‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Crazy Handful of Nothin’’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Whenever we start a new job or embark upon a new career, there is quite the learning curve that comes into play. Because regardless of how much passion we have for our work, or how eager we are to start this new path; it isn’t habit or routine just yet. Which means mistakes are going to be made and but a handful of our coworkers or peers will take us seriously. Which means it is up to us to figure out how to be successful at this new endeavor and find a way to make a splash and a name for ourselves, regardless of the field that we have chosen. Which includes drug dealing as well apparently, since these particular problems are precisely what Walter White found himself dealing with in the next episode of Breaking Bad.

Because ‘Crazy Handful of Nothin’’ saw Walter and Jesse get back down to business and make their magnificent meth, which should have brought Walter plenty of success from the get-go. Because his product was amazing and there were plenty of buyers on Jesse’s end. But alas, the fact that he and Jesse were small time dealers with a limited network of distribution, did very little for Walter’s bank account. And that, combined with a push from Hank to discover who ripped off chemistry supplies from J.P. Wynn H.S., after forensics tied the mask the DEA found in the desert to the school, prompted Mister White to try and make a splash in the world of drug dealing. Because the faster he got the money he needed for treatment, the faster he could get away with quite literally murder, and that motivated him to ask Jesse to find a wholesale distributor ASAP so they could make some serious cash.

But while that particular idea had absolute merit, his initial push to become a player in the business didn’t quite go as planned. Because Jesse ran into some serious trouble after landing a meeting with Tuco Salamanca. Simply because Tuco, being the hot-headed nut job that he is, didn’t like having a guy like Jesse come into his lair and demand anything of him, and well… as Tuco is wont to do, he beat Jesse within an inch of his life in order to make a point. And to make matters worse, Tuco stole their latest batch, just because he could. If anything, this was really another big red flag for Walter to get the hell out of this business while he still had a chance. But now that he was starting out on his own and eager to use this money to save his life, he decided now was as good a time as any to make a kingpin understand that he meant business and wasn’t to be messed with.

Which motivated him to waltz right into Tuco’s place of business and send his message in the most creative way imaginable. Because he was smart enough to know that Tuco wouldn’t take him seriously either and that guys like that… need a show of force in order to provide someone with respect. Which is why Walter walked into that pit with some fine chemistry in hand, the kind that Tuco initially believed was another magnificent batch of the finest meth on the market. But a stunning explosion, one that blasted out the windows of his little apartment, helped him to understand that Walter White (who introduced himself as ‘Heisenberg’) was not a man to be trifled with, and that he could deliver wonders, provided of course he got his cash up front. And just like that… Walter made a splash and walked out of that mess with $50k in his pocket and well, what an episode this turned out to be. 

Simply because this was in many ways a true origin story. For this really was the birth of Walter’s alter ego and his ruthless style of management and that made this particular tale quite the treat for certain. Because it really did give us an idea of how ruthless Walter can be when needed and how much he enjoys the thrill of being a drug dealer and handling affairs in the underworld and winning what appears to be impossible fights. For he really did get the best of Tuco in this particular tale. Plus, it was also quite powerful to see the cat and mouse game between Hank and Walt get underway. Since Hank’s hunt for Heisenberg would become the stuff of legend and really, this just goes to show that another reason this series was so successful; is because it took the audience on one incredible ride through an underworld none of us understand. Because there was no deeper meaning to be found in this tale, there was just a good old-fashioned crime story present here, and a damn fine one at that. And now that Heisenberg is born and a deal has been forged, it should be interesting to see how long this fragile arrangement between Walter and Tuco will last, since there are no guarantees in the underworld. Until next time.   

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