@ WaLi:
I had figured that Walt would somehow give it away. Or Jesse if the Nazis caught him. Didn’t we see him trying to sneak away? I could definitely see them catching Jesse and wanting to kill him because he’s a rat and Walt tries to buy his life. I don’t know. I just figured since they were there that money was gone, but if they do find it, I think he gets at least some of it back at some point.
I would like to think that all of the people who were still rooting for Walt had their eyes opened by this episode, but for some reason I doubt it. I’m surprised there were even people who were still rooting for him. Probably not the kind of people you’d like to invite over for a family cookout.
Walt is about as despicable a human being there is. Even next to Uncle Jack, I’m not even sure who is worse. I was half worried he was going to snap Holly’s neck once he realized she couldn’t be happy without her mom.
Is Skyler going to get away with all of this? She’s not as bad as Walt, but she played a part in this and was even encouraging Walt to kill Jesse last week. About the only innocent person in the show is Flynn (and Holly, but she hasn’t had a chance to break laws so give her time).
@ WaLi:
That was before I later realized that Walt wasn’t hurting for money in the flash forward. Once I remembered he gave a $100 tip at Denny’s and bough the weapons, I figured he had some money so I wasn’t sure. I’m kind of surprised the Nazis gave Walt some, but what’s one barrel the total of all of them is $80 million?
Walt went full on crazy. I was so pissed when he called out Jesse. And then he admitted about Janes addiction OD I think just to make the viewers happy (dying laughing). I thought he was going to kill Skyler during the knife fight, but when he took Holly? My heart sank. I couldn’t believe he did that. I was yelling at the TV at that point. At least he came to his senses about that a bit, but what was with that menacing phone call to Skyler while he was crying? That threw me for a loop.
Serious question: what were the circumstances of Hank’s death? My TV crapped out right around when he said “the cavalry’s coming” and when it came back they were dumping his body in the hole.
All I know is that if I have to get a new identity at some point, I’m taking a barrel with me. I’m going to pack it full of junk and pretend it’s money.
@ WaLi:
The phone call was him getting his family off the hook, claiming full responsibilty and making him seem even more like a monster. I’m pretty sure Skylar caught on too.
@ GBTS:
Walt just tried to buy his life by telling them that $80 million was around. Walt begged Hank to tell them he’d basically not do anything and Hank looked at Walt and said something like this: you’re the smartest man I know, but you’re too dumb to realize they made up their minds 10 minutes ago. Bang.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
@ GBTS:
I don’t think it was at first, but he did try to clear her. Not before she implicated herself, though. I don’t see that being overlooked. The feds are going to want someone. Two DEA agents are dead and unless Jack went over to Hank’s to grab the paperwork, Marie still has all that info.
I’m also not sure how Marie could ever forgive Skyler at this point.
@ Berselius:
It should win just about every category. I could see the writing and/or directing category being filled up with Breaking Bad episodes. I think it will clean up this year and win the best drama for the first time. This batch of episodes is even better than last year’s.
It’s like every episodes tops the one before it. It’s fucking crazy. The heart-pounding tension in this show is unreal.
I’m cracking all these jokes to make up for the fact that I’m emotionally devastated right now.
Hank accepting death. Jesse realizing his impending death. Walt finally understanding that, despite his intentions, he’s a detriment to everyone he loves.
The hardest thing to watch last night, though, was him saying goodbye to his family. He was definitely caught up in Heisenberg, but he always kept one foot in his home.
To know…to truly understand that the people you love most want you out of their lives…
To look at your children, the people you’re supposed to protect and prepare for the world, and see that the best way to fulfill your role is to leave them alone…
Maybe not everyone understands this, but it’s easy to make a mistake and get caught up in it. To lose sight of what’s really important to you. It’s easy to take your one true love for granted and not even realize it’s happening until you lose it…because you always just assume it’ll be there.
To me, that was the reason for the flashback to open the episode. Walt finished his cook and immediately called his pregnant wife. He couldn’t wait to get home and spend the weekend with his family. They had just named their unborn child. Walt knew he was going to die and it still felt like his whole life was in front of him. The writers wanted to remind us that, despite his descent throughout the season, Walt’s true love has always been his family. They wanted us to remember that while we watched him set them free.
No matter what you think of Walt as a person, the last 10 minutes was heartbreaking to watch.
