‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Down’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say, that the hit AMC series, Breaking Bad, was one of the most revolutionary crime dramas to ever hit the airwaves. For this is a show that took all the grandiose tropes that surround stories involving drug dealers, and completely threw them out of the window, all so that it could provide audiences everywhere with a vastly original and realistic story. One that served as a grand tragedy for an everyman that seized the opportunity when the system outright failed him and really… it is the realism present in this story that truly makes it so iconic and revolutionary. Because everything here feels as though it could actually happen somewhere in America and it was in fact, so detailed in its examination of how Walter White falls from grace, that the series even went so far as to show us some of the consequences that would/could come about from deciding to become a drug kingpin. 

Such as how the secrets one would need to keep, and the hardships that a family would go through, could in fact… create a rift between loved ones. Which are elements that were explored in the next episode in this storied saga. Since ‘Down’ sees Walter in quite the unique place after surviving his encounter with Tuco. For his wife still doesn’t trust him in the slightest because of the second phone incident and the continued dodging that Walter continues to take part in, in regard to that, and his son is struggling to process his father’s condition and that puts Walter on quite the uncomfortable island. One where Skyler is ready to offer up the silent treatment in response to the lying and where Walt Jr. does whatever he can to stay away from the tension that comes from that, and well, that motivates Walter to try and go above and beyond to make peace with them. Something that he fails at miserably.

Because they don't want overtures, they just want him to be honest and open with them and he simply cannot. Because he knows that doing so will bring about all kinds of problems for his future plans to make gobs of money as a drug lord and this led to some genuinely heartbreaking moments. The kind that saw Skyler express pure anger over being lied to when Walter tried and failed to bridge the gap between them, and he even struggled to reach his son and it was quite powerful to see Walter suffer greatly for his lies when he was so desperate for redemption and really, the point of all of this… is to set the stage for the tragedy in question. Because this episode informs us of the fact that we are going to watch the complete and utter dismantling of Walter’s life as he continues to dive deeper into the drug underworld of New Mexico, and while this alone would have carried this tale, it’s exploration of consequences, didn’t end with Walter’s tough times at home.

Because Jesse was also having to deal with some fallout from his attempts to stay out of jail. For his mother went over to check out the house shortly after Hank came calling, and she saw the ‘Kitchen’ in the basement and that motivated mom and dad to basically evict their son, in the hopes of giving him the wakeup call they believe he needs. Which in turn led to some harrowing moments for Jesse, the kind that basically saw him hit rock bottom since he had nothing to his name and that motivated him to steal his own RV back and see Walter for a tense and angry meeting. One that ended with an airing of grievances and charity, since Walter took the time to give Jesse some of his cash haul and well, that’s where this particular tale ends. With the both of them realizing that their actions have consequences and that they have a long and tough road ahead and well, all of these elements made this quite the brilliant episode when all is said and done.

One that not only did a phenomenal job of setting up the future and expressing its message, but it also managed to give the audience a moment to breathe. For we were free of the chaos of the last three episodes, and it was nice to not see everyone under physical duress or be caught up in a horrifying situation. Plus, this episode also deserves serious credit for not having Jesse and Walt get right back to cooking. Since their decision to wait and try and mend fences speaks volumes to the fact that the good people, we met in season one, are still around and still hoping for some kind of normal life. Which too, also adds to the tragedy of this series since we know things are all downhill from here. Meaning this is one to cherish since it might be one of the last times, we ever see Jesse Pinkman and Walter White, make a concerted effort to hold onto what they once had. Until next time.

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