Breaking Bad 5/23 "Fly" *spoilers*

[Neenahboy]

Not really your classic Walt and Jesse cooking episode, but poignant all the same. Walt realized he'd lost control, tried fruitlessly to regain it the only way he could, then was forced to confront that which made him go off the deep end in the first place.

Going back to last week when we discussed whether Walt would openly call for Jesse's death to Gus...Walt finally acknowledged the inevitability of it all. He won't advocate it, and he certainly won't do it himself (he had the golden opportunity holding the ladder), but I don't think he'd even feel bad about it after tonight. He's made his peace with his role in Jane's death, and any guilt he had that might have been the last shreds of his tie to Jesse are now gone.

This needs to be Bryan Cranston's Emmy episode. That was just fantastic.

[john4200]

Parts of it were like a non-animated cartoon -- the Walt and Jesse show!

It was strange that most of the episode it was Walt who was insane and Jesse was the voice of sanity, but right at the end Walt makes the astute comment that if Jesse is stealing from Gus, then Walt cannot protect him. And Jesse makes the insane comment that he does not need protection. It is like they have only one bit of sanity between them, but only one of them can utilize it at a time.

[speaker city]

I didn't care for this episode at all. In fact, I'm wondering if they intentionally made this filler episode to air on the night of the Lost finale.

[Tivortex]

At first I thought it was the worst episode so far.

By the end I was convinced it was the most powerful episode so far. The sense of foreboding in the last seconds was masterful.

Neenahboy, nice analysis of the episode.

[jrinck]

This is either going to be the Jump the Shark episode, or one of the episodes you always remember positively.

Part of me was waiting for the fly to drop in a vat, and then all of the users that got that batch would turn into Brundleflies. :D

[cheesesteak]

I'd like 90% of that hour back.

[billboard_NE]

Good episode to put up against Lost.

However they should have aired "Fly" the week after "One Minute" the difference in pacing would have been cool. Now I am just anxious to get things rolling again.

[speedcouch]

My husband called this episode a "jump the shark" moment, but I thought it just showed how tightly wound Walt is. Loved that Jessie was the voice of reason in this, until he got caught up in the obssession about the fly and then bought into the chase.

Really liked the role reversal there for a while, with Jesse taking care of Walt for once. Then at the end when Walt rolls down the window and issues the warning about stealing, Jesse falls right back into his usual role defensive/punk role.

But, overall, I enjoyed the dynamics between them in this episode.

Cheryl

[cheesesteak]

At the very end with the blinking red light... Is Walt being bugged?

[NatasNJ]

At the very end with the blinking red light... Is Walt being bugged?

That was my question. Was that a camera?

[pdhenry]

I think it was intended to be the pilot light on a smoke detector. They flash, but not that fast.

It also apeared at the start of the episode.

[aRKade]

Wow, sounds like this is either a love it or hate it episode for everyone. I for one loved it. Excellent acting by both Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. I thought the ladder scene was almost as tense as the end of "One Minute".

At the very end with the blinking red light... Is Walt being bugged?

I see this as Walt's cancer being back. I know he told Jesse he was checked out recently but cancer is a b!t¢h and can do bad things pretty quickly. I think this might also explain his sleep issues and erratic behavior in this episode. I mean, come on, you are freaking out about a fly in the lab when you used to cook meth in a grungy camper in the middle of the desert?

[BK89]

Wow - first time I have ever fallen asleep during an episode of Breaking Bad...ever. Definitely a filler episode but didn't realize it was because of Lost. I always watch this on Monday so I can get it in HD (thanks DirecTV) so didn't think about the conflict with Lost on Sunday. Now it kind of makes sense, I guess.

I know they were trying to do a similar episode to the one where Walt and Jessie are stuck in the desert together with the dead battery (where it is only the two actors the entire hour) but this premise was just stupid. The one in the desert was one of their best episodes. Put me on the list for this one being their worst.

[DevdogAZ]

I loved this episode. There was so much dramatic tension. First, the tension when Walt was trying to get the fly by himself and ultimately falls off the railing. And then later with Jesse, when you think that Jesse is going to fall off the ladder, or that Walt is about to spill the beans about his role in Jane's death.

I can appreciate that some of you didn't like it, because it didn't advance the plot, but since this show is ultimately about the characters, and specifically about the characters of Walt and Jesse, this was a great episode for delving deeper into each of them and fleshing them out even more.

