Why The Best 'Breaking Bad' Episode Is The Most Hated | The Art Of Film 

People probably hated it because when it originally aired they had been waiting a week and after it they had to wait another week. We're really lucky to have the luxury of streaming

What do you mean "Fly" didn't have a major character death, did the fly mean NOTHING to you?!

Everyone misunderstands this episode. The fly was gonna replace Walt as Gustavo's cook, so they had to kill him. The fly may be one of the most threatening antagonists in the series. Rian Lil Johnson is a master of subversion.

I think it also really showed how fragile his empire was, the fact that a single fly could possibly be the death of him.

I’ll take a fly that refuses to die over any scene with skylar and Ted alone together any day of the week

***Correction*** The entire plot of breaking bad is to make Huell happy

I use to hate this episode but the realization that Lalo Salamanca reincarnated himself as a fly to annoy Walter White is peak comedy.

I think this episode still has relevance as when Jesse later has to speak to the foreign team of scientists, he brings up the hygiene and overall poor condition of the lab. Even though he doesn't fully agree with Walter about the fly, he has essentially taken in this information without even realising it at the time and begins to respect the process and science behind their product. After all, most the time it's the subtle things that make sense down the road that really blow your mind away when it comes to this show and it's amazing story-telling.

One episode about a fly is better than the entire Season 8 of Game of Thrones

Walter can literally fart in an episode and have so much meaning behind it.

I remember when I first watched Fly after it was over I immediately thought "this is my favorite episode so far." It was such a nice break from the constant action and dread, just a chance for the characters to look back on the past and grow closer. I was shocked to see how universally despised it is

I also liked the fly being a symbol/allegory for guilt over Jane's death. Jesse is the one who ends up killing the fly, as he is the one to properly move on from it, whereas at the end of the episode, Walt hears a fly buzzing in his room when he's trying to sleep.

I think the people who hated the fly episode were people who watched it live and the people who loved it where people who binge watched it, for the people who watched it live they waited one whole week and we're disappointed, for the people who binge watched it they watched it and moved on to the next episode. I've binge watched it and I like it

"The best thing about Breaking Bad is its consistency" *fat Todd has entered the chat*

His maniac laugh in the S04E11, where he finds his money is gone to Ted, is one of the most rich scenes in TV history

Not only does it move the plot foward, but its one of the most sincere moments between Walt and Jesse. Possibly one of the most crucial episodes. I think your looking at it wrong. The entire episode is a giant metaphor for walts guilt. The contamination is the Breaking Bad that has infested walts life and how his actions effect other people. Good video.✌

“It’s a show that doesn’t waste a single moment” Flynn: Hold my breakfast

The Fly was one of the best episode in my opinion. Brilliant acting by the Fly.

It’s not about nothing. It’s about Walt trying to confront his “contaminated” actions and, since he can’t do that (like telling Jessie about Jane) he externalizes all on that fly. What makes me think like that is the final shot of the fly in his bedroom. He is still “contaminated”. It’s quite brilliant, I think!

I absolutely LOVE "The Fly". Its all about the script. The dialogue! The conversations. Love it.

You know a series is good when the lowest rated episode has a massive cult following.

The best aspect of this show is how well it shows Walter’s manipulation skills. He’s so good at it that you as a viewer fall for it as well. He kills the most people and does the most horrific acts. But he somehow makes you feel bad for him. You still see him as the good guy in every episode.

Loved the tension you felt when Walter almost told Jessie ab him being there when his girl passed

God im so glad this show is being talked about again. I miss this universe so much even with all the horrible shit that happens inside it lol

I wonder if they included the fly in the 270 death count..

God I cannot even imagine waiting for weeks and years to complete all the season. One thing I am thankful to this generation, being born on late 70s is being able to binge watch all 5 season of Breaking Bad in one week 😊

I actually really like this episode, a breather, a moment of relapse, and as someone who gets anxiety quite easily, somthing like this helps levitate tensions for a lil bit.

The episode goes to show about how Walt is feeling guilty over his actions and the fly represents his conscience. No matter how hard he tries, he can't swipe away the feelings of guilt. At the end of the episode, he realizes he will feel that way forever and just accepts it.

Insider: This episode represents the entire series. Writers: hehe fly go bizzz

The fly is an incredibly important episode showing Walt lose his moral compass... How could you hate it?

Thanks for breaking this down, its frustrating when people say this episode sucks just because they have no attention spans and need shootouts, deaths, or explosions in every episode.

I love it when Jesse tries to sneak and start making the meth and walt appears out of no where and scarily says "what are you doing?"

