Breaking Bad

Jeremy Blackman · July 23, 2012, 10:00:43 AM

Quote from: ©brad on July 23, 2012, 09:08:36 AM
SPOILERS for Breaking Bad and Drive...

That cold open was awesome! Best scene of the episode though was Mike and Lydia negotiating how he should kill her. Good god that was intense. I had no idea what was going to happen.

Did Mike's "are you ready?" before shooting that one guy remind anyone else of that chilling line from Albert Brooks's character in Drive when he slices open Bryan Cranston and said "don't worry, it's over."

I'm starting to agree with you guys about Anna Gunn's performance this season being one note. I don't know what the problem is. She's no Edie Falco but she's definitely held her own throughout most of the series.

More later...

She's still in shock, I guess. Maybe cooking a really awesome breakfast for Junior will snap her out of it.

©brad · July 24, 2012, 09:59:00 AM

She's about to crack. I don't think there's anyway she can stay in that house with Walt for much longer. I fully trust the writers and can't wait for them to prove me wrong as they always do but at this point it's hard to believe she wouldn't be running to Hank and/or the police.

Jeremy Blackman · July 24, 2012, 10:49:47 AM

She won't be running to Hank or the police, because she's implicated. Hank etc. would realize what the "gambling" was pretty much instantly, and how involved she was. She's also too frightened (of Walt) to do that, I think.

But I agree... I can't wait to see what happens with her. And I'm getting more comfortable with the performance... it's competent.

Brando · July 24, 2012, 01:30:03 PM

Skyler is in a shock/depressed state. I don't think she'll go to Hank because she thinks it's over. The guilt and pain she is feeling is her punishment for her part in Walt's crimes. I think when she finds out that Walt has started to cook again even though they have the money from the car wash she'll finally realize who Walt has become. The fact he would jump right back into it after putting his entire family in danger would be the last straw and send Skyler to Hank.

©brad · July 24, 2012, 02:06:24 PM

Would her telling Hank and risking jail time be worth potentially saving her kids' lives? It might not be the most dramatically satisfying option, but it's a logical one. Another idea would be getting Saul to give her and the kids new identities so they can just flee. Wouldn't be the first time she thought about doing that.

Brando · July 24, 2012, 03:39:45 PM

Does she have enough info on Walt to get herself off? It's not often the wives of crooks are charged with their involvement in their husbands crimes. She could turn on Walt and get into protective custody. I thought about Skyler using Saul's guy to disappear. But she doesn't have the money. There is no way Walt is going to give her power over the money now. I don't think she could sell the car wash without walt knowing. Finally, I'm thinking she would rather turn on walt than completely disappear herself and family. How pissed would Hank be to find out not only his bills were paid by walt but by his drug money. I don't neccissarly believe it's going to turn out any of these ways cause this show is completely unpredictable while understanding the viewers expectations and surpassing them.

Pubrick · July 26, 2012, 11:25:49 AM

I think hank knows or is catching on.

Are we just going to buy that the laptop was "encrypted" in that throw away tone he used and that he acts like it's no big deal that it was destroyed? They showed him looking at it in a previous episode didn't they?

The most telling moment was when the retiring cop dude was going on about having Gus at his home and not realizing the truth when it was right under his nose..look at hank when he says it. It's a strange scene for so much focus on a minor character but then it's really about hank's reaction and maybe that he's mulling over new possibilities he hadn't considered.

I mean, if he did find out, he would probably not act on that information immediately. At worst it would arouse suspicions about his complicity and at best it would make him look dumb especially at this point where he's been celebrated as a hero who knew better than every other cop in town.

Jeremy Blackman · July 26, 2012, 12:14:54 PM

Maybe. The expression on Hank's face was subtle and fleeting, though, and could be misinterpreted/overinterpreted. My impression was that that moment was a wink at the audience, not necessarily a description of where Hank's head is at.

