 Tagline: All Becomes Crystal Clear. (season 2) Walt (two-time Emmy award winner Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) are in way over their heads in Breaking Bad: the Complete Second Season. As their partnership reaches new heights, Walt and Jesse begin to see the extremes of the drug trafficking business. Their trademark blue meth is making them rich, but it's getting more difficult than ever for Walt to conceal the truth from his wife Skyler (Anna Norris). Walt struggles to maintain control of his life as he contends with vicious drug dealers, an increasingly distant wife and son, the impending birth of his daughter, and a strung-out business partner - all while battling terminal lung cancer. Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season includes cinematography from Michael Slovis as well as Emmy award winning editing from Lynne Willingham, A.C.E. Executive Produced by Vince Gilligan And Mark Johnson. Storyline: When chemistry teacher, Walter White, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given only two years to live, he decides he has nothing to lose. He lives with his wife and teenage son, who has cerebral palsy, in New Mexico. Determined to ensure that his family will have a secure future, White embarks on a career of drugs and crime. He proves to be remarkably proficient in this new world as he begins manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with one of his former students. The series tracks the impacts of a fatal diagnosis on a regular hard working man and explores how a fatal diagnosis affects his morality and transforms him into a major player of the drug trade. Written by WellardRockard 2.01 Seven Thirty-Seven - Having completed their deal with Tuco in the junkyard, Walt and Jesse realize just how crazy and violent he can be. Jesse is convinced that he's seen Tuco's black SUV going up and down his street. Walt puts it down to paranoia - until he sees a black SUV parked just down the block from his house. Jesse's solution is to shoot Tuco before he kills them but Walt has a better idea. Panic sets in however when they think Tuco is killing his associates. Hank reviews the security surveillance footage of the warehouse break-in without realizing it's Walt and Jesse. Skyler tells Hank about Marie's shoplifting and gets a surprising reaction. 2.02 Grilled - Having been kidnapped by a crazed Tuco, Walt and Jesse are held prisoner by him in a desert shack where he often hides out and takes care of his sick uncle. Walt's brother-in-law Hank and the DEA have rolled Tuco's entire organization and he thinks that his two prisoners may have been a source of information. Walt tries to feed Tuco the poison he prepared. Walter Jr. meanwhile takes a bit of time off to look for Walt. Skyler is sick with worry and has been distributing handbills with Walt's photo. He remembers that Jesse Pinkman was Walt's source of marijuana and tries to track him down. Tuco finally realizes that his prisoners are up to something and is obviously going to kill Jesse. After a fight in which Tuco is shot, Hank shows up looking for Jesse. 2.03 Bit by a Dead Bee - Having gotten away from Tuco, Walt and Jesse now have to get home and explain where they have been. Walt has a plan and they split up. He goes to a supermarket and takes off all of his clothes while walking around the aisles. He's hospitalized and claims to have no memory of where he's been for the last few days. Jesse returns to his house to clean out the basement and get rid of the RV. When the DEA also track him down, he claims that he's been shacked up with a prostitute for the weekend. The police don't believe him and think they know how to nail him the bring in Tuco's uncle to identify him. With some of his problems now behind him, Walt is keen to start cooking again. 2.04 Down - Walt and Jesse appear to be in the clear but Jesse has no money and Walt can't leave the room without Skyler wondering where he is. Jesse's parents are still fed up with him and his drug use so they order him out of the house - it turns out they own it, not Jesse. He finds himself not only without a place to stay but with few friends who will put him up for the night. He ends up tracking down his RV and spends the night. Walt's overly correct behavior sets Skyler of on a binge of not telling him anything about what she's up to or who she's seeing. She's fed up with Walt's behavior and wants to know what is really going on. 2.05 Breakage - Walt continues his treatment and is starting to feel better but is concerned at the growing medical bills. Jesse begins to re-establish himself paying off his debts and getting a new place to live. He's interested in the renter however, Jane Margolis who next door. Walt and Jesse soon rev up the RV and are cooking again. Jesse's not keen on selling the stuff on the street and suggests he and Walt take over Tuco's role as a distributor. Hank and the DEA have come across the name Heisenberg and aren't sure if he's real or just an urban legend. Hank is promoted and soon appointed to a tri-State drug task force. He may have health issues of his own however. 2.06 Peekaboo - Skinny Pete has been ripped off by a drug addicted couple and Walt has made it plain to Jesse that unless he does something about it, word will get around pretty quick that they are an easy mark. Jesse isn't a very effective informer however and is quickly in over his head. Walt goes back to work but not all is going smoothly. Walt's story starts to unravel when Skyler gets a call from Gretchen Schwartz and she thanks her for paying for Walt's treatment. Gretchen doesn't give him away but his bitterness at their past relationship - personal and business - comes out. 2.07 Negro Y Azul - Walt's been having trouble getting in touch with Jesse who's been avoiding him since his encounter with Spooge. He's also not providing product to his dealers so Walt arranges to deliver it. He learns that Jesse's reputation as a killer has spread and they're having no problem at all collecting payment. Walt decides the time has come to expand their territory and put Jesse's new reputation to good use. Skyler decides to get a job and goes back to her old employer. Hank starts his new job on the task force. He's told his wife Marie it's just a desk job but he's on the front lines and very soon learns just how dangerous it can be. 2.08 Better Call Saul - Walt and Jesse have yet another problem to deal with when one of their dealers, Jesse's friend Badger, is arrested by the Albuquerque police. They end up hiring a shady lawyer, Saul Goodman, who has a unique way of