Breaking Bad (TV Series) Cancer Man (2008) User Reviews

Family problems

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 1 October 2012]

This episode sees both Walter and Jesse having difficulties with their families. When Skyler breaks down at a family meal Walt is forced to tell his son along with Hank and Marie that he is suffering from terminal cancer; this leads to pressure to seek a second opinion and further expenses. Jesse meanwhile is getting paranoid so heads back to his parents house; they don't want him corrupting his younger brother though so when a joint is found in the house he has outstayed his welcome. This is very much an episode of character rather than plot development although that isn't totally neglected... Jesse has sold the remainder of the meth and approaches Walt to make more... he may have declined but with the prospect of more medical bills it can't be too long before he is cooking again.

I didn't think this was quite as good as the previous episodes but it was still excellent compared to most programmes and the character development is needed if we are to keep caring about them. I loved how Jesse's paranoia was depicted; he flees after seeing two heavily tattooed bikers approaching his house, one wielding a machete the other carrying a grenade... we then see who they really were; a couple of Mormons on pushbikes! More laughs are provided when Walt has a couple of encounters with an obnoxious character with the number plate 'KEN WINS'... the first time he is annoyed by the man's behaviour; the second time he gets spectacular revenge... it might require some suspension of disbelief to accept that he'd get away with it but I'm sure most viewers will just be happy to see Ken get what's coming to him!

Cancer Man (#1.4)

[ComedyFan2010 · 9/10 · 24 December 2013]

This episode doesn't have too much action. It is used to learn more about characters. For this they use the families of Walt and Jesse.

Walt tells his family about the cancer. We get to see the reactions, how they support him and want him to do anything to get treatment. This indicates Walt soon returning to meth business. Since his family doesn't want him to think of money and get the best treatment,but it is indeed a big factor.

I especially liked segments with Jesse's family. It makes me feel more for his character. His parents definitely love him, but they don't want drugs near their younger son as well they want to find a way to have Jesse quit drugs, yet are out of ideas. Him looking through his old things and trying to connect with his younger brother are very touching. My heart breaks when his mom leaves the room door open. Not to blame her, but I understand how Jesse must feel. And Aaron Paul shows it to us beautifully.

Besides the character exploration we still have some funny moments. Especially Jesse running away from the Mormons when on drug paranoia.

Great character-building stuff

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 4 December 2020]

Another really good episode. Almost nothing happens to further the plot in this one, but you can tell they're building stuff up for future episodes. Here we have one themed around family, with more time spent with Jessy and his home life in particular, and it's very well handled and helps to humanise him. The material with Walter and his own problems works very nicely too.

Breaking Bad Gets Stronger!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 27 November 2013]

The fourth episode of Breaking Bad continues the strong, amazing power this awesome show has displayed. This show has been known to be the best show in recent times and I can see why. If the quality of these shows continue to hold, I could say this show may be the best of all time. The acting is strong as ever thanks to the duo of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. The dialog is strong and witty as ever. And of course, Walt has his shining moment towards the end.

In this episode, "Cancer Man", Walt tells his the rest of his family about him having cancer and Jesse gets kicked out of his parent's house after they find his younger brother in possession of marijuana.

Overall, this is another fabulous episode. This keeps up the tension and I love how Walt is becoming a hardcore person in the drug business. I feel like there are bigger and better things to happen. This particular episode is slightly a step-down from the previous three, but that's because it's necessary for the story. But, I like this drama-filled, emotionally-driven episode. I rate this episode 9/10.

Cancer in the family

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 27 May 2018]

'Breaking Bad' is one of the most popular rated shows on IMDb, is one of those rarities where every season has either been very positively received or near-universally acclaimed critically and where all of my friends have said nothing but great things about.

Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.

Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.

"Cancer Man" is not quite as good as the exceptional pilot episode, one of the best television show pilots ever, and "And the Bag's in the River". It doesn't quite have as much of the tension and tautness of those episodes. It is still a wonderful and hugely compelling episode, even though one of those setting things up and putting it all into place episodes it does that incredibly well.

Visually, "Cancer Man" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.

The writing for "Cancer Man" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and tense, while also have a darkly wicked sense of humour and heart-tugging pathos. The story is texturally rich, intimate, tense and layered, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but taut enough. The direction couldn't be better.

Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and shines in this episode and Anna Gunn is affecting. The characters are compelling in their realism.

Overall, wonderful. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Walt Spills the Beans!

