Negro y Azul

"Negro y Azul"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 7
Directed by Felix Alcala
Written by John Shiban
Original air date April 19, 2009 (2009-04-19)
Running time 47 minutes
Guest actors

"Negro y Azul" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the fourteenth overall episode of the series. It was written by John Shiban and directed by Felix Alcala.

Plot summary

The episode opens with the narcocorrido band Los Cuates de Sinaloa performing "Negro y Azul" (Black and Blue), which is about how "a gringo boss" named Heisenberg is disrespecting the Mexican drug cartel by cornering the Albuquerque market with high-quality blue crystal.

Walt is having trouble getting in contact with Jesse, so he goes to his apartment. Jesse has been staying inside and smoking marijuana since seeing Spooge killed. Walt is at first horrified that someone was murdered but calms down upon learning that nobody can identify Jesse. A call comes in from Badger setting up a deal. Jesse refuses to answer, forcing Walt to go meet the dealers. At the meeting place, Jesse's friends act nervous, making Walt suspicious. They ask if it's true that Jesse killed Spooge, as everyone over town is reporting. Walt neither confirms nor denies the fact. Later, Walt uses the new-found fear the town has for Jesse to galvanize him into helping expand their operation. Jesse warns that other drug dealers will not appreciate incursions into their territory, but Walt intends to make them deal with it. Jesse tells his dealer friends that they all need sub-dealers working for them individually, and Walt muses that they will need to raise the price of their product once they corner the market.

Hank is having trouble fitting in at the El Paso DEA office, where his sense of humor is not appreciated and his coworkers do not respect him. At a meeting with a cartel informant nicknamed "Tortuga" (Danny Trejo), Hank loses his patience at the man's demands and his apparent disrespect. Some days later, while waiting for a meeting in the wilderness, Hank is the first to see a message from the cartels: Tortuga's severed head, mounted on the top of a tortoise. Sickened by the grotesque display, to which the other agents are seemingly hardened, Hank moves away from the tortoise. He is out of the blast radius when a bomb strapped to the tortoise goes off, which kills one Federal and wounds three others.

Due to financial constraints, Skyler goes to her old company to apply for an entry-level job. She meets with her old friend and boss, Ted Beneke (Christopher Cousins), who has taken over the company after his father's death. He decides to give Skyler back her old job in the accounting department. Walt is concerned over Skyler's health at the workplace, especially since she originally left due to health problems from the company's manufacturing. There is an obvious sexual tension between Skyler and Beneke; he reveals that he recently separated from his wife, the mother of his two children.

Jesse sees his landlady, Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter), drawing on their front steps, and connects with her over their love of art. However, he is identified by a passing motorcyclist who has heard of his reputation, and it is revealed that he lied to her about his name. He later admits to lying to her, and she says that she doesn't care what he does as long as he doesn't do it at the house. He invites her inside to watch TV, even though he can't get his new television working. She holds his hand as they stare at the blank TV.

Critical reception

The episode received critical praise. Seth Amitin, writing for IGN, gave the episode a 9.3/10, commenting: "This was one of the better episodes this season and now we've only just dipped our toes into the deep end."[1]

Production

The episode was written by John Shiban, and directed by Felix Alcala. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 19, 2009.

References

  1. ↑ Amitin, Seth (April 20, 2009). "Breaking Bad: "Negro y Azul" Review". IGN. Retrieved May 25, 2015.

External links

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