4 Days Out
| "4 Days Out" | |
|---|---|
| Breaking Bad episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Michelle MacLaren |
| Written by | Sam Catlin |
| Featured music |
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| Cinematography by | Michael Slovis |
| Editing by | Kelley Dixon |
| Original air date | May 3, 2009 |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"4 Days Out" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. It was written by Sam Catlin and directed by Michelle MacLaren.
Plot
Walter White arrives at the hospital with his family to learn how he has reacted to chemotherapy. He is told that the results of the test will not be ready for a week, but sees a scan of his lungs and notices a prominent growth. Believing that he has little time left, and realizing that recent expenses and Saul Goodman's fees for money laundering leave him with little to give his family, he decides to spend several days cooking meth. He pressures Jesse Pinkman into joining him, on the false pretext that their supply of methylamine will soon spoil. Walt tells Skyler he's visiting his mother, as an excuse to go cook with Jesse.
At the cook site in the desert, Jesse leaves the RV's keys in the ignition switch, unaware that it is draining the
They siphon off gasoline from the RV to the generator to jump-start it, but fuel spilled on the generator catches fire, and Jesse uses all of their drinking water to douse it. Jesse suggests they call
Walt and his family return to the doctor the next week, and learn that Walt's cancer is in remission and his tumor has shrunk by 80%; the "growth" Walt spotted was simply inflamed tissue in his lung, and a resulting tear in his esophagus caused him to cough up blood, but can be treated. Walt's family is ecstatic, but Walt, privately, has a violent outburst.
Production
The episode was directed by Michelle MacLaren and written by Sam Catlin. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 3, 2009.
Critical reception
Emily St. James, writing for Slant, praised the episode for its cinematography: "It's also staggeringly beautiful, drinking in the desert landscape that dominates its running time with a wide-eyed sense for the beauty of the wilderness." She added that the episode continued the series' world-building, comparing it to the likes of The Wire and The Sopranos, stating "the best television series are full of the breadth and depth of the panoply of human life."[1] Alan Sepinwall felt similarly, writing "image after image—the glowing orange light of the desert, the cool blues of the chemicals mixing together, the tableaux of the RV resting in the tall grass or Walt and Jesse enjoying the night air after a hard day's work—looked absolutely gorgeous."[2] Donna Bowman, of The A.V. Club, gave the episode an A. She praised the episode for highlighting the characters' ability to act under pressure.[3]
The Ringer ranked "4 Days Out" as the 27th best out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes.[4]
References
- ^ Vanderwerff, Emily (4 May 2009). "Breaking Bad Recap Season 2, Episode 9, "4 Days Out"". Slant. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (3 May 2009). "Breaking Bad, "4 Days Out": Flight of the RV". What's Alan Watching?. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Bowman, Donna (May 3, 2009). "Review: Breaking Bad: 4 Days Out". A.V. Club. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ Haley O’Shaughnessy (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer.
External links
- "4 Days Out" at the official Breaking Bad site
- "4 Days Out" at IMDb
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