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RoadtoPerdition
06-12-2010, 08:05 PM
I was surprised that I didn't notice a thread dedicated to this, so I figured I would start one. Does anyone else watch this show regularly? I think this is one of the few shows where the second season was actually better than the first. Most shows seem to have that "sophomore slump" where the first season is awesome and the second season is fairly mediocre (see "Lost," "The Wire," etc.), but the second season of Breaking Bad far-surpassed the first, which was great in its own right. I think the third season so far has been a bit of a let-down, but it will be interesting to see where things go.

[ETM]
06-12-2010, 08:07 PM
"sophomore slump" where the first season is awesome and the second season is fairly mediocre (see ... "The Wire," etc.)

I wouldn't agree with this.

amberlita
06-12-2010, 11:23 PM
Yeah I wouldn't agree with that either. Season 2 of the The Wire had a different focus and for that I liked it less, but it is still brilliant and doesn't even get within sniffing distance of mediocrity.

Nor would I agree the third season of Breaking Bad is a let-down. I would consider this one of the few wholey consistent shows on television. Every season has been solid. I'm chomping at the bit for tomorrow's finale.

Anyone noticed the abundance of monologues in this season? I can think of 5or 6 off the top of my head and they are all television poetry.

RoadtoPerdition
06-13-2010, 12:23 AM
Yeah I wouldn't agree with that either. Season 2 of the The Wire had a different focus and for that I liked it less, but it is still brilliant and doesn't even get within sniffing distance of mediocrity.

Okay, maybe mediocre was too harsh. Season 2 was pretty good, but I just felt that it went way off-base from the groundwork Season 1 laid out; therefore, it was easy for me to not be as into it as I was the first season. I feel like all of the other seasons have a certain continuity to them and Season 2 is like the black sheep of the bunch. If you remove Season 2, the rest of the series would still be fluid and seem complete, which would not be the case if you removed one of the other seasons. It's kind of like the throw-away "monster of the week" episodes from The X-Files or Fringe -- they're entertaining for the most part, but don't amount to much when all is said and done. The only carry-over from Season 2 was The Greek, but they never really utilized him beyond that except as a means to transfer power from Proposition Joe to Marlo, and Beadie, who brought some dramatic aspects with her relationship to McNulty, but again, they really didn't utilize her specifically in the future seasons.


Nor would I agree the third season of Breaking Bad is a let-down. I would consider this one of the few wholey consistent shows on television. Every season has been solid. I'm chomping at the bit for tomorrow's finale.

Every season has been solid; I would agree with you there. For me, compared to the first two seasons, the third hasn't had a lot of "wow" moments. I think the episode with Hank getting shot was a great episode, but there haven't been many others this season that I would say were as good. The "fly-in-the-lab" episode was just awful, I thought. Probably the worst one of the entire series so far. Did you like that one? I also can't wait for the season finale.


Anyone noticed the abundance of monologues in this season? I can think of 5or 6 off the top of my head and they are all television poetry.

I hadn't really thought about it, but I believe you are correct. There have been some really intense ones, like when Jesse was in the hospital bed telling Walt how he would be going after Hank. The writing has been very strong consistently for this show.

[ETM]
06-13-2010, 12:48 AM
Anyone noticed the abundance of monologues in this season? I can think of 5or 6 off the top of my head and they are all television poetry.

Agreed on the quality, although I felt several were a bit out of place, like they just came out of nowhere and everything stopped for the duration.

amberlita
06-13-2010, 02:11 AM
;265718']Agreed on the quality, although I felt several were a bit out of place, like they just came out of nowhere and everything stopped for the duration.

Hmm? Like which? All the ones I can think of felt very natural and organic. As mentioned, Jesse's hospital bed rant; Hank's soulful confession to Marie; Skylar's long con speech about Walt's "gambling" problem; in Fly, both Jesse's story of his aunt's cancer metasteses and Walt's postulation on the perfect time to have died; Mike's story of his mistaken half-measure. I can't think of a single one that felt out of place.

amberlita
06-13-2010, 02:16 AM
Every season has been solid; I would agree with you there. For me, compared to the first two seasons, the third hasn't had a lot of "wow" moments. I think the episode with Hank getting shot was a great episode, but there haven't been many others this season that I would say were as good. The "fly-in-the-lab" episode was just awful, I thought. Probably the worst one of the entire series so far. Did you like that one? I also can't wait for the season finale.

Well I'd disagree with the lack of Wow moments as well but I'm not into defining a season or an episode's greatness based on that criteria.

And I thought "Fly" was utterly fantastic. It was a two-man piece of theater acting to me and an opportunity to focus on the single thing that holds this show together above all in my opinion and that's the relationship between Jesse and Walt. I think someone mentioned in the TV thread that it doesn't propel the story at all and while that may hold true in terms of plot developement, in retrospect it's one of the few things that makes Walt's actions at the end of "Half-Measures" make sense for me.

RoadtoPerdition
06-13-2010, 02:33 AM
And I thought "Fly" was utterly fantastic. It was a two-man piece of theater acting to me and an opportunity to focus on the single thing that holds this show together above all in my opinion and that's the relationship between Jesse and Walt. I think someone mentioned in the TV thread that it doesn't propel the story at all and while that may hold true in terms of plot developement, in retrospect it's one of the few things that makes Walt's actions at the end of "Half-Measures" make sense for me.

Fair points, I see where you're coming from.

Winston*
06-13-2010, 03:29 AM
This show has continually got better from the beginning.

Dead & Messed Up
06-13-2010, 04:14 AM
Two episodes deep into Season 3. Apart from a lame cliche shot...

the pair of Mexican assassins not looking at the explosion they cause

...it's been just as nuanced and fascinating as the latter half of Season 2.

[ETM]
06-13-2010, 07:04 AM
Hmm? Like which?

Walt's story about the green lights when he drove to the hospital for the operation. Great speech, but an awkward pause.

amberlita
06-13-2010, 07:44 AM
;265774']Walt's story about the green lights when he drove to the hospital for the operation. Great speech, but an awkward pause.

I kind of thought that was the point. Watching the reaction shots on Skylar, Marie, and Walt Jr's faces while he spoke kind of said it all: "Ummm, awkward, Walt...please shut up." :lol: It ends with a good line, but Walt was fairly inappropriate and oblivious through the whole thing. Kind of like his speech at the high school in the season opener.

Thirdmango
06-13-2010, 08:34 PM
Why didn't anyone tell me John de Lancie was in Breaking Bad? I love him so much.

Also that was ep 10 of season 2 and that ending at the Home Depot is bad ass.

[ETM]
06-13-2010, 08:55 PM
Why didn't anyone tell me John de Lancie was in Breaking Bad? I love him so much.

As if you needed more incentives...

Thirdmango
06-13-2010, 09:29 PM
I've really been taking a long time with this second season.

Dead & Messed Up
06-13-2010, 10:24 PM
Through episode 306, "Sunset." One more before I have to start waiting for the box set to come out.

Qrazy
06-13-2010, 11:15 PM
Through episode 306, "Sunset." One more before I have to start waiting for the box set to come out.

It's called The Internet dude.

Dead & Messed Up
06-13-2010, 11:35 PM
It's called The Internet dude.

Surely you're not suggesting I do something illegal.

Wait...

::checks::

iTunes! Wahoo!

RoadtoPerdition
06-14-2010, 02:58 AM
Aww man, a cock-tease of an ending! Whyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh well, just read they renewed it for a fourth season. :pritch:

Qrazy
06-14-2010, 10:03 PM
God damn it man, I can't believe we have to wait until 2011 for the next season.

Derek
06-15-2010, 01:42 AM
God damn it man, I can't believe we have to wait until 2011 for the next season.

I know! Looks like Walt will be back in full Heisenberg mode.

amberlita
06-15-2010, 02:24 AM
Wanted to post this here mainly for ETM, who I thought I'd seen a number of times state that the pizza tossing scene was CGI...


Movie Web: Talk about the pizza scene. So I want to know was that a happy accident or was that something that was choreographed that you guys had to do like over and over again?

Vince Gilligan: Well it was definitely scripted but I'm going to let Bryan tell the story of how it worked.

Bryan Cranston: Well, would you believe one take that I threw that pizza up on the roof and it stuck in that position. It was the type of thing where I felt the heft of the pizza and it was a real pizza. And it was huge and it weighed a lot. And so I just guessed about how far I'd have to be away from that in order to heave it up there. And I still wanted it to be out of his anger and frustration as opposed to I'm going to throw this pizza on the roof and show you.

He didn't intend to throw it on the roof. He just intended to just throw it up in a fit and it happened to go on the roof. I thought that was a funnier way to do it. And so we just guessed and it landed. So that was it. Bang.

Dead & Messed Up
06-15-2010, 04:43 AM
Oh.

My.

GOD.

"One Minute" is one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen.

...

Okay.

I think my heartbeat's slowing.

Okay.

I'm good.

[ETM]
06-15-2010, 09:52 AM
Wanted to post this here mainly for ETM, who I thought I'd seen a number of times state that the pizza tossing scene was CGI...

Haha! No, I was joking about that. It's awesome to know that it is real, though.

amberlita
06-16-2010, 02:33 AM
Oh, man. What a finale. Seriously, that was marvelous. I really can't handle the tension that this show ratchets up.

The last ten minutes or so was remarkable.

i really thought they were showing us Walt at his absolute nadir. I was actually fairly stunned by the human weakness that was on display when Mike and Victor had their guns pointed at him. I was uncertain about whether he was really ready to hand over Jesse, but the very fact that I was even uncertain is a testament to that. For a moment there, I felt like I was watching was one of the most audacious and discomfiting turn of events I had seen on the show. It's totally horrible to watch a man who seems to at least have a solid base foundation of scruples reveal that, when push comes to shove, his only instinct is self-preservation. Disturbing.

...Then it turned out to be all part of an improvised, and rather ingenious plan. Not quite as discomfiting or mind blowing, but marvelous nonetheless. Walt's look of triumphant satisfaction is something to remember.

