‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Cat’s in the Bag…’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The other day when we settled in to discuss the wonder of Breaking Bad and its powerful pilot episode, we talked at length about how someone’s fall from grace outright fascinates us to no end, and how stories are quick to explore that in a unique and thrilling manner. But while there are plenty of tales that are eager to show us how and why someone embraces darkness and turns to a life of crime, once we get to the second stage of that transition, a great deal of these stories tend to fail their audience. Mainly because, our fallen hero is suddenly a criminal mastermind. One that is able to wreak havoc with impunity and surprising skill and organization and that… is just silly.

Because no one is a master of anything right away, and even going into a life of crime takes practice and dedication and trial and error. Which is why the next episode in this storied saga was so refreshing and morbidly delightful. Because ‘Cat’s in the Bag…’ really did take the time to explore the difficulties that come about, when one decides to go from a law-abiding citizen to a hardcore drug dealer. But it sure didn't seem as though that was going to be case at all, at first. Because early on, this episode felt as though it was going to play out in a more traditional manner for a crime themed tale, since Walter and Jesse had a simple plan in place, to deal with the bodies in the RV. Making it seem as though their transition from everyday folks to drug kingpins was going to be as smooth and cliché as can be.

But the fact that Krazy-8 was alive and mostly well, combined with the raw horror of the fact that Emilio was going to need to be dissolved in acid, brought about the complications and harsh realities that come with a life that is dedicated to crime and both of these men struggled mightily with their respective tasks and this transition. Because Walter quickly came to learn that just straight up murdering a man in cold blood is no easy task, since you have to look the man in the eye before you plunge the knife in, and poor Jesse had to deal with the unfortunate reality that there was going to be no easy way to dissolve Emilio’s body. Since they don’t really make human sized plastic containers for obvious reasons. And these unfortunate surprises led to some supremely hilarious moments in this particular tale. 

Such as how Walter had to tell some incredible lies in order to cover for his whereabouts and excessive time with Jesse. Which in turn, led to an awkward and powerhouse confrontation between Skyler and Jesse. One where she threatened Jesse with a visit from the DEA if he didn’t stop ‘selling’ Walter weed, and made this so quirky and wild, is the sheer fact that Jesse was in the middle of moving Emilio’s body into the house and oddly enough, this tense exchange led to the most incredible moment of this particular tale. Because the whole reason Jesse was hauling that corpse across his driveway, was to finally dispose of it in a proper manner. Which involved dragging it upstairs and dumping it in the tub before covering it with acid. A decision that ended up being the worst that Jesse has made to date, since the acid eventually ate through the tub and sent it and Emilio’s gooey remains cascading through the ceiling. 

Which is about as morbid as it gets and really, this episode deserves some serious credit for going bold and big when it comes to the dark humor present in this particular story. Simply because handling these moments in a quirky and somewhat goofy manner is the only way to make them palatable to an audience that isn’t expecting it. But what matters most, is that this episode did a phenomenal job of showing us how becoming a master criminal takes precious time and a whole lot of practice and whether Jesse and Walt like it or not, they’re going to have to hone their craft if they expect to be successful in the meth business. And to complicate their journey further, it looks as though the next great test of their mettle is heading their way, now that some random kids have discovered the gas mask they left behind when they fled that nasty brush fire. Until next time.    

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