The entire episode was heartbreaking. It was just one thing after another. Hank dies. Walt just twists the knife in Jesse by telling him about Jane. Never ever imagined Walt would come right out and tell Jesse about that, but such a great and cold scene. Jr. finding out. He was really great in last night’s episode. Marie showing she still cares for her sister despite all of it was even tough to watch. Skyler protecting her family and then collapsing when Walt took Holly. Walt realizing nobody cares one bit about him. The whole thing was a big pile of suck, but it was awesome.
@ Omar Little:
I can’t say for sure if it is, but it’s definitely up there. I can’t think of another episode that tops last night’s. When you add in To’hajiilee and combine it as one episode, which could easily have been done, it’s as good as anything I’ve ever seen.
I haven’t really watched Sons of Anarchy for awhile. I’ve checked in from time to time, but lost interest in Sutter’s soap opera about bikers. I wonder though, how hard would it be for him to study what Gilligan and Co. have done over the last 10+ episodes and at least make the final season and a half better. Seriously. I also wonder how he went so wrong in the first place with so many other good examples before it (The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, etc.). Is Sutter really just not all that good? Did he miss the point or was he not interested? SOA could have been another great show, but it got way lost.
Yeah, Junior was great. High fives in our house when he called 911.
During that awful knife fight between Walt and Skylar I was convinced that Jr. was going to end up accidentally stabbed trying to break it up, especially when they’re holding the knife straight up for a second or two while they struggled.
Great episode, but why bother picking out a single one? This show, like The Wire is so heavily serialized that the best unit for evaluating it is an entire season. Aside from the occasional bottle episode like Fly few episodes are self-contained.
@ Berselius:
The Wire seasons were mostly self-contained so I’m not sure we can really evaluate BB by seasons. Breaking Bad is really the first show that I can think of in which you have to start from the beginning. You can’t just pick up an episode like last night because you’re bored and enjoy it. Maybe you can enjoy the fine acting and even the writing, but I’m doubtful that anyone could watch just skip the first couple of seasons of the show and find it all that enjoyable.
I had this discussion with tango and he’s just stubborn so you know how it went. This is just a show that in order to truly enjoy it, you have to start at episode 1. I’m not entirely sure the same is true of The Wire. If all you watched was season 4 I’m fairly sure people would find that to be excellent.
I do agree that it’s probably not worth breaking BB down by episode and picking one out. Without what happened before it, the current episode just isn’t as powerful as it was. Everything that happened prior to it is important and maybe necessary to find it to be a strong episode.
@ dmick89:
I agree completely. I was thinking about this last night because my mom is in town and refused to leave the room when we were watching it (she is a few episodes behind). I was thinking that if you were to just watch this episode, it wouldn’t nearly be as good as it is to someone who is invested. This of course got be thinking is it a great episode because of how invested we are and how much of a payoff last nights episode was, or was it great because it was simply a great episode? Probably both.
@ WaLi:
I liked season 1 more than most people. I loved the humor in that season, which is probably why I’ve seen those first episodes more than any other. After the first season it would be pretty difficult to rewatch IMO, particularly when you get to season 4.
I don’t know that I’ll ever re-watch Breaking Bad. The couple of times I’ve started I can’t get further the end of season 1. Just really don’t want to go through everything again. Same reason I’ll never re-watch Six Feet Under, which I think is the most underrated show. It’s often forgotten when people talk about the other greats, but in my opinion, it belongs near the discussion.
@ WaLi:
I think more than anything it was a great episode because it was a great episode of tv. At the same time I think you have to have some understanding of where this show has come from to find it as enjoyable (or sickening) as we did.
No Country For Old Men was a movie I didn’t find to be nearly as enjoyable as a lot of people did. It was a movie I could have missed entirely and it isn’t something I’d be wanting to see. But at the same time I was able to see that it really was very well done. Make sense?
Just to brighten everyone’s day. If you want, watch Breaking Bad in reverse. It’s a great story of how a meth cooker/mad chemist cleans up his act, pulls his family together, beats cancer and becomes a school teacher.
@ Berselius:
I was convinced that Holly was going to get injured or killed during that scene. The whole thing was just raw as hell without being particularly violent (by the show’s standards, at least).
The Shield might be another one where you can’t pick it up in the middle, I don’t think. The Wire you could pretty easily start at season 4 and feel like you at least were watching a self-contained narrative.