[getreal]

I loved this episode. There was so much dramatic tension. ... yadda-yadda-yadda ...

I agree with you.

Another aspect was that it was a rare moment when Walt opened up to Jesse. Normally he bites his tongue and doesn't reveal anything about his thoughts. But sleep deprivation and sleeping pills in his coffee obviously opened up a spigot.

One thing that I had trouble with was that a smart guy like Walt would think that a clipboard could be any sort of effective fly swatter. The air current around the moving clipboard would push the fly away every time. I would have looked for an elastic band to shoot at the fly. It works around my house.

[markymark_ctown]

I didn't care for this episode at all. In fact, I'm wondering if they intentionally made this filler episode to air on the night of the Lost finale.

At first I thought it was the worst episode so far.


I'd like 90% of that hour back.

Wow - first time I have ever fallen asleep during an episode of Breaking Bad...ever. Definitely a filler episode but didn't realize it was because of Lost. I always watch this on Monday so I can get it in HD (thanks DirecTV) so didn't think about the conflict with Lost on Sunday. Now it kind of makes sense, I guess.

I know they were trying to do a similar episode to the one where Walt and Jessie are stuck in the desert together with the dead battery (where it is only the two actors the entire hour) but this premise was just stupid. The one in the desert was one of their best episodes. Put me on the list for this one being their worst.

definitely my least favorite BB episode from any season. not a "jump the shark" moment, but disappointing.

[cheesesteak]

I loved this episode. There was so much dramatic tension. First, the tension when Walt was trying to get the fly by himself and ultimately falls off the railing. And then later with Jesse, when you think that Jesse is going to fall off the ladder, or that Walt is about to spill the beans about his role in Jane's death.

I can appreciate that some of you didn't like it, because it didn't advance the plot, but since this show is ultimately about the characters, and specifically about the characters of Walt and Jesse, this was a great episode for delving deeper into each of them and fleshing them out even more.
You probably liked the Lost series finale. :)

[DanB]

Woof.

To me, it was just weak writing. Didn't seem to match any of the style we've had the pleasure to witness all season.

I think more than just the lab was contaminated a bit by this episode.

[jeff125va]

I can appreciate the episode for the character development, but to me it wasn't the most enjoyable. It made me think of many times people would complain about episodes of Lost or The Sopranos that didn't "advance the story" and it felt like this was one of those.

I also thought the fly at the end was some sort of hint about his cancer, like Jesse was saying about his aunt and the opossum.

[jeff125va]

I always watch this on Monday so I can get it in HD (thanks DirecTV) so didn't think about the conflict with Lost on Sunday. Now it kind of makes sense, I guess.
Same here. How/where do you watch it? I get it on Amazon On Demand, and wasn't able to watch it until last night due to connection issues. Been meaning to ask for a refund, but no biggie, just a shorter wait until the next one.

[BK89]

How/where do you watch it?

Torrent.

[cheesesteak]

Jesse wondering if an opossum is an Irish possum cracked me up.

[chrispitude]

I liked the episode. It was nice to slow down from the fast pace of seeing the characters a few minutes at a time over many settings, and just spend some continuous time with them in one setting. There was perhaps more that was not said than said in this episode. I found myself really pulled into how the characters must be thinking and feeling at this point in the full story.

And yep, I liked the LOST finale too.

[tony touch]

This was my least favorite of any BB episode. I guess I was just annoyed that the fly was that bothersome to Walt.

[DevdogAZ]

This was my least favorite of any BB episode. I guess I was just annoyed that the fly was that bothersome to Walt.
If you didn't understand why Walt was bugged, then you don't really understand the Walt character at all. He's been OCD about little stuff like that all throughout the show. As noted by Alan Sepinwall in his review of this episode:

[Walt] is empty and broken, and all he has left is this fancy underground lair, and even that's been contaminated - not just by the fly (who becomes the latest tiny thing to draw Walt's obsessive-compulsiveness, ala the band-aid in the swimming pool or the alleged rot under the house or the uneven table leg at the hospital), but by his knowledge of all the danger that comes with the joint.

[rambler]

Did not like.

