Seven Thirty-Seven

"Seven Thirty-Seven"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 1
Directed by Bryan Cranston
Written by J. Roberts
Original air date March 8, 2009 (2009-03-08)
Running time 47 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology

"Seven Thirty-Seven" is the first episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the eighth overall episode of the series. It was written by J. Roberts and directed by series star Bryan Cranston.

Plot summary

The episode opens where the last season ended, in the junkyard. Tuco Salamanca, after purchasing meth from Walter White, viciously assaults his lieutenant, No-Doze, after he speaks to Walt in Tuco’s place. Tuco then departs. Walt calculates the amount of money he will need to provide for his family, concluding that the figure is $737,000. After Walt makes his conclusion, Tuco suddenly returns demanding that he save an unresponsive No-Doze. After No-Doze dies, Gonzo, the other man in Tuco’s employ, states that they should move No-Doze, but Tuco refuses and leaves his body in the junkyard.

Walt parts ways with Jesse Pinkman and goes home. Skyler finds him standing at the television, and he subsequently forces himself on her. After she makes him stop, Walt sits by the pool and is later found by Walter Jr.. Meanwhile, Jesse acquires a firearm at a hot dog restaurant. The next day, he tells Walt that he believes Tuco poses a threat that must be taken care of. Walter points out that shooting him would end badly, and the pair seems despondent.

Skyler's sister Marie Schrader attempts to call, but Skyler does not pick up the phone. Marie and her husband Hank then have an argument about whether or not she attempted to schedule the dinner with Skyler during a previously arranged therapy session. She leaves their cul-de-sac and crushes a toy car as she does so.

At the DEA field office, Hank's partner Steven Gomez shows him footage of Walt and Jesse's methylamine robbery. Hank dismisses their ability as thieves, but is intrigued by the fact that the unknown pair stole methylamine and used thermite to enter the warehouse. Gomez speculates they may be college-aged chemistry students, and Hank hints that the two will encounter difficulty from the drug cartels for interrupting the existing meth trade.

Walt becomes worried when he notices an SUV parked near his house. Instead of sleeping, he spends the night watching the street, and he is startled in the morning by a phone call from Marie, who Skyler hangs up on. Jesse encourages Walt to also purchase a gun, hoping to “double their chances” of success in the event of a shooting. Instead, Walt proposes that they kill Tuco in a more clandestine way, using ricin made from castor beans. Meanwhile, Hank visits Skyler and asks her to make up with Marie. Skyler responds angrily, stating that her situation is worse than her sister’s.

Walt and Jesse use the castor beans to make ricin, hoping to trick Tuco into poisoning himself by placing it in the next meth delivery. As they finish their work, Walt receives a phone call from Hank, who is at a crime scene. Hank says that he screwed up in speaking to Skyler, and Walt forgives him. It is then revealed that the crime scene Hank is investigating is the junkyard, and that Gonzo and No-Doze are both dead. The revelation that Gonzo is also dead scares Walt and Jesse, and Walt insists that Jesse leave town. Walt returns home, where he avoids answering questions from Skyler.

Hank concludes that Gonzo returned to the junkyard and was not murdered, but instead was crushed by a car as he moved the body. At the White residence, Walt receives a phone call and goes outside, where Jesse is being held at gunpoint in his car by Tuco. Tuco forces Walt to enter the car.

Title meaning

The episode’s title references the amount of money Walt believes he needs in order to provide for his family, and is the first of several titles, when placed together, that foreshadow the Wayfarer 515 disaster. When together, they read "Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ".

Production

The episode was written by J. Roberts, and directed by Bryan Cranston. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 8, 2009.

Critical reception

The episode was well received. Donna Bowman, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the episode an A-. She praised Cranston both for his performance and for his directing ability.[1] Seth Amitin, of IGN, gave the episode an 8.7/10.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Bowman, Donna (March 8, 2009). "Breaking Bad: "Seven Thirty-Seven"". A.V. Club. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ Amitin, Seth (March 9, 2009). "Breaking Bad: "Seven Thirty-Seven" Review". IGN. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
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