Breaking Bad Appreciation Thread

fuck. What shall I do? Watch 8 episodes to satisfy myself after an entire year and then dwell for a few more months... or supress my urge and watch the first half along side the second half and maybe with Dexter..? Arghhh the decisions grown ups must make... :))
 
[quote name='bigpimpin24']fuck. What shall I do? Watch 8 episodes to satisfy myself after an entire year and then dwell for a few more months... or supress my urge and watch the first half along side the second half and maybe with Dexter..? Arghhh the decisions grown ups must make... :))[/QUOTE]

Some seasons are 10 episodes on other shows. I'm certainly not waiting to watch 16 at once. They might even cliff-hang episode 8.
 
Hmmm I'm not much of a fan of the eight episode cliff hanger stuff. However, it's going to be tough to avoid spoilers....

Decisions decisions.....
 
[quote name='bigpimpin24']fuck. What shall I do? Watch 8 episodes to satisfy myself after an entire year and then dwell for a few more months... or supress my urge and watch the first half along side the second half and maybe with Dexter..? Arghhh the decisions grown ups must make... :))[/QUOTE]


I'd do that if I could avoid spoilers—and didn't intend to watch it with my girlfriend and discuss it on the Internet.

Plus, there's always Weeds. I think I may actually prefer Weeds to Breaking Bad. I think. But then again, Breaking Bad has far more intense drama—but Weeds does drama well too, and sometimes I prefer a less serious, less unforgiving dramatic tone.
 
I can see where guys want to live vicariously through Mike but his character is poorly written. Dirty cops/ex-cops gone rogue as heroes only work if they're doing it for righteous reasons. He is willing to kill anyone for his boss, not really caring that he'll be killed any second. What's worse is that they've implied that he knows he's expendable. A right hand-man with that much hubris doesn't care whether or not he's going to be screwed over?
 
[quote name='davo1224']Dirty cops/ex-cops gone rogue as heroes only work if they're doing it for righteous reasons. He is willing to kill anyone for his boss, not really caring that he'll be killed any second. What's worse is that they've implied that he knows he's expendable. A right hand-man with that much hubris doesn't care whether or not he's going to be screwed over?[/QUOTE]

You're kind of piecing together stereotypes to describe a character that isn't Mike.

  1. He's not being presented as a hero anymore than Walt, Jessie, Gus, etc.
  2. His attitude can be described as anything but hubris. Did you even watch his big moment, the "half measures" speech? That's explicitly about his hubris as a cop, and what he learned from that.
  3. His loyalty to Gus was a business arrangement. There were multiple scenes suggesting that Mike wasn't interested in working through particulars for Gus, only being methodical and getting a job done.
  4. It's implied that he cares that he could be killed, at no point was Mike ever presented as not caring about his personal safety, like he had some "damn the torpedoes" attitude. You misunderstood that -- a core characteristic to Mike is his awareness and calculating nature. It's a big reason why Walt drives him up the wall.
Mike's been around. He's been around so long that he's seen things come back around a second time. That's the essence of what makes him enjoyable, he's in the midst of seeming chaos and that expression and tone in his voice suggests he's thinking something like, "Not this shit again."

It's why his relationship with Walt in Half/Full Measures made him a fan favorite. On the one hand he's personable enough to sit Walt down and say, "Look, you need to chill out. Let me tell you a story..." On the other, he cannot stand Walt given that Walt rarely thinks a plan out from start to finish, his methods and means vary depending on the time of day, air temperature, what he had for breakfast, so on.

I would say he's been written pretty well. You're the lone voice claiming otherwise, and the support you give for that isn't based on what we've seen in the show. I don't know what you're watching.
 
fyeUV.gif
 
I liked the beginning flash forward to produce interest into what's to come.

Reminds me of the season with the flash forward of the teddy bear in the pool scene.

And thus begins Walt's path towards destruction. I wonder how "Bad" he will become before his inevitable demise.
 
Great premiere. The thing I love about this show is that something happens every episode. It rarely drags. Other shows would have made
the evidence room scene
happen episodes later.
 
