Breaking Bad's Twelve Greatest Scenes: Number 4

Number 4: Walter White’s Play by Play.

Season 4, Episode 1 “Box Cutter”



“Box Cuter’s” landmark scene represents Breaking Bad’s perfect marriage between heart pounding suspense and twisted, dark humor. During the previous episode “Full Measure”, Mike and Victor are about to kill Walt at the Superlab per Gus’s orders. However, Walt is still able to instruct Jesse to kill Gus’s other chemist Gale. Walt’s reasoning behind this is that Gus would have have to let him and Jesse live because, with Gale dead, only they know Walt’s formula now. Victor finds Jesse and brings him back to the Superlab by gunpoint. Victor, who has often watched Walter work, starts cooking the meth himself to prove they do not need Walter and Jesse at all. While Victor is cooking, Mike and Jesse remain silent while Walt seemingly won’t shut up. Walt says “I want to go on record that we should all be wearing masks.”  Walt then keeps saying to Jesse that he bets Victor forgets the aluminum. Walt  continues to troll on Victor until Victor adds the aluminum to the formula, to which only a stunned Walt can’t reply “Son of a Bitch.” Gus then arrives and see’s Victor cooking the meth. A scared Walt then starts pleading with Gus, claiming he left him no choice but to Kill Gale and that only Jesse and he can properly cook the formula.  When Victor responds that he knows how to cook it, this outrages Walt and causes him to starts asking Victor a series of advanced chemistry questions. Victor responds that all he needs to do is follow a recipe. While Walter keeps babbling that Victor is not a real scientist and trying to reason with Gus, everyone else remains silent. All the while, Gus is holding a box cutter and standing in between Victor and Walt. Gus then steps behind Victor and slits his throat, leaving Walt, Jesse, and Mike equal parts horrified and stunned.

This scene had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. In the moment, Walt and Jesse’s lives seemingly hang on whether Victor can correctly cook Walt’s formula. If Victor makes a mistake they live, but if Victor does everything correctly both the characters and the audience are under the impression they will die. I love the contrast between Jesse and Walt in this scene. Jesse is at loss for words and seemingly paralyzed by fear, while Walt can’t stop talking. Walt’s play by play commentary of Victor’s cooking is twistedly funny and sort of reminiscent of Johnny Miller when he’s covering Tiger at the US Open. Additionally, Gus’s meticulous movements throughout the scene were gripping.  Then when Gus surprisingly kills Victor with the boxcutter, the look of shock on everyone’s face is unforgettable. Even Mike looks terrified of Gus at this moment. Just an expertly written scene and a great piece of ensemble acting, that sets the tone for the rest of the season.