Breaking Bad

Walter

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Staff member
NightCrawler said:
It felt more like a soap opera than anything else.
I sort of felt like that while Walt was on the phone laying out EVERYTHING. Was a little over the top, though not necessarily out of character for this series.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
IncantatioN said:
Not really sure why Todd's uncle and crew fired all those rounds at the car knowing Walt was in there, those guys were brutal!

Their priority is not getting killed/killing Hank and Gomie. Walter is a secondary consideration with guns drawn, but it goes to show his ultimate worth to them. He's a luxury, not a necessity or a friend, and he's already done enough to alienate and look weak in front of Jack and his crew. Bad time to be Walter White and not Heisenberg.

IncantatioN said:
And yeah, when Hank and Gomez were out in the open, they didn't get shot?! Seeing Todd's expression as he shot those rounds was priceless heh.

Yeah, Todd's derpiness shines through. As for Hank and Gomez not being hit, they did have some cover by the line of sight with the truck (we should ask why Jack's gang parked at such an odd angle rather than giving themselves a better advantage), and I actually find big firefights more realistic when nobody is hitting shit, particularly with the weapons they're using (pistols and shotguns that are realistically out of range, automatic weapons that aren't so easy to aim). That's what I liked about the Tuco fight, and even then Hank was pretty far away to make that shot.

IncantatioN said:
Agreed, loved that moment when he felt the emotional weight behind the scenario and
him crying
.
Yeah, that toothless look of anguish on his face... :sad:

Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Of course Jesse will get away. First off, Jesse is off by himself, while everyone is distracted. Second, Jesse is in Walt's super fast car near a highway, those pickups wouldn't be able to keep pace.

I think Jesse has other escape plans (and possibly no keys), you can see him opening the passenger door during the gunfight.

Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
I didn't see it myself, but my cousin claims that he saw Gomez getting shot.

I think I know what he's talking about, when Gomez puts his back to the front of his SUV and grimaces, but I don't think it's necessarily a hit, but more a reaction to the gunfire.

Walter said:
Why are you so sure? This whole brain thing really sounds like a reach to me... And that's coming from a guy with Void as an avatar.

Because the brain represents Void (he has a big one) and causality calling! Add Vince Gilligan to the Miura admiration society. C'mon, you'd buy it if it was Berserk. =)

NightCrawler said:
Ok, just finished watching. I thought this episode was ridiculous, and actually i was kinda pissed off of how incredibly far-fetched everything was plotted and how cheesy the last 5min were.
It felt more like a soap opera than anything else.

There's certainly precedent for the type of ridiculousness this episode excelled at (see... seasons 3, 4, and 5A). There's been a comicbook exaggeration to the show since season 3 and the introduction of the cousins (or even Saul half-way through season 2). So, the only thing that really rang a bit untrue to me was how quickly and easily Walt undid himself out of story necessity thanks to faked photos galore, and particularly the green screen driving confession, not the best way for that to go down. That's what happens though when you only have a season and half for two season's worth of storytelling, you literally have to have such scenes while racing to get to the next one. Not that the writers didn't squander some of that precious time themselves on capers and delaying Walt's final ascension (I mean, is this more ridiculous than magnets... "bitch!"? =) Seems pretty down to Earth to me by comparison, and I appreciated the setup with Jack's gang not wanting Walt's money but expertise for their business, ensuring they would come. Anyway, it's funny that you point out that Emperor Heisenberg is still sometimes down to his skivvies, because I've never seen such critical consensus that this episode, season, and show are the BEST EVER AND IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE BEST ENDING EVER (no setup for disappoint possible =)! So... tread lightly. :ganishka:
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
Walter said:
I watched the scene twice and saw nothing like that.
Like I said, I haven't seen it myself.