Walt begging for his life was excruciating to watch. It's impossible to know for sure but when Walt was begging to talk to Gus I think that was real. Then he thinks fast and decides pretending to give up Jesse is a way out of this so he can give him the go to kill Gale but before that...who knows for sure. Was it all a ruse? Was Walt planning the whole thing in the car ride to the meth lab? Or did he really not know how to get himself out of it at first? Not sure but I believed it the first time and it was almost grotesque.

Derek
06-16-2010, 02:54 AM
Unless I'm mistaken, Jesse had the gun in his hand when Walt called, so I assumed they had that as a last resort beforehand.

Ezee E
06-16-2010, 03:18 AM
Time to begin Season 2.

Winston*
06-16-2010, 09:15 AM
Season 3 finale spoilers
You think Jesse actually shot Doug?

Ezee E
06-16-2010, 10:19 AM
Hell of a way to start the season. Stupid early days at work, not allowing me to continue the season.

[ETM]
06-16-2010, 12:13 PM
Season 3 finale spoilers
You think Jesse actually shot Doug?

No doubt about it.

Winston*
06-16-2010, 12:29 PM
;266365']No doubt about it.

In the final shot before he shoots he moves the gun to the right, but the gun was already pointing at Doug's face in the previous shot. What does this mean, ETM?

ThePlashyBubbler
06-16-2010, 12:38 PM
In the final shot before he shoots he moves the gun to the right, but the gun was already pointing at Doug's face in the previous shot. What does this mean, ETM?

The A.V. Club: Last season ended with an episode that was reasonably conclusive, whereas this season ends with a cliffhanger. Why’d you choose to end on an ambiguous note?

Vince Gilligan: Well first let me ask you: When you say “ambiguous” do you mean ambiguous in the sense of did Jesse shoot Gale or not?

AVC: Among other things, yes.

VG: Gotcha. That’s interesting, because I’m hearing that from some folks, that question. To me, for what it’s worth, it’s not actually meant to be ambiguous. It’s meant to be, “Oh my god, Jesse shot poor Gale.” But I’m realizing now that when people see the camera come dollying around so it’s looking down the barrel of the gun, some are reading that as maybe he’s changing his point of aim. But that’s not what we intended. Apparently it’s not as clear as I thought it would be. [Laughs.]

[ETM]
06-16-2010, 01:33 PM
In the final shot before he shoots he moves the gun to the right, but the gun was already pointing at Doug's face in the previous shot. What does this mean, ETM?

No he doesn't. The gun stays pointed at the same spot, but the camera pans in front of it to give us Gale's POV as Jesse fires.

Or yeah, what the interview says.

ThePlashyBubbler
06-16-2010, 02:43 PM
His name is Gale, not Doug.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41400478515

Glass Co.
06-16-2010, 05:57 PM
This show just keeps spiraling into the abyss. I wonder if the final episode will involve the systematic slaughter of the major characters.

Although that was a joke, I don't see it as being that far from the truth.

Henry Gale
06-16-2010, 06:20 PM
Referring to him as "Doug" in my head and reminding myself that he was that actor (and only an actor) was the only thing keeping me from completely being taken over by the anxiety the ending was throwing at me.

Usually with TV, characters slowly giving into bleaker motives, and making increasingly ill-advised or unsympathetic choices in the process, makes it hard to be fully invested in a show. But with Breaking Bad, it somehow makes it all more and more fascinating and engaging. It's the perfect nuance of allowing every bad decision to matter and left unable to be undone, only leaving the right choices for the future of these characters being the ones that end in their self-preservation.

I've loved this show so much more this season than I would have ever expected to a couple of years back as I was only mildly impressed with Season 1. Can't wait until next season, even if it's a year from now...

[ETM]
06-16-2010, 08:26 PM
The joke stops being funny when you do that, Amnesiac.

Winston*
06-16-2010, 09:37 PM
Hey well at least I'm not alone in misreading that scene.

Qrazy
06-16-2010, 09:42 PM
I too thought it was supposed to be intentionally ambiguous but was guessing Jesse had probably killed him.

Dead & Messed Up
06-16-2010, 10:54 PM
Okay, through "Fly" and "Abiquiu."

Should finish up the season tonight.

RoadtoPerdition
06-16-2010, 11:37 PM
I like the discussions about Walt breaking down a bit at the end of the episode. That felt awkward to me as well. Seemed very out of character, but considering the circumstances, you never know how people will react. I also thought that Jesse had moved his arm and not that the P.O.V. had changed, for what it's worth.

Dead & Messed Up
06-17-2010, 05:04 AM
Good finale. Didn't start hitting me hard until the reunion in the lazer place.

Man, working with Gus again is gonna be more awkward than that time Costanza's co-workers found out he wasn't handicapped.

Ezee E
06-18-2010, 06:34 AM
WOW.

Season 2, Episode 2 might be one of the finest displays of television suspense I've ever seen. Masterful.

RoadtoPerdition
06-18-2010, 10:18 PM
WOW.

Season 2, Episode 2 might be one of the finest displays of television suspense I've ever seen. Masterful.

There are several more at least on par with that one later in season two and then a few in season three. Ah, to be able to watch those episodes for the first time. I envy you.

Henry Gale
06-18-2010, 10:33 PM
WOW.

Season 2, Episode 2 might be one of the finest displays of television suspense I've ever seen. Masterful.

I'd say it only gets better from there.

I remember not really loving the show until about Episode 5 of that season. For me, it still had to overcome (or at least better mask) the way it dealt with relying on certain contrivances to allow convenience, instead of believability, to dictate the drama.

Derek
06-18-2010, 10:41 PM
Yeah, the show really hits its stride once Gus becomes involved. I want an off-season spin-off to ease the long wait 'til Season 4.

transmogrifier
07-05-2010, 12:07 AM
People who didn't like the climatic event at the end of the second season are silly. And people who call it a deux ex machina are even sillier.

Of all the possibilities for those b&w cold openings, they chose the most awesome one. Well done, that show.

Qrazy
07-05-2010, 12:42 AM
People who didn't like the climatic event at the end of the second season are silly. And people who call it a deux ex machina are even sillier.

Of all the possibilities for those b&w cold openings, they chose the most awesome one. Well done, that show.

The show pushes the suspension of disbelief a little hard in places. I personally felt it was a bit much there but I'm glad they acknowledge and owned that in the third season. Walt has a speech to Jesse which is basically... 'do you have any idea how impossible some of these events have been'. That monologue managed to bring the show back to a certain level of heightened realism for me while allowing it to persist in the layering of highly improbable events for the sake of character drama.

amberlita
07-05-2010, 02:37 AM
The show pushes the suspension of disbelief a little hard in places. I personally felt it was a bit much there but I'm glad they acknowledge and owned that in the third season. Walt has a speech to Jesse which is basically... 'do you have any idea how impossible some of these events have been'. That monologue managed to bring the show back to a certain level of heightened realism for me while allowing it to persist in the layering of highly improbable events for the sake of character drama.

I was grateful for that speech in "Fly" as well. I'd read a great comment on Walt's speech there, that he was trying to rationalize and comprehend how astronomical the odds were of those events occurring, so miserable in his belief that the universe had chosen to defy its own laws just to destroy him.

transmogrifier
07-06-2010, 01:02 PM
I like the discussions about Walt breaking down a bit at the end of the episode. That felt awkward to me as well. Seemed very out of character, but considering the circumstances, you never know how people will react. I also thought that Jesse had moved his arm and not that the P.O.V. had changed, for what it's worth.

I never doubted for a second that it was part of his plan. He never intended to give up Jesse, he just needed an excuse to get on the phone. The breaking down was all part of the act.

Anyway, one thing I especially love about this series is the various inventive uses of the cold open - flashbacks, flashforwards, montages, fake advertisements, music videos, filling in the gaps in previous episodes, insect anatomy.....

amberlita
07-06-2010, 05:49 PM
I hope they don't go there, personally.

I hope so too. While I like that the scene was ambiguous to the viewers, I don't like the idea that it was ambiguous to Vince Gilligan. I want him to have known exactly what he meant by that scene and I'd read that

he was completely clear that Jesse had just shot Gale. I did also read though that he was very anxious as to how they were going to deal with Jesse's storyline after he'd gone over this cliff in killing Gale. I hope he isn't backing off of it becasue of that.

Derek
07-06-2010, 07:17 PM
I hope so too. While I like that the scene was ambiguous to the viewers, I don't like the idea that it was ambiguous to Vince Gilligan. I want him to have known exactly what he meant by that scene and I'd read that

he was completely clear that Jesse had just shot Gale. I did also read though that he was very anxious as to how they were going to deal with Jesse's storyline after he'd gone over this cliff in killing Gale. I hope he isn't backing off of it becasue of that.

It wasn't ambiguous to him. He meant for it to be clear that Jesse shot Gale. It was to me, but in retrospect, I suppose I can see why some people thought it was unclear. I hope he follows through with his original intentions.

amberlita
07-06-2010, 07:35 PM
It wasn't ambiguous to him. He meant for it to be clear that Jesse shot Gale. It was to me, but in retrospect, I suppose I can see why some people thought it was unclear. I hope he follows through with his original intentions.

Right, I know. That's why I'm wondering why he would open it up to the writer's room for another interpretation when he clearly had a particular intent for the scene. Though I guess it's never a terrible idea to consider more ideas rather than less, I'd still feel like it was a copout to change the ending.

Qrazy
07-06-2010, 08:46 PM
I never doubted for a second that it was part of his plan. He never intended to give up Jesse, he just needed an excuse to get on the phone. The breaking down was all part of the act.

Anyway, one thing I especially love about this series is the various inventive uses of the cold open - flashbacks, flashforwards, montages, fake advertisements, music videos, filling in the gaps in previous episodes, insect anatomy.....

Hrm well personally I don't agree, I think he did actually break down. You can still sense the desperation in his voice when he yells at Jesse to take Gale out and the confidence tinged with nervousness he has when he tells the two hitmen that they're going to still need him.

Winston*
07-06-2010, 11:30 PM
Yeah, don't think Walt is supposed to be as good an actor as Cranston.

