It's Walt's 51st birthday. His return to the drug business causes Skyler to go into depression.It's Walt's 51st birthday. His return to the drug business causes Skyler to go into depression.It's Walt's 51st birthday. His return to the drug business causes Skyler to go into depression.
Bob Odenkirk
- Saul Goodman
- (credit only)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWithin this episode Walter replaces both his calculator watch and 2004 Pontiac Aztec, which were integral parts of his representation as a mild-mannered suburban school teacher. The respectively sleeker models they are replaced with, and the recovery of his signature pork pie hat, symbolize his final consumption by the Heisenberg persona.
- GoofsThe 30-day tag on Walter's new car expires on August 12, 2012; this episode is set in 2009, exactly one year after Walter White was introduced on his 50th birthday in 2008.
- Quotes
Hank Schrader: [all of sudden Skyler goes to the pool] Hey, pool party.
- Crazy creditsBryan Cranston is credited both as an actor and a producer. For his actor credits (Br) is highlighted and for his producer credits (Y) is highlighted for chemical elements Bromine and Yttrium from periodic table.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards (2013)
Featured review
Birthdays, drugs and depression
'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.
"Fifty-One" may not have the tight pace, being more of a slow burner (nothing wrong with that, 'Breaking Bad' does slow burners well), and red-hot intensity of the best episodes or the Season 5 opener, but everything that makes 'Breaking Bad' as a show so great is present. It may be something of a "filler" episode, with other episodes doing better in story and character advancing, but it's a great one. Skylar is written a little too neurotically at times, making it not always easy to root for her situation, but there is really not much to complain about.
Visually, "Fifty-One" 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 "Fifty-One" 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. The supporting cast are both intriguing and entertaining, especially Dean Norris. The characters are compelling in their realism, likewise with their chemistry, and the episode is superbly directed.
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.
"Fifty-One" may not have the tight pace, being more of a slow burner (nothing wrong with that, 'Breaking Bad' does slow burners well), and red-hot intensity of the best episodes or the Season 5 opener, but everything that makes 'Breaking Bad' as a show so great is present. It may be something of a "filler" episode, with other episodes doing better in story and character advancing, but it's a great one. Skylar is written a little too neurotically at times, making it not always easy to root for her situation, but there is really not much to complain about.
Visually, "Fifty-One" 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 "Fifty-One" 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. The supporting cast are both intriguing and entertaining, especially Dean Norris. The characters are compelling in their realism, likewise with their chemistry, and the episode is superbly directed.
helpful•613
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 22, 2018
Details
- Runtime47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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