[gab-14712 · 9/10 · 9 November 2017]

Well, we finally go back down to earth in this fourth episode of Breaking Bad. The first three episodes were crazy, non-stop fun but now we need a quieter episode that will set up the building blocks for future episodes. Mostly, this reflective episode succeeds. Although it's an episode based on the future, it's still plenty of fun to watch. There are several cool one-liners (mainly by Jesse). "Check out these mad Pop-tarts. They're mad tight." See, isn't that awesome? But this episode does have moments of sadness. After all, this is where Walt finally tells his family about his cancer. He tells Skylar at first, but her breakdown at a family dinner forces him to let Hank and his wife, Marie as well as Walter Jr. in the scoop. It was interesting to see how his family make up ways for him to get treatment although Walt does not believe it's the right thing to do.

In this episode, Walt finally tells Skylar about his cancer. After she breaks down at a barbecue, he is forced to tell the rest of his family. His family sets about on finding the best oncologist available and they are ready to pay the money required for treatment. However, Walt is worried about putting financial debt on his family especially if the treatment is proved to be unsuccessful. The DEA discovers the car of Krazy-8 that still has some meth in it, and Hank agrees that there is a new drug lord in town. Jesse returns to his estranged parent's house but is immediately in conflict with his parents because of a marijuana joint. Finally, Walt reconsiders working with Jesse in cooking more meth when he receives his money from the first batch.

Overall, this is a somber but still entertaining episode of Breaking Bad. There is nothing incredibly special about the episode, as its concerned about moving pieces for the next big event. This is a necessary episode, however. It's important that Walter finally discloses the cancer information, because it will have a profound impact on what happens next. The acting remains impressive. Bryan Cranston collected himself a niche as Walter White. I was onboard with Cranston from Day 1, and he remains great as ever. Anna Gunn can improve on her dramatic acting, but this episode is a start. Aaron Paul as Jesse remains an ass as usual, but I do love the conflict that arises between him and his family. The ending of his storyline this episode is quite cool. I enjoyed this episode, but I know things will get crazy again soon.

My Grade: A

Great episode...

[Red_Identity · 16 December 2010]

Breaking Bad continues to surprise me after every episode, and this was no exception.

The episode explored the family life of Jesse, which in all was very heartbreaking to see how a family is destroyed because of a drug habit. Walter also confessed about his problem, and it ran emotions through the house. Like always, the show continues to be a drama but very well written humor put in, like the ending of the episode. This is a joy to watch, and along with that Aaron and Bryan give great performances that revolve the show and give it what is needed. I will diligently continue to watch.

Wow great episode

[amosshange · 10/10 · 10 April 2019]

Ive watched the previous seasons but for me the series is now taking another level of greatness for me in this episode. I am now more interested than ive ever been to see what gonna happen next

Battery

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 16 December 2020]

I like the bit where he blew up the bmw by shorting the battery

Walt tells his family.

[HotHamlet · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

Walt has now announced to his close family that he has cancer. Skyler is telling Walt he needs the best treatment no matter the cost, yet Walt doesn't want to die and put Skyler and the family in debt when he's gone. I must say i liked the scene he announced this in which he gave the story of how him and Skyler met.

Jesse seems to want to get back into cooking methamphetamine soon and Walter seems hesitant but with the building problem of treatment and money you can see this won't last (also the series is called Breaking Bad sooo). Speaking of Jesse, the introduction of his family is a nice addition. That being his parents and younger brother. As soon as they all meet it is clear to see the fractured relationship between Jesse and his parents. I like the scene where Jesse is kicked out by his parents after they find a joint and assume (obviously) it's Jesse's. It turn's out to be his brothers but it is interesting to see how his parents view both him and his younger brother. There is no way his younger brother could possibly be smoking weed. I'm sure Jesse had a lot to say when it comes to their fractured relationship with him, but it is interesting none the less.

Now the scene at the end with Walt making the annoying guy's car explode. I like this scene to an extent as it shows Walt slowly changing but also is just a well shot scene with him not looking at the explosion. That being said, it is utterly ridiculous. How on god's green earth he wasn't caught i will have no idea. Even without cameras there as this is never brought up again as far as i can remember. I do however understand this show may take some liberties as it is (after all) a show, but wow that was wacky.

Overall this episode is decent but nothing spectacular. A solid 7/10.

