base. 00:26:45.049 --> 00:26:47.170 And what about the reviews? Generally positive, 00:26:47.269 --> 00:26:50.380 but definitely with some caveats. people widely 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:53.259 praised the attention and the visual innovation, 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:55.680 the camera work we discussed, the crane shot. 00:26:56.380 --> 00:26:58.400 The Hollywood Reporter called the photography 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:01.779 and direction masterful. Which it is. Salon .com 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:04.759 praised the luxuriating pace and specifically 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:07.359 highlighted that massive overhead shot of Walter. 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:10.920 But not everyone was completely happy. No. Some 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:14.099 critics, like those at Crave Online, felt Jesse's 00:27:14.099 --> 00:27:16.480 storyline was getting a bit repetitive. Like, 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:19.380 we get it, he's partying, he's sad, let's move 00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:22.339 on. And Hank was so incredibly unsympathetic 00:27:22.339 --> 00:27:25.059 that it made the Marie subplot really hard for 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:27.509 some people to enjoy watching. And CNN even called 00:27:27.509 --> 00:27:30.269 it a placeholder episode. Which is a fair criticism 00:27:30.269 --> 00:27:32.910 if you were only looking for massive plot advancement. 00:27:33.390 --> 00:27:35.369 Walt ends the episode largely right where he 00:27:35.369 --> 00:27:37.910 started, totally helpless. But if you are looking 00:27:37.910 --> 00:27:40.170 for character depth and visual storytelling, 00:27:40.210 --> 00:27:42.490 I think it's absolutely essential. In the grand 00:27:42.490 --> 00:27:44.549 scheme of things, where does it rank historically? 00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:47.990 The Ringer did a definitive ranking in 2019 of 00:27:47.990 --> 00:27:51.470 all 62 Breaking Bad episodes. They placed 38 00:27:51.470 --> 00:27:54.950 snub at number 58. Ooh, that is pretty low. That's 00:27:54.950 --> 00:27:57.440 bottom five. It is definitely toward the bottom. 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:00.579 But you have to remember, a so -called bad episode 00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:04.140 of Breaking Bad is still better than most incredible 00:28:04.140 --> 00:28:06.759 episodes of other television shows. It's a bridge 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:09.819 episode. It moves the emotional pieces into place 00:28:09.819 --> 00:28:12.359 for the really explosive conflict that comes 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:14.980 later in the season. So let's wrap this up. We 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:18.240 have thoroughly unpacked the gun, the mirror, 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:21.579 the 180 -foot crane, the silent base tester, 00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:24.920 and the physicist car wash owner. We really have. 00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:27.740 So what is the big takeaway here? For me, it 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:30.220 is entirely about the illusion of action. Walt 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:32.299 thinks buying a done is doing something. Jesse 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:34.880 thinks throwing a massive party is doing something. 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:37.559 But really, they are both just reacting blindly 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:40.099 to their own helplessness. The production team 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:42.279 used every technical trick in the book, from 00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:45.099 sky -high cranes to vibrating speakers, to visually 00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:47.759 represent that feeling of being small, trapped, 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:50.589 and completely isolated. It transforms a quote 00:28:50.589 --> 00:28:53.230 unquote placeholder plot into a genuine piece 00:28:53.230 --> 00:28:55.609 of visual art. Well, here's a final thought to 00:28:55.609 --> 00:28:58.170 leave you with listeners. Consider the profound 00:28:58.170 --> 00:29:01.529 contrast we talked about today. One man, Walt, 00:29:02.109 --> 00:29:04.769 looks into a mirror, practices his hardened face 00:29:04.769 --> 00:29:07.349 and tries to buy a weapon to control his fate. 00:29:08.029 --> 00:29:10.069 The other man, Jesse, surrounds himself with 00:29:10.069 --> 00:29:12.589 hundreds of people and deafening noise just to 00:29:12.589 --> 00:29:15.250 drown out his reality. Yet how does the episode 00:29:15.250 --> 00:29:17.650 actually end for both of them? They both fail. 00:29:17.809 --> 00:29:20.279 Exactly. Walt is lying battered on the floor 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:23.599 of a bar, totally alone. Jesse is vibrating against 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:25.920 a massive speaker in an empty house, totally 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.140 alone. It really raises the question, is noise 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:30.519 just another form of silence when you are truly 00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:32.960 suffering? Something to mull over. Yeah. If you 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:35.140 want to see that crazy crane shot or the mirror 00:29:35.140 --> 00:29:37.640 trick yourself, definitely go rewatch 38 Snub. 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:39.799 It is absolutely worth a second look with all 00:29:39.799 --> 00:29:41.700 this in mind. Thanks for joining us for this 00:29:41.700 --> 00:29:43.019 deep dive. Until next time.