Breaking Bad Season 3: A Retrospective
This entry is part of a series of retrospectives on the Breaking Bad universe. Click here for the previous entry on Breaking Bad Season 2.
[Note: As a series retrospective, this post will contain major spoilers from Breaking Bad, its sequel film El Camino, and its prequel series Better Call Saul]
After finding its footing properly during its second season, Breaking Bad leaned into its strongest qualities during Season 3. After the plane crash above Albuquerque that leaves over 150 people dead, the budding meth business Walt and Jesse were creating comes to a standstill. Not only due to the tragedy, but also due to Skyler's suspicions resulting in Walt being kicked out of the house, and Jesse's recovery in rehab giving him a negative outlook on the business as a whole. It doesn't take long, though, for the ball to start rolling. On the drama side, Jesse begins to come to terms with seeing himself as "the bad guy," going back into the business without Walt and cooking up his own batch, much to Walt's disapproval. Skyler also learns in the season's first episode that Walt is a drug dealer, her suspicions that he was peddling marijuana with Jesse now small fry compared to the reality Walt allows her to see. At the same time that interpersonal drama comes to the forefront, unresolved plot threads from early on in Season 2 begin to worm their way back into the show. Tuco's twin Cousins are now on the hunt for Heisenberg, learning from their uncle, Hector Salamanca, that Walter White was present when Hank shot Tuco. While the last members of the Salamanca family begin their hunt for Walt, Gus Fring decides to hire him as a meth cook--something that takes Walt a little while to accept.
Much of what I've just described happens in the first half of Season 3. I think it became apparent after Season 2 that the only way to keep the adrenaline of the audience up was to treat each half-season like its own season. The conflict regarding the Salamanca family is the major underlying thread in the first seven episodes of the season, while the final six deal with the formalization of Walt's business relationship with Gus. The decision to approach Season 3 in this manner worked wonders for the show, as many episodes now felt like they had more meaning to the overall story. There was a bigger focus on the overarching plotline instead of Season 2's problem of the week structure. While it had worked for Season 2, the evolution of the series wasn't going to benefit from that sort of approach. Sure, there are some aspects of the show that get introduced in one episode and are resolved by episode's end, but much of this is now built on the consequences of previous large events. It flows in a way that Season 2 didn't, with every episode feeling less like a domino in a row yet to be knocked over, and more like a mounting pressure akin to Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders. The best way to go about discussing the season would be to focus on each half. The first half I'll be referring to as the "Salamanca Arc," while the second half will be the "Gus Arc."
In the Salamanca Arc of the season, we get more insight into Walt's character based on how he behaves when his family life falls apart. It doesn't take long for him to try and force his way back into his home after Skyler kicks him out, reminiscent of the theme of control first established in Season 1. Unlike the first season, however, Walt finds himself wracked with guilt over the plane crash, resulting in him no longer wanting to cook meth. Now the only thing he can put his energies for control into is his rapidly-crumbling family. Doing so, however, he ends up realizing he can't control everything, something that causes him to slip back into the meth business. He tries to convince Skyler to let him back into the house, resulting in Skyler expediting divorce proceedings. In an attempt to take back control by force, Walt moves back home, which results in a panicked Skyler calling the cops. The police, however, don't see Walt as a threat given Skyler's testimony and Walt's behavior, which makes Walt believe that he's won. Unfortunately, control is thrust away from him soon after, as Skyler begins to have an affair with Ted. Soon enough, Walt mulls over and eventually decides to rejoin the drug trade. While part of this is still for money for his family, it's very apparent at this point in the series that he's doing this to wrestle control back into his life more than anything else.
