Breaking Bad

Started by squints, February 25, 2009, 07:23:38 PM

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©brad

I wish they wouldn't use so much time lapse, but overall I love how exuberant and cinematic the cinematography is on this show. For a TV production, it's an incredible feat. The roomba POV shot and extreme overhead of Walter outside Gus's house were very well done.

Quote from: picolas on July 26, 2011, 12:08:50 AMi'm a little divided on the season thus far. they're definitely going for a less-is-more, minimalist kind of thing. it's not all working for me. the zombie conversation, for example. did that have to be five minutes long? breaking bad used to be the king of moving stuff forward, totally changing the stakes every episode.. don't get me wrong. i'm not against watching paint dry, but i don't know if bb is justifying this pace. still better than 95% of television but i hope they change things up.

That zombie scene was excruciating! But was it purposefully so? You could tell that coked up asinine banter was just eating away at Jesse (and us).

How else has this season been minimalist? I agree on some odd pacing, and certain scenes and shots dragging. But from a plot perspective, I think stuff has been moving along at Breaking Bad's usual early-season pace.

Some things I loved:

Walter's Heisenberg moment in the car with the hat, and how the music stopped and started back up.
"Walter you're never going to see him again."
"I think there's this cat. I think I'm like, supposed to feed it."
The last shot of Jesse gave me chills. Aaron Paul is killing it, as usual.

Also, I would seriously watch a show that just followed Mike the Cleaner around all day.

Jeremy Blackman

I think the strengths of the show right now are:

- Jesse's turmoil. It's perfect for where the story is right now. He's had turmoil before, but it's been mostly juvenile. Now, it's more serious and deep, even deeper than it was post-Jane. And Aaron Paul is amazing.

- Hank and Marie. Their relationship has never been more interesting. And it's hard to pick sides. Marie is just trying to be helpful and loving, but she's being shut down at every turn, and she has every right to be concerned with Hank's obsession with minerals, which is a couple more shipments away from some kind of hoarding compulsion. From Hank's perspective, she's been smothering him since the incident. She doesn't really know how to deal with him anymore, so she has become annoying. I predict that a rock mineral will be thrown. Also, the actor who plays Marie is playing this out so well. I guess she's never had material this strong before, but boy is she hitting it out of the park. Her anguish in this last episode was completely real.

Pozer

Quote from: cronopio 2 on July 25, 2011, 10:41:38 PM
i don't remember breaking bad being as cinematographically ambitious as it has been in the past two episodes. has anyone noticed this?
some stuff looks like it's being helmed by david fincher.

http://blogs.amctv.com/breaking-bad/2011/07/jesses-house-party-video.php

socketlevel

***SPOILS***

I think one unsung thing about this show that is pretty great is in the casting and wardrobe. One thing that really stuck out to me about the last episode is how all the kids at the party looked authentic. No one in this show is pretty, not even the party girls (which is where shows usually try and fill out the quotient of hotties).

I love this show, i think it's the best thing on television, but I don't agree how great you think Aaron Paul is JB. I think this is a perfect typecast for this role. I've seen him in other stuff and he's pretty lackluster.

I watch this show with a friend in film like myself and we were very happy with Jessie's non-termoil ending in the first episode; he was finally taking control of his situation. I was sad watching this last episode because now he's back in that, and it's getting old.

Other than that, great episode.
the one last hit that spent you...

©brad

Quote from: socketlevel on July 28, 2011, 09:56:39 AM
***SPOILS***

I watch this show with a friend in film like myself and we were very happy with Jessie's non-termoil ending in the first episode; he was finally taking control of his situation. I was sad watching this last episode because now he's back in that, and it's getting old.

Hmm I don't see how Jesse was in anyway taking control of anything in episode 1. At Denny's he was able to clearly articulate Gus's motive in killing Victor in a way Walter couldn't. That wasn't evidence that he was suddenly in control of his emotions or comfortable in his new role as "the bad guy."

