1.05 Gray Matter

Summary and spoilers

Jesse’s all dressed up to interview for what he thinks is a sales position, but it’s actually a job where he would dance as a big wavy dollar bill and entice people to save by spinning a big red ‘savings’ arrow around. His old drug friend Badger is spinning the arrow successfully. Badger accosts him as Jesse leaves the unsuccessful interview and tries to convince Jess to start cooking some more of that fantastic crystal again. But Jesse says his ex-cooking partner was an asshole. Badger offers to partner up instead, and the initially uninterested Jesse changes his mind and goes for it after not being able to face more interviews.

Walt and Skyler are attending the upscale party for birthday boy Elliott and his partner Gretchen. Elliott just recently secured a scientific patent for his very successful company, and he invites Walt to work for him. Elliott wants Walt’s fresh eyes and expertise, and Walt wants Elliott’s health plan – but he grows suspicious when Elliott stresses this job benefit. Walt confronts Skyler; she did tell Elliott about Walt’s condition. Walt turns down the job offer and Elliott’s subsequent offer to pay for Walt’s treatments.

Jesse and Badger cook – well, Jesse cooks and Badger clowns around. The end product is probably smokable but it is cloudy and no longer up to the new-found standards that Walt has instilled into Jesse. Jesse dumps the batch and vows to start over while Badger picks up crystals and blows on them to clean them off. When Jesse gets ready to dump the third straight batch, Badger has had enough. He attacks Jesse, but Jesse is able to kick him out of the Winnebago and drive away, stranding him.

Walt Jr. gets arrested for trying to get someone to buy alcohol for a minor. He calls Hank instead of his father to come pick him up. Hank is not happy about being called, but he does the fatherly thing and takes Walt Jr. home. This gives Skyler a chance to straighten out that earlier misunderstanding about Walt Jr. smoking pot (Skyler explains it was Walt, not Walt Jr.). Skyler also suggests that Walt be the focus of an intervention (although she’s more comfortable referring to it as a ‘family meeting’.

When Walt finally arrives home, he is invited into the lounge to join Skyler, Walt Jr., Marie, and Hank. Skyler speaks first and asks Walt to accept Elliott’s offer because it is in the best interest of the family. Hank says take the money and run, but he uses so many cliches that no one can tell what he’s talking about. Walt Jr. expresses anger that Walt is afraid of chemo, after all he has had to go through. Then Marie messes up Skyler’s plan by saying she thinks Walt should do what he wants. When Skyler objects to this reasoning, Marie expands, saying that as a health care professional, she sees unhappy people being prodded by doctors until their last breath. Those people, she said, are there because their families convinced them to do it. Hank now is compelled to change his mind and agree with Marie, which causes Skyler to go off. She doesn’t want to lose her husband. An all-out shouting match ensues, silenced by a sudden Walt whistle. Walt then gets his chance to eloquently explain why he has chosen to maintain his dignity and not have the treatment.

In the morning, Walt has acquiesced and tells Skyler he will have the treatment, and, later that day, he begins.

Still later, Walt receives a call from Gretchen urging him to take the money for the treatment. When Walt again refuses, Gretchen asks if his refusal has to do with ‘them’, indicating that they have a past. Walt diffuses that suggestion, instead lieing and saying that his insurance is covering everything. He then gets out of the car and asks Jesse, ‘Want to cook?"

Comments

The majority of this episode is taken up with the misadventures of Jesse and Badger, and Walt’s intervention.

It looks like Walt is happier feeling he has some control of his life by cooking meth. There’s no charity and no past relationships to cloud the issue, just his expertise with chemicals and those teeny twin problems: it’s illegal and immoral.

Memorable Moments

• There’s a nice time-lapse sky sequence used to indicate the passage of time as Jesse and Badger cook
• Walt’s moving soliloquy as he explains his reasons for choosing not to have treatment

Quotable Quotes

"Not yet – please – I have the talking pillow."
- Skyler to Walt at the intervention

"Skyler, you’ve read the statistics, you’ve – these doctors talking about ‘surviving’ - one year, two years, like it’s the only thing that matters. But what good is it to just survive if I am too sick to work, to enjoy a meal, to make love. For what time I have left, I want to live in my own house. I want to sleep in my own bed. I don’t want to choke down 30 or 40 pills every single day and lose my hair, and lie around, too tired to get up, and so nauseated that I can’t even move my head. You – cleaning up after me. Me, what a…some dead man, some artificially alive, just marking time? No, no. And that’s how you would remember me. That’s the worst part. So that is my thought process, Skyler. I’m sorry. I just - I choose not to do it."
- Walt