I personally think Fly is a great episode, but it’s sure as hell not the best in the series for me.

when Jesse asks "but what about the contamination" and Walt replies "its all contaminated" that was just genius

Also my English teacher told me the fly represents evil and how Walter doesn’t let it in and try’s to fight it but in a later episode when he’s cooking in the fumigation house there’s a fly and Walt doesn’t really mind it showing how the evil is taken over and Walter is fine with it

The highest rated episode "ozymandias" and the lowest rated episode "fly" are directed by the same person; Rian Johnson

This episode shows how narcissistic Walt is. Which lead to his rise and downfall. It shows Jesse’s heart and innocence, willing to help Walt even though it’s ridiculous. This was an amazing video. I absolutely love videos like this.

Walter's actions can not be justified, but I believe he does feel guilty about his actions. He first stated that he just wanted to make enough money for his family to survive when he was gone. He did that when he sold the meth to Gus in the second season but things keep getting in his way from accomplishing his way of doing things. He can no longer tell the truth to even himself because he knows chaos will erupt and will lose everything.

Man, the fly being attracted by the smell of decomposing corpses is one of the best writing decisions made.

“Doesn’t waste a single moment” Vince Gilligan: Makes 5 minute scenes of dialogue-free breakfast.

It’s not even remotely close to a bad ep it’s such a character developing ep and it was deep

You go to museums where they hang blank art and say “you just don’t get it”

Man, the latest Better Call Saul episode really just turned the "worst" episode of Breaking Bad into one of the most chilling episodes in the entire franchise.

That episode scared the shit out of me when Walt breaks down and starts talking about Jesse and Jane. I thought he was gonna tell Jesse he killed Jane

I loved this episode. Such a nice look at Walter’s guilt and psychology.

I remember watching this episode when I was at my dads house. He would always just kinda watch along whenever I was watching breaking bad (this was like the 5th time that I watched this series). He never rly enjoyed the series too much but he knew the characters and started asking questions about why certain things were happened during the show. He ended up enjoying s5 a lot more because there was an insane amount of stuff happening at that point. But before that, I was watching this episode. He actually kinda enjoyed this one more then others. The jokes were top notch. I mean Jesse asking about an Ebola virus outbreak was the funniest part and it made us both laugh. Hes a great father, but theres just something special about your father enjoying watching a show you're a number 1 fan of for years. He never watches any tv series that have an ongoing plot/story.

The thing i like about this episode is that it shows the two different perspectives of these men. Not about just a fly; but about the business. Jesse just wanted to get his money and get on with it. Not worrying about the bull shit stuff. Walter couldn't let the little things go. Revenge, micro issues. And sometimes to his detriment. Sometimes.

Wait what? I genuinely didn't know this was a hated episode. I've always liked this episode and so do my friends who also watch

Jesse: When you say a contamination, I’m thinking Ebola leak or something.. White: Ebola? Jesse: It’s a disease on the discovery channel where all your intestines just slip right outta your butts White: I know what Ebola is, thank you very much. Now tell me, what would a West African virus be doing in our lab, huh?

Fly is not the best episode. But it does not deserve the hate, I personally really enjoyed it.

Excellent video. I admit I’ve watched other episodes of BB multiple times but have only watched Fly once because of the reasons you listed. I think I’ll watch it again with a new perspective.

this episode is really underrated and a work of art... that ladder scene when walter is holding the ladder and talking to jesse.... that was just so damn amazing

Honestly my favorite episode. It just shows how much Walter is affected by the crime, how Jesse is coping with his girlfriends death, and the guilt of walt killing her. It's just brilliant

I never hated fly, just don't think its the best.

That fly is Lalo Salamanca

Me and my friend watched BB together but sometimes seperate and I told him I skipped fly and he's a huge cinematography nerd and told me to rewatch it and that it was an amazing episode, I rewatched it and understood what he meant, it really is a beautiful episode if you just take a second to understand it

9:38 is probably my favorite shot in the entire series- the fly suddenly appearing on the light. It’s so creepy and looks like something out of Twin Peaks.

When I first watched this episode, about 20 minutes in I thought, "did they seriously dedicate an entire episode to Walter killing a fly?" But as the episode progressed I became more and more interested in the dialogue, and at the end I just thought about and analyzed what Walter had said.

Your explanation is excellent

Lalo is the fly.

Walk freaks out about one lone fly in the lab but has the idea to secretly cook in bug infested houses.