A Set Up Episode

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 12 October 2015]

I keep asking myself how things can be sustained with so much duplicity. This is a stage- setting episode. We get to see Jesse's family dynamics, going to his rather straight-laced family home. Walter finally has to spill the beans to his relatives when Skyler begins to cry at a cookout. Skyler goes rogue in determining the course of treatment and her sister hooks her up with a really expensive oncologist. The costs are through the ceiling and Walter realizes that if it doesn't work, she will be saddled with immense debt. Meanwhile, Junior is getting more and more angry at his father's erratic behavior. The most important implication going forward is the need for huge amounts of money, and we know where that is going. Jesse shows up at the end and they have a confrontation. There is one scene which is purely superficial. There is a windbag businessman who walks around talking into one of those ear things, making rude comments, barging ahead of people. Walter the scientist gets his revenge, although it is merely for audience gratification.

False fronts.

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 8 May 2012]

Cancer Man is about false fronts. What one sees is a person's persona, but sooner or later the truth comes out! One of Walter's first lies is revealed, which is he has cancer. The omen of more events to come in Walter's life. One finds out that Jesse came from a good home, and lives a false front of his heavy reputation. The viewer finds out D E A agent Hank is a show man ship because of his D E A job. He thinks he has to be on top of his game all the time; that he is always on show. Walter turns out to have a darker side and turns out to be a nasty person. The viewer experiences the deeper layers of the characters, and understands their intentions better.

Breaking Bad - Cancer Man

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 19 August 2013]

I loved how Hank speaks to his "troops" in a DEA meeting that there very well could be a new kingpin in town…while a teacher at a lowly school in town brushes his teeth, that being Walt.

With all the darkness in Walt's life—the cancer spreading from his lungs to lymph nodes, the lack of funds needed to purchase the services of the best cancer doctor in the area, the murder he had just previously committed, his emotional distance from his son, and Jesse's offer to him for producing more profitable meth—he does get a moment of bliss by using a windshield wiping tool to destroy a prick's car under the hood! This prick is one of those self-absorbed, self-important suits often embellishing his ego by tearing apart people while talking out loud (leaving those around him annoyed and bothered by his brash, noisy, crude comments; his personality repulses, but because he has confidence in his abilities to talk sh-t, he succeeds) to some buddy speaking to him in an ear piece. It happened while Walt is waiting in line at a bank, awaiting the chance to put his "meth cash" towards payments for cancer appointments. I don't want to dwell totally on this, but this is the firstfruits of the more "daring, f-all" Walt that just impulsively reacts to something that really sticks in his craw and gets under his skin.

Of course, this has a lot of emphasis on the cancer in Walt's life. He learns of a laundry list of side effects from chemo-radiation provided in straight-face by the cancer doc. Walt eventually cancels out all of it with the doc soon muffled until there's silence. Not only this, but we meet the straight-laced, clean-cut suburban family of Jesse, not exactly what you might expect. The father and mother have tolerated Jesse's slides into drugs, but put their foot down reluctantly when a "stinkweed" pot ciggie is found by the maid (actually the younger brother's!), insisting him to leave. This is the last straw, and, even if this wasn't Jesse's joint, his behavior in the past (he arrives in their yard stoned from meth, his leg caught in their patio chair!) has left them seemingly out of patience. I understand that these scenes are meant to place the parents under the microscope as squares, principled, with rules in their household, and expectations for the younger son (he wins rewards in school, performs a musical instrument, and writes papers on environmental issues: in other words, he seems to be a direct opposite of Jesse; the apple of his parent's eye, and a potential replacement for the bad son that disappointed them), and how they failed to get through to their son, just moving on because Jesse seems to be a lost cause. But I sympathize with them, in a sense, because I don't think they are bad parents, per se, just without an answer for how to address their own failures in Jesse's case. It is easy to just write off a junkie kid, but much harder for parents to look at their own contributions to his decline. It is an episode that defines where Walt and Jesse are at in their lives and why their situations bring them together…for better or worse. Walt's uncertainty in treatment (the debt left behind) gives way to some intense moments, like when his son tells him to just go ahead and give up (and die), while Skylar seems gung-ho to do whatever it takes for her husband to fight this cancer-thing.

A slow, but enjoyable episode gives us a chance to get to know a little more about Jesse

[RicinBeans94 · 8/10 · 30 September 2013]

"So be on notice - We got new players in town. Now we don't know who they are or where they came from, but they possess an extremely high skill set. Me personally, I think Albuquerque might just have a new kingpin."

'Cancer Man' may be the weakest instalment of Breaking Bad so far, but it's far from a bad episode. In fact, it's a rather good episode. We quickly find out that Skyler does now know about the cancer and then we watch Walt tell Hank, Marie and Walter Jr., which is a great scene, especially coming after the story of how Walt and Skyler met. We start to see exactly how close the five of them are, which makes it hard knowing that the family would be ripped apart if Hank ever found out about Walt's crimes.

