User Reviews

The episode opens with Walter cleaning up the mess left by the dissolving body. He knows, though, that the guy in the basement is his responsibility. Jesse takes off leaving him behind to do the deed. The problem is conscience. He makes a list of why's and why not's to decide what to do. He spends much of the episode talking to Crazy-8. The man is intelligent and articulate. He begins to parry with Walter as to why he should be let go. Meanwhile, Walter's narc brother-in-law is flexing his muscles. Walter's disabled son is suspected of using marijuana and this guy tries to teach him a lesson (he doesn't so the whole thing is nonsense to him). The tension in this episode is immense and the decision arrived at is gut wrenching. Walter must also admit to the source of his great angst and see Skyler.

After Jesse's messy attempt to dispose of Emilio's body he and Walter clean up what is left. Walt then goes down to the basement and starts talking to Krazy-8; it soon becomes apparent that Jesse had told him everything about Walt; Krazy-8 senses Walt's obvious annoyance so takes the opportunity to try to drive a wedge between his two captors. It doesn't take long before Walt is running upstairs to see what Jesse is up to. It turns out he is smoking the drugs they had made. Walt tries to destroy what is left but Jesse runs off with them leaving Walt alone in the house with Krazy-8. As Walt takes a plate of food down to the basement he collapses shattering the plate; when he comes to they get talking and the more Walt gets to know him the harder it gets for him to contemplate killing him. Eventually Walt realises that he can't do it and decides to let him go... then he realises a piece of the broken plate is missing.

Back at the family home Skyler talks to her sister about marijuana, she mistakenly assumes Skyler believes her son is smoking it and despite being told to forget the conversation gets her husband Hank to give Walt Jnr. a lesson on the dangers of drugs.

This was another fine episode; I loved the scenes between Walt and Krazy-8... I couldn't help thinking of the fable of the scorpion and the frog as Krazy-8 gently gained Walt's trust and almost gained his freedom; he just couldn't help his nature though and kept a splinter of the plate to attack Walt with and thus doomed himself. Actors Bryan Cranston and Max Arciniega were on top form there. As well as dealing with the immediate problems of Krazy-8 and Emilio this episode nicely hinted at problems to come as Hank and his fellow DEA agents discover Krazy-8's car in the desert and after finding a sample of Walt's work they realise there is a new chemist on the scene... nobody locally makes it that good.

"Skyler, there's something I have to tell you."

'...And the Bag's in the River', the third episode of the first season of Breaking Bad, is the most dramatic episode yet and it wraps up what I like to think of as a loose trilogy of episodes. When Walt returns home to Skyler, presumably about to tell her about his cancer, Krazy-8 and Emilio have both been dealt with and perhaps now it is time for some normality to be restored in his life. Having said that, maybe Walt should make another pros and cons list - he has seen how dangerous the drug business can be, but if he gives up now, he won't have made any money for his family and it will all have been for nothing.

We begin here with a flashback to what looks like Walt's college days, as he discusses exactly what makes up the human body with a fellow student and love interest, played by Jessica Hecht, a character who will return to the show. The flashbacks are interspersed with Walt and Jesse cleaning up the horrific mess in Jesse's house after what happened in the last episode. It's a great opening that is nicely recalled at the end, after Walt has strangled Krazy-8 to death. "The soul? There's nothing but chemistry here."

Speaking of which, the moment when Walt realises that a piece of the plate is missing and it becomes inevitable what he must do is truly brilliant. The tense scene in the basement is probably my favourite moment in the show so far. I mentioned in my review for the last episode that this would be entirely different to when Walt used the Phosphine gas in the RV, because it was now cold-blooded murder. Not only that, but because both Walt and the viewer got to know Krazy-8 here, it made the death much more significant. Max Arciniega deserves much credit for his performance; his scenes with Bryan Cranston really steal the show in this episode. Aaron Paul has little to do in this one (besides his fight with Walt), but surely Jesse can do better than Wendy, the prostitute!

Skyler also knows definitively that Walt is hiding something now that she knows he hasn't been working at the car wash for two weeks, but I think it may be safe to say that all will be forgotten (temporarily, at least) when she finds out about the lung cancer.

