Remember a time when you were younger? More specifically, do you remember middle school? I don't remember most of it but what I do recall is always looking forward to the first day of school. The chance to see people you have not seen in a while, play some recess basketball, and all that good stuff. Then a week in you realize that its not what its cracked up to be and you pray for the last day of school. That is kind of what this season of Breaking Bad has been like so far. We were so excited for it to start up again, but now prey that the Breaking Bad of old comes back. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great show, with very good actors and a very interesting story-line, its just that...right now the show is in transition and its not as good as it was before. That's not to say that it wont get there, it will just need some time to. The writers know what they are doing and if these episodes are necessary, then so be it, I will wait. So how has 'Open House' continued the trend of the other 2 episodes? Lets examine things. The problems I have with the current season are as follows: Walter has been reduced to a secondary character, Hank has been reduced to an annoying character, Jesse has been reduced to a one-dimensional character, Marie brings back an old (and boring) story line of hers, and the police (or lack there of). You may have noticed that I did not take my obligatory shot at Skyler, this is because she actually displayed something in this episode (and that character development was a long time coming). But more on that later, for now lets focus on the bad.
It really is hard to believe that just 3 episodes ago Walter had this moment. That same guy who looked so bad ass in that clip has so far been reduced to begging for his life, getting his ass kicked and handing over the proverbial pants in the family to his wife. All of that takes place in just 3 episodes, and I didn't even mention his lack of anything resembling a real plan. This is the same guy who stormed into Tuco's place? come on! Secondly, I have no clue why Hank (who admits in the episode how much Marie is struggling taking care of him) insists on unnecessary douche-baggery. He berates his wife for mixing up Cheetos and Fritos, really? I want the guy who took out Tuco and the brothers back, realism aside. Next we have Jesse, my favorite character, who up until the end of last season had never killed anyone. Obviously the fact that he is now a murderer is having a deep psychological impact on him, and the one person he reached out to for help (Walt...good luck with that) is more worried about a camera in their meth lab. Quick tangent, I was actually very surprised that there were no cameras in that place before, you would think that a guy as careful as Gus would have had them there from the start. Back to Jesse, I really hope he snaps out of the funk he is in right now, its a shame wasting the most talented actor on the show into such a one dimensional story line (how good an actor is he? He still makes his moping scenes good, even after the 3rd or 4th time). Does anyone care that Marie relapsed into her kleptomaniac phase? It was an easy way for her to act out due to the abuse she is enduring from Hank, but a much better scene would have been a shouting match between the two. We already knew that she was struggling with Hank, we could have done without the scenes of her stealing. Lastly, police where are you? Last time I checked blue meth was still being produced and distributed, the two brothers shot a DEA officer, I know they did not stop the investigation, why not show us some of that? It beats some of the other stuff they are showing. Deep Breath. Okay, now that we got the bad out of the way, we can move on to the good.
The Police investigation will probably be shown soon, as Gabe's lab notes have made their way to Hank. This opens up a nice chance for the police investigation to become a plot point and Hank will probably spot something in the notes no one else has. This is a nice way for the Hank we all love to start coming back and the fact that it means we get some police pressure on Walt and co. can only be a good thing. Next, we were treated to a brief shot of new Gus (the guy who appears instead of Gus for the time being) watching the White residence. This may mean that Gus is planning to do away with Walt, we shall see, it would make for excellent television. Saul and Skyler (yes her) actually moved this car wash plot that we all thought died in season 3 to the point where it is now literally the only plot. Through some sleazy maneuvering, Skyler brilliantly gets Walt's old boss to give up the place at a slightly reduced price. I also found myself agreeing with her when she was berating Walt for buying champagne that cost $320. "You are an unemployed school teacher, how do you explain this?" Brilliant! She is covering tracks, something Walter used to do well. She also delays in paying bills and is really making it seem like they have no money; more things that the old Walter would have done. It took 3 seasons but if Skyler White is finally ready to contribute at this level, adding more depth to this show (and it sure needs it right now). While it may sound like I am being overly critical, it really is nitpicking if you consider the fact that this is the first 'slow' stretch Breaking Bad has had that has been more than one episode long. I fully expect things to pick up and when they do, we know they will be good. So until then we just have to be a little patient.
Overall score for this episode 7/10 (I'm being generous)
Best scene: Hank opening up the lab notes in the middle of the night, I like to think that it is a sign of better things on the horizon.
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Interesting opinion, I hope the show gets more exciting as well.
ReplyDeleteI'd honestly give this episode an 8. I know you didn't like it much, but besides Marie back to being a douche, I was less bored during this episode than the first two.
ReplyDelete8 is too high, that means that the episode was on par with other season's episodes and this one frankly was not.
ReplyDelete