The Clash of two Downs

3.4.2025

It is only in the last minutes that Walter and Jesse meet each other in this episode.
In this limited time their interactions are very hostile and violent.
Both of them experience very hard times before that. Jesse gets kicked out of his home and gets his bike stolen. After no one will take him in he decides to break into the scrapyard to sleep in the RV where he crashes into a portable toilet. So all in all it is pretty obvious that he is having a rough day. This eventually leads him, to drive to Walters house and ask him for his half of the money.
But Walters day hasn’t been easy either. After his cover story he tries to keep a low profile and acts extra nice around Skylar.
But she is having none of that and does not buy his act. His anger is fueled by her distance and lack of willingness to talk to him.
Throughout the episode we experience how everything gets worse for these to characters and the emotions are tightened.
When Jesse pulls up on Walters driveway he snaps and screams at him which eventually results in a small fight where Jesse strangles him.
The title Down fits perfectly to describe their emotional state in this episode but also their physical state. Laying with their backs on the ground, filmed from above their literally on their lowest. I really liked how this summed up the episode and their emotional distress. Being the two people which are responsible for their situation, even when they won’t admit it, they let it out on each other.