Breaking Bad

[Brando]

http://www.hypable.com/2013/09/16/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-breaking-bad-reaction/

George R.R. Martin says 'Breaking Bad' has inspired him to create a more evil character

A Song of Ice and Fire series creator George R.R. Martin took to his blog on Monday to profess his love for the latest Breaking Bad episode.

The author, whose series was adapted for television by HBO and is known by viewers as Game of Thrones, wasn't afraid to talk about his appreciation for the AMC meth drama.

"Amazing series. Amazing episode last night. Talk about a gut punch," he said.

Breaking Bad appears to have inspired him to create a character as evil as Walt. "Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros. (I need to do something about that)," he wrote.

Being the tease that he is (Come on George, where's the next book?!), he also compared the two shows in terms of their Emmy chances. "This is the final season of BREAKING BAD. I think GAME OF THRONES may have a shot at upsetting BB for this year's Emmy (only a shot, though, I think they are the clear favorite), which pits us against their previous season... but there's no way in hell that anyone is going to defeat BREAKING BAD next year, when their last season is the one in contention," he wrote.

He makes a valid point, but last year's eight episodes of Breaking Bad were certainly a high point for the series. On the other hand, they can't compare to the final eight episodes of season 5.

Following last night's shocking episode, there's been some debate over whether Game of Thrones' "Red Wedding" episode is on par with Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias." What say you, viewers of both?

[bigperm]

One thing I really liked and took away from this episode along with everything everyone is mentioning, I love how we saw every single version of Walter White in this episode. From the flashback, early Walt - to the Heisenberg moment of telling Jess about Jane, the father Walt losing his family, to kinda seeing the death of Walter (my opinion) as he fell to the ground after Hank's death. It was interesting to see them all in the span of that one episode, might be a reach but just something I took away.

[Drenk]

"Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros."

I still feel that it's easy to call someone a "monster". Walt is a bastard; what he's done is awful and selfish. But this season, we see him struggling. "I can't kill Hank. Let's do an awful videotape threatening him!I can't kill Jesse. Oh, well, he's not family...Oh, I can't kill Hank. Ok, it's over now. Don't kill Hank, take my money! WE'RE A FAMILY! Ok, Holly, come on, you're the only thing I have. Oh, I'm done for my family and even for Holly. I have to leave them."

It's not just him being a monster, it's having a line, crossing it, until everything melts in ONE barrel. When he called Skyler and gave Holly back, it was him not being selfish for the first time since...Ever? Yes, he had no choice. But he realized they were better without him.

And, for me, when he calls Skyler, in a way he says: "I was wrong, I fucked up. I love you." ; it's maybe the last time he speaks to her. Why would he let his emotions through the ploy? It's devastating enough to see him expressing humanity with his tears, his face, while calling his wife a bitch.


About the end being a victory for Walt, I think he'll die but he'll manage to offer a life for his family, saving them. He wanted to give them money, but he created a danger. Now he has to eliminate everything he has done. And himself.

[Alexandro]

"Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros."

I still feel that it's easy to call someone a "monster". Walt is a bastard; what he's done is awful and selfish. But this season, we see him struggling. "I can't kill Hank. Let's do an awful videotape threatening him!I can't kill Jesse. Oh, well, he's not family...Oh, I can't kill Hank. Ok, it's over now. Don't kill Hank, take my money! WE'RE A FAMILY! Ok, Holly, come on, you're the only thing I have. Oh, I'm done for my family and even for Holly. I have to leave them."

It's not just him being a monster, it's having a line, crossing it, until everything melts in ONE barrel. When he called Skyler and gave Holly back, it was him not being selfish for the first time since...Ever? Yes, he had no choice. But he realized they were better without him.

And, for me, when he calls Skyler, in a way he says: "I was wrong, I fucked up. I love you." ; it's maybe the last time he speaks to her. Why would he let his emotions through the ploy? It's devastating enough to see him expressing humanity with his tears, his face, while calling his wife a bitch.


About the end being a victory for Walt, I think he'll die but he'll manage to offer a life for his family, saving them. He wanted to give them money, but he created a danger. Now he has to eliminate everything he has done. And himself.

well, it's a figure of speech. what you describe and what we see of walter white is the behavior of a sociopath/psychopath (this ambivalence in his actions and position towards the world around him makes him scarier in my view), which in many ways is the modern day term for monster. just like tony soprano was a monster. he was struggling too.

[Drenk]

SPOILERS SOPRANOS

Tony Soprano isn't struggling; he thinks he's a good guy because he has some emotions. When he kills Christopher, he tries to find excuses for Carmela to be relieved of his death with him! With the destroyed baby seat in the car. He wants redemption at the beginning of season 6, but it doesn't last. Walt is a sociopath because, when he's saying to Skyler "I'm the danger!" he wants to believe it.Bbut he's not the danger. In 406 he is in danger. He's lucky at the end. He's not the danger or Jesse James. He's doing awful things in order to become THE MAN. And he doesn't become "THE MAN"! But he's done these things. He didn't even become a complete monster; that's why calling him a monster is too easy. Selfish bastard is my favorite. He's not Heinseinberg, he's not "Walt" : we'll see what name Saul's guy gives him.

As one of the lawyer in the Good Wife would ask me to add: "It's my opinion."

[Tictacbk]

http://www.hypable.com/2013/09/16/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-breaking-bad-reaction/

George R.R. Martin says 'Breaking Bad' has inspired him to create a more evil character
"Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros. (I need to do something about that)."

He wishes he could do something about that.  It took Breaking Bad 5 seasons of focusing almost entirely on Walt to get his character to where he's at right now.  If he were a character on GoT we'd get one scene with him a week and still be waiting for him to make his first million.

[©brad]

The podcast is frustrating sometimes. I still love it and I think Kelly does a commendable job but she talks too damn much. Even when she says "I'm going to shut up and let you guys talk about X" she never does. They spend too much time on the minutia of production and complementing one another and not enough time evaluating the episode and what happens in the writer's room.

[Jeremy Blackman]

The podcast is frustrating sometimes. I still love it and I think Kelly does a commendable job but she talks too damn much. Even when she says "I'm going to shut up and let you guys talk about X" she never does. They spend too much time on the minutia of production and complementing one another and not enough time evaluating the episode and what happens in the writer's room.

It's fine with me personally. I would like to hear more, but at the same time I feel like I shouldn't... I don't want them to explain the meaning of everything. And I think their writing process has been described sufficiently.

[©brad]

According to Peter Gould's twitter feed, last two episodes are 75 minutes each including commercials!

[Frederico Fellini]

According to Peter Gould's twitter feed, last two episodes are 75 minutes each including commercials!

My body is ready.

[Kal]

Yes.

http://www.vulture.com/2013/09/breaking-bad-final-episodes-longer.html?mid=twitter_vulture

[Fernando]

Remembering Hank

[Frederico Fellini]

HAHA OWNED.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I like how Dean Norris is even more belligerent than Hank Schraeder.

[mogwai]

Remembering Hank

Amazing!