Breaking Bad: Problem Dog   Rewatch 
December 18, 2014 8:30 AM - Season 4, Episode 7 - Subscribe

A frustrated Walt gambles on a risky new plan. Skyler's business venture hits a snag. Hank recruits Walter, Jr. for an unusual outing.

"I was looking him straight in the eye and you know, he didn't know what was happening. He didn't know why. He was just scared, and then he was gone."

Jesse's "problem dog" monologue.

Seth Atmin, IGN:
He didn't attempt to justify why he put the "problem dog" down, just told it as it was. He clenched his jaw when confronted. It was a power game of sorts in that room, and the counselor was the only one who recognized that the reasons behind killing the dog weren't important, but Jesse's feelings are. And when he pointed that out, Jesse blew up his most positive relationship. Jesse strangely wasn't upset about killing Gale - rather he was upset nothing bad came out of it. He wasn't punished and there's no moral to the story. The universe is chaos. And so he punished himself.
Aaron Paul on shooting the scene, EW:
It was just so honest on the page. And also it gave Jesse an opportunity to confess what he did, even though he’s talking about a dog. But he really felt like he was confessing to these people. And that’s what he learned in rehab: It’s all about self-acceptance, and it’s all about forgiving oneself, and it’s okay, you can get past it. And Jesse doesn’t believe that he deserves to be forgiven…. It’s just another layer. It’s just another reminder, really, that Jesse doesn’t want to be a part of this. He’s trapped in Walter White’s web.
"If you just do stuff and nothing happens, what's it all mean? What's the point?"
posted by We had a deal, Kyle (7 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
That monologue is one of my favorite BB moments - Bryan Cranston got a lot of the glory but holy hell can Aaron Paul hold his own.

(That clip, while great, appears to be edited, and music added to in the background - some piano. While that's a nice choice I'm glad they didn't have music in the original, I think it's distracting and actually relieves some of the tension you should be feeling in that scene. Also, Jesse says, "I made you my bitch" - kind of important, that was cut.)

Shout-out to the actor playing the recovery group leader - he was well cast and played the role *perfectly* - walked right up to the light of caricature, but doesn't over-do it. Well done. (The casting is just so good on this show - even the brief glimpses of the other members of the support group feels real, like they're each strong characters on their own, with their own stories to tell.)

I recall reading somewhere (or a Breaking Bad bonus feature) that when Aaron Paul got this script and read the scene, he started getting really excited and couldn't wait to shoot it. I can see why - gives him stuff to reveal and lets us in on what's going on with Jesse's psyche. Such great TV.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:12 AM on December 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yes, it's hard to find decent original clips of BB on YouTube etc; I think AMC are fairly vigilant at getting them taken down.

This version at TVTop100 is un-messed-with I think.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:01 AM on December 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


I love another example of Walt's pathetic rebellions, resulting in the destruction of a car he manages to get stuck.

This episode marks the introduction of the ricin cigarette, which will loom large for quite a while! Jesse's speech is great, and just underlines how much he cares about his actions. He is all front in this world, and if it wasn't for Walt... well he'd probably be in jail, but he'd be happier for it.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 12:45 AM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yeah, I loved the whole scene of Walt blowing up the Challenger. Beautifully shot, as usual. It almost seems out-of-character, Walt going for such a visceral thrill.

Except that I suppose it's another example of him being selfish. His character had collapsed inwards before the show began, but the cancer changed that, and I guess he did the rest of the work himself.
posted by heatvision at 5:19 AM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


I love the ending to this one, with Hank finally putting the pieces together, thinking he's going to get somewhere pursuing Gus (and in this episode it seems like he might!)
posted by johnofjack at 1:30 PM on December 20, 2014


Also, yeah: that support group scene is brilliant--brilliantly written, acted, edited.
posted by johnofjack at 5:53 PM on December 26, 2014


What does Walt think is going to happen if/when Jesse kills Gus? Jesse’s attempt will put him in extreme danger, and if he does succeed what do they think life will be like for them after? Everything goes back to normal?
posted by bunderful at 12:07 PM on April 16, 2023


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