No Más (''Breaking Bad'')

"No Más" is the first episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Bryan Cranston, it aired on AMC in the United States on March 21, 2010.

Plot

In the opening sequence, two dangerous look-alike cousins make a pilgrimage to a Mexican shrine to Santa Muerte, making an offering and leaving a drawing of Heisenberg at the shrine.

All of Albuquerque is in shock in the aftermath of the mid-air plane collision. After her wife Skyler discovered his lies for the past few months, a depressed Walter White is living in his home alone, only that he is been staying for one more week after the plane collision. He lights and throws matches to the pool, and rashly burns several bundles of money on the barbecue, but regrets at the last moment and throws the bills into the pool. Hank comes to aid him in packing and transporting his belongings to an apartment. While doing so, he lifts the bag containing the money Walt obtained for his deal with Gus Fring and he openly admits the existance of the money, but Hank laughs, believing it to be a joke. Once in his new apartment, Walt gives his family his new address, receives a message from Los Pollos Hermanos, offers his son Walter, Jr to bring him home after school, and attends a public meeting where both teachers and students open up about the traumas experienced due to the plane collision. Walt feels deeply uneasy and, when offered to talk, he delivers an awkward speech with references to other tragic plane collisions, troubling the audiences.

Skyler has moved out with their son and newborn daughter to give Walt a chance to pack his things. She speaks to a divorce lawyer about making the split permanent but seems unsure when the attorney says she will uncover any money Walt may have hidden. Walter, Jr. is brought home from school by his father and argues with both his parents, especially with Skyler, who refuses to give explanations. She also refuses when asked by her sister Marie Schrader. Finally, she confronts Walt, presenting him the divorce papers. Walt protests that she does not know his version, but Skyler correctly deduces his drug-trading activities. Walt remorsefully admits to only being a metamphetamine cook, but Skyler storms off, though not before demanding him to concede to the divorce or else she will expose him to his children and to Hank.

Walt's former business partner, Jesse Pinkman, is in rehab trying to overcome his drug addiction and come to terms with Jane's death. During one session, he makes the group leader admit how he killed his own daughter when desperately looking for vodka. He then says that hating oneself is only an impediment to moving on. Jesse is picked up by Walt, who takes him to his apartment, and openly shows his remorse over the events that led to the mid-air collision. Walt tells him he is not responsible for what happened but Jesse calmly insists that he has learned not to shy away from who he really is: "the bad guy". Inspired by this, Walt visits Gus in Los Pollos Hermanos and tells him of his decision to get out of the meth business. Gus has a very attractive offer all the same, which Walt briefly considers, but he politely refuses in the end. Meanwhile, the two Salamanca cousins cross over into the US from Mexico in search of Heisenberg, killing all the fellow passengers in the truck and the driver before lighting it up.

Production

The episode was written by Vince Gilligan, and directed by Bryan Cranston; it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 21, 2010.

The title of the episode is a Spanish expression meaning "no more", which connects to Walt's decision to quit the meth business.

Reception

Seth Amitin of IGN gave this episode an 8.8 rating, he also stated; Breaking Bad comes back after its eight-month hiatus with "No Mas," "A wonderful and wonderfully-titled episode. The show is mixing its pitches in the season 3 premiere. After a hard plane-crashing fastball, we're getting an emotionally impacted change-up that lands softly into the catcher's mitt. While The A.V Club gave the episode an A rating.^[1][2]

References

External links

• "No Más" at the official Breaking Bad site
• "No Más" on IMDb
• "No Más" at TV.com