Kafkaesque (Breaking Bad)

Last updated
"Kafkaesque"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 9
Directed by Michael Slovis
Written by Peter Gould
George Mastras
Featured music"Veneno" by Chuy Flores
Cinematography byMichael Slovis
Peter Reniers
Editing by Skip Macdonald
Original air dateMay 16, 2010 (2010-05-16)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"I See You"
Next 
"Fly"
Breaking Bad season 3
List of episodes

"Kafkaesque" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad , and the 29th overall episode of the series. Written by Peter Gould and George Mastras and directed by Michael Slovis, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 16, 2010.

Contents

Plot

Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are now in full production in the new lab and are easily producing 200 pounds of meth each week, as per their quota. Jesse finds that they're even overproducing, and is resentful when Walt refuses to allow him to remove the extra pounds from the shipment, particularly since he has calculated that Gus Fring will net at least $96 million by the end of their three-month contract, while the two of them are receiving only a combined payment of $3 million despite doing all of the work. Walt, however, is unconcerned by this and simply brushes off Jesse's complaints as him being unappreciative.

Hank Schrader is still recovering in the hospital, and Steve Gomez shows up to tell him that the blue meth has made a comeback in several states, thus confirming Hank's suspicions that Heisenberg has not yet been captured. Hank is nevertheless dissatisfied, and reveals that the only reason he's still alive is that he got a warning call a minute before his would-be assassins attacked him. Instantly suspicious of Walt, Skyler White asks him if they, and he, are safe. Walt assures her that they are.

Though Hank is now conscious and functioning, his legs are mostly paralyzed, and the prognosis is that he may not be able to walk again, even with months of physical therapy. His doctor tells Marie Schrader that the therapy he needs is unlikely to fall within their insurance plan, and they would most likely end up having to pay out of pocket, which could end up costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Walt meets with Gus at his distribution center to "clear the air." Hank's revelation that he received a phone call before the attack has led Walt to the conclusion that Gus was the one who diverted the Cartel assassins away from him and directed them towards Hank instead so that an attempted hit on a DEA agent would get the American and Mexican governments to crack down hard on the Cartel and close off the distribution of meth from across the border, thereby granting Gus complete control over the market from within the States. Despite having put Hank's life in jeopardy, Walt nevertheless expresses gratitude towards Gus for saving his own life and commends him for his strategy, saying that he'd have done the same in Gus' position. He also brings up the issue of not knowing what will happen when his three-month contract has expired. Gus promises him security for his family and also brings up the possibility of extending their contract to a year, which would increase his earnings to $15 million. Walt considers it. Walt, seemingly disoriented due to his loyalty to Gus and his family, loses control of his vehicle and nearly crashes on his way back.

Saul Goodman encourages Jesse to purchase a nail salon which he can use to launder the money he makes from the meth business. Jesse flatly refuses, especially since doing so would require him to report his income to the IRS and thereby pay taxes. Tired of having to adhere to the quotas and responsibilities within his new job, and wanting a larger cut of the profits, Jesse decides to steal the leftover pounds of meth that he and Walt produce in the lab to sell separately to the members of his rehab support group. He enlists Badger and Skinny Pete in this endeavor, and during a meeting, they pose as two new members and initiate a conversation within the group where they mention the blue meth, piquing everyone's interest in it.

Marie becomes increasingly frustrated about being unable to find a means to pay for Hank's physical therapy, as their insurance will not cover the therapists. Skyler finally offers to pay their bills directly using Walt's drug money. She fabricates a story of Walt being a compulsive blackjack gambler, saying that this has been the cause of their recent marital problems. She explains that Walt took to gambling to pay his medical bills after his cancer diagnosis, and after some losses, his winnings have netted them an amount with seven figures. Marie is left shocked and appalled but agrees to take their money to pay for Hank's therapy.

Walt expresses surprise in Skyler's ability to come up with such an elaborate story on the fly. Skyler tells Walt that she "learned from the best" and added that she believes he is somehow responsible for the attack on Hank, and that she is "not forgetting that."

Production

The episode was written by Peter Gould and George Mastras, and directed by Michael Slovis; it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 16, 2010. The title "Kafkaesque" is a word that is brought up in the episode in the context of relating to the nightmarish fictional worlds of Franz Kafka.

Reception

Viewership

The episode's original broadcast was viewed by 1.61 million people, [1] which was a decrease from the 1.78 million of the previous episode, "I See You".

Review

Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a 9.1/10 rating, stating that the episode "reminded us that the process of Breaking Bad's story is as much fun to watch as the product." [2] Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A rating noting that a majority of the supporting characters were taking action. [3]

In 2019, The Ringer ranked "Kafkaesque" 48th out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes. [4]

Related Research Articles

"Cancer Man" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Jim McKay, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on February 17, 2008.

"Crazy Handful of Nothin'" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by George Mastras and directed by Bronwen Hughes, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2008. The episode introduces Tuco Salamanca and No Doze, played by Raymond Cruz and Cesar Garcia respectively.

"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" is the seventh and final episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Peter Gould and directed by Tim Hunter, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 9, 2008.

<i>Breaking Bad</i> season 3 Third season of the AMC crime drama television series

The third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad premiered on March 21, 2010, and concluded on June 13, 2010. It consisted of 13 episodes, each running about 47 minutes. AMC broadcast the third season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States. The complete third season was released on Region 1 DVD and Region A Blu-ray on June 7, 2011.

"Seven Thirty-Seven" is the second season premiere episode of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 8th episode overall. It was written by J. Roberts and directed by series star Bryan Cranston.

"Grilled" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad and the 9th episode over all. It was written by George Mastras and directed by Charles Haid.

"Mandala" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. It was written by George Mastras and directed by Adam Bernstein. This episode introduces Gus Fring and Victor, played by Giancarlo Esposito and Jeremiah Bitsui respectively.

"No Más" is the first episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Bryan Cranston, it aired on AMC in the United States on March 21, 2010.

"I.F.T." is the third episode of the third season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 23rd overall episode of the series. Written by George Mastras and directed by Michelle MacLaren, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 4, 2010.

"Green Light" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 24th overall episode of the series. Written by Sam Catlin and directed by Scott Winant, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 11, 2010.

"I See You" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 28th overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Colin Bucksey, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 9, 2010. The episode's title is a play on "ICU", the intensive care unit of a hospital and is also a reference to Juan Bolsa realizing too late what Gus's motive is.

"Abiquiu" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 31st overall episode of the series. It was written by John Shiban and Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The title refers to Abiquiú, New Mexico, where Georgia O'Keeffe had a home and studio.

"Problem Dog" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 40th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 28, 2011.

"Bug" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 42nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on September 11, 2011.

Crawl Space (<i>Breaking Bad</i>) 11th episode of the 4th season of Breaking Bad

"Crawl Space" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 44th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on September 25, 2011. The episode introduces Barry Goodman, played by JB Blanc.

"Buyout" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 52nd overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Colin Bucksey, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 19, 2012.

"Dead Freight" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 51st overall episode of the series. Written and directed by George Mastras, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 12, 2012.

"Confessions" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 57th overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Michael Slovis, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on August 25, 2013.

"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 and Canada on February 24, 2008.

"Más" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 25th overall episode of the series. Written by Moira Walley-Beckett and directed by Johan Renck, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 18, 2010.

References

  1. Julia (April 7, 2010). "Breaking Bad Season 3 Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  2. Amitin, Seth (May 17, 2010). "Breaking Bad: "Kafkaesque" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. Bowman, Donna (May 16, 2010). "Breaking Bad: "Kafkaesque"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. Justin Verrier (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.