Breaking Bad Episode 407: Problem Dog

Ben Leuner/AMC

A common trait in the modern television series is the dreaded Setup Episode, in which major storylines and characters hold serve in an attempt to “set up” the basic conflicts for the rest of the season. In a 20+ episode season, one can expect to see 2 or 3 Setup Episodes. Breaking Bad has been, aside from the strike-shortened first season, a 13 episode show. It stands to reason that the setup episodes would occur around the 7 or 8 mark (and they have, such as last season’s “I See You”). Setup Episodes have a reputation of being slow moving, ponderous and unexciting. Make no mistake: “Problem Dog” was a Setup Episode.

But, by Bob Dylan, was it a good one.

One can be excused from seeing the episode’s first two scenes and thinking that this week’s fix of Breaking Bad would be knock-down, drag out action fest Season 4 seems to have been building to. As an aside, am I the only one who’s noticed how misleading some of the episode titles have been this season. “Thirty Eight Snub,” “Bullet Points,” “Shotgun,” “Cornered,” etc? It’s like the creative team is purposefully making all of Season 4′s titles into Action Red Herrings.

Anyways, aside from those first two scenes (Jesse playing Rage, Walter making the Challenger go all explodey), this was a low key hour of television, with more than one storyline being put into motion for the remaining six episodes. Here’s a rundown:

• Hank methodically hunting down and possibly destroying Gus’ Los Pollos Hermanos empire, with or without the DEA’s help (Merkert’s gotta be a Fring plant, right?).
• Walter possibly snapping out of his emasculated funk and making some potentially disastrous decisions, replete with requisite Heisenberg hat and various exploding chemicals.
• Jesse playing the part of company man in an effort to kill his boss with that old Breaking Bad standby; death by Ricin.
• On the other hand, Jesse’s loyalty, to everyone, seems to be in question. He obviously won’t be offing Walt anytime soon, but he doesn’t seem too keen on Ricin-ing Gustavo anytime soon. Oh, Aaron Paul. Your smoldering vulnerability will be the death of this show’s female fanbase.
• The cartel and Gus’ empire in an all out drug war, the type Hank and his DEA pals were so terrified of way back in Season 1.
• Skyler being vaguely bitchy, Marie being outwardly bitchy.

Alright, a couple of those aren’t exactly new development (the last one seems to have been a running plotline for about…40 episodes or so.), but they all took that exponential leap from Possible Future Concern to Immediate Problem. Gus, in particular, seems to have found himself  in a rea; Shit/Fan scenario, though it’s not like anyone in their right mind expected him to survive the season (which, this being Breaking Bad, of course means that he’ll be the figurative and literal Last Man Standing). Look for the Chicken Man to take out as many of his enemies as Fring-ingly possible, and also for Mike to switch sides when the inevitable collapse happens. The end is beginning, and if this episode is any indication, it’s going to be brilliant.

Completely Arbitrary Episode Score: A (or 94 out of 100)