Walt decides that he and Jesse will up their game by producing more of the meth for Tuco each week. This will prove to be challenging, as some of the ingredients they need are not exactly easy to acquire (at least legally). And while this is going on, a baby shower for Skyler and her unborn child leads to a revelation about Marie.
If this first season of this well-regarded series is indeed the weakest, then it only means that there is going to be some excellent television in store for this viewer. He was hooked pretty much from the get-go by the characters and their situations. The acting, as always, is superb, with Bryan Cranston as Walt settling more into his new alias of "Heisenberg" (complete with the hat). One particular sequence successfully walks the line between being very amusing and unbelievably tense as Walt and Jesse are forced to cook the meth in Jesses' basement - while an open house (Jesse was planning on selling his place) is going on upstairs!
The main theme of the episode seems to be that "forbidden fruit is always the sweetest"; Hank even utters that line, in reference to some Cuban cigars he's obtained. We see it at the start, as Walt & Skyler slip away from a school conference to have some sex in the family vehicle, and later, as Skyler learns that Marie did NOT obtain her baby shower gift by purchasing it. Later, Marie completely feigns ignorance / innocence.
This all leads to a riveting finish wherein Walt & Jesse complete a transaction with Tuco, and the kingpin shows once again just how brutal and psychotic he can be. As Walt & Jesse walk off (clearly very uncomfortable), it very well sets the stage for the second season.
Eight out of 10.
If this first season of this well-regarded series is indeed the weakest, then it only means that there is going to be some excellent television in store for this viewer. He was hooked pretty much from the get-go by the characters and their situations. The acting, as always, is superb, with Bryan Cranston as Walt settling more into his new alias of "Heisenberg" (complete with the hat). One particular sequence successfully walks the line between being very amusing and unbelievably tense as Walt and Jesse are forced to cook the meth in Jesses' basement - while an open house (Jesse was planning on selling his place) is going on upstairs!
The main theme of the episode seems to be that "forbidden fruit is always the sweetest"; Hank even utters that line, in reference to some Cuban cigars he's obtained. We see it at the start, as Walt & Skyler slip away from a school conference to have some sex in the family vehicle, and later, as Skyler learns that Marie did NOT obtain her baby shower gift by purchasing it. Later, Marie completely feigns ignorance / innocence.
This all leads to a riveting finish wherein Walt & Jesse complete a transaction with Tuco, and the kingpin shows once again just how brutal and psychotic he can be. As Walt & Jesse walk off (clearly very uncomfortable), it very well sets the stage for the second season.
Eight out of 10.