We get to know both Hank and Marie a little better in this episode, as Hank is persuaded by his wife to talk to Walter Jr. after Skyler 'strongly inferred' that he is smoking marijuana. Skyler was, of course, actually referring to Walt, which is reflected in Walter Jr.'s confusion when Hank takes him to the 'crystal palace'. The scene where Hank calls over Wendy and she mistakenly thinks he is trying to get her to 'do' Walter Jr. is awkwardly funny (especially knowing how that crops up in a later episode). The partnership between Hank and Gomez is something I enjoy in these early episodes, as they have a lot of great banter ("Yeah, you're like rain man - retarded.") but seem to genuinely make a good team. It is also made abundantly clear, if it wasn't already, that a major plot point of this show will involve Hank and his team constantly being a step behind Walt. The question is: when will Walt be caught by his brother-in-law? Or what will he be prepared to do to avoid capture? We see the first signs of Marie being a kleptomaniac here too, which adds some interest to her character.

There's little indication as to where the next few episodes will go, but as we start to invest in these characters more and more, we know it will be interesting. I can't think of a show with a better opening three episodes... and it's going to get better!

9.7/10

A great episode of Walter struggling to make the decision whether to kill Krazy 8 or let him live. I think it was done perfectly. Bryan Cranston is great at showing the inner struggle of Walt. I was on the edge through the whole episode. I am actually very happy this part is over, in some cases it was too much for my nerves.

I especially liked the heart to heart conversation he had with Krazy 8. When he discovers him more and more as a human and it makes it harder for him to go on with the killing. Max Arciniega did a great job. I hope his acting career will go well after this great performance. The moment when Walt makes the plate discovery is heart wrenching as well.

Again, we had some comic relief with Walter Jr. being suspected to smoke weed by Marie and Hank taking him to a bad side of town to scare him off from it.

I also must say female characters on this show are rather annoying. The prostitute so far seemed the most pleasant one.

It is also building up a bit so we see there is more to come. This includes Marie doing shoplifting, Hank and his team finding the meth and Walt apparently wanting to make some confession to Skylar.

The third episode is something else again, a lot of it sustained by a two-hander and moral dilemma in the second half. Normally I would treat this stuff as filler in any other TV show, but the quality of the writing and the acting are what makes this work and work very well. It also remains unpredictable and difficult viewing, although lightened with appropriate humour at times.

After all he didn't want to but there was not other choice

This episode was another great episode, again a lot slower than the first episode, but that's okay. This episode is very funny and the dynamic between Walter and Jesse is especially good. The scenes with Krazy-8 and Walter were my personal favourites, because we really start to see Walter's personality change and he is starting to think that maybe this isn't a good idea. The cleaning up scene is very funny, along with the toilet scene. The plot twist with the broken plate is very well done and when Walter kills Krazy-8 it is very shocking. The acting is great, especially from Krazy-8's actor and Bryan Cranston. I think this episode is very good!

The best episode yet by far! Some really good dialogue between Walter and Domingo (krazy-8) my favourite scene of the episode is of course Walter killing Domingo, very well built up and a lot of emotion after the deed is done, but also the scene of Walter discovering the missing plate piece is really good! The music stood out to me in that scene! The episode ends with Walter supposedly about to tell Skylar something (as it's my second viewing I already know what it is) but I'm really looking forward to the next episode.

This is the episode (in my opinion) that solidifies Walter as a killer. He technically killed Emilio in the dessert by poisoning him with some sort of gas. But this feels far different. He strangled a guy to death completely of his own accord. I feel like the death in Episode 2 i believe it was, is not as impactful as it was a heat of the moment decision and it was to save his life and he possibly didn't want to kill them (although this is debatable). But this killing seemed far more deliberate and sure Walter believed he would go on to kill him and possible his entire family but he still strangled a man to death whilst he struggle with every last breath.

A few other things i liked about this episode then. First off i liked the little clips we get (that will be explained away later) of a younger Walter in some sort of room talking about what makes a Human. Also a little scene to end off the episode that was a similar flashback where Walter says "The soul is chemistry". I'm struggling to think of what this could be referring to but i have a multitude of possible answers.

We have the scene where Walter get's mad at Jesse for spilling information about him to the man he would eventually kill. Didn't add an awful lot to the episode but wasn't a bad scene either.

We also have the Marie plot. The fact that she thinks Walter Jr is smoking pot because Skyler in her mind alluded to it. An ok little plot point but nothing substantial in my eyes. The part i dislike is the shoe stealing scene. This is solely because it get's brought up a few times that Marie steals pretty regularly and down the line i believe she get's in trouble for it with security or something. I remember watching the show previously and not necessarily hating this story beat, but finding it absolutely pointless as it is never, ever brought up again after it is resolved. Overall feels utterly pointless. My first dislike of the series so far (although it is by no means a hatred of mine).

With Walter killing Crazy Eight to Marie stealing shoes, i think this episode is the weakest yet (although there has only been three episodes).