@ sitrick:
The Shield definitely would have been better if you started from the beginning. You certainly couldn’t decide to just watch the last season or two. By that point you’d missed way too much.
@ dmick89:
Who just decides to start watching a show half way through? Maybe I will watch an episode or two to see if it’s any good, but I hate to do that. My friend did that with Game of Thrones. He couldn’t watch Season 1 for whatever reason, so started at Season 2. I was so mad at him.
@ dmick89:
I thought someone was dying that scene. That was the most gruesome, heartbreaking scene I have seen on TV. It hit too close to home as I witnessed those fights a lot growing up from Flynn’s shoes. Combined with him taking Holly and Skyler’s face as she chases him down. I still can’t think about that without my stomach getting tied up.
I turned to my wife right after he drove away and said “if I ever kill your brother-in-law, I’m not driving off with our babies”
@ WaLi:
My wife watches TrueBlood and I just started midway through the second season. She had to explain quite a bit, but I don’t feel like I would get anything from watching from the start.
Apparently Vince Gilligan said in his podcast that he thought this episode was the best of the series. I agree, but I also don’t know what happens in the final two.
So that’s a little disappointing that the creator thinks the show peaked last night.
@ Omar Little:
I don’t know. If the best episode of the series is this close to the end, I’d say that’s pretty good. Not to mention this has probably been the strongest season.
@ WaLi:
I couldn’t do it either. I can’t even start an episode 5 minutes late. If I missed what GBTS did, I would have quit watching and waited until about 9:15 to download the episode.
Considering just how good some of the episodes this season have been, it would be very tough to make better episodes in the final two. There are going to be some people who just hate the ending of the show no matter what happens and that’s too bad. Even if it’s not an ideal ending, there are still 61 other episodes that were fantastic. A bad ending would not ruin the series for me. Really, about the only poor ending I can think of is Walt surviving. He got a death sentence in the pilot and almost certainly has to die in the finale. IMO, any other ending would be unsatisfying, but even if he miraculously survives the finale it won’t ruin the other 61 episodes. It wouldn’t even ruin the final season, which I actually feel confident saying no other show has been as good as Breaking Bad this late in its run.
@ Berselius:
That’s the same thing I’m rooting for. Prior to the season I had expected both Walt and Jesse to die, but his circumstances right now are worse than death.
Kind of sucks Skyler is going to ultimately pay for Walt’s crimes, but she’s no innocent. The DEA is going to want someone after 2 DEA agents are dead. Anyone and Skyler will do. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse killed himself either.
Kind of sucks Skyler is going to ultimately pay for Walt’s crimes, but she’s no innocent. The DEA is going to want someone after 2 DEA agents are dead. Anyone and Skyler will do. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse killed himself either.
I don’t think she will. ABQ police will tell the DEA it was all Walt. Marie and the Aryans are the only ones who know Skyler was involved, and neither of them will tell the DEA.
Basically, the DEA doesn’t know shit and ABQPD will say Walt coerced Skyler into any involvement.
Apparently baby Holly saying “mama” wasn’t in the script. It just happened, and the director, writer and Cranston looked at each other and just went with it because it was perfect.
If that’s true, it’s pretty amazing to me. I figured the baby saying “mama” was the tipping point for Walt. Even his baby daughter didn’t want to be with him.
@ Omar Little:
I saw that picture, but I don’t think that’s how he dies (a bullet in the forehead). I think he dies from the cancer (in prison?) or the ricin. A bullet would be too easy.
@ Omar Little:
I don’t put a whole lot into previews for the next week, but I thought it was fairly clear a shitstorm was about to rain down on Skyler. I also thought that before I saw the preview. The DEA is getting someone and Skyler is the easy co-conspirator to grab. I’m also not so sure Marie is going to keep quiet. I’d actually be surprised if she doesn’t really hate Skyler now for her involvement in this. She certainly should.
I was quite entertained by Sleepy Hollow last night. Imagine it will be tough to keep my interest for too many episodes. I can see it getting way too crazy for me, but I’m in so far. Anyone else watch? What other new shows do you have high hopes for? Any of them?
Ken Tremendous’s new show (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) looks pretty good, otherwise meh. I’m lukewarm on most of the returning shows that I’ve liked in the past too.
We know Walt’s coming back. We know he thinks he needs a big gun.