I agree with Jeremy in that I don't think we've ever seen Jesse in this state of turmoil. This wasn't about Jesse simply on another meth-binge. This was about Jesse not wanting to be alone and face what he's done, trying to block everything out with noise (the party, the sound system, even the roomba which you can almost interpret as a little roommate). We feel his soul eroding in that final shot and it's heart-breaking. Had the show not done this, had they quickly turned him into this hardened, cold-blooded confident killer, I think that would feel cheap. And we wouldn't like Jesse as much.

Jeremy Blackman

Exactly. I don't think Jesse resolved anything in E1. His nonchalant behavior at the restaurant was either a front or he was simply very hungry; I think believing that he had taken control is a misinterpretation.

He doesn't have control of the Gus situation at all. He said at the restaurant that they and Gus are on the same page now and have some kind of understanding and that it will be okay, but I don't think he believes that (and Walter certainly doesn't).

But more importantly, he doesn't have control of his own moral self-identity. Walter has already defeated his, but Jesse just can't do it, and I don't know if he ever will. This season is drawing out a central element of the show, which is that Walter is turning into a "bad guy," but Jesse is a good person. That tension is what we'll be dealing with.

socketlevel

You guys might be right. However the reason i came to this conclusion was the role reversal with him and walter. This was a very rare moment that jesse had wisdom and insight for walter; which is usually the other way around. he sat there confidently eating his meal and educated the educator. the 2nd episode flipped it again. i find it realistic, and people have moments of clarity and they go back to their patterns, i guess i was just hoping for something else this time around.

JB i wasn't saying he has control of the Gus situation, it just appears at the end of ep 1 he's got control of his own emotional and physiological shit. then cut to the next episode and he's a wreck again.

no biggie, still love the show and thought the first two episodes were great.
the one last hit that spent you...

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: socketlevel on July 29, 2011, 09:30:33 AM
You guys might be right. However the reason i came to this conclusion was the role reversal with him and walter. This was a very rare moment that jesse had wisdom and insight for walter; which is usually the other way around. he sat there confidently eating his meal and educated the educator. the 2nd episode flipped it again.

Except I don't think Jesse is being wise in that scene at all. Walter is correct. And after Walter makes his point, if I recall, Jesse doesn't disagree. (He was educated.)

Quote from: socketlevel on July 29, 2011, 09:30:33 AMJB i wasn't saying he has control of the Gus situation, it just appears at the end of ep 1 he's got control of his own emotional and physiological shit. then cut to the next episode and he's a wreck again.

Okay. It does appear at the end of E1 that he's somewhat stable, but people go into shock all the time after something traumatic has happened, and I think that's what happened here. At that diner scene he's still maintaining the front that he put up immediately when the throat-cutting happened. It's unnatural for someone not to have a human reaction to that, so yeah, it was just being delayed.

His crisis in E2 was probably a combination of (1) his loneliness, (2) the Victor incident, (3) the Gale incident, and (4) his identity crisis overall. These are all piling up, and he's not ready to face them. The crazy face he made in the final scene is not just desperation... he's crushingly overwhelmed.

socketlevel

If i remember right Jesse makes the last remark at the table.

I agree with the crisis combination and find it believable. I guess i have seen this Jesse so much I wanted something else.
the one last hit that spent you...

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: socketlevel on July 29, 2011, 12:05:21 PM
If i remember right Jesse makes the last remark at the table.

We may be drifting into overanalysis, but truthfully I'm always up for that...


At the beginning of the scene, when Walter asks Jesse how he's doing (twice), Jesse has absolutely no verbal response and very little nonverbal response. (I love this BB's potent silences.)

Walter: Any thoughts on what our next move might be?
Jesse: What next move? [in denial]
Walter: Our next move. Our next move, given the fact that at the first opportunity, Gus will kill us.

[Jesse then argues that Gus just had a "golden" opportunity to kill them, which is a pretty stupid observation. He then argues that they are irreplaceable, even suggesting that it might take years... which is not quite as bad, but still stupid.]

