"If I had just lived right up to that moment, and not one second more, that would've been perfect"
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 23rd May 2010
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 3, Episode 10
WRITTEN BY: Sam Catlin & Moira Walley-Beckett
Some people didn't like this episode. I almost don't blame them. 40 minutes of two people in one location trying to catch a fly? Sounds terrible. But this was definitely one of, if not the, best episodes to date. There wasn't much action, and there wasn't much plot. But that didn't stop it being amazing television.
Rian Johnson (Brick) directed this episode, and makes no effort to hide his style. The quick cuts and unique camera angles are definitely not like anything the show has ever done before. But this is fitting, considering the episode's entire concept is similarly fresh and unique.
There is more humour than usual in this episode, mainly derived from the absurdity of Walt scrambling around in a slapstick fashion trying to catch a fly, like Wile E. Coyote tries to catch the Road Runner. The amount of effort he spends on such a minor problem is obsessive, and it quickly becomes more about principle for Walt, rather than stopping the "contamination". The dialogue is also more humourous than usual. Jesse's observation about the word "Possum" changing to "Opossum" is a very subtly witty scene.
The dialogue has more to offer than just humour, however. Walt's monologues about his family and coincidences are great. For all the unrealistic slapstick, we also get Walt at his most human. We see the Walt/Jesse relationship at its best and at its worst. The climactic scene at the end is tense not just because Jesse is hanging precariously off a step ladder, but because Walt is on the verge of telling him what really happened during Jane's death.
I love the last shot, of the fly still tormenting Walt as he goes to bed. It's definitely not your typical Breaking Bad episode, but it's a rewarding experience that puts action aside and takes a look at what really makes the characters tick.
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