The last episode of Breaking Bad's first season is not at all a breathtaking cliffhanger finale, but still a very good ending to the introduction part of this fantastic story that will make you want to see more of the series. The plot features Walt and Jesse again showing audiences all the possible ways to break the law, Tuco again showing his insanity, and Marie again showing kleptomaniacal tendencies.
Despite some little flaws, I consider "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" an exceptionally well-made episode. Screenwriter Peter Gould emphasizes humoristic scenes that the cast portrays – sometimes a tad too – ironically; director Tim Hunter deploys a rather usual course of events without any overlong conversations or wordless landscape shots. These aspects hinder the season finale from being a genuinely outstanding episode, but they make for entertaining 50 minutes that even the mass- market can enjoy.
Some scenes are a bit dreary, especially when watching the episode for a second time, and could have been shortened, but then there's also a decent amount of really awesome scenes that change course. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul sharing the screen together never disappoints and "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" too includes some great discussions between the chemistry teacher and the drug dealer-cum-junkie. The ultimate scene also includes them, yet it is Raymond Cruz's Tuco that steals the show and leaves you perturbed while fascinated.
Conclusion: it's not perfect, but it'll make you put season two in the DVD player right afterwards since the story is so damn good.