I guess we've been spoiled to some extent. In the flash forward, Walt is not in prison or running from the law. Which means Hank is still putting things together or has already been neutralized, perhaps by Mike (who now surely needs to keep an eye on Hank) or Walt himself (who still has ricin). I can see Walt inviting Hank and Marie over for a barbecue and putting some ricin in Hank's cole slaw.

But I think one thing is clear. Hank must eventually put things together. The show pretty much has to deliver on that.

Brando · July 26, 2012, 02:32:21 PM

I think that comment was for the audience too. Will Hank make the same mistake or not? I'm thinking not. Right now he think he has caught Heisenberg (Gus) and his chemist Gale. Right now he has no need to be suspicious other than the guy who gave Tio the bomb. That could be easily written off as some mexican drug beef. But as soon as Walt begins to start to cook again and the blue meth begins to reappear in the streets that is when things are going to get interesting. In the last episode, Walt out right refused to cook with anything other than that chemical that makes the meth blue. His arrogance to keep it blue and to keep it his signature product might be his ultimate downfall. Hank will realize Heisenberg is still out there or at least his chemist is out there trying to replace him. We know everything Walt has done so It's difficult to remember sometimes how everyone else in his family sees him including Skyler until recently. It's been less than a year since the pilot when Hank was making fun of Walt for being a wimp.

I got the impression that Walt was running from the Law in the flash forward. Changed appearance, new identity and he's completely alone on his birthday having a secrete meeting buying a huge gun. It's so open for interpretation but that also makes it great. My impression was that he had finally lost it and going to kill a bunch of people while someone mentioned to me they thought he was buying the gun for protection. I don't think you buy that kind of gun for protection but it's interesting to hear how people interpreted the scene completely differently.

Jeremy Blackman · July 26, 2012, 03:26:00 PM

Yeah, I guess he could be running from the law. He just didn't seem paranoid or scared enough to me. I feel like he would be more freaked out in that situation. Still possible, though... maybe he's tired and weary.

I also interpreted his gun purchase as an offensive move, perhaps against a Tuco type (which would bring things nicely full circle). What other situation would require that much firepower? There's still a chance that the writers are playing with us and it turns out to be something unexpected... I would prefer to be surprised.

Reel · July 27, 2012, 02:28:28 AM

I'm starting to love Hank whereas I absolutely despised him in season 1. If you look at it, he's the moral center of the show. He's put his life on the line for a totally worthy cause 100% of the time. Then on the flip side, you have Walt, whose risks may have been perceived to be for a good reason in the beginning of the show and are now starting to fall into a sort of grey area. We should want to see good prevail over in the end, right? That would mean Hank doing his job of keeping drugs off the streets and putting a stop to Heisenberg. Oh no, but then we have no more Breaking Bad! Such is the sad fact of this season.

Jeremy Blackman · July 27, 2012, 11:29:12 AM

Yeah, I've been saying that for a while... Hank is the show's hero. He also rather quickly became one of the show's best characters, which was even more fascinating because of his character's somewhat stereotypical initial form.

As for his competence, I think Hank has been doing the best he can. His instincts are unmatched. Just tally up all the victories he's had, and all the near misses.

AntiDumbFrogQuestion · July 28, 2012, 10:09:15 AM

I think what really removed Hank from the Stereotype Zone was his time at the border and his PTSD. It humanized him as quickly as hell.

Jeremy Blackman · July 28, 2012, 10:18:48 AM

Yup, exactly.

What's great is that Stereotype Hank is really interesting in retrospect, because later you see how that's kind of his tough guy joker facade.

Side note. I also initially thought the border incident was the source of his PTSD, but Hank himself says somewhere that killing Tuco really started it, because he apparently really doesn't like taking someone's life. But clearly the border incident brought it to a new level.

Brando · July 29, 2012, 04:37:04 PM

http://collider.com/vince-gilligan-western-breaking-bad-interview/184215/

Vince Gilligan talks Post Breaking Bad with interest in maybe doing a Western and there's no truth to the Saul spinoff only that he would like to see it happen.

Nothing certain. Just sounds like a guy who's current project is coming to an end and searching for something to do next.