Walter: Are you sure--
Jesse: At least now, we all understand each other. Right? I mean... him and us. We get it. We're all on the same page.
Walter: And what page is that?
Jesse: The one that says, if I can't kill you, you'll sure as shit wish you were dead. [laughs]
[Walter then gives him a look like... "Uhh... that doesn't even make sense... and are you sure you're okay?" Which is exactly what I was thinking.]

Especially after re-watching this scene, I think it's really obvious how much Jesse is denying and bottling up. It's almost exaggerated. His straw-slurping at the end is especially on-the-nose.

Jeremy Blackman

This was a great tension-builder episode. I wasn't quite sure about it at first, but by the end I really appreciated it.

The Walter/Skylar dynamic is getting interesting (yet again), especially in the champagne-drinking scene, because they seem to be reconnecting. What makes it really interesting, though, is that it looks like Walter is going to need a whole new set of lies between them. This time, it's about the danger he's in... and his plans (vague though they may be) will certainly put him in more danger. I expect this to play out in a big way. It might just take the usual/natural route, wherein Skylar slowly puts things together herself.

Marie's content was probably the weakest part of the episode (was her crying a bit much?), but it was still good. The fact that she stole the framed family photo confirms that her compulsion is serious and she's the thrill-seeking variety. But I wonder if the writers were trying to make another point about her relationship with Hank... it's highly suggestive that she stole a picture of a happy couple.

My favorite part of the episode was Jesse's story. What's going on at his house is just so bizarre. I thought I knew what his motivations were, but now I'm not sure. It's either some strange new addiction or a form of psychosis. Check out his face after he throws the money and watches the people scatter:



So strange! The bit where he threw the balled-up bill into the guy's mouth was even better. Completely Lynchian humor. So overall, I'm not sure what's going on with him. Maybe he's just trying to connect with people and experiences, but he just can't make it work, so he's trying different things. This crisis might be a close parallel to Hank's post-Tuco crisis, just with different manifestations. Someone with actual knowledge about psychology should chime in.

Technical note... The guy we see outside Jesse's house is indeed Gus's new assistant, who was briefly introduced last episode in the lab:





I knew Jesse's employers would shut down the party house. (Next episode?) He could obviously attract unwanted attention from law enforcement.

Jeremy Blackman

... And I just thought of something. I think the party house has transformed from a loneliness cure to something entirely different. It's almost like Jesse is keeping his own little collection of circus freaks so he has something to look down on and subjugate. He has collected them right there in that one room of his house (remember, it is just one room) so he can throw money at them and demean them. There's that dominance angle, but they're also like a curated representation of his inner demons, which he's trying to deal with by proxy. Totally makes sense now.

socketlevel

fuck ya man, you see the evolution of it in the episodes. they start out as his friends, then they're this super rough crowd and end up being really old meth heads. showing him getting more and more washed up.
the one last hit that spent you...

theyarelegion

the continuing party scene at jesse's is brilliant how the house is progressing to match his changing state of mind into something that seems to be heading straight toward more violence, that's the drive behind it that I feel? love where this season is going so far....


squints

#239
I have some weird thing for Marie (i'm thinking its because she looks EXACTLY like this girl i used to hook up with frequently, weird nose and all) and I thought her little portion was great because i didn't really know what was going on at first and i thought maybe she was finally through with Hank's shit and she's movin out? But no, its just a little example of the bad breaking going on in her world. I didn't find it too distracting.

My favorite moment from this last ep was Jesse driving the go-kart, the little scream he lets out in the middle of that little montage was great. Its definitely a metaphor here, he's going to crash very soon.

Gale wouldn't have put Jesse or Walt's name in the Lab Notes (or even a hint at their name that Hank could pick up on) would he? Naaaaa.....

SPOILERS
What do you guys think THIS picture has to say about whats gonna go on with Jesse?
"The myth by no means finds its adequate objectification in the spoken word. The structure of the scenes and the visible imagery reveal a deeper wisdom than the poet himself is able to put into words and concepts" – Friedrich Nietzsche