‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Grilled’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For the most part, shows that feature the drug trade and the folks that work within it, tend to keep their stories focused on a particular set of characters. Specifically, the anti-hero dealers and kingpins and the law enforcement officers, out to bring their empire down, so that the audience is treated to a gritty story that more or less serves as a metaphor for our never ending battle between good and evil or it offers up some big time commentary on the failed war on drugs. But what they don’t focus upon enough, is the impact these battles have on everyday communities and the loved ones of those involved in this whole mess and that’s a big miss for certain. Since there are powerful stories to be told about the people that have to stand by and watch their loved ones commit a crime or fight for justice. 

But thankfully, Breaking Bad is a series that opted to try and explore such matters thanks to its unique setup storytelling wise. Since a suburbanite teacher turning to a life of crime is the perfect way to see how that kind of decision would impact a suburbanite family and as it turns out… one such way that it effects family life, is by putting utter fear into the hearts of those the heroes and villains love. For ‘Grilled’ saw the White family in a tough place thanks to Walter’s disappearance at the hands of Tuco and well, they pulled out all the stops in trying to find their beloved Walter. Even going so far as to attempt a door to door and pole to pole Missing Poster campaign, simply because they were scared and worried about him and his well-being and the worry was so strong, that even Hank got in on the action. 

To the point where he basically made Walter’s disappearance his own personal case, allowing for him to begin to pull data on known associates to Jesse Pinkman and possibly Jesse’s whereabouts and well, it was simply stunning to see this kind of fallout come about, simply because it was avoidable. For had Walter taken the time to walk away or act quickly in the last episode, he’d be fine, and all would be normal and well. But alas, his decision to do otherwise brought about this kind of panic and chaos. But while that made for some fascinating and powerful moments, Walter's fate at Tuco's hands, did require some measure of resolution as well and thankfully, this episode took the time to reveal that he was just fine. He was just out in the middle of nowhere with Tuco and Jesse and the legendary Hector Salamanca and thankfully, Tuco wasn’t inclined to cause any harm just yet.

He just believed he needed to lay low for a bit before heading down Mexico way with Walter, so they could resume cooking the finest meth known to man. But therein lie a problem. In that, Tuco’s plan meant that Jesse would die, and that Walter would be away from his family and those were unacceptable terms, the kind that warranted an attempt on Tuco’s life and eventually utter chaos when Hector ratted them out with single ring of his twisted bell. Which meant that Jesse and Walter had to fight for their freedom and their lives and while they were successful in wounding Tuco, a surprise visitor brought fresh worry in regard to their freedom. For Hank came rolling in to look for Walter and got into quite the ugly firefight with Tuco. One that put an end to Tuco’s rollercoaster life and left Walter with the realization that if Hank were to discover any evidence in regard to their role in the meth business, he and Jesse would end up in jail.

If anything, all of these storylines make this a wonderful hybrid episode. One that stayed true to the darkness that permeates this universe by way of the harrowing sequence of events at Tuco’s safe-house, while also offering us some powerful dramatic moments. For everything revolving around the hunt for Walter was tender and beautiful and moving, since it spoke to how much his family loves him, and how big an impact this new career decision is having upon everyone’s lives. But the future of that career choice is indeed hanging in the balance now, for that crossroads that we discussed in our last Retro Recap of this series is once again at the forefront of this show’s storytelling. Since Walter now needs to decide if putting up with this kind of madness is worth it or not, or if the time has come to walk away and cut his losses and it will be quite interesting to see if the next episode features his decision on the matter, or if that quandary is going to be the focal point of season two, one that will get resolved in the finale. Until next time.

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