[quote name='antlp89']And thus begins Walt's path towards destruction.[/QUOTE]
Dude, he stepped on that path the very first episode of the show. That's the whole point -- he's been "breaking" from the start. It's amazing how people forget that Walt never has been the good guy, he's an antihero. He's a meth cook, and he's a self-centered, prideful dick, to boot.

[quote name='antlp89']I wonder how "Bad" he will become before his inevitable demise.[/QUOTE]
No quotes needed. He's bad right now. As if we didn't know how bad already, that creepy ending with Skylar and Walt's "forgiveness" sealed it.

I was a little disappointed in Jesse this episode, he seemed a little too keyed up over "magnets, bitch" after all he'd been through. You think he'd be a little more at odds with himself. Plus, it's been shown that Jesse's no idiot: his blind spot where Walt is involved is becoming more and more implausible. Especially given that he's come to know Mike well enough, and Mike's on hand to tell Jesse exactly how Walt is.

That being said, I can't wait until the scales fall from Jesse's eyes and he sees Walt for what he is. It's a matter of time. Will it be a reveal over the poisoned kid, or will it be Jane's OD? Can't wait.
 
Jesse is too emotionally invested in Walt to see what's going on. Walt has been the constant for Jesse since they started together and he's bailed him out a few times too.
 
Yeah, I know, it's just after everything that's happened... It's gotta happen soon, though. Maybe they'll use Mike to finally have Jesse's eyes open. Not in a half-measures speech kind of way, but in Mike's death, maybe Jesse will finally see Walt as Heisenberg and not Mr. White.
 
[quote name='dothog']Dude, he stepped on that path the very first episode of the show. That's the whole point -- he's been "breaking" from the start. It's amazing how people forget that Walt never has been the good guy, he's an antihero. He's a meth cook, and he's a self-centered, prideful dick, to boot.


[/QUOTE]

Meaning that he's turning into the villainous role...

I knew someone would take what I said the wrong way :wall:

Sure he's always been the anti-hero, that much is obvious.

This season (unlike the past 4 seasons) I believe they are making him out to be a true villain. Not sure if you get that...
 
My point is he's been a bad guy -- a villain -- from the start. His behavior from the start supports that. It's just easier to recognize that fact lately. You know, like when he blows half a guy's face off.
 
i hoping for Walter White, Jr takes Walter White out in the end and saves Hank The End
 
[quote name='rpg']i hoping for Walter White, Jr takes Walter White out in the end and saves Hank The End[/QUOTE]

I'm hoping Jessie finds out about the evil shit Walt Sr. did to him personally, and puts poison in Walter Jr.'s cereal for revenge.
 
Man, that's two episodes in a row that end with a creepy Walt/Skylar scene. First Walt's forgiveness and then forcible groping. He's on a roll. He needs to head back to the high school and give that principal a second shot. TAKE WHAT'S YOURS, WALT.

EDIT: And another thing from the episode that's driving me nuts... I'm spoilering this just because it seems like there's people catching up via Netflix...

So you just flush ricin down the toilet and be done with it? It's as harmless as a goldfish? I know Jesse's not chemistry minded, but neither am I! My reaction would have been, "DUDE, WAIT!"

I'm not intending this to be a discussion of chemistry or where goldfish go when they die or public waste water, I'm just talking about the knee jerk reaction to ricin disposal. It's not, "Hey, where's the can?"

I know that, relatively speaking, Walt's an operator, but he played it sloppy there. And Jesse's initial reaction is hard to fathom. Again, not talking about his crying over pointing a gun at Walt (love the character for his big heart, he's such a mixed up puppy), but just the ricin disposal. WTF writers.
 
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Enjoyed the last episode.

I have a hunch that Walt will do something drastic towards the end of the season (or maybe even by the end of the first 8 episodes this year). Personally I think he is going to kill someone in a more direct way.
I'm thinking Mike.
 
Yep, Walt hates Mike, but at least he knows who Mike is. Mike has a code, as a threat he's considerable, but he's predictable. Skylar's trouble.

(Same thing goes for the Madrigal chemical rep. The show has a problem coming up with stable female characters.)

The thing I don't get about Skylar is that her options aren't nearly as limited as she thinks. If protecting her kids is the point, she could easily drop a dime on Walt. She doesn't need Walt's "magic." So what if she gets tossed in the can with him? The kids will still be away from Walt.

