Season 2, Episdoe 6 “Peekabo”
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| A nice afternoon lunch between Gretchen and Walt. |
“Peekabo” belonged to Jesse. This episode’s storyline where Jesse is in a crack-house with two meth heads, their child, and an ATM, made him my favorite character on the show. Additionally, the Jesse storyline was the first time Breaking Bad achieved true greatness. However, the best individual scene of this episode belonged to Walt.
In Season 1, Walt and Skyler go to his former Gray Matter partner Elliot’s birthday party. Elliot is now married to Walt’s former lab assistant and ex-girlfriend Gretchen. Due to their ownership of Gray Matter, the two are exceedingly wealthy. Elliot and Gretchen offer to pay for Walt’s cancer treatment. Walt refuses, but tells Skyler that he is able to afford his cancer treatment because of Elliot and Gretchen’s help, still keeping Skyler in the dark as to his meth business. When Skyler later thanks Gretchen for her help, Gretchen insists she meet with Walt to figure out the confusion. The scene opens with Walt and Gretchen at a restaurant. Walt immediately apologizes for involving Gretchen. When Gretchen asks Walt how he got the money, Walt says it’s none of her concern. When Gretchen insists she deserves an explanation now that Walt involved her in his lie, Walt responds to Gretchen, in a moment of quiet anger, that he doesn’t owe her an explanation. The discussion becomes heated as Walt mentions that he refused to take her handout because in the past she and Elliot cut him out of Gray Matter. Additionally, Walt claims they used his hard work and research in order to make millions for themselves. Gretchen brings up how Walt broke up with her and that his pride caused him to quit Gray Matter. Gretchen then says that “I feel so sorry for you Walt.” Walt, trembling in a fit of rage, coldly responds with a horrifying look on his face “Fuck you.”
This is some Cranston’s best work ever. With his delivery of “Fuck you”, you can see the limits of hatred Walt is capable of when you cross him. Additionally, this scene tells us so much about Walt’s motivations. For all of Walt’s genius, his pride has kept him from reaching his full potential. Although we still don’t know exactly what happened between Walt, Elliot, and Gretchen, Walt let his pride get in the way of potentially owning a billion dollar business. Additionally, Walt’s pride stopped him from taking money from Elliot and Gretchen, which could have prevented Walt from becoming trapped in the meth business. Walt is truly motivated by ego and self-importance. He wants others to recognize his genius and nothing eats at him more than the idea of someone pitying him. This scene captures all of that and helps us truly understand who Walter White is.
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