The deeper meaning behind the Breaking Bad The episode “Fly” shows that although it was one of the most divisive series, it was also one of the most inventive. Breaking Bad Season 3 Episode 10 was criticized by some for being too slow and without any plot development. Others praised the Breaking Bad fly episode as a subtle exploration of the character. “Fly” focused primarily on Walt and Jesse, with Walt already sleep deprived thanks to a fly on the ceiling above his bed. His day took a turn for the worse when calculations resulted in a meth shortage.
After Jesse left, Walt stayed behind to deal with a fly buzzing around the lab, worried about the possibility of contaminating the meth. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan explained that “Fly” was a bottle episode, meaning it was contained in a single location. The reason for the episode was financial, as the show could not afford additional filming locations. The episode was directed by Rian Johnson, and many consider the cinematography to be the best in the entire series. Although “Fly” has been criticized for not adding anything to the story, its real meaning is profound.
Break Bad’s Fly Symbolism Explained
The fly represents Walt’s guilt
In reality, the fly represents Walt’s guilt. Breaking Bad season three was a pivotal moment in Walter White’s transformation into Heisenberg. At the beginning of “Fly,” Walt notices a fly on the ceiling that prevents him from falling asleep. The same thing happens at the end of the episode, bringing events full circle. Guilt can be a trigger for insomnia, which explains Walt’s situation in the fly episode. While trapped in the lab with Jesse, Walt mentioned Jane’s death. Jesse was still unaware of Walt’s involvement, and overwhelming guilt almost forced Walt to reveal the truth.
The fly could also be a symbol of Walt’s obsession and need to be in control.. Walt feared the fly would contaminate the lab, so he didn’t give up until it died, even locking Jesse out of the lab while he went after the insect. Walter White’s high death count in Breaking Bad is the ultimate manifestation of this need for control, yet it is a power struggle that has plagued Walt’s entire life. Whether it was his family, his health or his colleagues, Walt needed to call the shots. Otherwise, your obsessive behavior would take over.
Another fly was shown in Breaking Bad Season 5 after Walt killed Mike Ehrmantraut. This added further speculation that The insect’s appearance was directly linked to Walt’s guilt for taking another life. Gilligan was a master at adding hidden themes and motifs throughout the series and spin-offs such as El Path and Better call Saul, but so far the fly appears to be just a fly. In fact, it is Jessie who ends up killing the fly, foreshadowing that no matter what he does, Walt is not in control of his own destiny.
Why Breaking Bad’s Fly episode was so divisive
Some felt the episode killed the momentum
The bottle episode format has been used by many TV shows to stretch budgets, cut costs, or lengthen seasons. While the episode does a great job of justifying its existence, ‘Fly’ hits a lot of pain points in the broader critique of bottle episodes – many fans saw this as an excuse to use as little budget as possible, for example. THE The bottle episode of ‘Fly’ isn’t even bad television, but it felt out of place in a drama like Breaking Bad.
Suffice it to say, Breaking Bad I didn’t invent bottle episodes – Friends contained many bottle episodes that fit into the show’s broader structure – but this one in particular sustained the narrative, especially after an event as harrowing as Jane’s Breaking Bad overdose. The controversy stems more from the fact that the bottle episode Breaking Bad was a potentially frustrating break in the story, slowing the pace on a show that already provides story details episode by episode.
More importantly, as argued by “Fly” defenders, not every episode needed to advance the plot to be considered worthwhile.
Bottle episodes are never well received, generally speaking, but Breaking Bad‘Fly’ at least has some amazing cinematography. More importantly, as argued by “Fly” defenders, not every episode needed to advance the plot to be considered worthwhile. In fact, the episode allowed for an in-depth examination of Walter White’s guilt following the preventable death of Jane and subsequent episodes gained subtle depth thanks to its inclusion.
