"Bit by a Dead Bee" is the third episode of the second season of the American television

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

series ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...

''. It was written by

Peter Gould Peter Gould is an American television writer, director and producer. He worked on all five seasons of the AMC drama ''Breaking Bad''. He was nominated for four Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards for his work on the series. After ''Breaking ...

and directed by Terry McDonough.

Plot summary

Having gotten away from

Tuco Salamanca ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...

Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...

and

Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White ( Bryan Cranston). ...

now have to get home and explain where they have been following their kidnapping. Walt has a plan for both of them and they split up. Walt goes to a supermarket and takes off all of his clothes while walking around the aisles. He is hospitalized and claims to have no memory of where he has been for the last few days. The hospital is unable to find anything wrong with him, and Walt suggests that it was a combination of medication and

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

that could have caused the episode. The hospital believes Walt is at risk for another

fugue state Dissociative fugue (), formerly called a fugue state or psychogenic fugue, is a mental and behavioral disorderDrs; that is classified variously as a dissociative disorder,Dissociative Fugue (formerly Psychogenic Fugue) 'DSM-IV 300.13, Diagnost ...

and forces him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Walt admits to the psychiatrist after receiving assurances regarding patient confidentiality that he remembers everything and just wanted to get away for a while. They eventually agree to release him. Jesse returns to his house to clean out the basement and get rid of the RV where he and Walt have been making

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Meth ...

. When the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

agents track him down, due to

Hank Schrader Henry R. Schrader ASAC is a fictional character in the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off series ''Better Call Saul''. He is portrayed by Dean Norris and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan. Hank's character development ...

having tracked down Tuco and his uncle Hector while looking for Jesse and deducing a connection after having killed the former, he claims that he has been with a prostitute,

Wendy Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

, for the weekend. The DEA does not believe him and brings in Tuco's uncle

Hector Salamanca ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its seq ...

to identify him, but Hector refuses to cooperate with the authorities. They have to let Jesse go. Jesse tries to contact his parents, but they refuse to help him. That night, Walt convinces Jesse to continue cooking

meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

. Later, Hank gets a present at the station: Tuco's teeth grill encased in a clear

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

cube.

Production

The episode was written by

and directed by Terry McDonough. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 22, 2009.

Critical reception

The episode received very positive reviews from critics. Donna Bowman, writing for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

'', gave it an A rating. Seth Amitin, writing for ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

'', praised that the episode emphasized the "psychological impact that everything Pinkman and Walt have been through, for them, for their families". He gave the episode a 9.8/10. In 2019 The Ringer ranked "Bit by a Dead Bee" 40th out of the 62 total ''Breaking Bad'' episodes.

Notes

References

External links

"Bit by a Dead Bee"
at the official ''Breaking Bad'' site * {{Breaking Bad episodes 2009 American television episodes Breaking Bad (season 2) episodes Television episodes written by Peter Gould