This season, Walt has said Jesse needs to be left alone (before turning on him). In this episode, he offered $80 million to Jack for Hank’s life. After his phone performance for the police, I think it’s clear that Walt’s priority is family.
With what we know now, Skyler, Holly, Jr. and maybe Marie are the only family Walt has left (unless he changes his mind about Jesse in the next two episodes). Throw Marie out, and we can conclude that Walt is going back to save Skyler and kids.
The only danger to Skyler and kids would be (in my order) Jack and Co., DEA and local police. Walt wouldn’t need a gun for the DEA or police, so that makes me think he’s planning on taking on Jack.
There have been several scenes that foreshadow Walt’s death. Considering that the ricin returned to the story line (relatively subtly) and the fact that Jack smokes, it seems like an obvious contingency in case Walt isn’t capable of finishing the job with the gun.
Assuming Walt and his gun are taking on Jack and Co., consider the ricin to be what makes his plan a full measure.
Both are good articles and I agree that some fans of the show have unfairly treated Skyler. I don’t think there is much doubt about that. I also think Gillgan and Co. didn’t do a very good job with the character early on, but they have definitely fixed that.
Regardless, I just don’t see much point in writing too much about it because all you really do is give a forum to those fans you’re speaking about. I haven’t even looked at the comments in either thread, but I’d bet a barrel of money that they have given those people a forum.
I think we can safely that Walt did all of this for family, but we can also safely say that it doesn’t change much. He still committed all these crimes and is responsible for a whole hell of a lot of shit that has gone down. What his intentions were that caused that is irrelevant to me. Walt has enjoyed becoming the criminal he is.
@ Omar Little:
What reason is there for Jack and Co. to go after Skyler and the rest of the family? They don’t know Jack, Todd or anyone else associated with it. There’s really nothing there for them to go after.
Your ricin cigarette theory does make some sense, but I’m having trouble seeing Jack and them go after Walt’s family.
I think Walt comes back to get the rest of his money and kill Jesse who ultimately kills him, but I’m not very confident about that.
@ dmick89:
I can see Todd going after Marie since she has the video, but even then what does the video say, that Todd killed a kid? Is Jesse aware of the prison stabbings that the Nazi’s did so would that make the video? It seems like these nazi folks would already be on the FBI/DEA radar (they killed two DEA agents without hesitation), so I don’t think they really care and would want to get closer to the heat.
I can see the DEA getting the video if or when Marie gives it to them and that can tie Skyler to Walt and let them know that Skyler was closer to the action than that phone call let on.
@ dmick89:
Forgot about Lydia. Is her character done or what? I don’t see how she really ties back into the story. Can’t believe there are only two episodes left and there is so much to do still.
Do you think that Walt buys the gun and goes back to get his Ricin in the last episode?
What reason is there for Jack and Co. to go after Skyler and the rest of the family? They don’t know Jack, Todd or anyone else associated with it. There’s really nothing there for them to go after.
To flush out Walt. There are a few possible reasons, but my instinct was this: Jesse might not produce a pure enough product, causing Lydia to demand Walt. Todd will do whatever Lydia wants, so he tells Jack to round up Walt. Jack and Co. motivate Walt the same way they’re motivating Jesse to cook.
Your ricin cigarette theory does make some sense, but I’m having trouble seeing Jack and them go after Walt’s family.
This part of my theory is obviously contingent upon the first part. It’s also the basis for my prediction. I thought a great final scene would be Walt dying and then Jack collapsing. Then I worked backward.
I think Walt comes back to get the rest of his money and kill Jesse who ultimately kills him, but I’m not very confident about that.
That was what I was thinking would happen until Walt’s conversation with Skyler in front of the APD. Bear with me…
Walt’s initial motivation in the show was family. I maintain that it’s always been his motivation. Heisenberg’s motivation is power, reputation, money, etc. Heisenberg slowly began to dominate his decision making throughout the show, peaking this season. I think that changed when Jack killed Hank and might have culminated when Holly said, “Mama.” Incidentally, that’s what I find so amazing about that not being initially scripted.
Even though Walt’s probably still pretty pissed off at Jesse, I don’t think he’d kill him. Heisenberg would, but I think that persona is fading away.
What I think is interesting is the contrary fallout from Walt’s and Gus’ worst moments. Both lying down, face to the ground with their mouths open…Walt began to overtake Heisenberg again, while Gus had the opposite reaction.
@ dmick89:
Forgot about Lydia. Is her character done or what? I don’t see how she really ties back into the story.
The open from a few episodes ago wanted to drive home the point that Todd seems infatuated with Lydia. Since Jack’s crew seems to be in control at the moment, Todd has Jack’s ear and Lydia has Todd’s full attention, I think she’s going to play a major role in what happens next.
The story could feasibly end right now. I think Lydia lights the fuse for the final two episodes.
I don’t think Walt comes back for the money. What need does he have for that money? He’s going to be dead soon anyways and at this point, his family probably wouldn’t even take the money. I think Walt comes back for revenge. I think Jack and Co. will end up killing Marie for the video and will probably kidnap the Whites to flush Walt out. I think they want Walt for the cooking after Jesse doesn’t make a good enough product. I mean how could he? Jesse is a broken man at this point and is probably on suicide watch. I think Lydia has something to do with it and I’m not sure what that is yet. But I don’t think the money is Walt’s objective in buying that gun and getting the ricin.
To flush out Walt. There are a few possible reasons, but my instinct was this: Jesse might not produce a pure enough product, causing Lydia to demand Walt. Todd will do whatever Lydia wants, so he tells Jack to round up Walt. Jack and Co. motivate Walt the same way they’re motivating Jesse to cook.
Last time Jesse cooked on his own without Walt, Walt was actually impressed with what he made. IIRC, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between his stuff and Walt’s. Isn’t that right?
Honestly, I have no idea what happens. All I know is Walt is fleeing town, Skyler is going to find herself in a world of shit (this is something I assume has a 95% chance of happening, she’s either dead or has fled the house, that much we know for sure), the Nazi’s are doing unspeakable things to Jesse and Todd is splitting time between cooking and being courting Lydia, and Marie is wearing purple. We also know Walt is sick and has a bigass gun and some ricin.
That’s about it. I’m not even sure Jr. likes breakfast after what happened in Ozymandias.
I checked & it’s official. Last 2 #BreakingBad eps are 75 minutes each w/commercials. Set your DVRS accordingly. Better still, watch live!
5:50pm – 18 Sep 13
Not sure, that’s what it’s listed as on imdb. I didn’t even notice that it was an anagram (dying laughing). I know the finale is on the schedule on my dvr but didn’t check the episode title.
@ Berselius:
It says Felina on my dvr schedule. FWIW, there seems to be some connection between a song about (or called) Felina and New Mexico. Seems a little thin to me. I think it’s an anagram and the name will be revealed after Granite State.
The Hello Kitty phone (felina is Spanish for feline)? Doubt it.
I think the only place they’ve seen the name was on Betsy Brandt’s script so IMDB added it as the name. It’s gotta be just an anagram and will be announced later.
Comments
Holy shit
dmick89Quote Reply
Boring episode.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Yeah, it was like an episode of Rizolli and Isles. (dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Snoozefest
WaLiQuote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
That didnt take long (dying laughing)
WaLiQuote Reply
I would like to think that all of the people who were still rooting for Walt had their eyes opened by this episode, but for some reason I doubt it. I’m surprised there were even people who were still rooting for him. Probably not the kind of people you’d like to invite over for a family cookout.
Walt is about as despicable a human being there is. Even next to Uncle Jack, I’m not even sure who is worse. I was half worried he was going to snap Holly’s neck once he realized she couldn’t be happy without her mom.
Is Skyler going to get away with all of this? She’s not as bad as Walt, but she played a part in this and was even encouraging Walt to kill Jesse last week. About the only innocent person in the show is Flynn (and Holly, but she hasn’t had a chance to break laws so give her time).
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
That was before I later realized that Walt wasn’t hurting for money in the flash forward. Once I remembered he gave a $100 tip at Denny’s and bough the weapons, I figured he had some money so I wasn’t sure. I’m kind of surprised the Nazis gave Walt some, but what’s one barrel the total of all of them is $80 million?
dmick89Quote Reply
Walt went full on crazy. I was so pissed when he called out Jesse. And then he admitted about Janes addiction OD I think just to make the viewers happy (dying laughing). I thought he was going to kill Skyler during the knife fight, but when he took Holly? My heart sank. I couldn’t believe he did that. I was yelling at the TV at that point. At least he came to his senses about that a bit, but what was with that menacing phone call to Skyler while he was crying? That threw me for a loop.