Why are you so sure? This whole brain thing really sounds like a reach to me...
Because Hank and the brain are connected in the story, and work in regards to foreshadowing. The brain is two things: it’s literally Hank's−store bought−brain, and it is a key part to Hank’s brainstormed plan, to trick Huell into telling on Walt. Those very literal things are both clearly owned by Hank. It’s Hank’s brain; It’s Hank’s plan. If the brain wasn’t so clearly Hanks I would agree that this wasn’t really foreshadowing about him. Additionally, as an image the brain is focused on twice, the first when Hank plops it on the floor and pours blood over it, and the second is when Marie finds it in the trash (at the end of the episode). Considering that, I see it as foreshadowing directly relating to Hank, who will most likely be covered in blood and dumped in the trash in the next episode.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
You’re probably right, I maybe getting too far ahead of myself, but here I’ll explain what I’m thinking.
Because Hank and the brain are connected symbolically; the brain, in relation with Hank, is two things: it’s literally Hank's−store bought−brain, and it is Hank’s brainstormed plan, to trick Huell into telling on Walt. Those very literal things are both clearly owned by Hank. Hank’s brain; Hank’s plan. If the brain wasn’t so clearly Hanks I would agree that this wasn’t really foreshadowing about him. Additionally, as an image the brain is focused on twice, the first when Hank plops it on the floor and pours blood over it, and the second is when Marie finds it in the trash (at the end of the episode). Considering that, I see it as symbolism directly relating to Hank, who will most likely be covered in blood and dumped in the trash in the next episode.
I honestly can't tell if you're joking...
 
Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Of course Jesse will get away. First off, Jesse is off by himself, while everyone is distracted. Second, Jesse is in Walt's super fast car near a highway, those pickups wouldn't be able to keep pace.

Now that I saw the scene again, he did reach for the door after all. It's more likely he'll probably start screaming that there are millions of dollars buried nearby. It won't really do anything to improve his odds of surviving, but Walter can't keep getting away with it!
 
Wow, truly awesome. What a cliffhanger... My jaw was on the floor. In fact I had a particular familiar and frustrating flash back as the credits rolled. That god damn Berserk anime cliff hanger. Gah!!!
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
The more i think of it, the more ridiculous this last episode seems to me, which for BB standards it's quite a leap. It was especially a disservice to Walter and Hank as characters.
The only way they'll get out of this without killing a main character in the beginning of the the next ep (it just seemed that the writers backpedalled at the last moment to kill Hank, or were just playing with the audience, in any case those last minutes were eye-roll inducing) is to have Walter bargain with Todd's group to let them live and cook for them. In the process Jesse will escape in the car and in the end will sacrifice his life to save Walter/Hank. Gomez will die somewhere in between.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Thank God, the thread was dead all day!

NightCrawler said:
The more i think of it, the more ridiculous this last episode seems to me, which for BB standards it's quite a leap. It was especially a disservice to Walter and Hank as characters.
I don't really get that, I actually find it kind of mundane (it's a shootout), so you're going to have to be more specific, what about it was so uncharacteristically ridiculous? I mean, they have fateful meet ups in the desert all the time on this program, and more ridiculous one's to boot, "Say my name." =)

NightCrawler said:
The only way they'll get out of this without killing a main character in the beginning of the the next ep (it just seemed that the writers backpedalled at the last moment to kill Hank, or were just playing with the audience, in any case those last minutes were eye-roll inducing)

Well, I don't think the point is to get out of it anymore, there's only three episodes left and it's spiral time; no time left to reset and spring something else (but I could be wrong). Also, I think I understand why they ended it how they did. First, it works for the format, it is still TV, and everyone's going nuts for next time (mission accomplished). Second, we knew the Nazis weren't going to negotiate with the DEA, so no use stopping it before the shooting starts, we'd just be having the same conversation except we might be even more certain that, "HANK'S FUCKING DEAD!" Third, if they are going to kill Hank, and going back to the first point, just the fact that we're questioning it is an achievement, it wouldn't behoove the character for it to be rushed at the very end of an already heavy episode, then cut... and by next week it's old news. Now they can take some time with what should be a huge moment, a fluid Nazi mess, and the aftermath. I mean, it looks like all the characters lives and the entire show is going to turn on this encounter (it sort of should be ridiculous =).

NightCrawler said:
is to have Walter bargain with Todd's group to let them live and cook for them. In the process Jesse will escape in the car and in the end will sacrifice his life to save Walter/Hank. Gomez will die somewhere in between.

