Phoenix (Breaking Bad)
"Phoenix" | |
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Breaking Bad episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 12 |
Directed by | Colin Bucksey |
Written by | John Shiban |
Featured music | "Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws |
Cinematography by | Michael Slovis |
Editing by | Kelly Dixon |
Original air date | May 24, 2009 |
Running time | 47 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Phoenix" is the twelfth episode of the
Plot
Later, Jesse and Jane inject heroin in his apartment. As he passes out, Jesse complains about Walt holding out on him, telling Jane that he is owed $480,000. Donald calls Jane again when she is late for another rehab meeting; unbeknownst to Jane, he is waiting directly outside. Seeing her emerging from Jesse's door, he barges in and finds evidence of them both using heroin. He is furious that she has relapsed and calls the police, but doesn't finish it to make an official report when Jane promises she will enter rehab the next day. He relents and gives her another chance. Meanwhile,
Jane calls Walt to blackmail him into giving Jesse his share. Walt delivers the money to Jesse and Jane, who are ecstatic and talk of getting clean, but still feel a strong pull to use their remaining heroin. Walt goes to a bar to unwind, where he unknowingly sits next to Donald. The two start talking about the Phoenix probe's discovery of water on Mars and about Donald's daughter and Walt's "nephew" (Jesse), voicing their frustrations over trying to help people who will not do what is good for them. Donald opines that one can never give up on one's family. Motivated by Donald's words, Walt goes back to Jesse's house to talk to him but finds Jesse and Jane passed out from heroin use. While Walt is trying to wake Jesse, he inadvertently and unknowingly knocks Jane onto her back; she starts to choke on her own vomit. Walt rushes to help, but after hesitating for a moment he changes his mind and lets her die. He begins to cry before looking on resolutely.
Production
The episode was written by John Shiban, and directed by Colin Bucksey. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 24, 2009.
Critical reception
Emily St. James, recapping the episode for Slant, noted that it was "a beautifully rich and layered work about the various ways parents and children disappoint each other."[1] Donna Bowman, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the episode an A rating, commenting: "it is perhaps the single best episode to date in one of the best shows television has ever produced."[2] Alan Sepinwall praised Bryan Cranston's performance in the episode's climactic scene and drew comparisons to "Kennedy and Heidi," an episode of The Sopranos.[3] Seth Amitin at IGN gave the episode an 8.9/10 and opined that the episode was effective at increasing the dramatic stakes leading into the season's finale, stating that "everything about this episode was used to push tension one step further for the finale."[4]
For his performance, Cranston won his second of three consecutive
In Cranston's own 2016 memoir A Life in Parts, he begins the book by recounting the process of filming the final scene in the episode. He recalls how he imagined his own daughter Taylor Dearden as Jane, and describes the scene as "the most harrowing I did on Breaking Bad".[6]
In 2019 The Ringer ranked "Phoenix" as the 17th best out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes.[7]
References
- ^ St. James, Emily (27 May 2009). "Breaking Bad Recap Season 2, Episode 12, "Phoenix"". Slant. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ Bowman, Donna (May 24, 2009). "Breaking Bad: "Phoenix"". A.V. Club. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (24 May 2009). "Breaking Bad, "Phoenix": There's no real way to dust for vomit". What's Alan Watching. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
- ^ Amitin, Seth (26 May 2009). "BREAKING BAD: "PHOENIX" REVIEW". IGN. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ^ Gregg Mitchell & Sherry Goldman (2009). "2010 Writers Guild Awards Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ Bryan Cranston (October 16, 2016). "Bryan Cranston: 'I was Walter White – but I was never more myself'". The Guardian.
- ^ Justin Verrier (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer.