"Half Measures" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the
third season of the American television drama series ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited h ...
'', and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on
AMC in the United States on June 6, 2010.
Plot
Skyler White
Skyler White (née Lambert) is a fictional character in ''Breaking Bad'', portrayed by Anna Gunn. For her performance, Gunn received critical acclaim, with some critics even lauding her character as the template for television anti-heroines.
...
pushes
Walt to accept her plan of
laundering his drug money through the
car wash
A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...
. Meanwhile,
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series ''Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White ( Bryan Cranston). J ...
begins to plot against the drug dealers who killed
Combo Ortega
''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its se ...
. He buys blue
meth from the gang responsible, confirming that Combo's killers work for
Gus Fring
Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel '' Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwest ...
. Jesse tells Walt and asks him to make
ricin
Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of bo ...
to exact revenge. Although Walt appears troubled by the gang's
use of children, he dismisses the plan. Jesse replies he will kill them with or without help.
Convinced Jesse is likely to do something rash, Walt visits
Saul Goodman
James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major character i ...
and they plan to have Jesse jailed, albeit briefly, to cool down. Meanwhile,
Marie Schrader wheels
out of the hospital, after betting she can arouse him during a sponge bath.
Mike Ehrmantraut
Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character in ''Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel '' Better Call Saul'', portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goo ...
makes an unannounced visit to Walt at home and reveals he also works for Gus, who would "take it as a problem" if Jesse would be jailed. Mike then tells Walt a story from his years as a cop, in which he laments over showing mercy to an alcoholic, continually abusive husband who subsequentely killed his wife. Mike tells Walt he chose a "half measure" instead of killing the husband, and warns: "No more half measures."
Jesse plants ricin in hamburgers intended for Gus' dealers but is unable to find them at their usual location. He is stopped by Mike and
Victor who bring him to a meeting with Gus, Walt, and the two targeted dealers. After tense negotiations, the Gus promises his dealers will stop using children as pawns, and Jesse reluctantly promises to "keep the peace." On their way back, Walt tries to calm down the furious Jesse, who refuses to respond.
That night,
Tomás is killed, and Jesse and his girlfriend
Andrea
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that r ...
rush to the scene. He realizes the two street dealers have executed Tomás, as he is no longer of value to them. During dinner with his family, Walt learns the same news on TV and abruptly leaves.
Jesse watches the dealers from afar and snorts meth for the first time since rehab. He draws his gun and slowly approaches the two dealers, who draw their own guns and prepare for a confrontation. Suddenly, Walt plows into both dealers with his car, killing one and badly injuring the other. Walt gets out of his car, picks up the injured dealer's gun, and shoots him dead. Walt then tells an utterly shocked Jesse one word: "Run."
Reception
Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including the Critics' Choice Television ...
won the
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode.
In
IGN's review, the episode is called "fun, creative, well-directed, well-acted and set us up for what's going to be an awesome finale", and was given a 9.7 rating.
In 2019,
The Ringer ranked "Half Measures" as the 15th best out of the 62 total ''Breaking Bad'' episodes.
References
External links
"Half Measures"at the official ''Breaking Bad'' site
*
{{Breaking Bad episodes
2010 American television episodes
Breaking Bad (season 3) episodes
Television episodes written by Peter Gould