Breaking Bad

[Tictacbk]

I can't think of another tv character who has evolved so much from beginning to end. it's such a magnificent accomplishment. every episode with this new, consciously sinister kingpin walt is an epic payoff for years of groundwork.

I think this is probably true, but I've been having a problem for a while now with how little time has passed in the show. Especially since in this last episode they called attention to it.

Everything that's happened in the last 4.5 seasons of tv has taken place in a year? It quite the "buy" for the viewer, though one I've come to terms with because it's such a great show... but I think it's probably the show's biggest flaw.

[Brando]

i can't think of another tv character who has evolved so much from beginning to end. it's such a magnificent accomplishment.

Once it's all said and done, Breaking Bad will be among talks of where it sits among the best TV shows ever.  Where ever it lands among the best is debatable depending on your personal likes. However, I think Walt has to go down as the best lead in a TV show ever. I love Mad Men but Don has no chance against Walt. Tony Soprano was great but Walt has changed so much.  No lead for shows like The Wire, lost and others.  I can't think of another lead character that would come close to Walt.

it definitely picked up towards the middle/end but i had a lot of issues with the reveal of everything being walt's master plan. it required way too much foresight to be believable for me. so much had to go exactly as he believed it would go.

I think the Plan had two successful outcomes for Walt. The first outcome is what we witnessed. The second successful outcome would have been if Jesse killed Walt. I think Walt was in such a corner that would have been a success for him.  He knows if he's dead his family would be safe from Gus. Jesse wouldn't hurt his family, so if he could get Jesse to kill him it's a way out for everyone.

[Jeremy Blackman]

This pretty much sums up my opinion of Season 4:

Season 4 had its slow passages, but it also had far more iconic scenes than any other season.

It had a lot of set up, but it also had a lot of payoff. I would put Salud, Face Off, and Crawl Space in the top 5-7 episodes, easily.

I actually agree that Season 2 is probably the best, but I think Season 4 (especially viewed as a whole season) is fairly close behind it. Season 5 will probably trump both of them.

i can't think of another tv character who has evolved so much from beginning to end. it's such a magnificent accomplishment.

I agree. The closest comparison I can think of is Jack from LOST. No, really... I made my case here:

MAJOR LOST SPOILERS

If you spent the show waiting for answers and forgot to watch the characters develop with the island, you basically missed the whole show. This is precisely why the end of Jack's story was so satisfying. It was the perfect way to consummate his relationship with the island. And seriously, his character arc alone constitutes its own epic story. He went from the short-tempered man of science to the brooding/tortured introvert to the man of faith who believes in destiny and saves the island.

I described before how perfectly planned and executed his whole character arc is. Phase 1: Reluctant leader and chronic skeptic ("man of science") with a short temper, hero complex, and daddy issues manifested as intense episodes of self-doubt. This character is so good to begin with that he doesn't even need an arc. Phase 2: Complete wreck off-island, full of regret, tortured about how wrong he was, guilty about Locke's death, realizes his gung-ho rescue antics had not saved his friends, that in fact he had violated and reversed destiny. Phase 3: Wanting to turn things around, but not sure how (he knows he can't simply "fix" things), Jack lies low with some seriously extensive brooding and introspection in Dharmaville. Phase 4: After five seasons of psychological torment, he has worked out his issues and believes in destiny. Guided by Jacob's gentle prodding and Locke's ideals, Jack realizes his entire metaphysical potential, saving the island in a pure act of self-sacrifice and faith. His story then concludes with the happiest, most fulfilling death one could possibly imagine.

[picolas]

good call. jack's close. and i doubt there are any other candidates because we're in a new era of television where shows can afford to be super-serialized. (that is assuming soap characters are off the table.)

Crawl Space is definitely one of the best eps ever. i will give season 4 a second chance with fresh eyes when i rewatch the series.

[tpfkabi]

Does Breaking Bad stream free anywhere online?
I had to get Dish, and there is no AMC right now.

[diggler]

I love how they did that cold open. You know the whole episode what's coming, yet they still managed to make it shocking. That wave was haunting shit.