WaLiQuote Reply
Serious question: what were the circumstances of Hank’s death? My TV crapped out right around when he said “the cavalry’s coming” and when it came back they were dumping his body in the hole.
GBTSQuote Reply
All I know is that if I have to get a new identity at some point, I’m taking a barrel with me. I’m going to pack it full of junk and pretend it’s money.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
They said one barrel was $11 M
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
The phone call was him getting his family off the hook, claiming full responsibilty and making him seem even more like a monster. I’m pretty sure Skylar caught on too.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Walt just tried to buy his life by telling them that $80 million was around. Walt begged Hank to tell them he’d basically not do anything and Hank looked at Walt and said something like this: you’re the smartest man I know, but you’re too dumb to realize they made up their minds 10 minutes ago. Bang.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
Yeah, that’s about all I’d need if I had to get a new identity. Perfect amount. Should be able to get by.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
Or a little over half of Soriano’s salary
WaLiQuote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
I don’t think it was at first, but he did try to clear her. Not before she implicated herself, though. I don’t see that being overlooked. The feds are going to want someone. Two DEA agents are dead and unless Jack went over to Hank’s to grab the paperwork, Marie still has all that info.
I’m also not sure how Marie could ever forgive Skyler at this point.
dmick89Quote Reply
WaLi wrote:
GBTSQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Thanks. Not an ideal time to lose my signal but I was already convinced he was a goner anyways.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Okay that makes sense. I guess I didn’t think he knew about the cops, but of course he did. See dmick? He’s a good guy.
WaLiQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
It’s also possible those barrels were holding like $21M, and that old Indian guy haggled the shit out of that pickup truck.
GBTSQuote Reply
I’m cracking all these jokes to make up for the fact that I’m emotionally devastated right now.
GBTSQuote Reply
Todd is one sick fuck. There. Just needed to be said.
dmick89Quote Reply
Is it wrong to like Todd more when he was just a child killer with an unfortunate family history?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
That picture of Brock and Andrea is dirty.
WaLiQuote Reply
I liked the teaser how it was back to a peaceful time when Walt had to think of his lies ahead of time.
WaLiQuote Reply
So, how can they top this episode? It can’t be beat. This was the best episode of the series IMO.
WaLiQuote Reply
I’ll be shocked if BB doesn’t clean sweep the acting Emmys next year. The only competition will be between Dean Norris and Aaron Paul.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
It should win just about every category. I could see the writing and/or directing category being filled up with Breaking Bad episodes. I think it will clean up this year and win the best drama for the first time. This batch of episodes is even better than last year’s.
It’s like every episodes tops the one before it. It’s fucking crazy. The heart-pounding tension in this show is unreal.
dmick89Quote Reply
Jr.’s breakfast will never taste as good as it did before this. Thanks a lot, Walt.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
This was maybe the best hour of television I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely a top 5 episode of all time.
dmick89Quote Reply
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ii9RDXl.jpg[/img]
GBTSQuote Reply
I found it difficult to watch this episode. It was great TV, but definitely challenging.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Haven’t felt like this about a TV show since S4 of the wire. Good lord.
sitrickQuote Reply
GBTS wrote:
Hank accepting death. Jesse realizing his impending death. Walt finally understanding that, despite his intentions, he’s a detriment to everyone he loves.
The hardest thing to watch last night, though, was him saying goodbye to his family. He was definitely caught up in Heisenberg, but he always kept one foot in his home.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyH2kU2iN74
Omar LittleQuote Reply
No matter what you think of Walt as a person, the last 10 minutes was heartbreaking to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEv_VfUvONc&feature=youtu.be&t=39m30s
To know…to truly understand that the people you love most want you out of their lives…
To look at your children, the people you’re supposed to protect and prepare for the world, and see that the best way to fulfill your role is to leave them alone…
Maybe not everyone understands this, but it’s easy to make a mistake and get caught up in it. To lose sight of what’s really important to you. It’s easy to take your one true love for granted and not even realize it’s happening until you lose it…because you always just assume it’ll be there.