I give this episode a good 7/10. Not bad at all considering this is the worst episode so far and it's receiving a 7/10. Just goes to show how much i love this show.

"Coin flip is sacred."

You had the absurd comedy of the two previous episodes, but in this episode, "…And the Bag's in the River" it is dark and features a murder that is especially hard to watch because of how the victim strangles/suffocates (the victim's face struggles for breath as his face loses color; it is nasty). Walt is stuck with the task of killing Krazy-8. He talks with Krazy-8 after collapsing momentarily, falling unconscious, a plate of food breaking (this plate has a special significance in Walt's decision one way or another on Krazy's fate) on the floor. The episode is truly all about Walt's trying to figure what he needs to do, even making out a list of pros and cons on a notepad (!) as this man's fate down in the basement lies in his hands. There's a conversation about Domingo's (Krazy-8's real name) father (who owned a local business with a late night commercial and jingle they have a good smile about), and whether or not if he were let go would he let bygones be bygones with Walt. Hank, meanwhile, is told that Walter White, Jr. is smoking pot from his wife (Betsy Brandt), demanding a little scare to persuade him from ever using again. Hank takes him to a location with lots of meth activity, even introducing WW, Jr. to Wendy, a hooker/addict with rather hideous teeth (a forewarning that "This could be you!", but all of this leaves him puzzled but exhilarated by the odd experience). Since WW, Jr. didn't smoke pot, the whole trip seems rather strange, with Hank doing his best "uncle protector". It is a fun buffer to the entire intense "Walter-Domingo" plot that ends disturbingly. Cranston is off-the-charts good in this episode, perfectly displaying all of the turmoil and discomfort that comes with taking chances (on letting Domingo free) or killing someone to protect your own welfare. There's a fascinating scene where Walt flashbacks to his younger days, in a classroom, studying a chemistry problem on a chalkboard, with a woman he must've been involved with offering the idea that said problem has "a soul." Of course Walt believes "it's only chemistry."

I'm not going to lie, the first half of the episode is extremely boring. Like, on rewatch I just had to skip all of it, since it was uninteresting to me. I skipped it to the part where it gets good. And boy, does sitting through the first half pay off. This was probably the episode that had me hooked on Breaking Bad. Yeah, I thought the first episode was good, but it wasn't until the second half of this episode where in my opinion season one ramped up. Not only did Walt kill Krazy-8 in an extremely heart-breaking manner but it was also after a long, heartfelt conversation only to discover he had plotted to kill him. Only for after that for him to return home and tell Skyler about his cancer? Just a devastating episode. Only bad thing is, the first half is really boring.

In this episode you really empathize with Walter's insecurity. Killing someone isn't easy, and it becomes even more difficult if you get to know him. As the episode goes on, you really start hoping that Domingo is telling the truth, that he really won't harm Walter after he frees him. Actually you get pretty convinced by him. But then comes the plate puzzle scene: it is astoundingly brilliant. The killing scene that comes along is hearthbreaking. No one wins.

All the actors here did a perfect job. In this episode we get to see less of Jesse, but enough to portray his raging emotions. You see how Walt and Jesse react to the mess they are facing in different ways.

The moment he was killing Krazy-8, he hated it because he didn't want to do it, he sincerely got convinced by Krazy-8 and went to get the key but when he discovered about that broken thing, it broke his heart and he became compelled to do it. Great episode.

My overall rating of "Breaking Bad"'s Season 1: 5/10

The best episode in the season, this one is centred around Walter's dilemma about the fate of his prisoner. The whole plotline is masterfully written (if a bit unbelievable in how Walter arrives to its resolution) and really makes one think. In addition, such characters as Hank and Marie are both a joy to behold as they move the comical sideplot. The overarching plot is coming along nicely and at a precisely selected velocity.

Out of the cons, the Jesse-Walter scuffle/dialogue sucked, but it was quite a minor drag in the large scheme of things.

The Bag's in the River is a bridge episode which pushes the series storyline into the direction of White's character change. White believes he can make a couple of batches of meth and leave. The dealing with the drug criminal element changes him. White has to make the decision of killing 8 ball, and his character changes for the rest of the series. Eight ball was going to kill him as soon as he got the chance so really Walter had no choice in this matter. White who justifies his evil action for his family, creates the destruction of it. The double life and White's nastier character changes is affecting the people in his life. The series message of cause and effect is prevalent in this episode. Seven out of ten!