But I'm sure in the end, she's right, it doesn't matter, she can just sit around on her ass and be a sad sack. The cancer will win out.
 
I always felt like the writers have done a great job keeping the characters very balanced (by this I mean as realistic as you can expect for a show with such a crazy premise). However, I find Skylar's character nearly unbearable thus far this season, and Hank's character's rise from the ashes has been far too quick. (I know it was basically an entire season, but in a show where very little if any time is passing between seasons, it just seems out of place)
 
I agree. I haven't been as annoyed by Skylar as others in the past, but this season, this paralysis she's going through is remarkably silly given how quickly all other characters/events are moving.

However, maybe that's the writers' way of tipping their hand. Maybe they want to set up Skylar as Walt's main threat, and they felt like using 3 episodes to do that instead of 1 would make whatever goes down later on more believable/acceptable. Or that it would better explain Walt's failure to recognize her as a legitimate threat. We'll see.
 
[quote name='pitfallharry219']Maybe I'm just having a brain fart, but after so many times I've lost track. Why was the Aztek in the shop this time?[/QUOTE]

The crash Walt caused to prevent Hank from seeing the laundry operation.

Someone mentioned it before and more and more it seems to be coming true but I'm really starting to get the Walt is the villain feeling. Sure Skylar has been annoying but Walt's behavior has turned to downright callous. He has definitely turned the corner from being the character who is arguably an anti-hero you can't help but root for to a full on villain.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']The crash Walt caused to prevent Hank from seeing the laundry operation.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I guess that's right. For some reason, I thought I remembered him sitting in it when he heard about the nursing home explosion on the radio, so I was trying to think about when it could've happened after that.
 
I agree with everyone else that Skylar is just fucking unbearable this season. When ever she comes on the screen I get pissed. That whole stunt of walking in the pool? I really do hope Walter has her put in a crazy home. None the less, I have been enjoying every episode thus far. Really great show.
 
It's not that Skylar's unbearable (for me at least), it's that every story and everybody else is moving at Warp 9.9 and her character is puttering along in a golfcart.

The more I think about that lag, the more convinced I am that she's going to be the big threat to Walt in these 8 episodes. I had forgotten about the Ep 1 open already, with Walt at the diner sans wedding band. So yeah, they're drawing out Skylar's descent for some big payoff. It seems obvious now, but who knows, I'll probably have this thrown back in my face in a month.

We know she's not beating Walt, so the question is how she loses if it comes to a winner and loser. I just hope he doesn't inadvertently kill/incapacitate Skylar ala Benneke. You only get one of those per show. And if she dies, it won't be satisfying if anybody but Walt does it.

Also, I'm still amazed we're getting "So I'm thinking Walt's a villain/bad guy" posts. He's been cooking meth from the start. Maybe people aren't familiar with meth. It's not blue candy. The fact that he would consider it -- even in his condition -- was an incredibly generous tipoff that he's not "good." Has he been a likable loser at times? Yes, like when he's confronting dudes about Turf Wars at the Home Depot. Has it ever made him any less of a dick and/or meth cook? Nope.
 
[quote name='dothog']

Also, I'm still amazed we're getting "So I'm thinking Walt's a villain/bad guy" posts. He's been cooking meth from the start. Maybe people aren't familiar with meth. It's not blue candy. The fact that he would consider it -- even in his condition -- was an incredibly generous tipoff that he's not "good." Has he been a likable loser at times? Yes, like when he's confronting dudes about Turf Wars at the Home Depot. Has it ever made him any less of a dick and/or meth cook? Nope.[/QUOTE]

See, that's why I said he was kind of an anti-hero before because even though he was producing one of the worst drugs possible he was doing it for the right reasons and usually came across as the victim. Now that he's effectively top-dog we see what kind of ruthless person he really can be. He's really gotten to the point where he has no redeeming qualities anymore.
 
I actually think they are building up Skylar's character to the point where she is finally going to snap. She has gotten close but pretty soon I think she is just going to snap and tell Hank everything. Last episode she was talking about the safety of the kids, and I think she is at the point where telling Hank everything (and getting the kids out of that place legally) might be the only way in her mind to keep the kids safe.

