Breaking Bad

[Donuthole]

I'm 3 episodes in and wishing I had never started, while jonesing for the next episode at the same time.

[MarkGrace]

I'm 3 episodes in and wishing I had never started, while jonesing for the next episode at the same time.

Ha. That's pretty much how you feel the whole time. What an awesome show!

[RobinFinderson]

Thank goodness. Things are back on track. I caught up on the last two episodes last night, and the show is once again up to its usual standards, and looks to finish strong.

I'm happy to see the direction they are taking the Skyler character. It is a great direction for the show, and will definitely differentiate her character from other memorable crime wives, say Carmela Soprano.

Also, I really like the Gus character, and I am afraid for how they are setting him up. I would really like to see him around next season. And for crying out loud, when is Walt Jr. going to become a character instead of just a prop?

[woot]

Last week's episode was still pretty week, I thought, and reminded me of the hazards of not waiting until the end of a season before getting into a show.

So far the most recent episode seems pretty good though. That montage at the beginning was gold.

[RobinFinderson]

Last week's episode was still pretty week, I thought, and reminded me of the hazards of not waiting until the end of a season before getting into a show.

So far the most recent episode seems pretty good though. That montage at the beginning was gold.

No doubt. It was stunning. One of the better works of genuine art I have seen on television. A whole kind of painful existence wrapped up in a couple of minutes of perfect story-telling.

[woot]

Wow. Good episode. This has just turned into quite the sticky wicket though. Shit, as they say, just got real.

[MarkGrace]

Ho. Ly. Shit. That was insane.

That was one seriously intense episode right there.

[MarkGrace]

Also, I really like the Gus character, and I am afraid for how they are setting him up. I would really like to see him around next season. And for crying out loud, when is Walt Jr. going to become a character instead of just a prop?

I know the writers have said they are hoping to take Walt through a Tony Montana like evolution. I took that to mean that at some point he's going to be head of the whole operation. I think tonight may be a major step toward getting him there.

[BigPiney]

Ho. Ly. Shit. That was insane.

That was one seriously intense episode right there.

That was a good one and with one episode left this season is going to end in another huge cliffhanger I have a feeling. At the beginning of the season I was thinking that they should try and finish this off after this next season and that may still be the case. I'd like to see this go out on top, so I think one or two more seasons are in order and then they should call it quits. Great show.

[MarkGrace]

Vince Gilligan has said five years. According to him, that gives them enough time to tell the story they want to tell, while leaving people still wanting more and not overstaying their welcome.

[BigPiney]

Vince Gilligan has said five years. According to him, that gives them enough time to tell the story they want to tell, while leaving people still wanting more and not overstaying their welcome.

That sounds just about right.

[wuapinmon]

I'm finishing Season 1 and I'm liking this show. I'm especially impressed by the acting.

Sometimes I feel like our country learned nothing from Prohibition.

[RobinFinderson]

It was a decent final episode with a major cliffhanger (to be expected).

Some spoiler questions:

Spoiler for Spoiler questions!:

It is funny that Saul seems to have some genuine professional integrity. Is that realistic, or does he simply not know the level that Gus is playing at?

I'm glad that Gus is still alive. How long will that last?

Did Jesse pull the gun to the side before shooting? Is Gail dead or alive?

The next season looks like it will start strong. This was the big problem with this season, dealing with the calamity at the end of last season resulted in a slow start this season. Next season looks like it has the potential to start strong.

[Rx GATOS]

I don't understand why Jesse had a problem pulling the trigger on Gail but seems to be ready to kill other people at the drop of a hat. It looks like its going to be like Dexters new season and take off right where it left off literally. I hope it doesn't jump the shark.

[RobinFinderson]

I don't understand why Jesse had a problem pulling the trigger on Gail but seems to be ready to kill other people at the drop of a hat. It looks like its going to be like Dexters new season and take off right where it left off literally. I hope it doesn't jump the shark.

I'm responding to Rx Gatos' post, and what follows will be full of spoilers to anyone who hasn't seen the season finale, so proceed with caution.



At the beginning of the season, Jesse had a revelation, "I'm the bad guy," a role he proceeded to try and embrace, first by using insider information to rip off his parents, later by selling drugs. It looked like this was going to work until he he began to empathize with the girl he met at the drug abusers' meetings. Think about it, no matter how many times Jesse has been prepared to kill, he has never pulled the trigger, and the mayhem has always affected him most.

In contrast, Walt, at the beginning of the season, clearly declares that he is a 'good guy,' yet by the end of the season he has fully embraced the dog-eat-dog world where Gail has to die so that he and his friends and family might live. In one of the great/interesting ironic arcs of the season, Jesse becomes moral center of the duo while Walt becomes the amoral figure capable of doing just about anything to save his own bacon.

Skyler is almost as bad as Walt. She goes off and has an affair only to return to Walt and join his business, all while she pretends to maintain some kind of moral superiority. Gail's last(?) words matter here, "You don't have to do this!" Skyler, you don't have to do this! The early scene showing a younger Skyler and Walt making plans for their future, taking risks because they have no place to go but up, was a nice touch -- these two are meant for each other.