To me, that was the reason for the flashback to open the episode. Walt finished his cook and immediately called his pregnant wife. He couldn’t wait to get home and spend the weekend with his family. They had just named their unborn child. Walt knew he was going to die and it still felt like his whole life was in front of him. The writers wanted to remind us that, despite his descent throughout the season, Walt’s true love has always been his family. They wanted us to remember that while we watched him set them free.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
The entire episode was heartbreaking. It was just one thing after another. Hank dies. Walt just twists the knife in Jesse by telling him about Jane. Never ever imagined Walt would come right out and tell Jesse about that, but such a great and cold scene. Jr. finding out. He was really great in last night’s episode. Marie showing she still cares for her sister despite all of it was even tough to watch. Skyler protecting her family and then collapsing when Walt took Holly. Walt realizing nobody cares one bit about him. The whole thing was a big pile of suck, but it was awesome.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
It was the most powerful, best executed episode of television I’ve ever seen.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I can’t say for sure if it is, but it’s definitely up there. I can’t think of another episode that tops last night’s. When you add in To’hajiilee and combine it as one episode, which could easily have been done, it’s as good as anything I’ve ever seen.
dmick89Quote Reply
I haven’t really watched Sons of Anarchy for awhile. I’ve checked in from time to time, but lost interest in Sutter’s soap opera about bikers. I wonder though, how hard would it be for him to study what Gilligan and Co. have done over the last 10+ episodes and at least make the final season and a half better. Seriously. I also wonder how he went so wrong in the first place with so many other good examples before it (The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, etc.). Is Sutter really just not all that good? Did he miss the point or was he not interested? SOA could have been another great show, but it got way lost.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Yeah, Junior was great. High fives in our house when he called 911.
During that awful knife fight between Walt and Skylar I was convinced that Jr. was going to end up accidentally stabbed trying to break it up, especially when they’re holding the knife straight up for a second or two while they struggled.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Great episode, but why bother picking out a single one? This show, like The Wire is so heavily serialized that the best unit for evaluating it is an entire season. Aside from the occasional bottle episode like Fly few episodes are self-contained.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
5…4……3.2.1 ?
WaLiQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
The Wire seasons were mostly self-contained so I’m not sure we can really evaluate BB by seasons. Breaking Bad is really the first show that I can think of in which you have to start from the beginning. You can’t just pick up an episode like last night because you’re bored and enjoy it. Maybe you can enjoy the fine acting and even the writing, but I’m doubtful that anyone could watch just skip the first couple of seasons of the show and find it all that enjoyable.
I had this discussion with tango and he’s just stubborn so you know how it went. This is just a show that in order to truly enjoy it, you have to start at episode 1. I’m not entirely sure the same is true of The Wire. If all you watched was season 4 I’m fairly sure people would find that to be excellent.
I do agree that it’s probably not worth breaking BB down by episode and picking one out. Without what happened before it, the current episode just isn’t as powerful as it was. Everything that happened prior to it is important and maybe necessary to find it to be a strong episode.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I agree completely. I was thinking about this last night because my mom is in town and refused to leave the room when we were watching it (she is a few episodes behind). I was thinking that if you were to just watch this episode, it wouldn’t nearly be as good as it is to someone who is invested. This of course got be thinking is it a great episode because of how invested we are and how much of a payoff last nights episode was, or was it great because it was simply a great episode? Probably both.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I liked season 1 more than most people. I loved the humor in that season, which is probably why I’ve seen those first episodes more than any other. After the first season it would be pretty difficult to rewatch IMO, particularly when you get to season 4.
I don’t know that I’ll ever re-watch Breaking Bad. The couple of times I’ve started I can’t get further the end of season 1. Just really don’t want to go through everything again. Same reason I’ll never re-watch Six Feet Under, which I think is the most underrated show. It’s often forgotten when people talk about the other greats, but in my opinion, it belongs near the discussion.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
I think more than anything it was a great episode because it was a great episode of tv. At the same time I think you have to have some understanding of where this show has come from to find it as enjoyable (or sickening) as we did.
