A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal

"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 7
Directed by Tim Hunter
Written by Peter Gould
Original air date March 9, 2008
Running time 47 minutes
Guest actors

"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" is the seventh episode and season finale 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.

Plot

At a PTA meeting, while parents express anger about the recent meth arrest, Walt fondles Skyler beneath the conference room table, gradually arousing her. In the parking lot, the two of them have explosive sex – Walt is beginning to get off on the danger of his situation. Jesse, who is out of the hospital and is now living in the RV, puts his house on the market because he is too traumatized by the two deaths to continue living there. Walter tells him about the deal with Tuco, but Jesse says producing two pounds of meth a week is impossible. His "smurfs" – people who supply him the pseudoephedrine needed to cook the methamphetamine – can only supply so much a week. The smurfs acquire the pseudoephedrine through cold medicine like Sudafed, but they only buy two boxes from different drugstores in a scattered area to avoid anti-meth laws that restrict the amount of Sudafed sales. It also takes Jesse several hours to drive to his smurfs to pick up the Sudafed cache.

Walter and Jesse meet Tuco and his men at a junkyard, where they hand him approximately half a pound of meth. Tuco is furious that Walter's end of the bargain was not kept and pays him only $17,500 (but takes away $500 for his wasted time). He gives Walter another chance next week, but Walter says he still wants the $70,000 Tuco promised upfront, despite not having the goods. Tuco agrees to $52,000 (with 25 points vig), which adds up to $65,625. Tuco threatens dire consequences if the two pound quota is not met next week. Walter, to make up for it, promises to have four pounds of meth at the next meeting.

At Skyler's baby shower, Marie presents her with an expensive baby's tiara covered in white gold. This seems to irritate Hank. In the yard, Walter and Hank have a philosophical conversation about the dividing line between legal and illegal behavior. That night, Walter tells Skyler that he is planning to spend a weekend at a holistic medicine clinic after she expressed desire for alternative therapy. In reality, Walter is spending the weekend cooking meth with Jesse. Skyler goes to return the tiara and is detained in the store – it turns out that Marie stole it, but Skyler matches her description. She fakes that she is going into labor and they let her go. Skyler later confronts Marie about the theft but Marie calmly denies it.

Walter has a plan to manufacture the meth using different precursors, and gives Jesse a list of chemicals and supplies to acquire with the cash fronted by Tuco. Jesse gets almost everything Walter requested except methylamine, which is kept tightly controlled because it can be used as a precursor chemical for methamphetamine and MDMA synthesis. Jesse knows of a chemical warehouse where there are men willing to steal and sell the methylamine for $10,000. Walter decides they will steal the methylamine themselves by using the aluminum powder in Etch-a-Sketches to make thermite. At night, Walter and Jesse trespass into a warehouse, subdue a security guard by locking him in a portable toilet, and place the thermite on a locked door, which eats away the metal when lit. The two steal an entire drum of methylamine and escape.

The next day, Walter and Jesse attempt to start the RV when mechanical troubles prevent it from going anywhere. Faced with a deadline, they set up to cook in Jesse's basement, unaware his realtor has planned an open house viewing for that same afternoon. Jesse guards the door to the basement while Walter synthesizes the chemicals, and once a man asks to see the basement of the home, Jesse demands everyone to leave.

When Walter arrives back home, he learns of Marie's stealing and wonders if Skyler would ever turn him in for a crime. At the next meeting with Tuco, Walter supplies 4.6 pounds of meth, and although it has a blue hue, it is still the same quality and Tuco is very pleased. He hands over $91,000 since they were already two pounds in debt. When one of Tuco's men makes an offhanded remark to Walter, Tuco becomes furious and beats the man (possibly to death) with his fists. As Tuco drives away, Walter and Jesse look at each other in shock.

Production

The episode was written by Peter Gould, and directed by Tim Hunter; it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 9, 2008.

Title meaning

The episode title is referencing the 1996 film Fargo. A "no-rough-stuff-type deal" is a deal without violence.

Critical reception

The episode was critically acclaimed. Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a rating of 9.1 out of 10.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Amitin, Seth (March 10, 2008). "Breaking Bad: "A No-Rough-Stuff Type of Deal" Review". IGN. Retrieved December 21, 2014.

External links