Dead & Messed Up
07-06-2010, 11:35 PM
They're probably just gonna play around with the idea that he didn't shoot him, maybe in the cold open or the first act, but then it'll be revealed that he did, because of course he did, and we'll all move on.

I hope.

transmogrifier
07-06-2010, 11:40 PM
Hrm well personally I don't agree, I think he did actually break down. You can still sense the desperation in his voice when he yells at Jesse to take Gale out and the confidence tinged with nervousness he has when he tells the two hitmen that they're going to still need him.

There is only a touch of nervousness after he tells Jesse to do it, because he needs to make sure Mike actually cares that Gale is in danger (if Mike doesn't care, Walt is dead regardless). As soon as he sees the look in Mike's eye, he is ice cool and collected ("Yeah."). Certainly in a way that suggests that he had a game plan that lead to that moment.

In other words, he was acting the break down. He needed to look like a desperate man in order to allow him to use the phone. Simple as that. As soon as Jesse answered, Walt was all business.

transmogrifier
07-06-2010, 11:41 PM
They're probably just gonna play around with the idea that he didn't shoot him, maybe in the cold open or the first act, but then it'll be revealed that he did, because of course he did, and we'll all move on.

I hope.

Yeah, Jesse really needs to have done it for the story to be able to keep moving forward. Nothing else would fit.

[ETM]
07-07-2010, 02:00 AM
I don't think they will play with it at all. I think it will open with Jesse standing over his body, exactly where we left off.

Qrazy
07-07-2010, 03:03 AM
There is only a touch of nervousness after he tells Jesse to do it, because he needs to make sure Mike actually cares that Gale is in danger (if Mike doesn't care, Walt is dead regardless). As soon as he sees the look in Mike's eye, he is ice cool and collected ("Yeah."). Certainly in a way that suggests that he had a game plan that lead to that moment.

In other words, he was acting the break down. He needed to look like a desperate man in order to allow him to use the phone. Simple as that. As soon as Jesse answered, Walt was all business.

Ehh he offered other things up before offering Jesse. I agree with you that offering Jesse was predominantly a ploy (once he offered Jesse he then had it in his mind to call him) but he broke down before that and I don't think that break down was a ploy. He knew he was about to die.

This isn't exactly some master plan he put in action here. He wasn't expecting to be picked up at his house to be killed that very night.

Duncan
07-26-2010, 12:11 AM
So I'm making my way through season 3, it's really great so far and all, but I'm trying to figure something out and maybe someone here can help me. How does the old don in the wheelchair know Walt's name? Didn't even Tuco only know him as Heisenberg? Did his real name slip out somewhere? Normally I let little plot details slide, but this is shaping up to be a pretty huge catalyst for future events, so I'd like to know if I've just forgotten something.

Duncan
07-27-2010, 03:03 AM
So I'm making my way through season 3, it's really great so far and all, but I'm trying to figure something out and maybe someone here can help me. How does the old don in the wheelchair know Walt's name? Didn't even Tuco only know him as Heisenberg? Did his real name slip out somewhere? Normally I let little plot details slide, but this is shaping up to be a pretty huge catalyst for future events, so I'd like to know if I've just forgotten something.

Anyone? Is it just a plot hole?

Winston*
07-27-2010, 03:35 AM
Anyone? Is it just a plot hole?

From the Breaking Bad wiki that exists for some reason:

After crossing the border into New Mexico, the Cousins seek out Tio in a nursing home. Using an Ouija board and his bell, Tio is able to spell out the real name of the man the cartel knows only as Heisenberg, but which Tio learned when Tuco opened Walt's wallet in the desert.

[ETM]
07-27-2010, 03:40 AM
From the Breaking Bad wiki that exists for some reason:

There are wikis for all popular shows out there somewhere.

Duncan
07-27-2010, 05:40 AM
From the Breaking Bad wiki that exists for some reason:

After crossing the border into New Mexico, the Cousins seek out Tio in a nursing home. Using an Ouija board and his bell, Tio is able to spell out the real name of the man the cartel knows only as Heisenberg, but which Tio learned when Tuco opened Walt's wallet in the desert.

Ah, OK. I had forgotten that. Thanks.

ThePlashyBubbler
08-05-2010, 05:14 PM
Season 4 won't start until July 2011. To fill the gap, they are supposedly producing 3-4 minute "mini-episodes" that Cranston hopes won't be filler, but probably will be. Wonder what this means for the inevitable Mad Men season five.

No Emmy for Cranston next year, it seems.

amberlita
08-05-2010, 06:29 PM
Yeah, that's hardly going to stem my inevitable withdrawal and depression. Not qualifying for the Emmys doesn't bother me so much, though if I were going to lament something it would be Aaron Paul's lack of opportunity, assuming he doesn't win this year. Actually, if he did win, I think that might be the only thing that would make me feel better about waiting so long.

Ezee E
08-18-2010, 04:59 AM
"Peekabo." Wow. Another amazing standalone episode.

amberlita
08-21-2010, 02:49 PM
"Peekabo." Wow. Another amazing standalone episode.

I think this might have been about the point that I said, "Hey, Aaron Paul is kind of an amazing actor." That's right about where his performance and his character became my anchor to the series rather than Walt.

Ezee E
08-22-2010, 05:57 AM
It's unrealistic to have every episode be like "Peekabo" and the one with Tuco and his dad, but damn, I just hope I come across another masterful ep every time I watch now.

Odenkirk, who figured?

Ezee E
08-26-2010, 03:37 PM
Regarding the second to last episode of season two:

Pretty heartbreaking to see Jane die while Walter watches. Phew.

amberlita
08-27-2010, 03:52 AM
USA Today is following Aaron Paul's activities pre-Emmy week. (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/televisionawards/emmys/2010-08-25-pauldiary25_ST_N.htm) It's not very interesting, but it's Aaron Paul. Fingers still crossed for him Sunday.

RoadtoPerdition
08-30-2010, 01:13 AM
Nice win for Aaron! Tough competition, but definitely deserving.

RoadtoPerdition
08-30-2010, 01:22 AM
And now Cranston! Nice.

amberlita
08-30-2010, 04:07 AM
I am elated for Aaron Paul. Deliriously happy.

Ezee E
08-31-2010, 04:25 AM
Ha. "Fly" was directed by Rian 'Brick' Johnson. Go figure, as its one of those stand-alone episodes that kind of makes the series the way it is.

Ezee E
09-01-2010, 01:07 PM
All caught up. While there hasn't been an episode like the one with Tuco in Season 2, this is definitely taking place as my favorite active show. It keeps you guessing at all times, consistently surprises, and when it wants to build tension, well, it's remarkable.

I also like how they're elevating all the supporting characters to having important, valued roles instead of being cardboard. Schreader could have just remained the determined cop to clean everything up, but in season three it all changed, and now he's one of my favorites.

Heck, even the ex-cop (don't know his name) has quite the history. His monologue with Walt is one of the better ones of the show, which says a lot as Season 3 seemed to have a ton.

Now the wait.....

I'm going to say that Jesse didn't kill him. He may have shot straight at him, but I still say he didn't kill him.

[ETM]
06-26-2011, 05:16 PM
Mr. White's Aztek lives!
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/06/localmotors-xc2v-flypmode.jpg

transmogrifier
07-14-2011, 07:53 AM
Three days!

Dead & Messed Up
07-15-2011, 06:51 PM
Three days!

Arghghghghg.

amberlita
07-16-2011, 10:27 PM
Cool article of Breaking Bad v. Mad Men v. The Wire v. The Sopranos (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6763000/bad-decisions)

Dead & Messed Up
07-18-2011, 06:17 AM
Great start. Want more. May discuss later.

Ezee E
07-19-2011, 05:11 AM
Watched the premiere. The show sure knows how to create tension. Nicely done.

transmogrifier
07-19-2011, 08:06 AM
Watched the premiere. The show sure knows how to create tension. Nicely done.

That it does. Up there with the RV in the scrap dealer with Hank outside, the ATM and the junkies, etc. The show is brilliantly directed and the plots are tight.

It is a sad state of affairs when the best show currently on air has barely got past 3 pages.

It's a genuinely good idea brilliantly executed, to take the lead character, start him off sympathetic and then have him slowly mutate into the bad guy, while still having the audience's sympathy. I mean, Walt


has Jessie kill probably the most purely "nice" character there has ever been on the show in Gabe (at least, outside Walt's extended family), and we don't blink an eye

At the moment, this has been helped by the moral relativism of having Walt compared to someone even worse (Tuco in Season 1/2, the brothers in Season 3, now Gus) but what happens when he reaches the top of the pole? And Jessie?

So much room for manouvering in the next two seasons.

Acapelli
07-19-2011, 12:39 PM
not reading the thread since i'm only in the middle of season 2, but "la tortuga"

:eek:

Ezee E
07-19-2011, 03:03 PM
not reading the thread since i'm only in the middle of season 2, but "la tortuga"

:eek:
Yup. What'd you think of 2.02?

Mr. Pink
07-19-2011, 04:24 PM
That it does. Up there with the RV in the scrap dealer with Hank outside, the ATM and the junkies, etc. The show is brilliantly directed and the plots are tight.

It is a sad state of affairs when the best show currently on air has barely got past 3 pages.

It's a genuinely good idea brilliantly executed, to take the lead character, start him off sympathetic and then have him slowly mutate into the bad guy, while still having the audience's sympathy. I mean, Walt


has Jessie kill probably the most purely "nice" character there has ever been on the show in Gabe (at least, outside Walt's extended family), and we don't blink an eye

At the moment, this has been helped by the moral relativism of having Walt compared to someone even worse (Tuco in Season 1/2, the brothers in Season 3, now Gus) but what happens when he reaches the top of the pole? And Jessie?

So much room for manouvering in the next two seasons.

I'm not sure I can agree about the sympathy part. When he first started, sure, you can't help but feel sorry for him. But seeing

His brother-in-law take a shit in a bedpan (along with the destruction of Walt's personal life) because Walt wasn't smart enough to know better

kind of kills my sympathy a little.

I don't care what his reasons were. Someone offers to pay for your cancer treatment, no questions asked, but you'd rather sell meth, you deserve anything awful that happens to you.

