Breaking Bad

[O.]

Hmm, I see... Damn. I can't wait to see how this season is concluded, I'm losing my mind thinking about it 

[Tictacbk]

I don't understand why Vince Gilligan thinks the protagonist into antagonist arc is such a novel idea (I also dont' believe that that was always his intention for the show, but thats just me).  I wish he would take a page out of David Chase's book and just let the material speak for itself.  I don't want to have any idea whats going to happen.  And jesus christ am I sick of reading "Mr Chips becomes Scarface".


Having said that... what a great episode last nights was.  Unbelievable.

[tpfkabi]

Watched it again and the rug trip earlier was a nice touch.

The last shot looked weird technically. I guess they constructed the set just for this because the structure is shaking like hell on the way up (or they have a temporary roof for shots looking up at the ceiling). It looked like Walt and the hole was superimposed as the distance didn't seem right. Then again, I don't know anything about lenses so I could be wrong.

At the end of the day Gus doesn't care that they wouldn't even have the blue without Walt's recipe. I would think Walt would bring this up when his life is threatened, but that point may have been gone over in prior eps and I don't remember (since I have not revisited any episodes) or he figures it would be a useless point with someone like Gus.

I wonder if Jesse sticking up for Mike with the medics is foreshadowing a Mike/Jesse against Gus situation.

[Jeremy Blackman]

To be clear... a Jesse or Gale cook is 96% pure, and a Walt cook is 99% pure. That's the difference... they would all be blue because of the chemical they're using. But yes, despite having been convinced by Gale at one point that the difference between 96% and 99% is actually massive, it appears that Gus doesn't care... and probably hasn't cared since the end of Season 3.

As he said in his first meeting with Walt, "that is not the only consideration."

Walter's coffin.

From the podcast: "The idea was supposed to be he was lying in a tomb."

They also say Ted's fate is definitely meant to be ambiguous.

[Fernando]

That last 10 minutes is some of the best filmmaking/televisionmaking I've ever seen.

that was some intense shit, I cant predict anything, I truly have no idea how they are going to handle the last two eps...and we have one more season to go.

It was intense in a totally Lynchian way while being wholly original. Amazing stuff..

totally, and the music/sounds they use feel as well..

This is like a 4-part season finale. So exciting.

so true, cant wait for every damn thing to collapse right in front of our eyes...

[Stefen]

Spoilers

Am I missing something? Didn't Gus say he would kill Walt's family if he tried to interfere? So Walt had the option of keeping his life if he chose to let Hank die, but he completely disregarded it and started his lunacy as early as possible knowing he would absolutely be interfering? If that question makes any sense.

If Gus hadn't said he was going to 'take care' of Hank, Walt would have definitely laid low, gotten out, etc. Walt said he was handling the Hank situation, and he was, the best he could, but now Hank even knows where their lab is. Walt doesn't want Hank killed. The only option he has is to tip of the DEA about the hit on Hank and then call Saul's dude to get him and his family new identities and lives. But Skylar kind of ruined that. I hope Walt kicks her boobs off.

[polkablues]

Between the camera move and the sound design, that final shot was the most Gaspar Nöe-ian thing I've ever seen on television.

[theyarelegion]

Between the camera move and the sound design, that final shot was the most Gaspar Nöe-ian thing I've ever seen on television.

straight out of Enter The Void...down to the play with the overhead bulb.

[picolas]

this is shakespeare.

"Why dost thou laugh? it fits not with this hour."
"Why, I have not another tear to shed."

the scream and the laugh murdered my heart. i've actually never experienced such a feeling of dread and disaster from any form of media before.

ted's scene was phenomenal.

[Pozer]

gotta be the best final moment to an episode theyve done. chillings. if you told me this was the final season i'd believe it.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I think it would be interesting to have a full list of X-Files alums who have worked on Breaking Bad. Maybe someone has already made a list like this. I'm just going by memory from what has been said in the podcasts.

Vince Gilligan
Jon Shiban (writer)
Tom Schnauz (writer)
Michelle MacLaren (producer, director)
Aaron Paul (was in one X-Files episode)

They've mentioned some lesser crew members, but I forget the names (or they weren't named).

Can anyone add some names?

[©brad]

Don't forget Bryan Cranston! He was in one episode. A small role I believe, but that's how he and Vince originally met.

I'd just like to sidebar and say Michelle MacLauren is my favorite Breaking Bad director. Her episodes include Salud, Shotgun (with all those awesome time-lapse sequences), Thirty-Eight Snub, and probably one of the best hours of television ever, last season's One Minute.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yeah, I think I agree. She seems to really hold the show together. Always has something interesting to say on the podcast, too.

I've also been thinking about which editor I prefer. It's hard because they're both great. The editing in both Salud and Crawl Space was superb. I might give the edge to Kelley Dixon.

[theyarelegion]

There's an unknown force that hasn't even revealed itself yet.

edit/spoiler: walt poisoned brock!!!

[Jeremy Blackman]

Another great one. After that peak of intensity last week, they somehow managed to begin with a credible slow burn and build to another climax.

And we're back to rooting for Walt, which is interesting. He's even expressing regret. The same thing kind of happened at the beginning of Season 3, but of course Heisenberg returned when he was needed. Maybe his transition to "antagonist" is a "two steps forward and one step back" kind of thing. Since he's becoming too likable, perhaps even in the season finale next week Walt will be forced to make a Heisenberg-style decision not unlike the end of Season 3. (There's my reckless prediction of the week.) Or are we waiting for Walt (full Heisenberg), Jesse, and Mike to take the reigns of Gus's operation next season?

My only complaint about the episode is the "go ahead and shoot me" bit between Jesse and Walt (that part of the scene in particular). Too cliche for this show. And there must have been a better way to resolve that moment. OMG is he going to shoot the central character? Of course he's not, because he's the central character, and I've seen this scene 73 times before. It was bad. I could be nitpicking, but that broke the moment for me. Cranston's acting in that scene, however, was amazing. It just should have ended differently.

That said, it's quite brilliant how the writers were able to flip Jesse back to Walt. Again, a massive plot move executed in a completely credible way. Notice once again how absolutely none of the plot and character development throughout the season is going to waste. They're cashing in on all of it. (In this case, Jesse's weak spot for children and his relationship with Brock.)

Absolutely loved that last scene with Gus and Walt. Such beautiful tension. I half expected their eyes to meet (in binocular view of course), and then an "I'll get you" scowl from Gus (with a drama sting of course) to end the episode.