[©brad]

This fucking show

[Brando]

This fucking show

Good catch for JB realizing Lydia couldn't have planting that device herself.  Good for Jesse for becoming the idea man. To end a great heist like that is... I can't think of anything but to describe it as ballsy. It would have been enough just to have ended the show with them celebrating. The whole time during the heist I was thinking "something always goes wrong.  There is always a hiccup in the plan." I thought the "good Samaritan" was it and totally forgot about the boy hearing the train.  I definitely didn't think he would have been shot. The stakes are crazier for the crew now.  You can't pull off a perfect heist anymore with no one getting hurt. Damn.  I have no idea how they're going to handle this.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yeah, the train whistle at the end of the teaser was a pretty obvious clue, so once they planned to rob a train you knew what was coming. But personally, that sort of enhanced my excitement.

When that scene actually arrived, honestly in the moment I thought they would be faced with this complex moral dilemma and possibly take the kid hostage while they decided what to do, like Lost or The Walking Dead. But of course Breaking Bad wouldn't do that. Because that's not original or surprising enough, and because this is the season of high stakes and Full Heisenberg.

I think what made that scene great was Todd. They could have had Walt do it, but that would be too obvious, and it would be jumping the gun a bit in episode 5 of 16. No, what makes the scene great is this background character who was slyly portrayed as this cheerful all-American kid who's eager to impress and seems to just be along for the ride. Then we see him, virtually without hesitation, pull out his gun (which we didn't know he had) and take care of business, and we discover how hardcore he is... but more to the point, exactly how dark this world is that Walt and Jesse find themselves in.

I love that one of their greatest victories has to be tainted with darkness, especially in the way that it must crush Jesse, who was virtually bursting with childlike glee pulling off this fun train heist. I'm sure he's going to have some guilt because of the overarching irony here, which is that his pacifist plan resulted in tragedy. His illusion that they can continue their business within some kind of acceptable moral framework must surely be crumbling now.

Of course the most interesting question now is how Jesse will react. This has been the longest stretch of episodes for a long time (or perhaps ever) in which Jesse and Walt have peacefully cooperated, so technically it's about time for some conflict between them. I'm sure they'd give him some time off for brooding and introspection, but Jesse will be getting pressure to continue cooking from Walt (because it's part of his plan) and Mike (to pay off his guys).

[diggler]

Lydia's attempted hit on Mike actually appealed to Walt. Mike was right, that girl is trouble, you could see it in the way she demanded money for her involvement. Her exchange with Walt reminded me of Walt's exchanges with Gus in Season 3, only reversed.

You've also got to give credit to Walt's brilliant plan to "awkward" Hank out of his office. That's the closest he'll come to a therapy session, and he played it so well that you felt like some part of him meant everything he said.

[Jeremy Blackman]

That's the closest he'll come to a therapy session, and he played it so well that you felt like some part of him meant everything he said.

mild interpretation spoiler from the podcast

In the podcast, Vince mentions that this was a debate in the writer's room... and suggests that at least some of that anguish comes from a genuine place. That's also how I interpreted it. It's not like he's suddenly lost all of his humanity. (Not yet, at least.)

Even in the season opener extreme flash forward, we see Walt expressing what appears to be regret.

[polkablues]

Holy shit, yes.  What an episode of television.  I was pretty convinced that Todd was going to turn out to be undercover law enforcement, but I guess that theory's out the damn window.

[Jeremy Blackman]

FYI they have a little spoiler section at the end of this week's podcast. So annoying. You have about 10 seconds warning, though. I skipped all of that. Otherwise, no spoilers before that in the podcast.

I have a strong feeling that the title of next week's episode is a major spoiler, so don't seek it out if you haven't heard it.

[AntiDumbFrogQuestion]

thinking or hoping for ONE SECOND that what is going to happen is NOT going to happen...that's Breaking Bad for ya.

"OMG he's still ALIVE after that explo--!!?!!! Nope, wait. His face is gone."

[modage]

I thought the interesting part is that we see Jesse's (horrified) reaction but not Walt's reaction.