I mean, some meth heads in my town burned a guy alive once. You're not exactly dealing with the best society has to offer.

I still don't dislike Walt, but if he gets burned alive that shit will be his fault.


Loved the premiere, too. Does anyone remember if Jesse had a single line of dialogue?

ledfloyd
07-19-2011, 06:26 PM
yeah, it disturbs me that there are still people out there that find walt sympathetic.

Ezee E
07-19-2011, 06:49 PM
Jesse didn't speak until the diner in the final scene.

Speaks worlds for him as an actor and his character.

Dead & Messed Up
07-19-2011, 09:07 PM
yeah, it disturbs me that there are still people out there that find walt sympathetic.

There were two key moments that made me shut out Walt as a protagonist. His final scenes with Gretchen and Jane. I watch him much more clinically now.

Ezee E
07-19-2011, 09:19 PM
There were two key moments that made me shut out Walt as a protagonist. His final scenes with Gretchen and Jane. I watch him much more clinically now.
You're referring to Season 3?

transmogrifier
07-19-2011, 10:00 PM
You're referring to Season 3?

Season 2, I would have thought.

Dead & Messed Up
07-19-2011, 10:55 PM
Season 2, I would have thought.

Both occur in Season 2.

Him rejecting Gretchen's offer in favor of his cathartic tantrum, and him letting Jane die.

I still find him interesting, but I'm actively wishing for his downfall.

Ezee E
07-20-2011, 12:11 AM
Can he come out of this with a happy ending?

My friend had a good point. How can they increase this conflict with Gus anymore?

transmogrifier
07-20-2011, 12:18 AM
Can he come out of this with a happy ending?

My friend had a good point. How can they increase this conflict with Gus anymore?

Well, removing Gus from the picture will create an immense power vacuum that will provide a bounty of possible narrative directions. I assume that's where they will head eventually.

I can see the end of the whole series (probably at the end of a Season 5, judging by all the interviews Gilligan gives) being Jessie killing Walt and finding a little redemption in doing so, after Walt becomes something of a kingpin first after Gus has exited.

But it's all just guesswork, and the show has proven me and many others wrong before.

Ezee E
07-20-2011, 12:25 AM
I don't see it being possible that Jesse outlives Walt though.

I figure Walt might die at the hands of someone just like himself, assuming he goes the way of Gus.

Qrazy
07-20-2011, 01:16 AM
Personally I would assume some kind of showdown with Hank as well.

Ezee E
07-20-2011, 05:17 AM
Personally I would assume some kind of showdown with Hank as well.
The roles are almost reversed now don't you think? Hank was the one ready to help out Walt, but now it's going to be Walt doing everything for Hank.

I have a feeling Hank may kill himself. He hates this condition too much. It's embarrassing to his ego. He's done.

transmogrifier
07-20-2011, 05:59 AM
The roles are almost reversed now don't you think? Hank was the one ready to help out Walt, but now it's going to be Walt doing everything for Hank.

I have a feeling Hank may kill himself. He hates this condition too much. It's embarrassing to his ego. He's done.

I read somewhere that in the third episode

Hank gets some crime scene evidence that gives him a new lease on life, or something.

Acapelli
07-20-2011, 07:39 PM
"i'm the bad guy"

gave me chills

Acapelli
07-20-2011, 09:21 PM
i don't know how i feel about these cartel killers

they're badass, but they seem out of place on this show

Thirdmango
07-20-2011, 10:19 PM
This show is like steak to me, it's one of the most delicious things ever but if I eat too much I feel sick. Which is why I'm trying to get to the point where I'm watching it week to week. I'm so close now. Just 5 more episodes in season 3.

amberlita
07-21-2011, 01:16 AM
I think eventually Gus is going to be out of the picture and Jesse, with his newly minted darker and more ruthless attitude, is going to go at odds with Walt (especially if/when he finds out about Jane). And it's going to break my heart.

Ezee E
07-21-2011, 01:22 AM
I think eventually Gus is going to be out of the picture and Jesse, with his newly minted darker and more ruthless attitude, is going to go at odds with Walt (especially if/when he finds out about Jane). And it's going to break my heart.
That'd be rough.

Thirdmango
07-21-2011, 03:52 AM
Oh my God. Half Measures. episode 12 of season 3. Oh my God. Oh my God.

There are only a handful of shows which can do to me what just happened at the end of that episode. Wow.

transmogrifier
07-21-2011, 04:17 AM
Oh my God. Half Measures. episode 12 of season 3. Oh my God. Oh my God.

There are only a handful of shows which can do to me what just happened at the end of that episode. Wow.

The ending of Epsiode 13 is even better, I think. Full measures indeed.

Thirdmango
07-21-2011, 05:40 AM
gotta disagree, the ending to ep 12 vs. 13 was so much more unexpected. I'm now finally all caught up with the show. I'm looking forward to watching it week to week instead of in blocks.

Derek
07-22-2011, 02:06 AM
Loved the premier. Every time I think this show can't get any better it does. The fact that it could go as dark and suspenseful as it did (that whole sequence with Gus was brilliantly executed) and still have one of the funniest moments since epic pizza toss right near the end of the episode shows how effectively this show can shift gears without ever sacrificing believability or altering its reality. There's really nothing in the same league on television right now and that's not to say there's not some great shows out there.

Kurosawa Fan
07-22-2011, 02:37 AM
This is on the way from Netflix. I have to watch it the old fashioned way, by renting the discs. Hope to finish the first disc by the end of the weekend, but we have my son's birthday, so that probably won't happen. Either way, I'm really excited to finally get to this, and also psyched that the seasons are short. I really hate the 23-26 episode per season format.

Ezee E
07-22-2011, 02:45 AM
This is on the way from Netflix. I have to watch it the old fashioned way, by renting the discs. Hope to finish the first disc by the end of the weekend, but we have my son's birthday, so that probably won't happen. Either way, I'm really excited to finally get to this, and also psyched that the seasons are short. I really hate the 23-26 episode per season format.
Yeah, after watching shows like The Sopranos, it's nearly impossible for me to take in a drama that's 26 eps. Comedies sure.

You're going to love it.

Henry Gale
07-25-2011, 07:49 AM
It's episodes like this that really sum up for me how entirely stimulating the show can be on the level of simply being amazed by the amount of craft put into what's on screen at any given moment, but also being simultaneously completely connected with it viscerally, entirely involved while it all unfolds in a quietly devastating way.

I'm always excited to watch a new episode like this, and then I also end up feeling pretty emotionally drained by the end. And I'm saying that as a compliment, since not very many shows can do that to me, and this being Season 4, the show also doesn't seem to have any shortage of ways to keep things surprising and involving as ever, even if that just seems to mean going darker and darker with each new development.

Ezee E
07-26-2011, 05:16 AM
Hell yes. The standalone episode, and now what I kind of consider the "season opener" as far as previewing what's to come.

I'm wrong about Hank. He's certainly focused on something.

I'm invested in every single main character here. In a story that's so focused on plot, can't say that really happens at all. Can't wait for what's to come.

transmogrifier
07-26-2011, 06:33 AM
I'm surprised at the number of people over at TWOP who complained about this episode, saying that nothing happened. Maybe they have been spoilt by the show's number of big set pieces, but this was a riveting episode. I loved it and it was just what was needed - taking stock, moving pieces around. And it was funny and beautifully directed.

Acapelli
07-26-2011, 09:28 PM
hank is a bonafied fuckin badass

that is all

Ezee E
07-26-2011, 09:30 PM
Will this be the season that he gets nominated?

It'd be very cliche, but it's warranted this time.

Acapelli
07-26-2011, 10:05 PM
Will this be the season that he gets nominated?

It'd be very cliche, but it's warranted this time.
is this post referring to hank?

still not on season 4 yet, last episode i watched was episode 7 of season 3 where hank kills both of tuco's cousins

Ezee E
07-26-2011, 11:08 PM
is this post referring to hank?

still not on season 4 yet, last episode i watched was episode 7 of season 3 where hank kills both of tuco's cousins
Oh. Yes, referring to season 4.

But HECK YES to your reference. I was never a big fan of Hank until that episode.

[ETM]
07-27-2011, 01:20 AM
Hank is bad. ass.

Henry Gale
07-27-2011, 01:39 AM
It's amazing to think how successfully they've turned around Hank and Jesse from the cocky, ignorant people they were at the beginning of the series to now, where they're quite possibly the two most sympathetic main characters.

Acapelli
07-28-2011, 02:16 PM
Fly was insanely good

Acapelli
08-02-2011, 02:27 AM
finished season 3, not looking forward watching week to week

Mr. Pink
08-02-2011, 06:17 PM
It's amazing to think how successfully they've turned around Hank and Jesse from the cocky, ignorant people they were at the beginning of the series to now, where they're quite possibly the two most sympathetic main characters.


I brought this up on the previous page, but I still have a really hard time feeling sorry for either of them. At first, sure, I felt sorry for Walt. He used to have a noble excuse, but he doesn't anymore, which is the only reason I felt sorry for him to begin with.

At this point, the only reason I invest anything in Walt is because I know he's not just gonna get shot and die. At least not until later.

And I can't feel sorry for Jesse, either. You mean you're making a shitload of money and you can't handle it? Awwwww.

Still love the show. But now I pretty much like everyone involved in the drug dealing equally, including Gus, and don't feel really sorry for any of them.

Hank and his wife, and maybe Walt's wife, are the only characters left that I still feel sorry for.

Qrazy
08-02-2011, 08:07 PM
I brought this up on the previous page, but I still have a really hard time feeling sorry for either of them. At first, sure, I felt sorry for Walt. He used to have a noble excuse, but he doesn't anymore, which is the only reason I felt sorry for him to begin with.

At this point, the only reason I invest anything in Walt is because I know he's not just gonna get shot and die. At least not until later.

And I can't feel sorry for Jesse, either. You mean you're making a shitload of money and you can't handle it? Awwwww.

Still love the show. But now I pretty much like everyone involved in the drug dealing equally, including Gus, and don't feel really sorry for any of them.

