I think Walt definitely cares about Jesse. But Jesse has made Walt into something of a father figure, while Walt doesn’t treat Jesse like a son in any way. If anything, he’s a bit avuncular, and that’s it.
I agree that this fits in with all of Walt’s relationships, and Jesse’s too. Walt tries to keep people at a distance while Jesse is crying out for attention, caring, and connection. We saw that in his relationship with Jane and that very very difficult scene with his parents in front of his aunt’s house. I think he maintains his friendships with Badger and Skinny Pete partially because they’re some of the only “family” that he has.
This episode served the purpose of rebuilding the friendship between Walt and Jesse. At one time they were quite close, when they were cooking and dealing together. Then Jesse went solo in cooking on his own which ticked off Walt. Then Walt went to work for Gus which pissed off Jesse. While I think Walt has some emotional attachment to Jesse his main reason for keeping Jesse close was to keep him from blowing his Heisenberg cover. With this episode they’re becoming closer again as partners and buddies. This episode did not have pulse-pounding excitement of recent ones, but it was one of the best ones in the series.
I missed this episode (that’s the second time I’ve done that! Good LORD, the weird feeling you keep getting on Sunday nights like you’re forgetting something? That’s your subconscious trying to get you to watch Breaking Bad!!).
And, I’ll say it again, I think the replay schedule for this show is absolutely horrible. Episodes play only twice in the week after, both at around 1:00 AM??? Look, I know there’s several assumptions: 1) AMC’s not responsible if you blow off That Nagging Feeling, 2) shouldn’t you get a DVR, you loser? and 3) we can charge more for ads if there’s only one real chance to watch the show each week, but goddamn! The price I pay for forgetting to watch this show is sooooo The Suck.
(Oh, and 4) If you love it so much, buy the DVDs!)
I know! It took a long time for me to stop tuning to HBO or Showtime on Sunday, because that’s where the good TV has been. AMC? That crappy movie network?
As for Walt’s affection for Jesse, it’s just a gut feeling, but I think he cares for the kid. But we can’t be sure, because when Walt’s done something nice for Jesse, there’s also been a self-serving reason. Warning Jesse about the pilfering, taking him to rehab – that helps Walt too. So it’s hard to know for sure.
So the episode was originally called “Fly”, according to the review. And there are only 3 more episodes in this season? Lord, when does Dexter start up again?!
That review was a good read even if you didn’t miss the episode.
The actual episode title is “Fly.” The OP named the episode “My Dinner with Andre” to poke fun at the lack of action. It’s worth pointing out that the OP later clarified that s/he (apologies) found My Dinner with Andre to be interesting despite its reputation as boring, so it wasn’t done in a meanspirited, mocking way.
Hi, sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but it looks like it’s allowed . Anyway I happened to be rewatching My Dinner with Andre today for the first time since high school theater class, and was struck by something interesting.
When Wally and Andre first reunite in the restaurant…
Wally to Andre: “Wow, you look terrific!”
Andre: “Wow, I feel terrible!”
Andre goes on to explain why he had to abandon his family who he loved very much and thought about constantly, in order to live fully and find the person he truly was through his art.
In Breaking Bad’s final episode as Walt and Skylar reunite at home…
Skylar to Walt: “You look terrible.”
Walt to Skylar: “Yeah, but I feel good.”
Walt goes on to explain that he did everything he did (including leaving his family who he loved very much and thought about constantly) for himself, because doing this work made him feel alive, and he was good at it.
Probably a coincidence, I’m sure similar dialog and situations like this are commonplace, but I still thought it was an interesting parallel, and I liked that the OP of this thread had found another comparison.
Andre also goes on to say “Who did I think I was, a Princess? The Shah of Iran?” And suggests that he thought the ordinary rules of society didn’t apply to him.
I wasn’t a Breaking Bad viewer at the time this one aired, but I still think this was a great episode. From a writing standpoint it’s a clinic: so much happens between the characters even though there isn’t a lot of action, particularly Walt’s almost-confession, and the cinematography was brilliant.