Breaking Bad

[©brad]

- Scene of the season (so far) was that bedroom showdown. Walt's body language was so threatening I really thought he was going to hit her. It's an absolutely terrifying scene that was brilliantly acted and directed.
- We were wrong about Anna Gunn. She killed it in this episode.
- This is just film geeky stuff, but I loved the cold open. The cars coming into the driveway, the way the camera jerked back and forth with that music. I love how exuberant this show can be with the camera. It never comes off as style over substance or show-offy.
- Marie is the worst secret keeper ever. Also I love Hank's line: "Marie isn't exactly an advertisement for advanced mental health."
- The actress playing Lydia (who's Scottish!) is fantastic. Lydia is nuts.
- Interesting that we're not getting much of Jesse so far.

More later have to get back to work. 

[Jeremy Blackman]

If he does spoil it don't talk about it here. This is why I avoid the podcast. The show is the show and everything else can go to hell.

I don't understand how someone like yourself who appreciates the value of seeing things with unspoiled eyes can expose himself to so much extraneous bullshit when it comes to this show.

I don't know a single thing about upcoming episodes let alone which ones are going to be "the best" of this short season. I hate hearing that crap. When you speculate you're not even playing the same game as the rest of us.. you will probably know how the show will end from some hint they give on the podcast, not from working through the show.

Hmm I should clarify.

Before this year on the podcast, they religiously avoided spoilers. Vince and Kelley would kind of keep each other in check in case a spoiler started creeping into the conversation. Looking back it's quite impressive; for example in the episode where Jesse had a gun to Walt's head, they somehow managed to talk through that scene in a behind-the-scenes way (talking about the process of shooting it etc.) without even hinting that Walt was lying.

And seriously, because they avoid talking about those things, 95% of the podcast content is generic behind-the-scenes stuff. Anyone who's listened to it can vouch for that. The rest is usually stuff like who came up with what idea and when, how something was pitched, or whether a particular line was ad-libbed (two great examples of that so far this season). Which is a delight to hear.

Also I always review here before reading any other reactions or listening to the podcast. The only "inside information" I have that would help me predict the future plot is fairly obvious stuff from the show that wasn't meant to be unclear.

In terms of meaning, the biggest thing they ever revealed was that Gus was gay and Maximilo was his partner. Vince didn't bring it up and was reluctant to acknowledge that it was true. He tried to say it was open to interpretation, but he kind of folded because the cat was out of the bag, and it's kind of obvious anyway (and common knowledge now). They really try to keep things open to interpretation. Vince is always quick to say "it's open to interpretation" whenever someone starts opining about something he'd rather keep ambiguous.

I am basically the spoiler Nazi, and none of that bothers me.

I may have exaggerated the spoilers they've given this year. The biggest one I heard was "you'll be hearing a lot of German accents next week" (referring to E2). The second spoiler (from the E3 podcast) was very cryptic, and I have no idea what it means. I managed to mute the third spoiler, so I have no idea what it was. Either way I need to keep the mute button at hand now, which is annoying, unless Vince settles down and keeps his mouth shut, which he should. He appears to be too excited about the season to refrain from teasing. At least he gives a brief spoiler warning beforehand.

But yes, I'll obviously avoid posting podcast spoilers here.

[Jeremy Blackman]

- Scene of the season (so far) was that bedroom showdown. Walt's body language was so threatening I really thought he was going to hit her. It's an absolutely terrifying scene that was brilliantly acted and directed.
- We were wrong about Anna Gunn. She killed it in this episode.
- This is just film geeky stuff, but I loved the cold open. The cars coming into the driveway, the way the camera jerked back and forth with that music. I love how exuberant this show can be with the camera. It never comes off as style over substance or show-offy.
- Marie is the worst secret keeper ever. Also I love Hank's line: "Marie isn't exactly an advertisement for advanced mental health."
- The actress playing Lydia (who's Scottish!) is fantastic. Lydia is nuts.
- Interesting that we're not getting much of Jesse so far.

More later have to get back to work.

Yeah, Lydia is a great character already. I hope she sticks around. Also her American accent is amazing. The very subtly strange way she pronounces some words, and the way her voice sort of quivers on certain syllables, are just the icing on the cake.

EDIT:Please ignore me saying that the writers would bring the hat back in a new capacity. Only remember I said they would bring it back.

I think the hat is serving the same purpose, but in a new context. Walt is still essentially pretending. He may have the authority and the confidence, and he may be a spectacular liar, but he's not being half as cautious and aware as he should be. The loose thread on the hat was the perfect confirmation.

[Jeremy Blackman]

The show is the show and everything else can go to hell.

Our discussion here is part of the "everything else." Where do you draw the line?

I think you're unfairly judging the podcast. Especially not having listened to it. I recommend listening to some of the earliest podcasts (starting in Season 2) to get a better idea of what it's like.

[©brad]

The show is the show and everything else can go to hell.

Our discussion here is part of the "everything else." Where do you draw the line?

I think you're unfairly judging the podcast. Especially not having listened to it. I recommend listening to some of the earliest podcasts (starting in Season 2) to get a better idea of what it's like.

Exactly. I totally understand the desire of wanting to retain a pure viewing experience and avoiding podcasts and interviews is probably the best way to watch anything. In this particular case, as Jeremy said 90% of it is production talk and the other 10% is story discussion that's not too dissimilar from the discussion we have here. I guess I really don't see the difference. Like any podcast of someone you like or admire, it's just fun to hear Vince and his writers talk, even when they're shooting the shit and talking about nothing which happens a fair majority of the time.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yup.