ensuring that Badger gets off with a light sentence without having to give away Jesse or Walt's identity. As Walt learns however, it may come at a very high price. Walt's brother-in-law Hank, the DEA Agent, is suffering from post-traumatic stress following the shooting in Juarez. He puts on a brave face but is having trouble just getting out of bed in the morning. Walt has some suggestions for him. 2.09 4 Days Out - Walt is convinced that his medical condition is deteriorating. He continues to have coughing fits and is now coughing up blood. After his attorney and new business partner crunches the numbers, he realizes that there isn't much money left for his family. He and Jesse set off for the desert for a marathon cooking session over an extended weekend. Jesse just continues to put his foot in it, this time by leaving the keys in the ignition and inadvertently draining the battery. They find themselves in the middle of the desert, cold and without much water. Walt's knowledge of chemistry again saves the day. 2.10 Over - Despite the good news about his condition, Walt is feeling out of sorts and is generally unhappy, verging on anger. Skyler decides to throw a party to celebrate the news and thank all of their friends for their support, but Walt gets drunk and then into an argument with Hank that puts a damper on things. He's embarrassed about his behavior and tries to make amends all around but it's proving to be a challenge. He tries to channel his energies but eventually realizes what the problem is. Walt also tells Jesse the good news and tells him that he is finished with their little enterprise. Jesse's relationship with Jane continues to grow but he's taken aback when her father drops in to see her and she doesn't introduce him as her boyfriend. The ensuing confrontation clarifies their relationship. 2.11 Mandala - With the rapid improvement in his medical condition, Walt's doctors now recommend surgery as the final step to making him cancer free. It will all cost $170,000 however. Walt and Jesse have another problem when one of their dealers is shot on the street and Jesse believes someone is trying to take over. With only Skinny left as a dealer, Jesse and Walt have to find a solution to selling their product. Their lawyer-partner, Saul Goodman, suggests they get someone more experienced in the trade to help them out with the large quantities they have on hand. Jesse finally tells Jane, a recovering drug addict, what he does for a living. Skyler's doctor recommends that she have a C-section and they schedule the birth for the following week. At work however, she discovers her boss has been fiddling with the accounts. 2.12 Phoenix - Just as Skyler goes into labor, Walt has to deliver his 38 lbs. of meth to the wholesaler who has agreed to buy the lot for $1.2 million. Jesse and his girlfriend are now both doing heroin and when Walt races to Jesse's house to collect their stuff, he's stoned out of his mind. When Jesse wakes up the next morning, he has no recollection that Walt had been there the night before to get their stuff and freaks out thinking he's been robbed. Walt lets him stew for the day. Jane's father learns that she and Jesse are back on drugs and insists that she return to rehab or he will call the police. She agrees but Jesse has told her about his windfall and she knows exactly what to do. Walt's biggest problem is that he has all of this money but can't spend it because everyone thinks he's on the verge of bankruptcy. Walter Jr may have provided him with the solution. 2.13 ABQ - Walt's operation is all set to go forward but under sedation, he tells Skyler something that she did not want to hear. As a result, all of his lies - getting money from the Schwartz's, visiting his mother for four days, having a second cell phone - unravel before him. Once recovered from his operation, Skyler tells him to leave. At the DEA, Hank is convinced that Heisenberg is still on the loose but has become much more sophisticated in the way he is distributing his now infamous blue meth. A chance encounter reveals to someone Walt's connection to Hank. Jesse learns the true cost of his drug habit when girlfriend Jane overdoses. Her distraught father returns to work too soon and the result is a tragic, massive accident. . ------------------------------Cast Notes: Bryan Cranston (Walter White [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), Anna Gunn (Skyler White [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), Dean Norris (Hank Schrader [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), Betsy Brandt (Marie Schrader [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), RJ Mitte (Walter White, Jr. [62 episodes, 2008-2013]), Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman [43 episodes, 2009-2013]), Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut [28 episodes, 2009-2012]), Steven Michael Quezada (Steven Gomez [28 episodes, 2008-2012]), Giancarlo Esposito (Gustavo 'Gus' Fring [26 episodes, 2009-2011]). User Comment: thebrainflow from USA, 21 January 2008 • The age of Bryan Cranston has returned. Once universally lauded for his work in Malcolm In The Middle, there had yet to be a good vehicle for this man's particular talents. He has that rare gift of generating sympathy and manic-energy at the same time. For those that would be content to label this show a Weeds knock-off, bear in mind that Breaking Bad is a new kind of monster. It touches on the very same themes, "living realistically as a middle class in the United States" which often makes us resort to extremes to survive. Like the mother and daughter team that robbed that bank. But the weed selling antics of Showtime's hit show is really nothing like "Bad." The Pilot was about as perfect a Pilot as I've ever seen, and much of it rests on Bryan Cranston's shoulders. Cranston plays Cheimstry teacher Walter White. He has a loving wife, a child with Cerebal Palsy and another is on the way. He also happens to be dying from an inoperable lung cancer situation, which happened although he "never smoked." His finances in disarray, the once great student of science turns to crime to solve his problems. He cooks Crystal Meth with a good for nothing ex-student. From the antics of the first episode, the show is leading towards a dark place, but a place of truth. This is a no nonsense black comedy. For people that love Tarantino or the Coen's, this might be your cup of tea. Summary: Brilliant Character Work In Pitch Black Comedy-Drama. IMDb Rating (11/19/12): 9.4/10 from 145,593 users
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
