In order to save face, Jesse is forced to deal with the people who had mugged Skinny Pete last episode. The fact that Pete was able to track them down was surprisingly impressive as I didn't think he had any names to go by. He even offers to take care of the matter himself, but Jesse says he'll deal with it, though it's clear he isn't cut out for it.
While things naturally go awry to some extent, it certainly could have gone worse. Even the reveal that the pair were actually violent criminals doesn't play as big a part as one might think. They do knock Jesse out, but aside from taunting him as he phases in and out of consciousness, they pretty much leave him alone.
It was fairly amusing seeing Jesse try to work up his anger, only to have it undercut by others. First, a mail lady comes up as he is waiting outside the house, and then Jesse comes across the pair's kid. While the mail lady was surprisingly cheerful and friendly, it is the latter that makes the biggest difference in terms of plot.
Jesse's softer side comes to the forefront as he forms a bond with the kid. It's especially impressive as the kid barely says a word. I'd point out that the kid is a bit old for peekaboo, but you could see it as Jesse not really understanding kids. Of course, the kid seemed to enjoy the game once he got the hang of it, so it could be a moot point.
When all is said and done, Jesse is able to get his money back (and then some from the look of it) and he doesn't have to kill anyone. That's not to say that there isn't a casualty. Honestly, the guy was practically asking for it. Taunting a person while you're under an ATM is just dumb.
On the Walt front, he returns to work after his medical leave. It was good to see him back in the classroom. Even though he laments his station, he is quite good at it. Sadly, he is still the butt monkey of sorts as his "fugue state" becomes the focus of some jokes at his expense. To be fair, that poster was kind of funny. It seemed like the sort of thing that he could laugh off, really.
He also runs into a problem when the scenario that I called way back in the first season comes to pass and Skyler talks to Gretchen. Luckily for Walt, she doesn't expose his deception and more or less covers for him. That isnt to say that she is too pleased with what he's doing. Granted, she doesn't know what he's doing, but she doesn't like it.
This does give us a bit more background on his history with the Gray Matter team. He says they cut him out, but I'm skeptical. They seemed more than willing to let him in before and even Gretchen says that he left them. It could just be sour grapes on Walt's end, but we only have a vague idea of what happened. In any event, he harbors more than a little resentment about the whole thing. Gretchen reiterating the offer to pay for Walt's treatment doesn't end up being an effective way of smoothing things over and he succinctly tells her off in an effectively seething fashion.
While Gretchen doesn't expose Walt's lie, she does bring it to an abrupt halt by telling Skyler that they can't pay for Walt's treatments anymore.
I did like that Walt and Skyler were talking again. Things aren't exactly smoothed over, but the two do seem to be communicating far more effectively than they were before.
This episode gives us another instance where Jesse's plot upstages Walt. The meal between Walt and Gretchen was plenty tense and did flesh out his back story, but Jesse's was more engaging. I also find him to be a more complex character, which is surprising as Walt is often hailed as one of the more complex characters in television.
Another solid episode, as expected. Looking forward to more.
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