Control--as well as grief, loss, and self-acceptance--is another theme that appears in Jesse Pinkman's story during the Salamanca Arc. Having gotten clean for some time after Jane's death, Jesse wrestles with loneliness and grief, constantly beating himself up over her demise. Soon enough, though, Jesse ends up getting back into the drug trade, his own batch of blue meth resulting in Walt's decision to continue cooking (driven by not wanting to be one-upped by his protege). Jesse has an interesting arc that starts in the Salamanca Arc and ends in the Gus Arc. For the first half of the season, he deals with his grief and with coming to terms viewing himself as a villain. It's an interesting narrative that I felt bolstered Jesse's character for the later development he went through, especially at the end of the season. I also liked how a lot of the focus with Jesse here involved tying up loose ends regarding him and Walt's original meth business. No better is this illustrated than when Hank Schrader suspects Jesse of being Heisenberg's lackey, resulting in the discovery of the RV. This original cooking station is destroyed later in the episode, with Walt and Jesse looking on. The RV being destroyed marked a turning point not only for our protagonists but for the show as a whole. It was no longer about two dudes in an RV cooking meth for money. It was now evolving into something bigger.
A lot of those pushes for something larger happen, surprisingly, because of Hank's investigation into the Heisenberg case. Having suffered a tremendous amount of PTSD from his run-ins with the cartel during Season 2, Hank starts to obsess over the Heisenberg case, going so far as to use his personal grudge against Jesse to try and eek information from him. Hank, while being in the right, goes about things in a very antagonistic way. And yet, all the while, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. Each episode that he got closer to the truth only to be led further away, Hank's mental state began to worsen little by little. This culminates in his confrontation with Jesse at his RV, wherein Walt has Saul Goodman call Hank and pretend that his wife, Marie, was in an accident, sending him speeding toward the hospital. It's here we get a scene where Hank, in darkly-tinged, close-up shots, panics over the possibility of Marie being hurt. Once he gets a phone call from Marie and realizes he's been tricked, the coloring and structure of the shots goes back to normal. I thought this was a fantastic use of cinematography to display Hank's mental state. His state of mind is underscored even more in the following episode, when he goes to Jesse's house and beats him up, resulting in a suspension hearing from his ASAC. The episode also includes a scene of him and Marie talking about how messed up he's felt ever since he had to kill Tuco. The series does a great job at using Hank to depict how the drug trade can mentally impact law enforcement officers who sometimes have to kill people in the line of duty. It makes him incredibly sympathetic, especially when the midpoint of the season results in a near-death experience for him.
Because while our three primary characters are dealing with consequences of the drug trade, feelings of losing control, and new opportunities in their lines of work, the bigger picture of both the Salamanca cartel and Los Pollos Hermanos becomes more apparent. I enjoyed the mysterious buildup throughout the Salamanca Arc, with the Cousins acting as more a force of nature than characters for most of their short stint on the show. That was until the second episode, where they break into Walt's house while he's in the shower and sit on his bed, intent on waiting to kill him as vengeance for Tuco's death. But their intentions are short-lived, as one of them gets a call from Gus Fring himself, telling them that he still needs Walt and that, if they want to maintain friendly relations regarding the shipment of product for the cartel, they must do as he says. Not everything is laid out crystal clear for the audience regarding Gus' involvement with the Salamancas just yet. If I'm being honest, I think context from Better Call Saul that Los Pollos Hermanos trucks were being used to smuggle drugs across the southwestern United States bolsters many of the scenes involving Gus and the Salamancas throughout Breaking Bad. But I did enjoy the mysterious air to the world-building we get in the series, especially in Episode 6, when Gus sends the Cousins after Hank instead of Walt.