Skylar might be Walt's biggest enemy but he doesn't know it yet. He thinks he has her under control but all it takes is one little meeting with Hank. I am sure Hank would spare her for the chance to finally catch Walt.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']I think she is at the point where telling Hank everything (and getting the kids out of that place legally) might be the only way in her mind to keep the kids safe.[/QUOTE]

This seems like a likely scenario. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's too clean, she's going around Walt and the way a few of these past episodes have gone, the focus is directly on Walt AND Skylar. (Think of the two creepy finishing scenes.) It hasn't been Skylar reflecting by herself, it's been Walt in a position of power over Skylar, forcing himself on her like a big, creepy, bald, creepy creep.

So I don't think she sneaks off to tattle when Walt's not looking. I think they're going head to head. Cage match. Pistols at 10 paces. Better yet, Thunderdome. I'd like for it to be a drag out fight, none of this slap fighting bullshit that Walt and Jesse go in for. Skylar puts a knee to the groin, rams a fist to his nose, and then goes accountant tiger style on "The Danger." I'd love for her to beat Walt's ass.
 
I've hated Skylar for a while and really want her to die now. She's almost as bad as Rita from Dexter and I was extremely happy when she finally bit the dust. I can only hope Skylar will suffer the same fate.
 
[quote name='Yamato']He should make an appearance on Breaking Bad:

Macaulay_2134207b.jpg
[/QUOTE]
macaulay culkin doing his best gary busey impression.
 
Wouldn't mind if Mike took out Skyler. I'd enjoy it actually.

Even though Walt already has the "Evil" in him, I thought it was cool when he turned into "Mr.I Dont' give a F*ck" when he picked up his Heisenberg hat.
​
 
Yep, like I stated before I believe they are making Walt a true villain this season.

Season 1 - the villain was Tuco
Season 2 - the villain was Tuco (didn't really have a main villain to be honest)
Season 3 - the twin cousins + Gus are the main villains
Season 4 - Don Eladio + Gus are the main villains

This season they are making Walt less likable and more villain like. I think at the end of the season we'll be rooting for Walt to die (or maybe Jesse to kill him).

I think one of the darkest moments for Walt was at the end of season 2 when he let Jane die. They are returning to that type of dark Walt with the end of season 4 (killing Gus) and now this season (hints to off Mike, his general desire to be the bad guy).

[quote name='dothog']
Also, I'm still amazed we're getting "So I'm thinking Walt's a villain/bad guy" posts. He's been cooking meth from the start. Maybe people aren't familiar with meth. It's not blue candy. The fact that he would consider it -- even in his condition -- was an incredibly generous tipoff that he's not "good." Has he been a likable loser at times? Yes, like when he's confronting dudes about Turf Wars at the Home Depot. Has it ever made him any less of a dick and/or meth cook? Nope.[/QUOTE]

Is it really that hard to comprehend the difference between a villain of a show and an anti-hero? Yes meth is bad... and in real life Walt is a bad guy. But in this show, up to this point has Walt ever been the main villain? You cannot honestly say that you were watching this show this entire time rooting for Walt to get caught by the DEA because he is a "bad guy meth cook" come on now...
 
I totally get that he's an anti-hero. But the main appeal of the show is that there's no well-defined "bad guy." The show has worked ridiculously hard to make that clear -- why give us all the backstory on Gus otherwise?

I don't see how anyone could "root" for Walt after the way he's manipulated everyone around him. Especially Jesse. Don't get me wrong, I love the character, but I've been eager to see Walt get his in small doses for a long time.
 
Anyone notice Walt had his birthday in this episode, also had his birthday in the opening scene of this season. Meaning that opening scene takes place one year from last episode.
 
[quote name='antlp89']


Is it really that hard to comprehend the difference between a villain of a show and an anti-hero? Yes meth is bad... and in real life Walt is a bad guy. But in this show, up to this point has Walt ever been the main villain? You cannot honestly say that you were watching this show this entire time rooting for Walt to get caught by the DEA because he is a "bad guy meth cook" come on now...[/QUOTE]

The Shield brought up a lot of the same questions with the Mackey main character
 
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