Breaking Bad

[woot]

Ha. Again missing the nuance. Fantastic episodes are clearly not what people (including Gilligan) are referencing with the "punish" talk. And this trend goes well beyond Walter White. Same thing happened with Vick Mackey and Tony Soprano. You want to watch a series where an evil person is presented in the most favorable light possible with a cheesy happy ending, then Dexter is the show for you.

While I agree it's headed that direction, Dexter isn't even over yet, so...

[SandYFan]

I stopped watching Breaking Bad after Jesse killed Gail and it seemed there was no one to root for anymore.

Picked it up this season, after catching up with season 4, and I'm glad I did.

Thoughts on last night's episode:

1. I didn't pick up on Walt protecting Skyler in the phone call. It worked perfectly into how pissed he is that Skyler didn't just come with him, but the phrasing and the foreshadowing in the flashback scene make perfect sense.

2. I don't know if Walt saves Jesse. Walt went absolutely nuclear on him, from pointing him out to the Nazis, to giving the go ahead to execute him, to telling him about Jane. Each of those steps were deliberate and calculated. Sure, he's gone off on Jesse before, but this feels different. If not for Jesse, Hank would be alive, and that's a huge deal to Walt. Of course, I can see the argument that his final phone call home is Walt consciously taking all the guilt onto himself, and that would leave Jesse innocent, and in need of saving. I could see it going either way.

3. I could handle Hank dying. But Skyler, Flynn, Holly or Marie dying is waaaaay too much. The "Hank wandering the world without friends or family because they are all dead" story is incredibly dark.

4. I've got a 8-month-old daughter and she just started saying "Mama." The scenes with Holly were really, really rough.

5. As was the knife fight. It's a credit to the show's dedication to making sure no one is safe that I was terrified someone was getting stabbed, and since I know Walt lives, it was either Skyler or Flynn.

6. Good on Hank going out on his terms.

7. The ricin cigarette is not a poison cigarette. It's a cigarette that contains a vial of ricin, for concealment. No one can light that thing up and die from it.

[falafel]

7. The ricin cigarette is not a poison cigarette. It's a cigarette that contains a vial of ricin, for concealment. No one can light that thing up and die from it.

I think everyone understands that last point.

[SandYFan]

I could easily see Walt saving Jesse, killing the neo-Nazis with that huge machine gun, and then lighting a (ricin) cigarette one last time...

Except this guy.

[falafel]

Except this guy.

SJS is a smart guy. I think he was taking some dramatic license with that one.

[ERCougar]

Character barometer (I don't care if no one else cares to hear it--I like to think about it):
1) Walt - way down with the identifying Jesse. The worst thing he has done thus far. Redeemed himself a bit by saving Skyler and Flynn from trouble and returning Holly, but he needs to save Jesse.
2) Skyler - Up. Finally some backbone that isn't just nagging.
3) Hank - Way up. Like Sandyfan said, I could handle his death because he died honorably, on his own terms. I'm glad he didn't take Walt's offer (even if it could have been pulled off). He redeemed himself from the last few weeks of downs.
4) Marie - Fascinating how she how has become one of the two moral compasses (with Jesse) on the show. This reversal theme has been handled really well, without going cliche.
5) Jesse - Ugh.

[Pheidippides]

It bears repeating: Walt probably thinks Jesse is dead now. So whatever his unfinished business is, it doesn't involve Jesse.

This may, of course, change on Sunday.

[SandYFan]

Forgot to mention the brilliance of the "Jesse is now a meth cooking slave" scene.

The sheer terror in Jesse.

The fact that Todd says absolutely nothing until his "Let's cook" statement.

Camera showing the new lab.

Just quietly dragging him from his cell, padlocking him to the zip line, letting him check out the photo of Brock and his mom, and scene.

Todd is freaky, man. He doesn't get riled up about anything. Watch out for the quiet ones. It's the bad guys who bluster and rant and rave you don't have to worry about as much.

[Jeff Lebowski]

This is why this argument is stupid. No one wants him to get away with everything on an island in the Caymans. And no one thinks he's a lovable teddy bear. We keep beating each other's dead straw men.

Lovable teddy bear? Definitely a straw man. I haven't seen anyone make that argument either side. Get away with everything? I know a few people rooting for that.

[Jeff Lebowski]

While I agree it's headed that direction, Dexter isn't even over yet, so...

Spoiler for spoiler:

Yeah, but if Dexter dies he will die as a holy person who just wants to settle down with his beautiful wife (another reformed serial killer!) and take care of his cute son. His psychopathic tendencies are all gone and his sister who murdered a fellow cop in cold blood now feels good about herself due to some helpful counseling and is able to return to work as cop without any of that nasty guilt she used to feel. Barf...

[ERCougar]

Lovable teddy bear? Definitely a straw man. I haven't seen anyone make that argument either side. Get away with everything? I know a few people rooting for that.

lol. Yeah, this Walt that arranges to have Jesse executed and uses his girlfriend and son to lure him to his death; he's like a big lovable teddy bear!

http://www.cougarstadium.com/showthread.php?12085-Breaking-Bad&p=1015085&viewfull=1#post1015085

[Jeff Lebowski]

Character barometer (I don't care if no one else cares to hear it--I like to think about it):
1) Walt - way down with the identifying Jesse. The worst thing he has done thus far. Redeemed himself a bit by saving Skyler and Flynn from trouble and returning Holly, but he needs to save Jesse.
2) Skyler - Up. Finally some backbone that isn't just nagging.
3) Hank - Way up. Like Sandyfan said, I could handle his death because he died honorably, on his own terms. I'm glad he didn't take Walt's offer (even if it could have been pulled off). He redeemed himself from the last few weeks of downs.
4) Marie - Fascinating how she how has become one of the two moral compasses (with Jesse) on the show. This reversal theme has been handled really well, without going cliche.
5) Jesse - Ugh.

Agreed. But you missed Walt Jr. Way up. Stood up to his dad and even jumped on him to save his mother. So much for being a wimp.

[Jeff Lebowski]

http://www.cougarstadium.com/showthr...=1#post1015085

Come on. You don't recognize the sarcasm in that statement?

[ERCougar]

Agreed. But you missed Walt Jr. Way up. Stood up to his dad and even jumped on him to save his mother. So much for being a wimp.

Yes!
So glad to see him become more than a prop.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It's funny Dean Norris doesn't even know his own show calling him a baby killer.

The "punishing the audience" is clearly shtick. I'm over it. Gilligan is saying one thing and doing another. Walt has made decision after decision this last half season to choose morality over personal benefit. Others around him are not. Skylar, Hank, Lydia, Todd, Marie, etc. Don't overreact guys. I'm not saying Walt is some kind of moral compass or hero. But his arc is going almost completely opposite of what you guys were predicting before the last half season.

I am not sure Gilligan has ever used the expression "punish the audience". I have only heard that described by reviewers, commentators, tv critics, etc. I doubt he would express it that way, but I could be wrong.