Hank being attacked by the Cousins--as well as the fallout that leads right into the Gus Arc of the season--is one of the most well-crafted story twists I've seen in the Breaking Bad universe. It becomes apparent early on that Hank is going to be approached by cartel members during Episode 7. Much of the episode revolves around him trying to come to terms with his Heisenberg obsession and what it's done to his opportunities at the DEA and within the administration as a whole. He ends up being suspended, his badge and gun taken away from him, his violence against Jesse Pinkman acting as the last straw. Down and out, Hank isn't sure how things can get any worse. That's until a muffled voice calls him on his phone, telling him two hitmen are going to be in the grocery store parking lot he's in very soon. He has one minute to escape. When the hitmen--the Cousins--arrive, Hank takes the fight to them, paralyzing one and shooting another in the head with his brother's gun. Without a weapon on the outset, however, Hank is shot and rushed to the hospital, multiple bullet wounds leaving it uncertain if he'll even walk again. His near-death experience makes for not only a great cliffhanger, but also adds to the mysterious relationship between the Salamanca family and Gus Fring. While Gus told the Cousins to go after Hank instead of Walt, no one else knew of their mission. And yet, there was a voice on the phone warning Hank that the Cousins were coming to kill him. It's not too difficult to discern that Gus was behind the phone call.
Thus begins the Gus Arc of Season 3, the stronger back half of a very good season overall. This back half is defined by what the above paragraph discusses, as the consequences surrounding the Cousin's attempted hit on Hank are explored in Episode 8. More specifically, the audience slowly learns of Gus' plan and can readily interpret it before it gets explained in later episodes (and delved into more during Season 4). As it turns out, Gus is in contact with Don Juan Bolsa, one of the founding members of Mexico's largest drug cartel alongside Hector Salamanca and the yet-to-be-seen--or mentioned--Don Eladio Vuente. Bolsa was Gus' cartel contact, working with him to ensure that cartel product could cross the border. Unfortunately for Bolsa, Gus had other plans. Bolsa ends up confined to his home by Mexican federales, with mounting pressure from the American government to do something about Bolsa. Gus manages to orchestrate Bolsa's death, as his goal all along was to get the attempted assassination of a DEA agent--Hank--to draw attention to Bolsa and the cartel's operations. It didn't matter to Gus whether or not Hank lived or died. What mattered was that the assassination was in a public place and involved plenty of witnesses, witnesses who would see the carnage as Hank fought for his life.
It's at this point in the series that Gus truly shines. He's a mastermind criminal, not only when it comes to how he operates his meth distribution business, but also in his ploy for revenge against the Salamanca family and the cartel as a whole (something explored a little later in Season 4). Breaking Bad never outright tells the audience that Gus' plan is to halt distribution from the cartel in the US so he can reign supreme over all operations there. However, his actions and the way he presents himself are so memorable that you're able to follow everything he intends to do long before he's finished doing it. I think one of my favorite shots of the entire season happens after Bolsa calls Gus, accusing him of being behind the Cousin's deaths before getting killed himself while on the phone. There's a look of satisfaction on Gus' face as the rapid fire of bullets rings in the phone. The close-up on Gus' face and the look therein is enough to indicate how he's feeling and just what kind of person he is. For Walt and Jesse, should they end up making him an enemy, they are sure to pay a hefty price.
Funnily enough, Walt manages to get under Gus' skin rather quickly once he starts cooking for him at the end of the Salamanca Arc. This has to do with Walt's co-producer prior to Jesse deciding to officially join him in the infamous underground lab: Gale Boetticher. Gale is an interesting character, in that he always gets along well with Walt and continually praises him for his work. However, Walt's need for control and to always be on top, coupled with genuine, father-like care for Jesse deep down, makes him sabotage Gale's work during some of their later cooks. He uses this as an excuse to talk to Gus and get Jesse back in the lab with him. While this works for some time, it becomes clear near the end of the season that Gus intends to have Gale cook for him. Better Call Saul establishes the mutual relationship between the two of them, implying that, no matter what happened, Gale was going to end up being a replacement cook for Jesse no matter what. However, Jesse's erratic behavior later in the season proves to be a worthy excuse for Gus to clash with his meth cooks and bring Gale back. What makes Gale so intriguing, though, is that he's a genuinely good guy. He doesn't even want to get involved in any conflict, going so far as to almost decline Gus' offer to replace Jesse and Walt as solo cook in the season finale. Gale is as innocent as they come in terms of the different pawns at play in the series, perhaps the only person in the show whose death is unwarranted (barring a few fan theories that I don't believe therefore won't get into here).