Walt was hell bent on killing that fly coz he didn't want contamination, the same way he later killed Gus, Mike and jailed guys coz he didn't want to even take a chance, those guys (like the fly) were contamination in Walt's world. That's my understanding of that episode.

This episode was my favorite (besides the finale)!! It was funny the first half and heartfelt the second, it was nice to see Walter and Jesse talk, because they have such a great dynamic.

I’d rather have an entire episode of Walt and Jesse cooking meth with some casual conversation sprinkled in

For me that episode was meaningful and has the plot. Walter is going mad and their differences became obvious. Because of the great actors you can feel a lot of things. And great movies doesn't need the big scene or budget. 12 angry men for example.

Yes! This is my favorite episode for sure it just hits everything perfectly. It has this weird conflict that is really silly but turns into something serious and shows us the kind of relationship Jesse and Walt have. I really love this episode!

Every time I get into a series I appreciate thee type of episodes. Character interactions when they are in a situation.. I never knew they called it bottled episodes but thanks to this video it taught me what it is and I like them

Above all, this episode wanted to express Walter's hidden emotion or in other word, obsession. Walter was tired. The episode opened up his thoughts and tiredness by something very simple. a Fly! That's how you can go deeper to someone's mind and communicate. The goal of the episode is that the audience see how Walter exactly feels and how anxious he is in that situation.

Imagine my face when I realized that Rian Johnson directed this episode. He also directed quite possibly the best episode of the series, Ozymandias.

I couldn’t understand why everyone hated this episode especially since there have been episodes that were much more boring. This episode magnifies one of the biggest traits about Walter, that being his obsession over this work.

Excellent analysis

who tf hates this episode? There is not even a SIGNLE second in this series that I didn't like watching

Fly is about madness, paranoia, and anxiety. My favorite shot in the episode is at the end, when Walter is staring at a blinking smoke alarm light, and the shadow of the fly can be seen. The fly is dead, but it was never about the fly. Edit: This episode is also an example of a trope that a lot of TV shows indulge in (but few dramas...) The "trapped in a room" trope, where characters are stuck in one room together, with only their personalities to interact with. DOUBLE EDIT: THE TROPE IS CALLED A BOTTLE EPISODE?!

It was funny to see this episode develop into an episode on catching annoying fly but it really left a mark on me. It is one of the most memorable episodes out of its main event but it is a much needed episode for such a tense tv series where our two main characters stay in the same place trying hard to catch one fly and talking over what they are going through. It was a relaxing episode compared to the flow of that season or the whole series.

This episode has a much darker meaning to it now after Better Call Saul's "Point and Shoot" episode.

the one thing I felt boring in this show was marie and Skyler scenes.

This episode isn’t even that bad it’s basically an hour of character development and it barely has Fillers

I just started watching the series (I know, I'm very late to the party) and though I've liked a lot of the other episodes, this was the one that made me go "Wow! This is a great show!". I immediately looked it up afterwards and was shocked to see it having such a low rating compared to the other episodes. I loved how surreal everything felt, and I was genuinely on the edge of my seat everytime Walt and Jesse talked, because I felt like Walt was gonna confess to killing Jane at any moment. Loved it!

Never knew this episode was that controversial. One of my favourites tbh. Always reminded me of Mad Men's 'The Suitcase' episode, which is another of my favourites of that series, and now I understand why now that you've pointed out the 'bottle episode' idea.

The “Bottle Episode” is such an interesting topic for me. I think any good show should have one and Breaking Bad hits it out of the park with Fly. As someone who’s so interested in film, I love it when an entire episode focuses on just one or a few characters and just one location, yet can keep the audience entertained just as well as any other. These episodes can only be successful when there’s deep character development, and Fly achieves just that. Two of my favorite bottle episodes are Brian & Stewie (Family Guy - S8 Ep17) and Free Churro (BoJack Horseman - S5 Ep6). These both being animated shows takes the “Bottle Episode” to the extreme, as with animation moving location isn’t a thing. The writers are challenging themselves to make something great. Now Family Guy is typically every other sitcom, they make their dirty jokes, set up their cutaway gags, play their typical sitcom music during the establishment shot, none of which were present in this episode. There’s no music at all, no cutaways, no Peter, just Stewie and Brian for 30 minutes. There isn’t even a gag at the end. The plot goes that the two are locked in a bank vault after they accidentally get shut in when the bank closes for the day, they eventually reveal their true feelings about each other and question their existence and purpose in life. This is a surprisingly deep episode for a goofy cartoon, and I think about this episode often. BoJack Horseman’s Free Churro episode is literally Will Arnett talking to himself for the entire runtime, and, in my opinion, the greatest bottle episode made. It’s just one character, excluding the opening scene flashback. The plot is BoJack is coming to terms with his abusive mother’s passing while delivering her eulogy, confused on why he feels sad that the woman he’s hated forever is now dead. He goes on of how his mother’s final words, who was a bit loopy at the end, were “I See You” as she looked in his direction. He brings this up multiple times, conjuring up theories of how it was his mother finally acknowledging him, only to realize at the end of the episode she was reading an “Intensive Care Unit” sign. Upon realization, he explains how his mother never showed him any compassion, realizing that he’s sad not because his mother is dead, it’s that his dream of having a real, loving relationship with his mother is dead, and he’ll never have it. It’s a heartbreaking realization, and one of the greatest character development I may have scene ever and an absolute shame Will Arnett never got an Emmy for it