Hank and his wife, and maybe Walt's wife, are the only characters left that I still feel sorry for.

Well I think one of the major themes of the show is that these characters first start down this path innocently enough not fully realizing where it will take them. At this point circumstances and the desire to survive determine their actions as much as anything else. Recall that the reason they're in bad with Gus now is because they held onto some antiquated notion of justice and right and wrong while in a world that has no place for such petty concerns (re: the young boy and the two dealers).

So yes, Walt initially had a noble excuse but he had to do horrible things along the way in order to reach his end goal. Now he couldn't get out if he wanted to emotionally or practically. The only way out really is up the rankings and if that does indeed happen I'm sure he'll soon realize that even that is no way out either. The same goes for Jesse, he got into the game for money and power but at this point he's lost anything he really cares about. The fact that he's making lots of money means nothing, money does not bring happiness as his never ending party communicates. He is horribly alone and he still misses Jane.

Both characters are trapped in the worlds they've created for themselves and hating every moment of it... optimistic show!

Ezee E
08-02-2011, 09:16 PM
Swore that was Jonah Hill who was laying on the party floor.

amberlita
08-02-2011, 11:54 PM
Skylar is worried about a $300 bottle of champagne even though they just bought a $800,000 car wash? Someone please smack her.

I was pleading for Walt to take Jesse invitation to go-karts. No matter how much they screw up each other's lives, I still want them to be BFFs.

The scenes with Marie were excruciating painful to watch.

I can still feel pity for everyone on this show but the White's at this point. I could still feel bad for Walt last season when he was estranged from his family and was tortured in some way. But now, watching him get everything he wants while everyone around him falls apart, I'm starting to hate him especially after an episode like this one.

Qrazy
08-03-2011, 01:01 AM
Skylar is worried about a $300 bottle of champagne even though they just bought a $800,000 car wash? Someone please smack her.


Plus it's a complete reversal from an ep or two before when Walt was chastising Skylar for mentioning the car wash on the answering machine.

Ezee E
08-03-2011, 06:43 AM
I can't see how you can have any sympathy for Skylar. If anything, she'd be the one way for Walt to go out, but she's completely for it.

Sal was gold on the last episode by the way.

How long is this show gonna go for? I could imagine the darkest season in television existance approaching.

Henry Gale
08-03-2011, 07:51 AM
How long is this show gonna go for? I could imagine the darkest season in television existance approaching.

Next season is looking like it will be the last. The only thing is, it came out this week that AMC wants a shorter season from them (six to eight episodes), but the producers want their standard thirteen episodes to close things out. Apparently the producers even threatened to move to another network over the dispute, contacting multiple other cable networks to gauge interest, but I'd assume that was more of a negotiation tactic than anything.

Either way, I'm glad that they're already starting to make the series with an end point in mind. Let's just hope it gets made properly.

Qrazy
08-04-2011, 05:28 PM
Ugh. Why would AMC want to fuck with the final season. Bleh.

Thirdmango
08-04-2011, 09:27 PM
it does seem weird to me that AMC wouldn't let Breaking Bad do anything they want considering they win multiple emmys for every single thing they do. It gives them huge credibility and I don't understand why they want to mess with it.

Ezee E
08-04-2011, 09:53 PM
it does seem weird to me that AMC wouldn't let Breaking Bad do anything they want considering they win multiple emmys for every single thing they do. It gives them huge credibility and I don't understand why they want to mess with it.
Ratings?

amberlita
08-04-2011, 10:29 PM
Ratings?

Doubtful (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2011/07/19/breaking-bad-season-4-premiere-breaks-ratings-records/)

Maybe the production costs were really just too high. I mean, they did FORCE them to do a bottle episode every season. Thankfully, those episodes tended to be insanely good but it gives you some idea that they were looking for a way to cut costs.

Ezee E
08-04-2011, 11:40 PM
Doubtful (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2011/07/19/breaking-bad-season-4-premiere-breaks-ratings-records/)

Maybe the production costs were really just too high. I mean, they did FORCE them to do a bottle episode every season. Thankfully, those episodes tended to be insanely good but it gives you some idea that they were looking for a way to cut costs.
Wow. More then Breaking Bad. Good!

amberlita
08-05-2011, 02:12 AM
Apparently, folks are blaming Matt Weiner. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-amc-20110804,0,106600.story)

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 07:38 PM
So does this show get, like, really, REALLY good after S1? I keep hearing that it's so much better than The Wire, but so far (almost done with S1), it's merely good. I like it, but it reminds more of Weeds than it does The Wire in terms of characters, humor, and situations.

Benny Profane
08-05-2011, 07:39 PM
It's not better than the Wire, but it's vastly different, and still very VERY good. You shouldn't go in expecting it to compare the The Wire though.

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 07:42 PM
It's not better than the Wire, but it's vastly different, and still very VERY good. You shouldn't go in expecting it to compare the The Wire though.

Every time I hear someone talk about it, they're like "it's better than The Wire," and I've read some articles on line stating as much.

I know they're different, and would never compare the two. However, so far the first season has not wowed me. It's good, and I like it, but I'm not feeling compelled to watch it all.

Just wondering if it gets a lot better.

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 07:45 PM
I only mean to compare it in terms of how much I want to continue watching.

Ezee E
08-05-2011, 07:52 PM
I would say so.

Qrazy
08-05-2011, 07:54 PM
It does get a lot better, but even at it's best it's not better than The Wire.

Ezee E
08-05-2011, 08:04 PM
Maybe the seasons aren't better then The Wire seasons. But there are standalone episodes in Breaking Bad that The Wire would never be able to achieve.

ledfloyd
08-05-2011, 08:11 PM
i felt more or less the same as you after the first season davis, but after being convinced to keep watching i was hooked about halfway into season 2.

also, in regards to the talks between gilligan and amc. the last i heard they were thinking about doing 20 more episodes after this season.

amberlita
08-05-2011, 08:42 PM
I agree that the first season is merely very good. But season two gets really outstanding and season three is just into the stratosphere of awesome. In terms of the eloquence and poetry of The Wire, no it's not as good. But that might be the only show (save maybe Mad Men) that I would reserve as better than Breaking Bad. The first season is mostly a tight story and great acting, but everything gets better as the next two seasons progress. The plot gets more intense, the supporting characters get fleshed out, Aaron Paul starts to outshine even Bryan Cranston, they get a new director of photography (Michael Slovis) who gives the show a gorgeous and unique visual style, and so on.

Keep watching. You won't regret it.

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 08:58 PM
Cool, sounds good. I'll definitely continue to watch through S2. Bryan Cranston alone is practically worth it. I don't much care for the rest of the cast though, and I think that's the main problem I have with it. I like his son, but he's a limited character, and I find his wife, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law to be somewhat annoying.

Qrazy
08-05-2011, 08:59 PM
Cool, sounds good. I'll definitely continue to watch through S2. Bryan Cranston alone is practically worth it. I don't much care for the rest of the cast though, and I think that's the main problem I have with it. I like his son, but he's a limited character, and I find his wife, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law to be somewhat annoying.

They improve and are fleshed out over the next few seasons. Skylar does remain fairly obnoxious for quite a long time though. And yeah, Season 3 is even better than Season 2. In fact there's a major plot development in Season 2 I dislike, but it's rectified in Season 3.

Dead & Messed Up
08-05-2011, 09:25 PM
Whoever's saying it's better than The Wire is wrong.

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 09:28 PM
They improve and are fleshed out over the next few seasons. Skylar does remain fairly obnoxious for quite a long time though. And yeah, Season 3 is even better than Season 2. In fact there's a major plot development in Season 2 I dislike, but it's rectified in Season 3.

Awesome.

D_Davis
08-05-2011, 09:29 PM
Whoever's saying it's better than The Wire is wrong.

Well, to be fair the last thing I read saying as much was written by Chuck Klosterman, so that explains the being wrong part.

Dead & Messed Up
08-05-2011, 10:28 PM
Well, to be fair the last thing I read saying as much was written by Chuck Klosterman, so that explains the being wrong part.

Klosterman's overall thesis was a useful one, I thought. A good point of comparison between the series and how they approached characters.

amberlita
08-08-2011, 02:59 PM
I love it when two and a half episodes of set-up payoff like it did last night. But seriously, if it weren't for Bryan Cranston making every reaction shot and sarcastic comment hilarious, that scene with Skylar would have been excruciatingly drawn out.

I'm actually getting genuinely afraid Jesse won't live this one out. I've always considered him safe just because there's so much of the show that depends on the dynamic between Jesse and Walt but man, they are really painting Jesse into a corner.

Despite his sinful and debaucherous ways, Jesse is still the moral center to this show. He's the only one with the decency to let himself fall apart in despair over what he's done.

I would be totally okay if every 2 or 3 episodes there arose some reason why we get to see Gale again.

ledfloyd
08-08-2011, 04:13 PM
I would be totally okay if every 2 or 3 episodes there arose some reason why we get to see Gale again.
especially if he's doing bad karaoke in an ascot.

Ezee E
08-08-2011, 05:59 PM
What else would there to see about Gale?

I'd still be shocked if Jesse goes. I wonder if Mike is going to get him to figure out how to move on by killing someone else, paving the way for Jesse to be the next Mike. And Walt is already on the way to being the next Gus, but as a car wash owner instead of fast food.

amberlita
08-08-2011, 06:05 PM
I dunno, but if you'd asked me last week the same question I would have said the same thing and yet there he was, singing karaoke. I just love Gale.

I'm wondering if Mike's plan is to get Jesse out in the middle of nowhere with the intent only to scare Jesse into proving that when it comes down to it he really DOES care if he lives or dies. And hoping maybe that realization would turn Jesse around.

edit: I think this is unlikely however. If that were the plan, it'd be Gus's. Mike's shown in the past he doesn't think Jesse's worth the trouble of saving.

Ezee E
08-08-2011, 06:08 PM
I dunno, but if you'd asked me last week the same question I would have said the same thing and yet there he was, singing karaoke. I just love Gale.