The conflict between Walt and Gus is also exacerbated by the conflict between Walt and Jesse. Walt ends up always cooking batches of meth that are over the 200 pounds per week Gus has directed the duo to cook. As such, Jesse begins skimming some of the meth so he can sell it with Badger and Skinny Pete on the side. It doesn't take long for Walt to suspect Jesse of doing this. What I like about it, though, is that Walt never directly confronts Jesse about it, as they're no longer in the business of getting money for every pound. Instead, Walt begins to warn Jesse that if he is doing something like that, he should reconsider due to the power of the people they're now working for. I enjoyed the evolution of this dynamic between the duo, as it shows that, while Walt cares about Jesse and doesn't want to see him end up killed for his actions, he knows he can't stop him from doing what he wants to do. Perhaps this seems a little out of character for the controlling force Walt always tries to be. But when it comes to invoking that level of control over Jesse's life, the show does a fantastic job at illustrating why Walt doesn't outright tell Jesse from the beginning not to skim and sell meth on his own.
Enter: Fly. Episode 10 of Season 3, Fly is a divisive episode amongst fans and critics alike. Due to budgetary restraints, Gilligan and crew had to come up with a cheap bottle episode set in a single location. Fly follows Walt as he tries to catch a fly in the lab, with Jesse coming in later in the day to also help him out. While there are plenty of reasons to not like Fly, given that the stakes in the episode are much smaller than those in others, I enjoyed it as a nice "calm before the storm" that the last three episodes of the series would bring to the table. We get more insight into just how much Walt wants to exude levels of control on every little thing around him, while also giving the audience a good chunk of time to feel out Walt and Jesse's relationship. I think the best part of the episode is when Jesse, realizing Walt has been up all night trying to catch a fly in the lab, gives his mentor sleeping pills in order to get him to fall asleep. As the pills take their effect on him, Walt nearly confesses to watching Jane die, close to tears and as vulnerably genuine as we've ever seen him. This episode was important because it illustrated that, for all the conflict between the two of them throughout the show, Walt's affection for Jesse is genuine. They may not see eye-to-eye all the time, but Walt still loves Jesse almost as a son. While the last three episodes would further underscore this idea, I believe Fly serves as a necessary segue into the final part of the season. Without it, I feel like many of the episode-by-episode insanities that transpire later on wouldn't have had as much of an impact.
And it all has to do with Jesse trying to sell blue meth to a woman named Andrea. During a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Jesse ends up hooking up with Andrea, who he tries to sell meth to until he learns that she has a son named Brock. Jesse gets genuinely close to Andrea, perhaps as close as he's been to anyone since Jane's death. Then he learns about Tomás, Andrea's 11-year-old brother, who as it turns out, works as a child hitman for the people who killed Combo last season. Tomás was the kid who killed Combo, and--as Jesse learns at the end of Episode 11--was now selling blue meth, operating in a large chain of command that ended with Gus Fring. Jesse confides in Walt during the next episode, trusting him enough to inform him that he wanted to poison the dealers with ricin. Walt, however, doesn't go through with it, eventually telling Gus, knowing that Jesse will start causing problems because of Combo's death. While Gus attempts to smooth over the situation, telling the rival dealers they shouldn't use kids anymore, his message is taken in a way that blows the entire situation out of proportion. The rival dealers kill Tomás, whether under the order of Gus or of their own accord uncertain. What is certain, however, is that Jesse would retaliate. Before he can, however, we one of Walt's best scenes in the show. Jesse is approaching the rival dealers, holding a gun in his hand. The dealers are about to draw their own weapons when, out of the night, Walt's dinky Pontiac Aztek screams into frame, running both dealers over. Walt is forced to shoot one through the head, telling Jesse to run as the episode ends.
