Jesse, suffering from meth-induced paranoia, thinks that scary characters are out to get him, and hides out at his parents' (Tess Harper, Michael Bofshever) place. Hank and his people are now investigating the aftermath of Walter & Jesse's botched first deal, and the disappearances of Krazy-8 and his cousin. But the main crux of this excellent episode is that Walter is forced to tell the other members of his family - Walter Jr., Hank and Marie - about his terminal lung cancer.
In a memorable twist that serves to set up the story from this point on, Walter was in NO hurry to make ANY more crystal meth, UNTIL he learns of the bloody fortune that cancer treatments will cost him, and he learns from Jesse just how much cash there is to be made from meth sales (some of Jesse's associates just love the product).
'Cancer Man' begins as Hank debriefs his people, ending with the conclusion that there's "a new player in town", after which, of course, we cut to a shot of a shirtless Walter brushing his teeth. At this point, he looks nothing like the typical drug kingpin.
The scenes with Jesse back at his parents' house are some of the best. His mom & dad make it clear that they're fed up with him by now, and don't want to give him any more "second chances". It's amusing watching Jesse try to make conversation with his high-achiever young brother (Benjamin Petry). Jesse's time at the family homestead is wrapped up with a twist that people may see coming, but definitely has impact. The little brother's not THAT perfect.
The concluding moments provide the viewer with a rich amount of satisfaction as Walter comes up with a way to teach a lesson to an insufferable, obnoxious, crude character (Kyle Bornheimer) whom he's encountered more than once.
The title is an allusion to the "Cigarette-Smoking Man" character from 'The X-Files', which Vince Gilligan had worked on before creating this series.
Eight out of 10.
In a memorable twist that serves to set up the story from this point on, Walter was in NO hurry to make ANY more crystal meth, UNTIL he learns of the bloody fortune that cancer treatments will cost him, and he learns from Jesse just how much cash there is to be made from meth sales (some of Jesse's associates just love the product).
'Cancer Man' begins as Hank debriefs his people, ending with the conclusion that there's "a new player in town", after which, of course, we cut to a shot of a shirtless Walter brushing his teeth. At this point, he looks nothing like the typical drug kingpin.
The scenes with Jesse back at his parents' house are some of the best. His mom & dad make it clear that they're fed up with him by now, and don't want to give him any more "second chances". It's amusing watching Jesse try to make conversation with his high-achiever young brother (Benjamin Petry). Jesse's time at the family homestead is wrapped up with a twist that people may see coming, but definitely has impact. The little brother's not THAT perfect.
The concluding moments provide the viewer with a rich amount of satisfaction as Walter comes up with a way to teach a lesson to an insufferable, obnoxious, crude character (Kyle Bornheimer) whom he's encountered more than once.
The title is an allusion to the "Cigarette-Smoking Man" character from 'The X-Files', which Vince Gilligan had worked on before creating this series.
Eight out of 10.