When Walt made a deal to supply Tuco with two pounds of methamphetamine he had no idea that one of the key ingredients is impossible to get hold of in the quantities he needs... Jesse of course knew this but by the time he learns about it the deal has already been made. Jess is in for an even bigger surprise when they turn up for the deal with Tuco and even though they provided much less than promised Walt offers to supply four pounds the next week! To do this he proposes to change the recipe; it still won't be easy though as it still contains a hard to obtain ingredient that they must steal before they can start cooking again. Walt and Jess aren't the only ones stealing stuff; Skyler learns about her sister's proclivity for shoplifting when she tries to return a present and almost gets arrested.
This was an excellent episode; once again it is shown that despite his scientific skills Walt really has no idea how the drug trade works nor does he realise how casually violent it can be... he learns this though when he sees Tuco beat one of his own people to death for a trivial reason after sampling Walt's latest batch. It isn't all grim though; in fact there are quite a few laughs; the scene where they steal a thirty gallon drum of chemicals is hilarious... and not just because Walt was only expecting to take a gallon but there were no small containers. The scenes where Skyler learnt about Marie's shoplifting were interesting but didn't really go anywhere; clearly that plot thread will be developed in future episodes. The morality of Walt's new business were nicely raised in a couple of scenes; first when he talks to Hank about why some drugs are legal and others aren't and later when he talks to Skyler about whether it is okay to break the law if it is to help your family.
As testament to how good this opening season was; I was given the DVDs as a present and was really unsure whether I'd like it at all but once I'd started I was hooked and had ordered the second season before I'd got to the end of the first.
This was an excellent episode; once again it is shown that despite his scientific skills Walt really has no idea how the drug trade works nor does he realise how casually violent it can be... he learns this though when he sees Tuco beat one of his own people to death for a trivial reason after sampling Walt's latest batch. It isn't all grim though; in fact there are quite a few laughs; the scene where they steal a thirty gallon drum of chemicals is hilarious... and not just because Walt was only expecting to take a gallon but there were no small containers. The scenes where Skyler learnt about Marie's shoplifting were interesting but didn't really go anywhere; clearly that plot thread will be developed in future episodes. The morality of Walt's new business were nicely raised in a couple of scenes; first when he talks to Hank about why some drugs are legal and others aren't and later when he talks to Skyler about whether it is okay to break the law if it is to help your family.
As testament to how good this opening season was; I was given the DVDs as a present and was really unsure whether I'd like it at all but once I'd started I was hooked and had ordered the second season before I'd got to the end of the first.