After all, human beings are most natural when they’re alone, and seeing how Walter White deals with an identifiable annoyance like a fly gave audiences a measure of what he really felt beneath the surface. “Fly” definitely has more going for it than most bottle episodes on other shows, but even so, it was the clear product of behind-the-scenes constraints, and many Breaking Bad fans felt that even a good bottle episode had no place in Vince Gilligan’s gritty drama.
What Bryan Cranston thinks of the Breaking Bad Fly episode
The Walter White actor is a fan of the bottle episode
Breaking Bad Detractors of the Fly Episode may be surprised to discover that Bryan Cranston – Heisenberg himself – thinks the Fly Episode is a unique example of Vince Gilligan’s genius. In a conversation about Breaking Bad fly episode on the Pardon My Take podcast (through YouTube), Cranston observed how the Breaking Bad the villain’s anxiety was the focus of the episode in question.
From the claustrophobic cinematography to the fact that Walt was anxious enough to think that a single fly could damage the entire operation, Cranston explained that “It created anxiety in viewers because we kept it so small. You’re constantly waiting for the story to open up, and it never does.” Ultimately, Cranston is right, and even the fly-by-night episode’s distancing from the ongoing plot served to drive his point about Walt’s anxiety home.
Breaking Bad’s theory about the fly
The episode may reflect Walt’s selfish arc
While Breaking Bad “Fly” was not universally well-received, it certainly inspired passionate debate. All these years since the show ended, “Fly” remains one of the most talked about songs Breaking Bad episodes. A Redditor offered an interesting version of “Fly”, feeling that it is was intended to represent Walter White’s arc at that point in the series and his changing priorities. Walt had no problem cooking meth in a dirty trailer in Breaking Bad pilot episode, but now he’s worried about a fly destroying his clean lab.
By the time he works in the lab, he no longer cooks for his family, he cooks for his own pride and therefore cannot tolerate anything less than perfection.
The theory suggests that this change reflects the change in why Walt cooks meth. In the past, he was desperate to support his family, so anywhere would suffice as long as he could cook. By the time he works in the lab, he no longer cooks for his family, he cooks for his own pride and therefore cannot tolerate anything less than perfection. Whether or not this was the intended meaning behind the episode, the fact that Breaking Bad can open up to such ideas shows the brilliance of the series.
The case for ‘Fly’ being a great episode
The episode is an impressive hour of television on its own.
Breaking Bad is a show that stood out for its intricate storytelling, with moments of foreshadowing and setups that had brilliant results. It was a thrill to watch the episodes pile up week after week. However, “Fly” stands out because it can be enjoyed as a standalone story, separate from the rest of the series. Of course, the episode thrives on the backstory between Walt and Jesse, as well as Walt’s growing obsession with power, but it’s also an engaging story for any viewer to jump into and enjoy just from its storytelling, direction, and acting.
There are also ways in which the episode is essential to the show. “Fly” can be seen as the last chance for Walt to save his soul before fully committing to his darker path.. He is filled with guilt and if he had embraced her and seen the person he was becoming, he could have changed and found redemption. Instead, Walt tries to control his guilt as he does with everything, and in the end, he is lost. Looked at in that sense, “Fly” is a brilliant and dark episode of Breaking Bad to exemplify who Walt is.
The case against ‘Fly’ being a great episode
Seen as part of the overall series, “Fly” becomes a problem
It seems that many people will agree that there are many positive qualities to “Fly” as an episode of Breaking Bad. However, as good as the acting and direction are, it’s hard to get over the fact that this bottle episode came at a bad time in the overall story. While it’s understandable that the show needed to cut costs, the story was gaining incredible momentum at the time, and presenting a standalone episode stalled things in a way that was understandably frustrating for many fans.
The truth is that Breaking Bad may not be a show that lends itself well to these one-off bottle episodes. There are many series that have taken risks by departing from the main story to follow a different character or subplot. While this can sometimes make for excellent episodes of television, Breaking Bad it usually has such a propulsive narrative that it can be difficult to tear yourself away from it. Similar to Breaking BadIn Marie’s robbery subplot, fans have very little patience for any distractions from the main story.