Breaking Bad S3E9: Jesse does something Stupid, something Evil
In S3E9 of Breaking Bad Jesse makes a few poor choices. I mean, makes poor choices might as well be his character synopsis, but in this episode he makes one stupid one that's just obviously so risky at even a moment's thought, and one that's just evil. ...No, I'm not talking evil like what Jesse does a few episodes later in the season finale. Bear with me here.
Jesse's stupid move is that he starts skimming product from the factory he and Walt staff. It's a stupid move because it's so easy for him to be caught doing it. And if/when he's caught stealing drugs from people who are already running a totally illegal operation, the punishment could be death.
The evil move comes with Jesse's plan for how to sell the meth he's skimming. He plans to sell it to the other people in the Narcotics Anonymous therapy group he attends. He enlists his druggie friends Badger and Skinny Pete (whom he hired to sell drugs before, in season 1) to join the group posing as addicts trying to go clean. They talk up potency of the blue meth, drawing longing looks from many of the attendees there, then are supposed to approach them to sell them drugs outside the meeting. Selling drugs to addicts who are trying to recover is so evil.
[What happens with this subplot in future episodes? Minor spoilers....]Update from a future episode: Walt suspects that Jesse is skimming drugs because the yields are off by even fractions of a percent. He carefully admonishes Jesse, who denies it and gets belligerent about it. But at least- for Jesse's own sake if nothing else- he appears to stop.
Update 2 from a future episode: When Jesse checks back in with Badger and Skinny Pete on how much they've sold, they reveal they've sold none to the NA members. They plead with him about how wrong it is. They state they believe in the program themselves now and are working on their own recovery steps.
Jesse's stupid move is that he starts skimming product from the factory he and Walt staff. It's a stupid move because it's so easy for him to be caught doing it. And if/when he's caught stealing drugs from people who are already running a totally illegal operation, the punishment could be death.
The evil move comes with Jesse's plan for how to sell the meth he's skimming. He plans to sell it to the other people in the Narcotics Anonymous therapy group he attends. He enlists his druggie friends Badger and Skinny Pete (whom he hired to sell drugs before, in season 1) to join the group posing as addicts trying to go clean. They talk up potency of the blue meth, drawing longing looks from many of the attendees there, then are supposed to approach them to sell them drugs outside the meeting. Selling drugs to addicts who are trying to recover is so evil.
[What happens with this subplot in future episodes? Minor spoilers....]Update from a future episode: Walt suspects that Jesse is skimming drugs because the yields are off by even fractions of a percent. He carefully admonishes Jesse, who denies it and gets belligerent about it. But at least- for Jesse's own sake if nothing else- he appears to stop.
Update 2 from a future episode: When Jesse checks back in with Badger and Skinny Pete on how much they've sold, they reveal they've sold none to the NA members. They plead with him about how wrong it is. They state they believe in the program themselves now and are working on their own recovery steps.