"Breaking Bad" Kafkaesque (TV Episode 2010) Poster

(TV Series)

(2010)

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9/10
Jesse gets greedy
Tweekums16 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
With Hank steadily improving Walt has returned to work churning out the famous 'blue meth'; production is going so well they are actually above their quota. Jesse wants to hold some back for the next batch but Walt insists they just send it all. At this point Jesse gets angry; he things they are being ripped off; Gus may be paying them three million dollars for the meth but on the street he figures it is worth ninety six million! Hank isn't worried about that, his sole concern is what will happen at the end of the three months. During a hospital visit he learns that Hank was saved by a mystery phone call; a call he is sure came from Gus. When he puts his concerns to Gus he doesn't deny involving Hank and tells Walt he can continue working for him indefinitely. Jesse continues to get annoyed with the financial situation when Saul tries to set up a business that will enable him to launder his money and pay his taxes... as a criminal Jesse doesn't understand why he should pay taxes! As he and Walt are making more than their quota each week he has an idea to made more money for himself. Meanwhile Marie is worried about Hank's medical bills as their insurance doesn't offer the best cover; Skyler has a solution though... they can use the money Walt earned 'gambling'!

This episode showed that no matter how much money people earn they will always want more; Jesse would rather risk gaol than pay taxes and if he goes ahead and skims off the surplus meth made in the lab he will be crossing some very dangerous people indeed; Gus may appear mild mannered but he clearly isn't the sort of person who would think twice about having anybody who crossed him eliminated. Jesse, Skinny Pete and Badger also show just how low they'll go when they talk about 'blue meth' in the rehab group that was clearly meant to advertise it to the recovering addicts. It was nice to see Skyler get the better of Walt for once as she cleverly gave away a lot of his money without letting on where it really came from; Anna Gunn has done a fine job in this understated role from the beginning of the series but is often forgotten about because her character isn't doing dramatic things like the male protagonists Walt, Jesse and Hank.
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9/10
Kafkaesque (#3.9)
ComedyFan20102 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Great episode which brings us more of the characters and their development.

Jesse was great in this episode. "What is the point of being an outlaw if there come all the responsibilities"? His little dialogue with Saul was hilarious. I also liked his addiction meetings, good dialogue and as well how him and his friends used it to promote meth, evil.

I also must say that in this episode I had a feeling that maybe I will start liking Skylar. Hated her character so far, but her coming up with this whole gambling idea (no matter how ridiculous it sounded to me) to use drug money for Hank's therapy seemed like a character development into the right direction for me.
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8/10
What is the best you can do?
and_mikkelsen13 April 2023
What can you do to improve? Are you satisfied with the current state of things? Do you want more?

This really goes again with the characters in this episode! Walt, Jesse, Gus, Marie! They all reflect on whether things are good enough as they are! The title of the episode, mostly goes out to Jesse as he feels like.. this is not what I signed up for! That he is just getting exploited!

This is also the episode where Walt starts to realize what kind of man Gustavo is and where he stands now! Also great scenes at the sessions! Some thought provoking dialogue! Aaron Paul once again does great with his facial expressions!
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8/10
A Little Slow, But......
g-bodyl12 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is the ninth episode of the third season of Breaking Bad and while it's a little on the slow side, it is an appropriate time to add in some character development. Sure there was lots of talking involved, but these conversations were meaningful. And for once in this show, I can agree and even come to like Skylar's character and her proposition to pay for Hank's treatment.

In this episode, "Kafkaesque," Marie is confused and worried on how to pay for Hank's hospital bill and extensive physical therapy, but Skylar comes up with an interesting story so that Walt can pay the bill with his drug money. Meanwhile, Jesse joins an addict circle and he ensues a confrontation with Saul. Finally, Walt realizes that he only survived thanks to the intervention of Gus.

Overall, this is a little slow, talkative episode, but if you can look beyond that, then you should find meaning behind those words. Not a lot of action here, but some episodes don't need the action to effectively tell the story. I rate this episode 8/10.
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8/10
Evasive characters
yahaira-729-69470111 May 2023
The characters develop their archs. In this episode Skyler Is looking more like a narcissist as she gets to manipulate others and when she gets whatever security or feeling of safety she wants from either Ted or Walt she kicks them to the curb , so she is looking like a people user. Now she cooks up a story to explan Walts money windfall and to save Marie and Hank. That way she looks good to her sister and fabricates that Walt is a gambler with a fortune to spare the cash to pay Hanks medical bills . Walt goes along with Skylers plan that Walt lives a double life as a gambler. She envisions and saves face with Marie praising Walt's intelligence for beating the card counting. Skyler is deceptive and a master manipulator just as Walt is.
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9/10
Another good 'un
Leofwine_draca18 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Another good episode. The story moves on a lot here and some important conversations are had. Skyler is a focus and impresses with her inventiveness and seeing Walt and Jesse back together is somehow natural.
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9/10
Plans and independence
TheLittleSongbird8 June 2018
'Breaking Bad' is one of the most popular rated shows on IMDb, is one of those rarities where every season has either been very positively received or near-universally acclaimed critically and where all of my friends have said nothing but great things about.

Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.

Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.

"Kaftaesque" is not a Season 3, or 'Breaking Bad, high-point, but the slower and less-action-heavy approach to the episode is not really a hindrance. It is not a "taut" episode strictly speaking and other episodes of the season and show have more intensity. All that aside, "Kaftaesque" is still a great episode that in no way disgraces the show at all (far from it).

Visually, "Kaftaesque" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.

The writing in "Kafkaesque" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and tense, while also have a darkly wicked sense of humour, nail-biting tension and heart-tugging pathos. The story is texturally rich, intimate, tense and layered, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but taut.

Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and Anna Gunn is affecting. Dean Norris is once again terrific, he and the character of Hank add a good deal. The characters are compelling in their realism and the episode is strongly directed.

Overall, great as expected. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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8/10
Lesser But Still Good
Hitchcoc4 May 2018
First of all, Jesse is getting greedy and has no concept of the money needed to do the work they are doing. He figures he has the means to start up his own business, but it involves cheating some very dangerous people. Meanwhile, Hank's prospects are not good and his wife is at wit's end. But the coup de grace is Skyler coming up with quite the concluding tale. She blames Walter for Hank's condition, thinking that his drug dealing caused what happened. A little far fetched episode.
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7/10
What's up with the insurance?
jim-118531 March 2020
I like the show but it has a fatal flaw. The entire premise of the show is that Walt has terrible insurance so he has to sell meth to pay for his cancer treatment. He's a state employee who would have better insurance than almost anyone else. In this episode Hank has terrible insurance. Hank is a fed who would have better insurance than Walt. As someone who has to buy his insurance on the exchange I understand about compromise on coverage. My teacher friends and government employees have great benefits.
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8/10
Kafkaeaquekfosowkdjd
Trey_Trebuchet19 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The weakest episode for me so far in the show, but still good.

I legitimately have no clue what will become of Hank, but I'm both scared and excited to find out.

This isn't a super eventful episode, but it's still well acted and written, with some important moments. The conversation between Walt and Gus was especially written and acted well, and very crucial to whatever becomes of them both.

I do genuinely care and feel for Jesse, but man, using NA meetings to lure in customers... some of the most vile stuff you could ever do. Hated that, and it's evident that Jesse has something coming for him, given who he now works with/for. I'd hate to see Badger or Pete get in to serious danger, but...

I'm not totally sure how I feel about Skyler's story for how they'll be able to cover the insurance for Hank and Marie's bills, but seeing her basically put Walt in his place sort of made it worth it.

Highlights for me

the convocation between Gustavo and Walter

Jesse's dialogue on his NA circle

A good episode, just kind of slow as well.
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8/10
Some ways for changing the business
bellino-angelo201419 December 2023
When the episode begins we see how Gus Fring and his men work for selling the huge quantities of meth produced weekly by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, tho Jesse is not very happy that Walt is subdued by Gus and he has more money than them. In fact after a while Walt goes to Gus because he understood Gus' plan of breaking a fire fight between the mexicans and Hank Schrader once he'll be released from the hospital so that Gus will have his market free. While Skylar finds a way for paying Hank's cures Jesse finds a new way for gaining more money in his support group.

This was an ordinary episode with usual discussions between Walt and Gus, and also a continuation of Hank's hospital recovery. Good as most of the other episodes of the show.
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How dare you name such a poor episode after such a great writer?
stillworkingfortheknife23 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
What a shame that this episode uses Franz Kafka's name in its title. Comparing one of the best writers this world has ever seen to one of the most boring Breaking Bad episodes is not just audacious; it's quite outrageous, in my opinion. To be clear, this isn't necessarily a bad episode and I had a fine time watching it. However, when compared to the grandeur this series reaches from time to time, "Kafkaesque" is like an Adam Sandler movie.

Contrary to some episodes before it, "Kafkaesque" didn't bother me with flaws or bad writing/acting; it's just that this whole episode feels mostly useless. The story is evolving extremely slowly and we didn't even get to see Walt and Jesse cooking again! In addition, there are even more dull scenes at the hospital and way too much screen time for Skyler, Marie, and these addict meetings Jesse partakes in. On the bright side though, Bob Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aaron Paul did a praiseworthy acting job and helped me not to fall asleep during all the overlong conversations. That especially goes for Skyler's ginormous lie at the end of the episode that was one of the most unnecessary things to have ever happened on Breaking Bad.

Was there anything Kafkaesque about this episode? Well, not really, but I found the fact that this show's quality can differ so extremely from episode to episode to be rather shocking. This time, I surely was unfulfilled with what I got to see and not even singular good scenes such as the opening commercial for Los Pollos Hermanos or the ridiculous conversation Jesse and Saul shared in the nail salon could make me enjoy "Kafkaesque".
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