Breaking Bad: “Cornered” Review
If you’ve been reading my Breaking Bad reviews, you know that this show is always at the top of its game. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve written many negative reviews, if any at all. That being said, “Cornered” is one of the weaker moments of the show that rehashes many story lines and doesn’t do much to move the show forward.
“Cornered” starts with a scene almost identical to “Bullet Points,” with two crucial differences. First, the Los Pollos Hermanos employees do not survive. The other difference is a bigger flaw: Mike is not in the truck. This points to something that’s been a problem on Breaking Bad for a while now - the writers’ unwillingness to kill off any of the major characters. Almost the entire cast has been in a near-death experience, yet they always make it out. We can pretty much rule out that any of the characters on the Season 4 poster will die… and that’s a problem.
I want to make one thing clear before you think I hate Breaking Bad: I’m not out to bash this show at all. Breaking Bad justifiably remains my favorite show on television, and “Cornered” continues to deliver with strong character development. So I want to begin with what works here.
The scene with Skyler flipping the coin at the state junction is really effective, and I’m beginning to wonder how long she can stay in business with her husband. Likewise, it’s refreshing to see Skyler back to her intelligent self, as she realizes that Walt’s in danger. On that note, Walt explaining that he is the danger was a surprisingly aggressive statement, and it was nice to see the effect that had on Skyler. Walt sounded like a kingpin, but at least he regretted saying it.
Another effective moment in “Cornered” is Walt hiring the Spanish employees to help clean the lab. The moment emerges from desperation, and Walt trying to speak Spanish was pretty damn funny. The humor was quickly and effectively dissipated with the reveal that they’re going to be deported for their actions. It’s a sad moment and reminds me of the school custodian who got arrested back in Season 1 for Walt’s actions.
My main problem with “Cornered” involves the other remaining story arcs. Walt buying the car for his son is nearly the exact same thing we saw three weeks ago when Walt bought the expensive bottle of wine. It’s just on a larger scale. The issue is that we have to watch Walt and Skyler get into the exact same argument we’ve seen a dozen times this season.
Likewise, Jesse’s job with Mike is almost identical to what we saw last week. The only difference is that Gus didn’t set this one up… yet the outcome is the same.
As a whole, this season is definitely slower paced than usual, and “Cornered” feels a bit like filler, with little plot development and rehashed ideas. Still, the worst episodes ofBreaking Bad are better than most shows out there. And I don’t know about you, but I’m confident the show is heading somewhere great. For now, let’s just see where the show goes next week.
What do you think? Did you think this episode was a bit weaker than usual? Or am I being too hard on Breaking Bad? As always, let me know in the comments.
-MP
Note: The review is from Review Hub Central.