Agent Schrader is right on Walt's case, having found out about the disappearance of Krazy-8 and Emilio. On top of that, a DEA chemist tested Walt's meth and it turns out to have 99.1% purity, which is quite remarkable. Hank knows there's someone new cooking and you can bet he'll stop at nothing to find out who.

This episode also ends with a real bad-ass moment for Walt when he blows up the car of that incredibly annoying man who, quite frankly, deserved it.

I think the main point of interest here was what we learnt about Jesse's background. Introducing this well-off, happy family before revealing that they are actually the Pinkmans was a nice touch and the scenes between them were interesting. It's obvious that, while they do love their eldest son, they've lost patience with him over the years. It's especially touching that Jesse takes the blame for his little brother, even knowing that his parents will kick him out of the house. We get to meet Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) and Combo (Rodney Rush) too, a couple of Jesse's friends who are clearly no strangers to drugs. It's also revealed that Jesse is a talented artist, but then we get the painful reminder of how Walt has always made him feel as though he isn't good enough, whether it be as his high school teacher or as his business partner.

Worth mentioning is the callback to the pilot as Walt thinks the police are going to pull him over, but they simply drive straight past. A favourite line of mine from the episode was Jesse's "I got a wire... speak into the mic, bitch!", along with Walt's poor attempt to reassure Walter Jr. - "You know, I... I just think that ah... things have a way of working themselves out"

'Cancer Man' is definitely a less memorable episode than the previous three, but there's more than enough to keep us interested. I'm starting to think that there's no such thing as a bad episode of Breaking Bad.

8.6/10

Definitely slower...

[akashdefonsekaman · 9/10 · 31 August 2021]

...but a more character-driven episode. Terrific performance from Anna Gunn. Definitely an underrated episode with a hilariously awesome ending.

Cancer Man

[nebohr · 8/10 · 26 November 2021]

Operation: Breath Mint. We like it.

Hank continues to be his same crude, insensitive self. It seems like all his dialog is aimed towards teenaged boys.

The meth found hidden in Krazy-8's car was white. Walt's meth is green.

Charlton Heston played Moses in The Ten Commandments which was released in 1956. It's very unlikely that Walt Jr. Would understand Hank's reference.

Walt, you sly dog. You got into Skyler's pants by doing crossword puzzles.

Walt, you idiot. You went and got lung cancer because you decided that you didn't have to follow safety protocols.

Jesse, you tease. Tell your drug addict friends that you've just cooked up the best batch ever but then withhold it because of health issues/paranoia. Which becomes apparent when the bikers come to kill you.

Mr. And Mrs. Pinkman: You know Jesse uses drugs yet you let him influence his little brother. But hey, at least the Mrs. Opened Jake's bedroom door.

It's odd that Jesse's earlier artwork was so detailed yet his caricature of Mr. White is so amateurish.

Hollywood cliche #240: no door opens silently.

Walt gets mad at a windshield cleaner.

The end.

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your cancer, man

[Trey_Trebuchet · 8/10 · 19 January 2023]

Some really good stuff.

A rather slow and somewhat uneventful episode in the grand scheme of things, but it's a great character piece. All of the stuff with Jesse and his family was a bit reminiscent of my own, back when a member of the family was using. I see where Jesse is coming from, but also where his folks are coming from. It's sad.

All of the stuff with Walt and his own family was also pretty heartbreaking. Everyone means well and can't seem to firmly wrap their heads around the situation together.

Overall, really well written and directed, with an ending that's question but pretty great regardless.

Blows up the sports car and no consequences!?

[george-841 · 8/10 · 30 July 2012]

Slow-paced, but a very revealing episode, as others have indicated. I'm watching BB from the start for the 3rd time and I realize once again that the first season will always remain the best of the bunch. Walt and Jesse are both still learning the ropes and the audience is developing empathy for them, with this episode providing a lot of reasons to sympathize (at least to the extent you want to sympathize with drug dealers.) In later seasons Walt gets too all-powerful and Jesses perpetual scowl gets to be too repetitive and deeply annoying. Plus personally I get sick and tired of seeing the band-aid in the middle of Walt's glasses. (Bryan Cranston also seems to enjoying acting in his tidy-whities a little too much for my taste!) One thing that does trouble me in THIS episode is how Walt takes revenge upon the hot-shot salesguy who's always talking on his hands-free cell phone. What are the odds that the gas station doesn't have a security camera which would implicate Walt in blowing up the idiot's sports car?

