"Grilled" is the second episode of the second season of Breaking Bad and the ninth episode altogether.
Out in the desert, a red lowrider riddled with bullet holes bounces wildly on its hydraulic suspension system. Shards of glass, spent casings and drops of blood litter the ground. As the license plate reading "THECAPN" is finally revealed, we realize this is Jesse Pinkman's car.
Summary
Hank Schrader briefs his DEA team about a raid on Tuco Salamanca's headquarters. "Get a big ole raging hard-on at the idea of catching this piece of shit," he tells them. After rallying the troops, Hank tells Steven Gomez he's taking personal leave to search for Walter White, who has gone missing.
Over at Walt's house, Sgt. Tim Roberts questions Skyler White about the events leading up to Walt's disappearance. Skyler says that Walt was agitated about something, but that he didn't explain what it was. In the desert, Tuco releases Jesse and Walt from the trunk of Jesse's car.
Skyler and Marie distribute "Missing" posters of Walt. Marie tries to use the occasion to try to explain "the whole tiara thing," but Skyler cuts her off: "Not now."
Meanwhile, Tuco takes Walt and Jesse to a ramshackle house, where his ailing uncle Hector Salamanca lives. Tuco orders Walt and Jesse to empty their pockets. Among Walt's belongings is the ricin-laced meth and his wallet, which reveals to Tuco his true identity. "I like doing business with a family man," Tuco says. "There is always a lot of collateral."
Tuco grabs Walt by the neck and asks if he can trust him. "Absolutely," Walt replies. After railing about his suspicions that Gonzo snitched to the DEA, Tuco says he wants to get high. Jesse tries to convince him to sample the poisoned meth but Tuco balks at its "head cheese" smell. Jesse improvises, saying it contains a "secret ingredient," chili powder, but Tuco opts for the "blue magic" he bought at the junkyard, claiming he hates the spice.
One snort gets Tuco so ripped he wants to shoot Jesse, but Walt intervenes, after which Tuco announces that his cousins are coming to smuggle Tuco and Walt into Mexico, where Walt will be able to cook meth 24/7. As for Jesse, he'd better hope there's room in the trunk for him.
Back at the White household, Marie lets slip to Skyler her suspicion that Walt had a second cell phone. She thinks maybe Walt used it to contact his marijuana dealer: Jesse. Hank says this is grasping at straws, but Marie insists Hank should question him.
Hank visits Jesse's mom, who reveals that Jesse drives a red Monte Carlo that he converted to a lowrider. Hank calls Gomez to find out if Jesse installed a LoJack car-tracking system, and, if so, to try to get a fix on the vehicle's location.
Back at his uncle's shack, Tuco slices at raw meat, preparing to cook burritos while a TV news report details the demise of Gonzo and No-Doze. Walt changes the channel, afraid that Tuco will suspect him and Jesse of ratting him out should he learn that Gonzo is dead and not a DEA informant.
Jesse suggests Walt sacrifice himself and attack Tuco before he learns of Gonzo's fate. "Oh, so my life is not the priority here, because I'm going to be dead soon anyway?" Walt asks. He proposes instead that they slip Tuco the ricin in his food.
Tuco's mute uncle, Tio, catches Walt trying to lace Tuco's burrito and repeatedly rings the bell attached to his wheelchair to warn his nephew. Tuco misreads Tio's warnings as a request to trade burritos, but when he gives his uncle the poisoned burrito Tio knocks the plate to the floor. Shaking, Tio points a finger at Walt.
After the meal, Tio continues to ring his bell until Tuco realizes that his uncle is trying to warn him about Walt and Jesse.
Outside, holding a gun to Jesse's head, Tuco gets Walt to admit that he tried to poison him. "You're an insane, degenerate piece of filth," Walt says. "And you deserve to die." Enraged, Tuco takes his eyes off Jesse, who pulls a rock out of the ground and smashes Tuco's head with it. During the ensuing scuffle, Walt grabs Tuco's assault rifle and Jesse ends up with his pistol, shooting the drug dealer in his side.
"Let him bleed," Walt tells Jesse. The two hustle to Jesse's car, but quickly realize they don't have the keys. Another car approaches from the distance. Thinking it belongs to Tuco's cousins, they scramble out of Jesse's Monte Carlo, leaving the rifle behind. But the arriving vehicle belongs to Hank.
Tuco hobbles over to Jesse's car just as Hank pulls up. Reaching into the car for the rifle, Tuco accidentally activates the vehicle's hydraulic system. Hank and Tuco fire away at each other until Hank finally hits Tuco with a fatal head shot.
Walt, watching from a distance as his brother-in-law emerges from the firefight, grabs Jesse's arm and the two run into the desert.
Credits
Main Cast
- Bryan Cranston as Walter White
- Anna Gunn as Skyler White
- Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
- Dean Norris as Hank Schrader
- Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
- RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr.
Supporting Cast
- Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca
- Tess Harper as Mrs. Pinkman
- Mark Margolis as Hector "Tio" Salamanca
- Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez
- Nigel Gibbs as Sgt. Tim Roberts
- Dana Cortez as Herself
Trivia
- This episode marks the first appearance of Hector Salmanaca
- When Walt and Jesse arrive at Tuco's uncle house, he is watching the mexican movie "El Mago" (1948), starring by mexican comic Cantinflas.
- When Tuco uses the M4 at the beginning of the episode, it has what appears to be an ACOG optic attached. When Walt uses the weapon at the end of the episode, the optic is missing. The ACOG sight is removed by Tuco Salamanca after his shooting practice inside the house.
Featured Music
- "Red Moon" by The Walkmen (while Skyler and Marie pass flyers out)
- "Unknown Track #1" by Unknown Artist (while Walt and Jesse are prisoners of Tuco, a Latin guitarist is shown singing on a Spanish-language TV music channel)
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