[eMarkM]

As noted by Alan Sepinwall in his review of this episode:

Alan also noted (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/breaking-bad-fly-the-best-bottle-show-ever) that this was what they call in the industry a "bottle show". All in one place on a set they've already built and paid for, so no remote locations and all that hassle and cost. No extras they have to pay. So yeah, this was done on the cheap to save some money.

It wasn't BB at it's best, but again very powerful performances by two great actors. I felt a lot of tension in Walt's "confession" scene. Would he tell Jesse his role in Jane's death while Jesse was precariously perched on top of the wobbling ladder? Mostly character development, but the plot did inch along. Walt knows Jesse is stealing and that final warning is ominous.

To say this is a "Jump the Shark" episode is ridiculous. That's an abuse of the JTS concept. That's for long running, popular shows that have clearly overstayed their welcome by rehashing old storylines or introducing pointless new characters in an attempt to recapture past glory. How does this episode qualify as that? Not the most intense episode, I agree, but still quietly powerful. This show clearly has a devastating arc to complete before its run is over and is far from past its prime just because there weren't any body bags in one particular episode. There's no doubt the action will pick up in the final three episodes and our minds will be blown.

[toddvj]

I'm really surprised that people didn't like this episode. Sure, nothing happened, but it was still one of the most compelling hours of TV I've seen. Genius.

[DMHinCO]

Often, when I am watching BB, there is a remarkably creative camera angle or interesting perspective. During "The Fly," it seemed more like a film-school project. I found some of the camera work very distracting.

Not my favorite ep, but better than most shows even during its worst episode.

[DevdogAZ]

Often, when I am watching BB, there is a remarkably creative camera angle or interesting perspective. During "The Fly," it seemed more like a film-school project. I found some of the camera work very distracting.
I did notice lots of very interesting camera angles and shots in this episode, starting with the extreme close up on the blinking light in the smoke detector and also the fly's perspective shots.

[JPA2825]

Put me in the "did not like" category. Part of that stems from the momentum gained with recent prior episodes that were great and fulfilling. After 15 minutes I was saying out loud "OK, we get it. Move on." Never did. Perhaps I should say they killed a fly with a sledge hammer trying to make their point.:)

[DMHinCO]

Alan also noted (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/breaking-bad-fly-the-best-bottle-show-ever) that this was what they call in the industry a "bottle show". All in one place on a set they've already built and paid for, so no remote locations and all that hassle and cost. No extras they have to pay. So yeah, this was done on the cheap to save some money.
Vince Gilligan blurted this out unprompted on the Breaking Bad Insider podcast. He said they were over budget for the season and were saving money.

Brian Cranston gave the name of the stuntman who performed the fall onto the edge of the tank. They said it was a shocking moment when it really happened. The stuntman merely said "keep rolling" and got up. Brian Cranston went over and assumed the same position the stuntman landed in and they continued on.

[danterner]

Often, when I am watching BB, there is a remarkably creative camera angle or interesting perspective. During "The Fly," it seemed more like a film-school project. I found some of the camera work very distracting.

Not my favorite ep, but better than most shows even during its worst episode.

This captures it for me.

Some of the camera work just seemed... gratuitous. There were some good moments, but it wasn't my favorite episode by a long stretch. I liked Walt's monologue figuring out the perfect time for him to have died, and how he overshot. I liked the dramatic "what will Walt say to Jesse about Jane" tension. I liked him applying science and logic to his failed relationship with Skylar, where he feels like if he could just come up with the perfect word formula he could "solve" everything.

The show was so obviously trying to use the fly as a metaphor, though, that through it all I felt like we the audience were being beaten about the head with flyswatters wielded by writers shouting "look how clever we are!"

[tewcewl]

I just saw this episode and am surprised by the negative reviews here. I found this episode so taut and engrossing. I love how the show slows down every now and then and gives us character-filling stories rather than episodes that move along the plot. This show is very much structured like a play, it feels like to me.

The hour flew by for me.

[Bierboy]

As I've previously posted in other BB threads, I'm running through these in preparation for the new season. (This actually is my second viewing of all the BB eps)

The first half or two-thirds of the ep was slow, but still well done. But the last third was incredible...as some have mentioned, the tension-building you could cut with a knife. Both Cranston and Paul are fantastic, versatile actors, and it really showed in this episode.

[vertigo235]

ugh, I didn't like this episode at all

can't wait for the new season though!

[aadam101]

I thought this was one of the best episodes of the series. These are two of the best actors on Television.....ever.