I don't think that's happening. If anything, Walt will, insanely, try to bargain for Jesse's life if he's not too distraught/angry over Hank (one way or another, he's going to get on the bad side of the Nazis, if he wasn't there already). Nothing would surprise me though, he could give Jesse up for their meth slave, and then be on his way to rescue him with that M60. =) Yeah, probably not (though the idea of them reuniting isn't any less likely now), but what I really like is how this could go down any number of ways (maybe they'll surprise us and Jesse will get killed instead). All we know in advance is it's definitely going to go badly, we just don't know exactly how or how much, which only makes the suspense worse.
 
http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/breaking-bad-saul-goodman-spinoff-amc-series/

The Saul Goodman spinoff is a go, and it's going to be a prequel.
So that means his fate could still technically be a toss-up. Or Vince Gilligan deliberately chose to announce the spin-off before the Breaking Bad ending to create the illusion that his fate could go either way.

I don't really know what to make of this. He was an amusing character and
for the first time in the show, we got to meet some experienced criminals who actually knew what they were doing. However, the funniest moments were the Walter White/Jesse Pinkman moments, not the Saul Goodman moments.
.

So many of Breaking Bad's fantastic story turns had to do with serendipity and random chance.
Jesse Pinkman would have died by the end of the first season had it not been for the writer's strike. His parents kicked him out of the house, only because the real life family home they were shooting in would no longer be available. Gus Fring was the new archvillain because the actor for Tuco had to go back to another show to fulfill his contractual obligation. The Mike Ehrmantraut exists only because Bob Odenkirk was not available for that particular day of shooting.
It's really shocking to see how much of the show became what it is just through a bunch of accidents.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Groovy Metal Fist said:
The Saul Goodman spinoff is a go, and it's going to be a prequel.
So that means his fate could still technically be a toss-up. Or Vince Gilligan deliberately chose to announce the spin-off before the Breaking Bad ending to create the illusion that his fate could go either way.

I don't really know what to make of this. He was an amusing character and
for the first time in the show, we got to meet some experienced criminals who actually knew what they were doing. However, the funniest moments were the Walter White/Jesse Pinkman moments, not the Saul Goodman moments.
.
He's a good character. He'll make a good show. I just hope no one expects Breaking Bad Part 2.

It's really shocking to see how much of the show became what it is just through a bunch of accidents.
It's interesting for sure, but such things happen to many shows on TV. We just often don't hear about them. I think Gilligan is a particularly open book in terms of series creators, so we get to hear about all the nitty gritty.
 

Th3Branded0ne

I'll be back.
If you watch jimmy Fallon this is what Cranston said in twitter earlier
@BryanCranston: Your comments are great. You're the reason we got to tell our story. Jimmy Fallon is doing a BB sketch on tonight's show with Aaron and me!
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Drug problem? I'll turn that addiction into a prescription!

I'm in on Better Call Saul. And they can end the series with a cheesy Bryan Cranston voice cameo asking about a drop by appointment on the phone. =)

Actually, I secretly hope the prequel thing is scrapped at some point and we get some post-Breaking Bad goodness after all. Assuming Saul isn't dead or incarcerated (what would be a better first episode than him getting out of jail).
 
According to Vince and the rest of the writers Ozymandias (the next episode) is the best in the entire series. It "will knock your fucking socks off."

He says it here at about 1:27
http://blogs.amctv.com/breaking-bad/2013/07/video-breaking-bad-cast-creator-on-timestalks-panel/

Can't wait man D:
 
Am I the only one who turns everything off as soon as the credits start, doesn't watch promo's for the next episode or even want to know what it's called?
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
I enjoyed this. Vince Gilligan originally wrote Hancock, that super hero/Will Smith movie, but ended up leaving the movie sooner because he was starting work on Breaking Bad. Here is Peter Berg talking about his, seemingly, one-sided feud with Gilligan:
http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/09/vince-gilliganhancockpeter-berg/

Hancock was originally a script called Tonight He Comes, about a superhero alcoholic who could not make love because if he climaxed, he would kill a woman with the power of his climax. And it was really this kind of dark, twisted script. You know who wrote it? Vince Gilligan …

… So I came on, and Will Smith is a perfectionist, and he will just drive writers into the ground. I say this with respect, but Will will do 10-12 hour meetings and by the time I got on, Vince had been heavily into the process with Will and his team. I came in and I didn’t really understand the history. Vince was going to go do another rewrite on the script. I didn’t realize this was probably rewrite 10, and I had heard that Vince had this TV show he wanted to go and do, and I was like, ‘Whatever. You have to finish this script. It was something about a chemistry teacher who gets cancer, and I was like, ‘Whatever, dude. You gotta finish the script.’

Vince finished the script, and I thought he was going to stay on and keep writing. But when he finished the script he was like, ‘OK. Alright, I’m out of here, and I’m going to go do this TV show.’ So I called Vince, and I was like, ‘What the hell? You can’t run out on us!’ I was at a Laker game, and I was talking kind of loud, and I was a bit intense. I was probably a little younger and more immature than I am today, and I was raging on at Vince, probably dropping a few F-Bombs at him.

There was a long pause, and he kind of accused me of being drunk. He’s like, ‘Pete, are you drunk.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I am not drunk. How can you leave us to go do your television show and your stupid idea. And I basically said fine, F-you, and I hung up.

And then I tried to get people to take my side, and I said, ‘Can you believe that Vince did this? And everyone was saying, ‘Vince Gilligan is the most decent human being we’ve ever met, Pete. Pete, we don’t understand what you’re talking about.’ I couldn’t get any support at all for my rage against Vince.

Of course, it turned out that Vince knew what he was doing because it was Breaking Bad that he was going to do.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
IncantatioN said:
Am I the only one who turns everything off as soon as the credits start, doesn't watch promo's for the next episode or even want to know what it's called?
I do the same. Been watching on Amazon. It's even more ideal for me, because I don't even get the recap shit before the episode. I hit play, it shows the episode as it's meant to be seen. No bullshit. Credits roll. The end.

I just... have to wait until Monday morning to watch. :puck:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Nice story, Bob.

Walter said:
I do the same. Been watching on Amazon. It's even more ideal for me, because I don't even get the recap shit before the episode. I hit play, it shows the episode as it's meant to be seen. No bullshit. Credits roll. The end.

You mean I'm not meant to see the constant barrage of intrusive ads for Low Winter Sun, online story sync, Talking Bad, and numerous other ads and commercial bookends redundantly trumping the final season of Breaking Bad while I'm actually watching the final season of Breaking Bad? Oh... well that explains how I feel about it and why I'd prefer to stream the show an hour later rather than watch the original broadcast on my own television. Once again, outstanding work television programmers.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
And for the record, I'm the absolute opposite when it comes to previews and superfluous material, I watch all the makings of and inside analysis for each episode because... why not? That stuff is a completely optional luxury you have to opt into, and it's pretty cool to get analysis from the makers themselves (imagine if Miura posted in the new episode threads =). I don't get story sync at all though, "Ruin the experience the first time you watch!" Huh? Anyway, they never spoil things in the bonus material, unless you count hyping everything as the next big thing (see Paul, Aaron), but they never give anything away except that Breaking Bad will be on next week.

For example, the preview for the next episode clearly only uses footage from the current episode while
playing a voice mail from Skyler to Walt asking if everything's ok. So yeah, Skyler wants to know where Walt went. SPOILED! "Hey Walt, it's Skyler, is Jesse dead yet? Well, Hank better NOT BE for any reason or you're in the doghouse BIG TIME, MISTER!"
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
Griffith said:
For example, the preview for the next episode clearly only uses footage from the current episode while
playing a voice mail from Skyler to Walt asking if everything's ok. So yeah, Skyler wants to know where Walt went. SPOILED!

It's the most non-spoilerish preview ever. Actually, after watching so many "previews for the next episode" of Dexter, I'm just surprised when any TV show doesn't casually ruin the entire experience of its show.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
IncantatioN said:
Am I the only one who turns everything off as soon as the credits start, doesn't watch promo's for the next episode or even want to know what it's called?

Nope. I do the same thing. I don't want to know anything about the next episode until it airs.
 
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