I'm wondering if Mike's plan is to get Jesse out in the middle of nowhere with the intent only to scare Jesse into proving that when it comes down to it he really DOES care if he lives or dies. And hoping maybe that realization would turn Jesse around.

edit: I think this is unlikely however. If that were the plan, it'd be Gus's. Mike's shown in the past he doesn't think Jesse's worth the trouble of saving.
At the moment, I don't think Jesse does care if he were to live or die. Mike could easily just pull a gun on him inside his own house and it wouldn't be a problem, considering what's going on in there right now. He'd never off himself or those around him though.

Qrazy
08-08-2011, 06:29 PM
What else would there to see about Gale?

I'd still be shocked if Jesse goes. I wonder if Mike is going to get him to figure out how to move on by killing someone else, paving the way for Jesse to be the next Mike. And Walt is already on the way to being the next Gus, but as a car wash owner instead of fast food.

I don't think so.

Ezee E
08-08-2011, 07:43 PM
I don't think so.
Mike's pretty old. Could've been lost 30+ years ago too.

Henry Gale
08-08-2011, 09:34 PM
This episode was pretty much perfect. I just love that shows like this and Justified set themselves up with the potential for big, violent confrontations or even seasons-spanning, intricately planned payoffs, and then the ones that seem to generate the most intensity end up being the ones along the way that are just two characters sitting down talking, like the one here with Walt and Hank looking through the notebook.

Everything else was just as well put-together though, right up until the ending. Easily my favourite of the season so far.

Ezee E
08-08-2011, 10:58 PM
The opener is still my favorite, but it's kind of a stand-alone episode too.

This one was top-notch. Despite my prediction, I have no idea what to expect really. For all we know, the episode might just start off with Mike burying Jesse after executing him.

Qrazy
08-08-2011, 11:39 PM
Mike's pretty old. Could've been lost 30+ years ago too.

I don't think that arc would make any sense for Jesse's character.

Qrazy
08-08-2011, 11:40 PM
For all we know, the episode might just start off with Mike burying Jesse after executing him.

That's not going to happen.

Qrazy
08-08-2011, 11:42 PM
This episode was pretty much perfect. I just love that shows like this and Justified set themselves up with the potential for big, violent confrontations or even seasons-spanning, intricately planned payoffs, and then the ones that seem to generate the most intensity end up being the ones along the way that are just two characters sitting down talking, like the one here with Walt and Hank looking through the notebook.

Everything else was just as well put-together though, right up until the ending. Easily my favourite of the season so far.

Dean Norris played that conversation very well. He seemed to have just the faintest hint of suspicion towards Walter although it was almost operating on a sub-conscious level... or almost in retaliation to Walter showing him up during the mineral conversation with Walter Jr.

amberlita
08-08-2011, 11:51 PM
I miss Jesse's hair already. Does every male on this show have to be bald or shaven? What gives? If Saul shaves his head, I'm done.

Plus, the cue-ball look on an already rail-thin Aaron Paul makes him look like he just stumbled out of a concentration camp.

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 03:33 AM
Nice psychological move there... Kind of saw it coming as the episode progressed, but it works perfectly.

The Walter/Hank family line is shaping up to be a Greek tragedy.

amberlita
08-15-2011, 04:36 AM
I knew it. Gus is totally driving a wedge between Walter and Jesse. It's really for Jesse's own good to distance himself from Walt but dammit, I love their fucked-up-surrogate-father-son relationship. I don't want to see Jesse align himself with Gus over Walt, which I feel is what that portion of the story is leading to.

It's amazing...Walt was, for the first time, the stupidest person in the room at all times. Wrecklessly driving down busy highways (just begging to get pulled over by a cop), giving his real name to a worker at Los Pollos, unable to drive a forklift or perform his own cook by himself, and worst of all drunkenly urging Hank back onto the trail of the real Heisenberg. I knew he wouldn't be able to stand the idea of Gale getting his credit.

I swear, if Walt doesn't get his whole family killed by the end of this show I'll be very surprised.

Only 16 more after this? :sad: It makes sense. Season 5 feels like it should be the end the way everything is progressing. But still. :sad:

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 05:14 AM
I knew it. Gus is totally driving a wedge between Walter and Jesse. It's really for Jesse's own good to distance himself from Walt but dammit, I love their fucked-up-surrogate-father-son relationship. I don't want to see Jesse align himself with Gus over Walt, which I feel is what that portion of the story is leading to.

It's amazing...Walt was, for the first time, the stupidest person in the room at all times. Wrecklessly driving down busy highways (just begging to get pulled over by a cop), giving his real name to a worker at Los Pollos, unable to drive a forklift or perform his own cook by himself, and worst of all drunkenly urging Hank back onto the trail of the real Heisenberg. I knew he wouldn't be able to stand the idea of Gale getting his credit.

I swear, if Walt doesn't get his whole family killed by the end of this show I'll be very surprised.

Only 16 more after this? :sad: It makes sense. Season 5 feels like it should be the end the way everything is progressing. But still. :sad:
Jesse's screwed though. Once Walt realizes that he can have anyone do Jesse's job, Jesse can be expendable. Unless he smartens up and becomes like Mike as I discussed last week.

However, Hank is on Gus' trail now moreso then Walter's. That's a twist that I didn't really see coming. What would Walter do without Gus? Surely he's not that smart yet as you mentioned.

Qrazy
08-15-2011, 05:18 AM
Jesse's screwed though. Once Walt realizes that he can have anyone do Jesse's job, Jesse can be expendable. Unless he smartens up and becomes like Mike as I discussed last week.


Walt already knew this, that's not why Jesse has the job.

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 05:24 AM
Walt already knew this, that's not why Jesse has the job.
Then why? Remind me.

Acapelli
08-15-2011, 05:25 AM
Only 16 more after this? :sad: It makes sense. Season 5 feels like it should be the end the way everything is progressing. But still. :sad:
well, i think it's supposed to be 16 more after this season

Henry Gale
08-15-2011, 06:29 AM
The last two scenes of this episode (possibly paired with today's announcement of the final season) really made it feel like the beginning of the end for the series. It's as exciting as it is intimidating.

But for my money, drunk Walt at the dinner was even more intense than something like the showdown with Jesse in the car.

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 06:38 AM
Waiting for Skyler to call that out next week.

Dead & Messed Up
08-15-2011, 06:51 AM
Waiting for Skyler to call that out next week.

Hope Walt calls out her "moving back in on Tuesday" stupidity too. Let's start fresh. No secrets. For serious.

ledfloyd
08-15-2011, 07:34 AM
has anyone else been reading matt zoller seitz' recaps on salon? the last two weeks he's been voicing some concerns about where the series is headed this season. i'm finding them somewhat persuasive.

here's this week's (http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/08/14/breaking_bad_recap_season_four _episode_five)

Morris Schæffer
08-15-2011, 08:25 AM
Renewed for final fifth season. I'm gonna watch 1~4 sometime this year.

Qrazy
08-15-2011, 02:35 PM
Then why? Remind me.

Because he cares about Jesse in his own way and wants to protect him. On top of that he has a great deal of guilt in relation to him now as well for a number of deaths that have occurred.

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 02:45 PM
Because he cares about Jesse in his own way and wants to protect him. On top of that he has a great deal of guilt in relation to him now as well for a number of deaths that have occurred.
Agreed. Was just making sure I wasn't missing something completely.

Derek
08-15-2011, 03:15 PM
So does this show get, like, really, REALLY good after S1? I keep hearing that it's so much better than The Wire, but so far (almost done with S1), it's merely good. I like it, but it reminds more of Weeds than it does The Wire in terms of characters, humor, and situations.

The first season is good, but not great. By the middle of season 2, it starts getting amazing and never looks back. I'd at least give it until the end of season 2 and if you're still not hooked, you at least gave it a fair shot. Comparing it to The Wire is pretty asinine - I personally like it a bit more, but I never thought to compare the two. They're vastly different shows with completely different intentions.

Ezee E
08-15-2011, 05:21 PM
That article, while very well thought out, seems to miss the point that the first few episodes of a new season usually seem to always flesh out what happened last season, and then progress forward.

Now with Hank making the discovery, the car wash being bought, Jesse with a new found job, and Walter on the edge, things will be moving forward next week.

Dead & Messed Up
08-22-2011, 06:29 AM
I am the one who knocks.

Ezee E
08-23-2011, 04:24 AM
The "Tucker" scene is entirely why I got involved in this show. No TV show seems have sequences like those. Extremely funny while being effectively suspenseful.

Couple that with Walter getting cocky of himself, and extremely prickish (but badass no less) when he uses that dollar bill to purchase himself a Coke. Although I think the hiring of the ladies seemed a little out of character for him.

The car foreshadowing is so bad that I hope it doesn't go that route.

amberlita
08-23-2011, 05:15 AM
The car foreshadowing is so bad that I hope it doesn't go that route.

The show gave me a Sopranos vibe yesterday with the car thing feeling that something terrible was about to happen at any minute. All those casual reassurances that struck as foreshadowing, then Jr. asking to take the car around the block. They even made a point for us to hear the car starting and driving off while Walt and Skylar talked. I was watching through my fingers expecting to hear a big crash in the background. Such a mundane scene, I feel rather foolish, but I also feel like we've gotten the "anything can happen" point on BB. Walt's probably the only one I think IS safe on this show.

Qrazy
08-23-2011, 06:46 PM
They won't kill Walt or Jesse off this season. Any other character could be killed off.

elixir
08-23-2011, 09:16 PM
Just watched the pilot. Pretty good stuff right there. Definitely has me wanting to continue the show.

elixir
08-24-2011, 11:55 PM
So, I finished season one (it's only 7 episodes!) and I do like it quite a bit, but I definitely don't love it. My main problems lie exclusively with the writing, which I often found too on-the-nose and contrived. Also, the show needs to stop with the in media res openings because they are becoming really irritating. Still, I did really enjoy it and am looking forward to watching more. I hear it becomes better, so that's good. I'd just like to add that the praise for Cranston really cannot be overstated.