Jesse's reckless behavior may have been of near-detriment to their cooking for Gus, but it served as a symbolic entry point for Walt to become more assertive in the meth business. This was the first time since Krazy-8 that Walt has had to directly kill someone in order to protect himself and Jesse. Unlike last time, he does so unflinchingly, murdering the dealer in cold blood out on the street. Walt has clearly gone through a character arc here, willing to sacrifice himself for his budding empire, killing anyone that stands in the way of his business. Jesse is factored into this, too, as it becomes apparent that Walt needs Jesse not just to cook with, but because he genuinely cares about him. Walt puts his own life on the line, the possibility of being killed by Gus now apparent, and yet he doesn't care because doing what he did felt good and right. It's also one of the first times Walt wears a light brown jacket. His more signature green shirt is nowhere to be found now, his clothing choices darker as he has now crossed the line into murdering people without any remorse. The events in this episode are some of the most important, as they are the first dominos to be knocked down prior to the massive conflict Walt and Gus are about to get into come Season 4.
But first is the finale, with Season 3 having the strongest in the series up to that point. Jesse is now framed as being "on the run" by Walt, while in reality he's holed up in an arcade Saul has been trying to convince Walt to buy in order to launder his drug money. Walt realizes soon enough that Gus is planning to kill him, hunt Jesse down, and replace the duo with Gale, as per his original plans. Walt, however, doesn't want this to happen, not only for his own safety, but also to ensure the survival of his involvement in the drug business. Through a series of events, Walt and Jesse discover where Gale lives, with the plan being that Walt will go out and kill Gale that night, Unfortunately, he is taken captive by Gus' men, including Mike and Victor, who demand he call Jesse, having discovered that Walt knows where he is. During their phone call, Walt tasks Jesse with killing Gale, calmly informing him that he's at Gus' laundromat where Mike and Victor are planning to kill him. It's one of the most intense scenes in the show, only exacerbated by poor Gale not hearing his phone ring as he boils a cup of tea. Too late, Gale answers the door to see Jesse there, holding a gun in his face. The show ends with a close-up of Jesse's gun as he pulls the trigger, killing someone for the first time--perhaps the most innocent character on the entire show.
What makes the back half of Season 3--and the last three episodes in particular--so memorable is that they all build atop one another for a grand, dynamic finale. While there are a few sub-plots happening here and there throughout the show, nothing really bolsters the season more than the main plot. I though the tighter, more focused storytelling attributes in this season worked to the show's advantage, giving the audience a better grasp on the overall story while also handing them a larger world overall to keep track of. This season was incredibly well-executed with a biting finale that left me wanting for more, even on re-watch. Walt and Jesse stand out as the stars of this season, with nothing else really coming close to their dynamic together in the last four episodes. While Season 4 and especially Season 5 would broaden things--resulting in larger retrospectives coming soon!--Season 3 still felt more focused on the singular exploits of Walt and Jesse. The larger drug world doesn't really factor in too much yet, with the end of this season being a quick dip of the toe into the deep end of Breaking Bad's surprisingly complex lore. But it sets up plenty of things to come, all of which end up being just as masterful, if not more so, than Season 3.
Breaking Bad's third season acts as a gateway into the higher levels of quality the show found in its final half. I really do think the RV being crushed was a turning point in both the direction the series was heading, as well as the quality of the show overall. And it just continued to skyrocket in quality as time went on. Season 3 was definitely the point where the show started to stand out as something special. While it could have gone the route of being a generic show about drugs, addiction, and a guy just cooking meth and dealing with problems every week, it instead continued to build on its premise with every new season. Nothing in the show ever feels the same after Jesse kills Gale, and that building momentum is what helps make the series such a high-quality watch. Everything about the show keeps getting better, scaffolding off of what prior seasons had done. It truly makes for a great experience, and one that continues to get better come Season 4.
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