"Gray Matter" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Patty Lin and directed by Tricia Brock, it aired on AMC in the United States on February 24, 2008.
| "Gray Matter" | |
|---|---|
| Breaking Bad episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Tricia Brock |
| Written by | Patty Lin |
| Featured music |
|
| Cinematography by | Rey Villalobos |
| Editing by | Kelley Dixon |
| Original air date | February 24, 2008 |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
Plot
editWalter and Skyler White attend a birthday party for their wealthy acquaintance, Elliott Schwartz. When Elliott offers him a job and tells him that his company Gray Matter Technologies has excellent health insurance, Walt realizes that Skyler told Elliott about his cancer and declines the offer, getting upset with her.
After a failed job interview, Jesse Pinkman shows his friend Badger the RV Walt and Jesse use as a meth lab. In the desert, Jesse is frustrated that the quality of his meth is inferior to that of Walt's and throws his own product away, much to Badger's dismay. Jesse cooks a couple more batches, which he also discards. Badger and Jesse brawl over the wasted meth, and Jesse pushes him out of the RV and drives away.
Walt Jr. and two friends are waiting outside a convenience store, waiting for somebody to buy them beer. The friends run away when Walt Jr. approaches a policeman. Cut to Walt Jr. sat in a car with the policeman telling him he got his "first and last warning. You're lucky you got a good dad here." The camera pans to show Hank sitting in the drivers seat. Skyler holds an intervention for Walt, where she says she does not understand why Walt is refusing treatment. Hank Schrader, Walt Jr., and Marie Schrader argue over what to do: while Skyler is worried for her husband and Walt Jr. is angered that Walt refuses to take the treatment despite everything he has been through, Marie, and later Hank, feel Walt should be given the choice to decline the treatment if he wants. Walt ends the intervention by saying he doesn't want to spend his last months being too sick to properly enjoy life.
The next morning, Walt has a change of heart and tells Skyler he will do the treatment, and he will take care of Elliott's check. Later, Elliott's wife, Gretchen calls, telling him that he has to accept the money. Walt says he appreciates the offer, but lies and says his insurance will now cover it. Walt then goes to Jesse's house and asks him if he wants to cook.
Production
editThe episode was written by Patty Lin and directed by Tricia Brock; it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on February 24, 2008. Actress Ali MacGraw filmed a cameo scene for the episode but it was cut.[1]
Critical reception
editSeth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a rating of 8.9 out of 10.[2] Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A−".[3]
In 2019 The Ringer ranked "Gray Matter" as the 34th best out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes.[4] Vulture.com ranked it 37th overall.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Breaking Bad" Gray Matter (TV Episode 2008) - Trivia - IMDb. Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2024-10-04 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Amitin, Seth (February 25, 2008). "Breaking Bad: "Gray Matter" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ Bowman, Donna (February 25, 2008). "Breaking Bad: "Gray Matter"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ Dan Devine (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ Potts, Kimberly (10 October 2019). "Every Episode of Breaking Bad, Ranked". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
External links
edit- "Gray Matter" Archived 2019-09-21 at the Wayback Machine at the official Breaking Bad site
- "Gray Matter" at IMDb