Henry Gale
08-25-2011, 12:44 AM
So, I finished season one (it's only 7 episodes!) and I do like it quite a bit, but I definitely don't love it. My main problems lie exclusively with the writing, which I often found too on-the-nose and contrived. Also, the show needs to stop with the in media res openings because they are becoming really irritating. Still, I did really enjoy it and am looking forward to watching more. I hear it becomes better, so that's good. I'd just like to add that the praise for Cranston really cannot be overstated.

I had those same feelings and issues with the first season. The show is now easily one of my favourite dramas ever.

Ezee E
08-29-2011, 04:38 AM
Dean Norris and Aaron Paul each had their "Emmy" show today.

amberlita
08-29-2011, 04:58 AM
Dean Norris and Aaron Paul each had their "Emmy" show today.

No way would they let Dean Norris try and submit his emmy episode via the same episode where Aaron Paul did that. Talk about stealing a guy's thunder.

This episode was intensely awesome.

Ezee E
08-29-2011, 05:01 AM
No way would they let Dean Norris try and submit his emmy episode via the same episode where Aaron Paul did that. Talk about stealing a guy's thunder.

This episode was intensely awesome.
Well, it's a deserving spot though.

I'm trying to remember when Gus was in the house... But I guess that doesn't really matter.

Kind of think Walt's carelessness/paranoia doesn't seem to be working though. One minute he's plotting to kill, the next he's blowing up cars. Seems weird.

Henry Gale
08-29-2011, 08:25 AM
Those two scenes just exemplify the best sort of emotional peaks this (or any) show can have with me. The first with Jesse being absolutely devastating and having quite possibly the most profound effect on me of any scene this season, then instantly followed up with Hank's scene, delivering the just right sort of slow burn of a shock towards a great revelation with both his character and the show, as a sudden feeling of a push towards the next phase in the overall story of the series.

Almost too much to take in one ten-minute chunk.

Qrazy
08-29-2011, 08:44 PM
Well, it's a deserving spot though.

I'm trying to remember when Gus was in the house... But I guess that doesn't really matter.

Kind of think Walt's carelessness/paranoia doesn't seem to be working though. One minute he's plotting to kill, the next he's blowing up cars. Seems weird.

Gus wasn't in Gale's house, his prints were on the Los Pollos garbage that had the part number written on it.

Walt's carelessness works for me. He feels like he's right on the edge of death so he's not that worried about getting caught. He's paranoid about getting killed but not about being caught.

ledfloyd
08-29-2011, 08:57 PM
i'm pretty sure walt subconsciously wants to get caught so everyone can see what a great man he is.

also gus visited gale at his house to ask him if he was ready to take over for walt.

Qrazy
08-29-2011, 09:49 PM
i'm pretty sure walt subconsciously wants to get caught so everyone can see what a great man he is.

also gus visited gale at his house to ask him if he was ready to take over for walt.

Ah true, my bad.

Henry Gale
08-30-2011, 12:31 AM
A quick question about something that threw me off a bit in the new episode, since I don't remember the specifics between them. How exactly does Walter, Jr. know Gus? I feel like it was from around the time of Junior making the donations website, but I'm not sure.

Either way, Gus offering him an job found a way of feeling like as much of a "you sick bastard!" moment as what he did in the premiere.

ledfloyd
08-30-2011, 01:31 AM
gus visited when hank was in the hospital and met walt jr.

Henry Gale
08-30-2011, 05:21 AM
gus visited when hank was in the hospital and met walt jr.

Ah, that's right. Thanks.

Watching the two sides of Walt's life cross paths is as exciting and terrifying as any dynamic on TV.

Winston*
09-01-2011, 02:40 AM
Found the product placement with the upcoming Rage video game kind of distracting in the latest episode.

amberlita
09-01-2011, 03:05 AM
Found the product placement with the upcoming Rage video game kind of distracting in the latest episode.

I know little enough about video games that I just assumed it was Left For Dead or something. Plus, I was just too distracted with the demons I knew Jesse was really battling in that scene, and everything Jesse does breaks my heart.

Winston*
09-01-2011, 03:14 AM
I know little enough about video games that I just assumed it was Left For Dead or something. Plus, I was just too distracted with the demons I knew Jesse was really battling in that scene, and everything Jesse does breaks my heart.

Not only is it not out, it's not even a lightgun game! / nerd quibbles.

Derek
09-01-2011, 03:43 AM
Not only is it not out, it's not even a lightgun game! / nerd quibbles.

Jesse sent Mike to the developers to have a special edition made just for him. Plot hole solved.

Ezee E
09-01-2011, 04:13 AM
My roommate pointed it out. I thought it was an arcade game.

Dead & Messed Up
09-01-2011, 04:20 AM
I thought that opening was ham-fisted. Very cool episode otherwise. Aaron Paul is my new Jesus.

Kurosawa Fan
09-08-2011, 03:35 AM
"Heisenberg says 'Relax!'"

One season down and I'm definitely hooked. The final three episodes sold me, and eliminated any reservations I had.

Winston*
09-08-2011, 03:54 AM
It only goes downhill from there, KF. Stop watching now.

Kurosawa Fan
09-08-2011, 04:05 AM
It only goes downhill from there, KF. Stop watching now.

Lies.

Ezee E
09-08-2011, 06:56 AM
Well, Giancarlo Esposito is finally sold on me. He was on with everyone else, but now with a little backstory, I can get behind him. Interesting.

Qrazy
09-09-2011, 07:58 AM
Well, Giancarlo Esposito is finally sold on me. He was on with everyone else, but now with a little backstory, I can get behind him. Interesting.

Definitely. So many of his ice cold expressions in that episode sent chills down my spine. He is one of the most interesting crime characters I've seen in the last decade.

elixir
09-09-2011, 10:04 PM
Finally all caught up. The last two episodes have been awesome.

ledfloyd
09-12-2011, 03:12 AM
umm... guys?

elixir
09-12-2011, 03:16 AM
umm... guys?

Yeah...holy shit.

Ezee E
09-12-2011, 03:18 AM
This episode felt like it was written by David Mamet. And I say that in a good way. Fantastic dialog arguments.

amberlita
09-12-2011, 04:35 AM
FUCK! Goddammitfuckingshit! :frustrated:


:cry:

amberlita
09-12-2011, 04:40 AM
I feel ill.

This show. Damn it.

Henry Gale
09-12-2011, 07:57 AM
I don't know if I've ever been as emotionally grabbed by a scene of two characters mercilessly beating the shit out of each other. But like so many other things, this show finds a way. I don't think there's been a single episode this season that's ended where I'm not left stunned at what just hit me. Everything has gotten to such a point of intensity, paired with my own investment in it all, that there could be a scene of Walt on the toilet and I'd be entirely mesmerized and worried for what was about to happen.

Right before it ended I thought "there's no way to end this but with an f-bomb" (even if I knew we wouldn't technically hear it until the DVD). I was pleased. Well, I was mostly reeling from that, but in either case, both that line and the scene, they absolutely went for it.

[ETM]
09-14-2011, 06:20 PM
http://i.imgur.com/ByrFk.jpg

...

no words.

Ezee E
09-14-2011, 09:29 PM
What do you think the equivalent of a Pollos Hermanos is anyway?

In-N-Out as far as people raving about it?
Loco Pollo for the name alone? (never ate there)

Robby P
09-15-2011, 02:40 AM
So is this on Netflix Instant now? The internet says yes but it doesn't show up on instantwatcher.com. I'm confused.

Kurosawa Fan
09-15-2011, 02:50 AM
:cool:

It is. No more waiting for the discs. Awesome.

Ezee E
09-15-2011, 07:08 AM
Glad this is on IW. Easy to get others to jump on board... and I'll be able to rewatch the best episode of television ever made......

elixir
09-15-2011, 07:12 AM
Glad this is on IW. Easy to get others to jump on board... and I'll be able to rewatch the best episode of television ever made......

Fly? What are you referring to here?

Ezee E
09-15-2011, 07:19 AM
I think "Grilled" S2E02 is something that Hitchcock would be proud of. It's a stand-alone episode, and incredibly tense. John Dahl directed it.

elixir
09-15-2011, 07:22 AM
I think "Grilled" S2E02 is something that Hitchcock would be proud of. It's a stand-alone episode, and incredibly tense. John Dahl directed it.

Yeah, that's a great one. Don't think I can get on board with the best episode ever thing, but it's one of the best episodes of this show for sure. Wikipedia is telling me Charles Haid directed it though.

Ezee E
09-15-2011, 07:24 AM
Yeah, that's a great one. Don't think I can get on board with the best episode ever thing, but it's one of the best episodes of this show for sure. Wikipedia is telling me Charles Haid directed it though.
Ah, appears you're right.

But I still stick to it.

Between that and The Sopranos' Pine Barrens, it's the best episodes of TV (both stand-alone, mind you) that I've seen.

number8
09-15-2011, 11:51 PM
Fuck yes I can finally catch up.

Glass Co.
09-19-2011, 12:03 AM
Just caught up to the latest episode. Holy shit. Even after watching The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men, The Shield, and various other "dramatically intense" shows, I think this is the one that's finally going to slay me.

So is Jesse now completely against Walt you guys think? As in, will he turn him over the first chance he gets? All that may be moot now of course since he is likely going to have to go to Mexico and Gus will need Walt more than ever to keep the operation going up north.

ledfloyd
09-19-2011, 03:12 AM
i kind of hate this show for the things it does to me. after a somewhat uncertain beginning this season has been putting up series best episodes for four weeks now, each better than the last.

thoughts:
walt made me tear up. then a few scenes later, walt jr. made me tear up.
gus is insane.
giancarlo esposito better get an emmy nod next year.
needs more hank.

elixir
09-19-2011, 03:14 AM
Yeah, I thought it was a terrific episode, though the Skyler bits didn't really thrill me. That ending, whoa. Gus is a perfectionist even when he's about to puke, haha.

amberlita
09-19-2011, 04:17 AM
i kind of hate this show for the things it does to me. after a somewhat uncertain beginning this season has been putting up series best episodes for four weeks now, each better than the last.

thoughts:
walt made me tear up. then a few scenes later, walt jr. made me tear up.
gus is insane.
giancarlo esposito better get an emmy nod next year.
needs more hank.

