Breaking Bad » 4-1: "Box Cutter" 2011.07.17 - twop forum - p5

-Peekay:
How this show constantly one-ups itself and somehow defies such highest expectations I don't even know. There were so many masterful things about this episode (the box cutter & the body disposal scene & the Denny's & other countless things), but what struck me the most is how in this show characters never do quite what you expect, but their actions make perfect sense; there's never a single moment when they do anything out of character and yet they manage to be surprising and shocking at the same time (and this is rarely true in other shows, even great shows, so I feel like Breaking Bad is the exception here).
There were tons of speculations after season three ended as to what was going to happen in season four. Given how badass Walter was at the end of season three, you'd think he would continue on with his badassery, except he was a blabbering fool throughout the entire episode, desperately talking & talking & talking to save himself (and Jesse) when the audience can clearly see it ain't working. Whereas Jesse, who was for the most of the episode out of it with guilt, switches gears completely when Gus guts Victor in front of them. It's Walter who almost throws up at the sight, and Gus looks disdainful at that, but then he looks at Jesse, who slowly, slowly leans forward in his chair and glares right back at Gus, no flinching, no looking away, and you can clearly see Gus's estimation of Jesse turns around a 180 degree.***
That was such a meaningful scene.
And Jesse, almost cheerfully cutting through the pancakes and stating now they're all on the same page, and it's Jesse who has to explain to Walt what it all means -- if I can't kill you, you'll sure wish you were dead. It's not Walt, who killed two dealers in cold blood and did not even blink who gets it. It's Jesse, who couldn't even pull the trigger on the dealers who killed a kid, Jesse who was crying when he killed Gale, who gets that. Oh my God.
This show does this all the time, this unexpected turn of events and in characters that do make perfect sense but shocking nonetheless. When the show started out, I didn't think by the end of season two, Walt would let a young woman die for any reason if it could've been prevented, but Walt lets Jane die, and you can see how everything could lead to that. And I wouldn't have imagined Jesse would become the conscience of this Walt & Jesse partnership in season three, but he does, and when the season three ended, I didn't expect this type of reaction from Jesse after killing Gale, but it makes sense, and it breaks my heart. Aaron Paul was amazing in this episode. Everyone always is in this show, obviously, and Esposito was especially fantastic, but Aaron Paul always takes me off-guard with how incredible he is.
And yes, I agree that Victor's death was all but telegraphed once he admitted to Mike that people saw him at Gale's apartment, but who Gus killed wasn't really the focus as much as it was in how (and my goodness, and how) and its intended effect on the characters. And this show just pulls that off masterfully.
Why this show's never won an Emmy (best drama) still, I would never get. /good post. engl second lang? pleasant little tells.

***nymag.com 2011/07/ breaking_bads_giancarlo_esposito intrvw: Didn’t he also do this to send a message?
Oh, no doubt. He’s sending a message to Walt, he’s also sending a message to Jesse. As you will start to see in season four as it unfolds, Jesse is the next person he has to really get to, because Walt seems to be stumbling. [Gus] needs a guarantee. I mean, there’s no doubt that when he has an opportunity in this [episode] to take care of three birds with one stone, take care of them all. But he does need them as well; he needs probably Jesse more this had not occurred to me before reading th; and I was intrigued & unsure about what was happening as Jesse met Gus's gaze because Jesse would be the next person to cultivate. You know, Walt is having too many family problems, too many conscience issues, too many personality issues, whereas Jesse is younger and much more pliable than Walt. So I feel as if he is, without a doubt, sending a very powerful and strong message.

-Jesse is broken, certainly, but in a "nothing left to lose" way that could be very dangerous.

-eta: "Well?....Get back to work."