the fly represent something out of his control, walt can´t get rid of it.

really stunned by the Godot parallelism, great video man.

what a fantastic episode, I subscribed cause it was so interesting!

Man as I was watching this episode, I just knew this was probably the best episode of the Series. First half, I was like, 'what's happening? Is this episode actually gonna go anywhere?'. But just after the half way point, I realised, this episode is special. This is greatness. And by the end of it, with half the seasons still left to go, I already knew, this was my favourite episode. Just dialogue, exceptional writing, genuine emotions and exceptional acting. This one episode tells us more about these 2 characters, than the whole show. I like that few others feel the same.

"You haven't been using our product have you?" When Jesse asks Walt that, I crack up every time. He wasn't wrong to ask it either because I've seen some meth heads do some weird shit when they are focused on doing something.

I knew which episode this would be about just from reading the title, I watched it on a long bus ride in a foreign country and it had me on the edge of my seat the entire episode. It really stuck with me, it was such a nice palate cleanser and really well executed. I never would have guessed it was due to budget cuts, it seemed very intentional.

I honestly didn't know ANYONE hated this episode until I watched online clips and saw comments. This episode seemed like a very much needed episode. Every good series I find, there's usually an episode where characters are either stuck somewhere, or in a place for the entire episode, alone with just them and their thoughts and it's usually those episodes that work harder than others because it has to work with less and still try to do better.

I loved this episode. It felt so isolating and we’re just alone with Walt and Jesse’s thoughts

i unironically loved fly. it stood out amongst the other episodes and was great for character development. it’s a nice little break from the insanity.

To me its a really important episode to picture how Walt gets when loosing control especially in his own element. That short sequence when he reminds his mother as a disturbing presence makes it all

I'm not done with this series, but so far this is an easy favorite. Even before I watched it, I saw the description and was excited for it; I love seeing Walter and jesses dynamic so much

Walt cares about Jesse after all (and I love them together). This series is by far the most brilliant I've ever seen.

I was dying of laughter for too long to remember when he was trying to catch the fly and fell off the railing. And then Jesse hitting him with the swatter.

I like to imagine, that walts hat gets stuck in the ceiling in this episode. And when they burn the place, and when hank shows up the hat is found

Im really late with this reaction but this episode is perfect to me. It shows that Walt truly loves his job. And wanted everything to go perfect. At this point Walt cared for his job. It shows him transforming into Heisenberg. And him slowly losing his way into the criminal life.

*S04 E11 Crawl Space* .... One of *the greatest* and my personal favourite. When walter loses faith in himself and take drastic measures to save his family from evil. Thinks it's the endgame for him, he tries, but he isn't able to do anything, at last, that moment of desperation of Walter White , the emotional outburst so bad, he screams and cries and laughs so hard............... *I was frozen on my couch, chills running down my spine, heart pounding heavily + it was fuckin 2:00AM which really freaked me out as I wasn't ready for that.*

I'm just glad i was able to binge watch the whole show (2 weeks). I don't think I would've had the patience to wait for a new episode to air on TV on a weekly basis, especially with all those cliffhangers! 😂

I watched Breaking Bad on Netflix first and skipped Fly when I bought the DVDs. But now I love the episode because it shows the real monotony that days can be, our thoughts during the monotony, how we deal with other people during monotony, our relationship with each other during monotonous times together, and how we approach seemingly inconsequential problems that keep nipping away at our heads until it's sorted out.

Watching this episode the meaning was just so clear. This show really summed up a deeper theme... It really just elaborated his will and why he does the things he does etc metaphorically. I really really appreciate this episode idk why ppl found it annoying or pointless

This was a great episode and deeper look into Jesse and Walts relationship