If you have noticed, last episode and this episode share interconnected titles. I will say an interesting piece of trivia on the origins of these titles, which is a good way to start off this review. This title is based of the 1957 film, Sweet Smell of Success. One man asks another man if he can deliver. The other's man response is, "Tonight, before you go to bed. The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river." I enjoy modern media that pulls from older media. The title of these episodes aroused my curiosity, and it's nice to get my answer. If you can relate these words to the context of the plot, then you know what the title means.

So does this third episode follow in the footsteps of the first two great episodes. My answer is a big, resounding yes. Actually, I think this improves upon those episodes just a little bit. The episode consists of rather dark, heavy material but there are some instantly memorable deadpan comedic moments. There are two excellent scenes in this episode that are great proof of that. The first instance is when Walter creates a list with the pros and cons of not killing Krazy-8. He rights Judeo-Christian principles as a pro, but as a con he writes the guy will kill him and his entire family. The second instance is when Hank takes Walter Jr to a shady motel to lecture him about how drugs are bad and Walt Jr's response, "I thought we were going to the Coldstone Creamery." Just a classic response.

The episode starts off with Walt and Jesse cleaning up human remains after Jesse's mistake involving hydrochloric acid from the previous episode. Jesse realizes he would rather smoke their product rather than sell the product. Walt then still has to deal with what to do with Krazy-8. He creates a list listing pros and cons on killing him, but that plans fails. Instead he makes him another sandwich, but as he delivers the sandwich he goes unconscious causing him to shatter the plate. When he wakes, he begins a rapport with Krazy-8 as he is the first human Walt tells about his lung cancer. But Krazy-8 is able to get one of the shards from Walt's broken plate, and that may make Walt's decision to kill Krazy-8 easier. Meanwhile, Skylar is worried about her husband. She believes marijuana is the cause of Walt's personality change. She broaches her sister, Marie (played by Betsy Brandt) about marijuana, whom she excuses it as part of a short story she's writing. Marie, whom is a nurse and is married to Hank, jumps to the conclusion Walter Jr must be on the weed, so she arranges Hank to speak with him. Finally, Hank discovers the location of the meth lab used by Walt and Jesse.

So, this was a very fun episode to watch. This is the first episode where family becomes a big player in Walt's newly-formed drug business. It will be interesting to see what happens with Hank on Walter's tail. Now with Walt alienating his wife and now someone who committed murder, this is only the beginning of the end for Walter White. This is an excellent episode, and a prime example why Breaking Bad is called the greatest television series of all-time.

My Grade: A

In the last episode, Jesse didn't exactly ace his task when he went beyond simply dissolving the body of the corpse in his RV, but also dissolved his bathtub and his floor, which resulted in him and Walt having to clean up lots of intestines – an extraordinarily appetizing scene. The other thing that's still left to do is the disposal of Krazy- 8, the surviving drug dealer that now involuntarily dwells in the cellar of Jesse's house. And that's the part our protagonist Walt has been assigned for.

Max Arciniega plays Krazy-8, or as he's actually named, Domingo, and although this man isn't a well-known actor, he's actually a great addition to the small cast Breaking Bad has at this point. Sadly – and with spoilers ahead – he isn't there anymore after this episode. And with this, I did find some flaws: we've observed that Walt and Jesse were able to hear it when Domingo was only remotely coughing in the cellar down below, but in Vince Gilligan's mind, this process functions unidirectional, as Domingo appears to haven't heard anything the other two were talking upstairs. And if he did, then he would've been aware of Walt searching the trash can for the plate shards and also that Walt didn't find one piece as he audibly uttered "Y u do dis" a couple of times. And Walt discovering that Domingo does plan to kill him through the help of a trash can was a really cheap and unbelievable trick already. But there are positive aspects about this story part as well, for example the long conversation between those two.

In general though, I consider "…And the Bag's in the River" to be significantly worse than the first two episodes of the series. Reason for that is that you discover how important the writing is for this show for the first time. And what I mean with that is that once the screenplay isn't flawless, the overall picture deteriorates as well. The episode is still very good simply due to the great story and the fact that most parts of Mr. Gilligan's screenplay are excellent, yet a fall- off in quality is obvious in my opinion.

This was gross. I loved it.

I suppose the ending seems kind of predictable now that I look back at it, but was it really? I kept going back forth, wondering if Walt was actually going to let their prisoner go or not, which led to a pretty intense confrontation between the two of them. Walt's going horrible things already and I'm only three episodes in. But like, I get it. I can already tell he'll likely become one of my favorite tv characters in a good while.

I didn't really care much of the side stuff with Walt Jr. And his uncle, but perhaps that'll lead to something important later this season.

This has so far been a really solid show. Will definitely be finishing this first season.