Breaking Bad: S3, Episode 10 (Fly) - Patreon Exclusive
Added 2024-07-17 16:00:09 +0000 UTC
Comments
Hahaha right!? So good
Chandra
2025-05-25 00:03:08 +0000 UTCOMG I can't believe I had almost forgotten about Sugar Ray, they were my favourite band growing up lol
Michael Short
2025-05-24 21:23:25 +0000 UTCSkyler's lullaby to Holly over the fly in the cold open is from Phoenix when Walt is watching the nature show about an elephant and her calf. A reminder of the innocent lives Walt's destroyed to get to where he's at now and the fly is representation for the guilt and skeletons that are following Walt's conscience. There are references to the fly throughout the whole series in the shots & in the music. One of the writers said he wanted the fly to have a "menacing presence". I believe Vince & Rian Johnson were paying homage to the 1986 Jeff Goldblum remake: 'The Fly'. You can't help but think of this episode while watching it. The fly is the reason for Seth's (the protagonist) downfall hence why Walt treats it as if it's so deadly to them. The fly is representation for the morally wrong decisions Walt's made that he can't shake free from. It wakes him up at night in the closing scene. It's to say he was or still partially is a "good man" at least enough to feel remorse. He came from a place of morals before the criminal lifestyle to a certain degree. The metal reaction vessels in the lab resemble the Telepods from the movie, the lab itself and it's high ceilings resemble it's industrial warehouse–esque set. Walt even says the fly is not Particularly dangerous to them. And "This fly is a major problem for us it will ruin our batch- we need to destroy it and every trace of it. Failing that... We're Dead". So much emphasis on the fly- as if the fly itself is deadly to them and not Gus. Seth is careless about the telepod machine's safety precautions after awhile, I like to think that's reflected when Walt finally says: "it's all contaminated" aside from accepting his fate. Jesse on top of the ladder could be an analogy for some kind of moral high ground while Walt holds onto it from down below, propping it up while struggling with Jane guilt. Walt asks Jesse what are the odds that he runs into Jane's father at the bar, which was part of the catalyst for Jane's tragedy sorta like what are the odds of a fly flying into the telepod with Seth? The fly was out of it's element like Walter is in this business. It reminds me of 0210 when after Walt gets done installing the new water heater Jr burns his hand from the hot water as if even when Walt tries to do good, bad things happen. Literally the theme. Walt says: "You want them to miss you, you want their memories of you to be..." good, is what he was thinking. Seth wasn't proud of his work and didn't necessarily want his lover to see what he had turned into... Seth had a genius brain with such a bright future ahead of him and good intentions but by mostly circumstance he turned into an unlovable, deplorable monster that would rather be dead then carry on- a lot like Walter- "Oh, if I had just lived right up to that moment... and not one second more". Jesse's opossum rant is referencing the two-sidedness of the characters and his story about the cancer spreading to his aunt's brain and changing her could also be a nod to the movie. Not to mention BB is all about Change, Metamorphosis and Assimilation.
Justin
2024-10-20 18:51:08 +0000 UTCOooooh so well put! I never even thought about it that way
Chandra
2024-07-23 16:03:33 +0000 UTCThe thing that I love about Fly the most is that it still has people guessing and theorizing what that fly actually represents. Is it a metaphor for Walt's conscience? Gotta kill it before it becomes a problem.... Is it a metaphor for the guilt Walt carries that just won't go away no matter what? Address it, talk about it, apologize, cry, get angry, it's still going to be there.... It's such a layered episode that people can easily write off as being filler, and maybe it is to some degree, but it's also one of the best episodes in the "deep breath season" as I call it (because season 3 is like the deep breath or the calm before the storm)
Nathan Jasper
2024-07-18 06:24:54 +0000 UTCOooh yes, I've heard that term before! I totally agree with you... We both love the characters so much, and their acting is incredible, so even a simple episode like this can still be so interesting.
Chandra
2024-07-18 03:13:50 +0000 UTCPeople have a tendency to "warn" reaction channels about this episode ahead of time because it has a reputation as the single most controversial, love-it-or-hate-it episode in the series (it is also the lowest rated on IMDB). I'm happy that you two got to experience it without any of those preconceptions. Anyway, this was what they call a bottle episode, one that is filmed in fewer locations and with fewer actors in order to help keep the season under budget. That's why it feels so different, almost like a stage play. Personally, I love it. I could watch Walt and Jesse monologue for hours on end.
GhostCat
2024-07-17 21:09:28 +0000 UTC
