Fly 

There is a fly loose in the lab. Walt and Jesse must do whatever they can to kill it before it contaminates the meth.

Director:

Rian Johnson

Writers:

Vince Gilligan (created by), Sam Catlin

Stars:

Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Bryan Cranston	...	Walter White
Anna Gunn	...	Skyler White (voice)
Aaron Paul	...	Jesse Pinkman
Dean Norris	...	Hank Schrader (credit only)
Betsy Brandt	...	Marie Schrader (credit only)
RJ Mitte	...	Walter White, Jr. (credit only)

Storyline

Walt is suffering from insomnia, worried about the choices he has made and the direction his life has taken. Unaware that Jesse has been skimming a bit of their product, he also worried that the numbers in his formulas don't add up and that they always seem to somewhere between 4 and 8 ounces short of what the batch should have produced. The meticulous Walt is also concerned - to the point of paranoia - when he discovers a housefly in the lab. Worried about contamination, he goes to extreme lengths to kill it. Jesse comes to his rescue in an interesting way.

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Plot Keywords:

fly the insect | episode title spoken by character | bottle episode | smashing a lightbulb | overhead camera shot | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode has a similar story to the play "Bug" by Tracy Letts (and its film adaptation). Two people together in a confined space, one of whom is obsessed with the presence of bugs as a sign of contamination. The other of the two (Jesse in this case) gradually comes to share the obsession, leading to a state of shared near-insanity.

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Goofs

Jesse talks about a TV show on hyenas that he saw. He says the head hyena was "the Man" and how gross it was that the other pack members had to "lick his junk" to show respect. Either Jesse or the script writer didn't realize that among hyenas the females are actually dominant, including the leader of the pack. They are larger than the males and have other marked masculine physical traits due to a naturally high level of testosterone. If Walter knew that, he didn't bother to correct Jesse's mistake.

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Quotes

Walter White: I've been to my oncologist, Jesse. Just last week. I'm still in remission. I'm healthy.
Jesse Pinkman: That's good. Great.
Walter White: No end in sight.
Jesse Pinkman: That's great.
Walter White: No. I missed it. There was some perfect moment that passed me right by, but I had to have enough to leave them. That was the whole point. None of this makes any sense if I didn't have enough. And it had to be before she found out. Skyler. It had to be before that.
Jesse Pinkman: Perfect moment? For what? To drop dead? Are you saying you want to die?
Walter White: I'm saying that I lived too ...
[...]

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Connections

References Breaking Bad: Phoenix (2009)

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Soundtracks

Breaking Bad Main Title Theme
(uncredited)
Written by Dave Porter
Performed by Dave Porter

User Reviews

I hated this episode...now I love this episode.

When I watched Fly the first time I thought, "Man, what were they thinking? An entire episode devoted to killing a fly!" I thought it was nothing more than a mind fart on the part of the writers. I just couldn't see a point to it. The numerous times I've re-watched the series Fly is the one episode I'd skip.

Then I read the comments here. At first I couldn't fathom what some of you were thinking calling it one of the best, or even the best, episode so far. I got the symbolism, metaphors, etc. but still didn't see the point. But your comments convinced me to give Fly another shot. So I watched it two more times.

Now I realize that Fly gives me an entire episode of scenes I value the most in Breaking Bad—the interactions between Walt and Jesse. I appreciate the other actors as well, for sure, but Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston are genius. Their remarkable on-camera chemistry allows them to play off each other in a manner that truly sells each of their scenes together as a genuine encounter between this prodigal father and son…this mad scientist and his apprentice…these two friends.

In Fly I can enjoy 47 straight minutes of their banter, slapstick, arguments, and at times moving revelations. I especially enjoyed some of Jesse's comedic lines. Those writers are generous to give him those, and Mr. Paul delivers them flawlessly. Consider a couple:

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say…yeah."

"It makes it sound Irish." (I thought of O'Brien, O'Toole, O'Leary… O'Possum!)

Thanks, OPs, for clearing the fog that prevented me from recognizing the value of Fly.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

High Bridge Productions, Gran Via Productions, Sony Pictures Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

47 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD