Quick Take: Breaking Bad, "Open House"
"Cash rules everything around me." - "C.R.E.A.M." (Wu Tang Clan)
Review: Breaking Bad, "Open House"
(S0403) I'm not exactly going out on a limb by saying there is a great deal of awfulness that accompanies Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse's (Aaron Paul) chosen profession. The meth business exposes its participants to the constant threat of violence, to the crippling effects of drug addiction, to the reality that a long stint in jail is lurking around every corner. The peripheral stuff that goes along with the manufacturing and sale of illicit drugs is enormously stressful, taxing both body and mind. But there's one thing that at least hypothetically makes it all worth it: the money.
"Open House" explores the idea that the money, no matter how obscene the quantity, is not worth the price Walt and Jesse have paid to obtain it. At the beginning of the series, Walt's goal was to make enough cash to ensure his family would be taken care of after his death. Only his death never came, and yet his decisions still cost him his family. Although recently Skyler seems to be more understanding of Walt's criminal enterprise. So I suppose it's possible that Walt could have his family back at some point, though at what cost?
Later in the series, Walt's earnings were put to use to help with Hank's rehabilitation. It's a lovely gesture (though of course Hank's predicament is mainly Hank's fault), but once again the point is proven that money alone can't solve everyone's problems. Hank (Dean Norris) and Marie's (Betsy Brandt) marriage is on the verge of collapse and Marie's kleptomania has again reared its ugly head.
For Jesse, an unlimited supply of money has made him the life of the party. The problem is this party never ends. As we discussed last week, Jesse's guilt regarding the means with which he earned his money is proving to be too heavy for him to bear. The party can't end, because when it does, Jesse will be alone with himself, with his thoughts. Early on in "Open House" Jesse and Walt are working in the lab and Jesse invites Walt to come go-carting with him that evening. Initially, it seems like Walt assumes that "go-carting" is code for something else (the lab has been outfitted with surveillance cameras, so the pair has to be careful about what they say), but Jesse really does just want someone to keep him company. It's absolutely heartbreaking later when we see Jesse speeding around the track by himself, the roar of the engine not quite loud enough to drown out his thoughts. By the end of "Open House," Jesse's money has become nothing more than a prop he uses to "make it rain" on a living room full of hopeless junkies.
After last week's episode, "Thirty-Eight Snub," my TVGA colleague Kristin Hunt suggested that Season Four could be "the season of Skyler." This extremely astute observation is reinforced by the events of "Open House". Kristin was spot on when she said, "While [Skylar] spent much of last season dealing with her anger at Walt, she now seems to have adopted an active role in his criminal life and seems intent on taking a piece of Walt’s business for herself." Skyler (Anna Gunn) certainly has "adopted an active role in his criminal life". Skyler's role as "money laundering facilitator" was born out of necessity. Going back to my original point, Skyler recognizes that the piles of cash Walt has earned are completely worthless if the family is unable to spend them freely. Unfortunately, she fails to understand the larger picture, which is that this money isn't going to help her family even if they are able to properly launder it. The money is cursed. Walt exudes poison, he destroys everything around him and by getting involved with him again, Skyler is accepting this fate for herself. Even if Walt weren't toxic, the money -- this blood money -- still probably wouldn't be the solution Skyler is looking for. Like Biggie said, "Mo' money, mo' problems."