Same here. I actually gasped when he started crying, surprised at his sudden display of humanity. It was great to actually feel sympathy for Walt again. And when he let the "Jesse" slip...I didn't think it was possible to be heartbroken and overjoyed at the same time, but I was.

I disagree about the beginning of the season, though. I think there is some recall bias because, hey, each season starts out slow...it's just that it always hits its tension-filled A-game around the midway mark and we forget the pace it began with. Next season folks will be saying the same thing.

Glass Co.
09-19-2011, 05:07 PM
I disagree about the beginning of the season, though. I think there is some recall bias because, hey, each season starts out slow...it's just that it always hits its tension-filled A-game around the midway mark and we forget the pace it began with. Next season folks will be saying the same thing.

I agree, and I find more shows are going for this more novel-esque approach with the freedom of non-network television, and I'm quite loving it. I might be at an advantage having watched most of the season in the past week, but seeing the whole picture it's easier to find the seeds that were planted earlier that are now blossoming. Just look at the whole set-up of Walt theorizing that Gus must be killed at all costs, and how brilliantly that plot-line weaved into the wedge between Jesse and Walt that just occurred. That's a strand that has been there in every episode, even if only an undercurrent.

As for Walt's breakdown, it is maybe one of about a handful of moments in fiction that I am not afraid to admit made me cry. It might be somewhat related to my own feelings of my life right now, but did it ever hit hard. Yeah, Walt saying Jesse's name was a serious bittersweet moment that I needed after that opening.

I'm sure it's been mentioned several times in descriptions and reviews, but I don't think a show has ever made me more anxious, afraid and alert than this one. It's sort of like that awkward feeling one gets when one watches Larry's life implode on Curb Your Enthusiasm, or seeing David Brent/Michael Scott try completely unsuccessfully to ingratiate himself socially. Only difference is that the consequences are so much deeper on this show, and we're so much more attuned to the characters and how they've gotten into the struggles they have, so instead of awkward it's crushing and heartbreaking. Basically, this show messes with viewers quite well.

Mr. Pink
09-19-2011, 05:29 PM
I'm wondering if I'm the only one who doesn't care about any of the side plots that don't involve the drug dealing aspect? For the most part, I just skip anything with Walt Jr. and his wife, not caring in the slightest about missing a crucial plot point.

I don't know. It just didn't take very long for me to realize how drastically my interest level sinks when his wife starts bitching at him, or his kid starts whining about something. I can take small scenes here and there, but the family stuff seems more like filler to pad out an hour long show.

Even when people are saying that scene make them cry, I wouldn't know because it was preceded by ten minutes of Walt Jr. shuffling around, acting concerned and Walt lying again about what he's been up to, and it was so boring I just skipped the scene.

I still love the show, but I could do without at least 30 percent of it.

Ezee E
09-19-2011, 05:50 PM
I have a feeling that Skyler's issues with that guy may come back to haunt everything.

As for the son, I don't know, I'm not sure what the show is intending with him, except that it's kind of made Walter realize what's actually important to him. Although, it may be too late, as he mentioned to Jesse last episode.

Irish
09-19-2011, 06:08 PM
I'm wondering if I'm the only one who doesn't care about any of the side plots that don't involve the drug dealing aspect? For the most part, I just skip anything with Walt Jr. and his wife, not caring in the slightest about missing a crucial plot point.

No, you're not the only one. The scene this past week between Walt and his son was particuarly banal. On one hand, I appreciate tht the show is willing to give actors big, meaningful monologues to chew on, not cut away from a scene, give the material its due. That in and of itself is just awesome.

I just wish they could do it in a way where there was some kind of drama in it, and something meaningful to the show at large.

Those scenes were particularly grueling this week because the whole time you're sitting on that line, "You belong to the cartel now" and just dying to find out what happens next.

ledfloyd
09-19-2011, 08:28 PM
I disagree about the beginning of the season, though. I think there is some recall bias because, hey, each season starts out slow...it's just that it always hits its tension-filled A-game around the midway mark and we forget the pace it began with. Next season folks will be saying the same thing.
i don't know, i keep coming back to that scene where mike was driving jesse out to the desert and there was all the tension and build up until he just pulled a bag of money out of the ground. it seemed kind of cheap and drawn out with little payoff. like all things it might play better on the second viewing but i thought the beginning of seasons 2 (which probably isn't fair as it was wrapping up season 1) and 3 were much more immediately engaging. i loved box cutter but then i thought there was a dip in quality until around midseason.

also, in regards to last night:
did walt try killing himself? that was the impression i got, emphasized by the empty pill bottle in the foreground of several shots, but i haven't seen it discussed anywhere else.

Ezee E
09-19-2011, 08:38 PM
i don't know, i keep coming back to that scene where mike was driving jesse out to the desert and there was all the tension and build up until he just pulled a bag of money out of the ground. it seemed kind of cheap and drawn out with little payoff. like all things it might play better on the second viewing but i thought the beginning of seasons 2 (which probably isn't fair as it was wrapping up season 1) and 3 were much more immediately engaging. i loved box cutter but then i thought there was a dip in quality until around midseason.

also, in regards to last night:
did walt try killing himself? that was the impression i got, emphasized by the empty pill bottle in the foreground of several shots, but i haven't seen it discussed anywhere else.
No. He did exactly what he had said. He took pain pills and drank some in order to sleep away the external and internal pain on himself. He probably took a few more then necessary, but not in an attempt to kill himself.

That's my take on it.

This season has been an exercise in building tension out of silence.

Glass Co.
09-19-2011, 09:07 PM
So I'm guessing Gus is going to be okay, but is there any chance that he might bite it in the next episode? I really hope not, that guy has gotten far too interesting the past few episodes.

Ezee E
09-19-2011, 11:11 PM
Doesn't seem like Gus has any enemies now, except for Walt, who isn't getting anywhere near him.

Well... the only one left now is Hank.

[ETM]
09-20-2011, 07:16 PM
Caught up... well, that was something.

Glass Co.
09-20-2011, 08:45 PM
Doesn't seem like Gus has any enemies now, except for Walt, who isn't getting anywhere near him.

Well... the only one left now is Hank.

I meant about the poison, but I guess this is a guy who plans everything to the most minute detail, so it's likely just a small amount left in his system.

[ETM]
09-20-2011, 08:48 PM
I knew what he was doing the moment I saw him taking pills by the pool.

Ezee E
09-20-2011, 08:59 PM
;372977']I knew what he was doing the moment I saw him taking pills by the pool.
I figured that was obvious. What wasn't was if he'd be figured out...

Glass Co.
09-20-2011, 09:14 PM
;372977']I knew what he was doing the moment I saw him taking pills by the pool.

Oh, I knew what he was doing the moment he requested Jesse shouldn't have any. My point was he still seemed rather collapsed by the end and I thought maybe just maybe the writers might give us another surprise. Anyway, this doesn't much matter as he won't die, unless AMC wants to lose a viewer.

[ETM]
09-20-2011, 09:23 PM
He definitely had some left in his system, perhaps the antidote doesn't neutralize it all, just buys you enough time to throw it out. Or it wasn't an antidote at all - likely just something to momentarily "stop" digestion.

amberlita
09-21-2011, 01:16 AM
Oh, I knew what he was doing the moment he requested Jesse shouldn't have any. My point was he still seemed rather collapsed by the end and I thought maybe just maybe the writers might give us another surprise. Anyway, this doesn't much matter as he won't die, unless AMC wants to lose a viewer.

Pfft. You wouldn't stop watching.

ThePlashyBubbler
09-21-2011, 06:31 AM
Odds that Walt's remission comes to an end in the season finale? It's gotta be a matter of time, and I can't imagine it'd be a middle-of-the-final-season twist. Then again, with 16 eps next year, maybe it'll fall at the midseason finale of sorts.

Or, you know, I guess it's possible Vince Gilligan and co. could pull a surprise on us.

Ezee E
09-21-2011, 06:35 AM
Odds that Walt's remission comes to an end in the season finale? It's gotta be a matter of time, and I can't imagine it'd be a middle-of-the-final-season twist. Then again, with 16 eps next year, maybe it'll fall at the midseason finale of sorts.

Or, you know, I guess it's possible Vince Gilligan and co. could pull a surprise on us.
Maybe.

We'll see Walt's attempt to possibly get out of the business, but I think that'll obviously prove to be difficult.

It may be Jesse's turn to actually "turn bad."

number8
09-25-2011, 07:18 PM
Whew. Finished Season 3. Intense.

I really like the feel of this season, and I read an interview with Gilligan that pretty much confirmed it: they don't plan the season arc way in advance (and watching it in bulk, you can really tell. They set up someone as a big bad in the first episode then kill them off halfway and turn the season into something else). Rather, the writers try to become Walt by deliberately forcing themselves into impossible corners and then having to improvise an "out" that Walt can do. It's an insanely risky tactic for writing television, but damn, it worked out big time for this show.

Can't wait to get caught up with Season 4.

number8
09-25-2011, 07:20 PM
Also, Gus is like Stringer, Marlo, and Mouzone all in one character.

Ezee E
09-25-2011, 08:27 PM
Also, Gus is like Stringer, Marlo, and Mouzone all in one character.
Yeah, I always said that Gus could've taken over for Brother Mouzone and The Wire would never have gotten the criticism that it did with him.

ledfloyd
09-26-2011, 04:20 AM
that wasn't as strong an hour as the last three or four weeks but that was one hell of an ending. i felt kind of sick at the end of it all. i'm not sure i'll be able to handle the next two weeks.

Ezee E
09-26-2011, 04:20 AM
::repeat what I've been saying all season........::

What I will say is that there was a scene that would make the Coen's giddy.

ledfloyd
09-26-2011, 04:38 AM
::repeat what I've been saying all season........::

What I will say is that there was a scene that would make the Coen's giddy.
i would really like to see them do an episode before all is said and done.

Henry Gale
09-26-2011, 05:12 AM
For a show that specializes in being brutal, they somehow found a way to top themselves tonight.