Breaking Bad 3x04

Jesse cooked crystal on his own in the camper van. On his way back he fills up the tank at some desert gas station. As he forgot to bring money, he talks the cashier girl into taking some meth instead. Skyler slept with her boss Ted Beneke – to take out her anger, to feel better about herself. Now Walt is mad at her for ruining their marriage! He barges into the Beneke building, but then embarrasses himself in front of Skyler’s colleagues when Ted doesn’t let him in. Crooked Saul’s goon Mike takes Walt to the law office for an “intervention.” When Mike drops Walt off, he notices a drawing of a scythe on the street, and tells Walt, “sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have someone watching your back.” Afterwards, Walt is absent-minded and erratic at school. He even tries to kiss the principal Carmen. When he’s walking out with his belongings (on an “indefinite sabbatical”), Jesse’s waiting for him asking to set up a meet with businessman Gus, because he wants to sell his new blue crystal. Walt is outraged that Jesse used his formula and still came up with an inferior product. He doesn’t want his name associated with it.

Jesse has to approach Saul to arrange something. Mike convinces Gus to accept Jesse’s blue meth, and informs him that Walt’s not mentally well enough to work. Later Jesse drops the meth to one of Gus’ henchmen, but is upset to find he got only half the money. The other half is for Walt. For his part, Hank has been pulling strings for another shot at a promotion in El Paso. Just as he’s about to board his plane, however, he gets a call from the Sheriff that the blue crystal is back in New Mexico. Desperate to stay in Albuquerque, he follows the slightest trail to the gas station where Jesse traded a bag of meth for gas – and the ATM’s camera caught Jesse’s camper. Overall, I found this episode a bit more interesting than the preceding ones. Still, the season is very subdued thus far. Pressure is increasing on Walt to return to cooking crystal. He has nothing to do, he is out of work, and has a wife who loathes him. He just needs to be motivated. I’m also curious how things are going to resolve between Walt and Jesse. Is Hank going to trace Jesse’s van? The show has been taking its time building up – and begging for the audience’s patience. And the remarkable thing about the series is that you know it will pay off.