I'm guessing Pubrick has a bigger problem with the podcast because the meaning derived therein is more authoritative and less speculative.

But let's face it, in terms of meaning, this show is not exactly ambiguous. It's generally pretty on-the-nose, actually. Spectacularly enjoyable, but relentlessly on-the nose. The Scarface scene is a good example. I can name at least 3 examples from E4.

The story meaning they touch on in the podcast reveals next to nothing that wasn't already completely obvious. Mostly they just say how much they enjoyed the performance or the way it was shot, or they are simply expressing their delight with how well it generally turned out, and how proud they are of the scene.

One of BB's greatest strengths is its inexplicable unpredictability, so I agree that one should avoid plot spoilers. As I've said, those are religiously avoided in the podcast with the strange exception of 2-3 minor ones this season, and thankfully they are preceded by spoiler warnings.

[Stefen]

Best thing about this show is how it all plays out on TV. Being sleuth and trying to connect the dots based on a podcast seems like it would take a lot of the fun of the show away. When reading this thread, the second I see the word podcast I skip the rest of the post.

Maybe break posts up into 2 parts so others can participate? Like first part for the show and what happened and a second part for discussing podcasts, clues and what you think is going to happen based on hints or spoilers?

[Brando]

Lydia is great.  It's a hard character to play as well. She easily could become annoying with her being uptight and her demands at a diner but her utter disgust when she sees she's wearing two different shoes was very funny. When she saw the tracking device, I thought to myself what a horrible way to try and hide a tracking device. I'm not Mike and didn't put it together that she put it there herself. If she did cause JB made a good point about if she would have been able to do that herself. I love Mike's bland reaction to it as well. Well that's it. She's dead. Does that mean the DEA now knows how Walt is making his blue meth? Originally they didn't know how he was making it or why it was blue. Or I have forgotten them figuring that out a long time ago?

[©brad]

Best thing about this show is how it all plays out on TV. Being sleuth and trying to connect the dots based on a podcast seems like it would take a lot of the fun of the show away. When reading this thread, the second I see the word podcast I skip the rest of the post.

See our posts about the podcast above. Podcast spoiler warnings is fine I guess but there's nothing we're doing in this thread that we don't all do for every TV show and movie obsessed about on this board. Just look what's going on in the master thread. Citing non-spoilerful tidbits from a showrunner podcast on episodes after they've aired is no different/worse than linking quotes from interviews or articles, and it's certainly less damaging than dissecting a trailer frame by frame.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Best thing about this show is how it all plays out on TV. Being sleuth and trying to connect the dots based on a podcast seems like it would take a lot of the fun of the show away. When reading this thread, the second I see the word podcast I skip the rest of the post.

Maybe break posts up into 2 parts so others can participate? Like first part for the show and what happened and a second part for discussing podcasts, clues and what you think is going to happen based on hints or spoilers?

I have no idea what you're talking about. What dots have I ever connected based on the podcast? (Modage did, but I didn't even pick up on that, nor was I trying to harvest clues from the podcast.)

I just looked through my posts from this season, and the only thing I posted about the podcast revealing something was that it confirms Walt was being honest when he made his bacon into a 52. I don't think that falls into the "sleuthing" category. I'm sorry, but if someone is speculating that he was lying to the waitress about his birthday via bacon, I don't think that's useful speculation in the first place.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Dean Norris is on Fresh Air tonight.

[Brando]

I was well aware that there was Skyler hatred out there. I even found her a little annoying in the beginning of the series but I guess I was naive to the amount of hatred people have for her. I just read the comments section of AV Clubs review of last nights episode. Wow. It was only a couple of people but it got bad quick. It turned into calling Skyler horrible names and wishing her dead and more. Apparently Breaking Bad is a reference to Skyler and not the saint Walter White.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yeah I don't understand the Skyler hate. I think a lot of those people are simply misinterpreting the show, for example perhaps they can't get past thinking that Walt is the hero and Skyler is an obstruction. I can understand Anna Gunn hate for a few specific scenes, but even then she redeemed herself pretty thoroughly in E4.

Dean Norris is on Fresh Air tonight.

Fantastic interview. It could be Terry Gross's best Breaking Bad interview yet. (She's done 3 others.) Dean Norris does let out a spoiler, though. Just turn it off when he starts talking about whether to let his kids watch Breaking Bad. You won't miss much in the tail end of the interview.

It's a medium spoiler. Maybe 5/10 on the spoiler scale. He basically says there's a ____ scene involving ____ later in the season. No specifics... it's an offhanded tease.

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/06/158196312/dean-norris-on-playing-good-in-breaking-bad

[Jeremy Blackman]

Podcast is up, but you have to use this link:

[©brad]

Skylar hate is generally douchebags who watch the show purely for the pulpy action thriller part of it. Kind of reminds me of the two audiences of the Sopranos, particularly the blood-thirsty ones who just wanted to see violence and misogyny and had no clue what the show was really about.

Speaking of Skylar, she acknowledges that there's no hope in saving herself, her only priority now is to keep the kids safe. What exactly does she have to lose to tell Hank about Walt, if she's truly this terrified of him? I find it hard to believe she couldn't cook up some deal with the DEA that includes partial immunity, if that's even a thing. Why can't she say "okay, I cooked the books and I knew about the meth but I had no idea my crazy husband was killing people or was even that far up in the drug food chain. All I want is my kids to be safe and me as far away from this lunatic as possible. I'm giving you Heisenberg, you give me a break."