A slower but still good episode

[connorae-08702 · 7/10 · 10 June 2023]

This episode is definitely a lot slower, and as not as good as the previous three episodes but that doesn't mean that this isn't a very good episode! The scene where Walt tells his family about his cancer is very emotional and the acting from Anna Gunn is amazing. One very good thing about Breaking Bad is the acting. It is good throughout and its very strong in this episode. Jesse's character development is very well done and it really makes you warm to him as a character. Walter really does change as the episodes go on, and this is clear in this episode. The episode features some very good writing and acting especially, another good episode from Vince Gilligan.

The unveiling

[andrewkempf · 9/10 · 6 April 2017]

This was a very good episode. It was nice to see a great progression of the plot. This one had me entertained from the start. I'm very intrigued on the relationship and where it stands between Jesse and Walter. Also, the plot line of Jesse and his family along with his brother was some very interesting stuff also. Also, the ending scene of Walter blowing up the guys car was just pure genius. This show has some very good stuff going on right now and I'm excited to see where it progresses.

Not all episodes can be perfect uh?

[bellino-angelo2014 · 7/10 · 10 November 2023]

The first three episodes of BREAKING BAD were surprisingly very good and they made me want to see more. While I didn't hated this episode I didn't thought it was on par with the previous entries.

Walter White has finally revealed to Skylar about his illness and she encourages him to reveal it also to his son Walter Jr and the Schrader couple, and they decide to go to an oncologist. In the meanwhile Jesse Pinkman started to smoke the crystal meth, has allucinations and escapes from home, only to return to his parents' home despite the Pinkmans don't know what to do with Jesse. Some time pass and Jesse will make a visit to Walter (since he can treat his cancer with chemotherapy but certainly costs money) giving him some money from his first drug deal and then flees, only to be kicked out once again by his parents that found a joint in his bedroom that in reality was of his brother.

What was a bit of a letdown for me is that the discussions of the White family after Walt's revelation were a bit depressing, and also that this time Jesse's behaviour didn't make a lot of sense. I mean, go to your business partner's home, throwing money at him and then leave without explaining? Maybe it was meth's effect.

Not a bad episode (hence my 7) but one that wasn't exciting like the others. And even the ending with Walt that blows up the car that stole his parking spot earlier on was too obvious.

Still a good episode

[FriedToast02 · 8/10 · 17 April 2021]

Not the best this show has to offer, but Bryan Cranston already showing us how good he is playing this character and season 1 I grew to like a lot more as time went on. Wasn't a huge fan of it at first and now I appreciate it a lot more, but this episode and one more on the season just don't do it for me. Him telling everyone was pretty slow and the side plot with Jesse was decent, trying to make up with parents. Jesse is probably my favorite character in the show and has the biggest growth throughout the whole show. Thank god they didn't kill him off. Just not an amazing episode from this show with so many bangers.

The Elephant In The Room...

[robotintroverted · 8/10 · 17 July 2022]

This episode continues the trend of Breaking Bad being stellar as always; it doesn't waste your time, and this time is more character-focused. I like this episode because it explores Walt and Jesse's lives and makes them less 1 dimensional!

7.5/10.

Merely Nice, But with the Coolest Arson Scene in Recent History

[stillworkingfortheknife · 6 October 2013]

"Cancer Man" is the episode right in the middle of Breaking Bad's first season and these 50 minutes are really rather boring aside from some new character information and good dialogue. And don't expect any major twists in the plot: after Walt and Jesse have temporarily parted ways, both of them don't do much more than some talking with their respective families. With this, we meet Jesse's parents and younger brother for the first time, and see Skylar, Walt Jr., Marie, and Hank reacting to Walt informing them about his cancer.

As the biggest focus is on the characters in this and the next episode, I've come to realize how unspectacular this show's lead characters were at this point. Once you've understood the basic mentality of them, there's not much new to find. Maybe it's that these couple of episodes in the middle of the season have a worse screenplay than the rest, yet I still think that the characters' normality can be counterproductive when the only things happening are conversations. However, this only attributes for some parts of "Cancer Man". There was a lot of stuff in this episode I found really entertaining, especially the satiric look Vince Gilligan took at Jesse's family. Another highlight was the scene before the opening credits that had the great Hank Schrader doing his job as a DEA agent and while doing so, unwittingly talking about Walt, whose product has got quite famous in Albuquerque's drug culture. And, of course, our two protagonists arguing in the Whites' yard was just awesome.

Altogether though, "Cancer Man" is clearly not as good as the first two and the last two episodes of season one and next to Walt's (realistically impossible) bad-ass moment at the end, there really wasn't any big moment.