No Country For Old Men was a movie I didn’t find to be nearly as enjoyable as a lot of people did. It was a movie I could have missed entirely and it isn’t something I’d be wanting to see. But at the same time I was able to see that it really was very well done. Make sense?
dmick89Quote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
Comment on Greenwald’s recap made me laugh.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
And gets a second job at a car wash he used to own.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
And is the lucky and confused owner of some new pants. It’s a remarkable story.
dmick89Quote Reply
[img]http://31.media.tumblr.com/b8b7063a013ee4081a794b9a577eb3e9/tumblr_mt78ixFsgd1rhkkzmo1_1280.jpg[/img]
Omar LittleQuote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
That he coincidentally passed by several months before.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
[img]http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1808995/E60ZhXV.gif[/img]
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I was convinced that Holly was going to get injured or killed during that scene. The whole thing was just raw as hell without being particularly violent (by the show’s standards, at least).
uncle daveQuote Reply
Anyone else notice the dog running by after Walt drove off with Mr. Disappear? Dog has typically been associated with Jesse.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
Yeah I noticed that and thought it was weird. Nothing on this show is done on accident… didn’t know the Dog/Jesse association.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I think the connection comes from the episode titles “problem dog” and “rabid dog”, both of which heavily involved Jesse.
BerseliusQuote Reply
The Shield might be another one where you can’t pick it up in the middle, I don’t think. The Wire you could pretty easily start at season 4 and feel like you at least were watching a self-contained narrative.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
I thought Walt was going to snap her neck. It was horrible.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
Rabid Dog had Saul’s Old Yeller metaphor.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ sitrick:
The Shield definitely would have been better if you started from the beginning. You certainly couldn’t decide to just watch the last season or two. By that point you’d missed way too much.
dmick89Quote Reply
Gale —> Problem dog
Jesse —> Rabid dog
Walt —> Stray dog
GBTSQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Who just decides to start watching a show half way through? Maybe I will watch an episode or two to see if it’s any good, but I hate to do that. My friend did that with Game of Thrones. He couldn’t watch Season 1 for whatever reason, so started at Season 2. I was so mad at him.
WaLiQuote Reply
Brian Setzer —> Stray cat
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
I thought someone was dying that scene. That was the most gruesome, heartbreaking scene I have seen on TV. It hit too close to home as I witnessed those fights a lot growing up from Flynn’s shoes. Combined with him taking Holly and Skyler’s face as she chases him down. I still can’t think about that without my stomach getting tied up.
I turned to my wife right after he drove away and said “if I ever kill your brother-in-law, I’m not driving off with our babies”
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
My wife watches TrueBlood and I just started midway through the second season. She had to explain quite a bit, but I don’t feel like I would get anything from watching from the start.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
Apparently Vince Gilligan said in his podcast that he thought this episode was the best of the series. I agree, but I also don’t know what happens in the final two.
So that’s a little disappointing that the creator thinks the show peaked last night.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I don’t know. If the best episode of the series is this close to the end, I’d say that’s pretty good. Not to mention this has probably been the strongest season.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
I couldn’t do it either. I can’t even start an episode 5 minutes late. If I missed what GBTS did, I would have quit watching and waited until about 9:15 to download the episode.
dmick89Quote Reply
Considering just how good some of the episodes this season have been, it would be very tough to make better episodes in the final two. There are going to be some people who just hate the ending of the show no matter what happens and that’s too bad. Even if it’s not an ideal ending, there are still 61 other episodes that were fantastic. A bad ending would not ruin the series for me. Really, about the only poor ending I can think of is Walt surviving. He got a death sentence in the pilot and almost certainly has to die in the finale. IMO, any other ending would be unsatisfying, but even if he miraculously survives the finale it won’t ruin the other 61 episodes. It wouldn’t even ruin the final season, which I actually feel confident saying no other show has been as good as Breaking Bad this late in its run.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I’ll take a wait and see approach, thanks
GBTSQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Agreed. It’s just a mild let down for the next two weeks knowing what we just watched won’t be topped.
And I think they would have to intentionally fuck up the finale at this point. It’s already been wrapped up nicely.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
Yeah, it would be hard to fuck it up at this point considering how well it’s gone so far.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m rooting for:
Walt saves Jesse
Jesse kills Walt, preferably with the ricin
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
That’s the same thing I’m rooting for. Prior to the season I had expected both Walt and Jesse to die, but his circumstances right now are worse than death.
Kind of sucks Skyler is going to ultimately pay for Walt’s crimes, but she’s no innocent. The DEA is going to want someone after 2 DEA agents are dead. Anyone and Skyler will do. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse killed himself either.
dmick89Quote Reply
I predict Jack puts a bullet in Walt’s forehead, finishes his cigarette, collapses and then dies.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
I don’t think she will. ABQ police will tell the DEA it was all Walt. Marie and the Aryans are the only ones who know Skyler was involved, and neither of them will tell the DEA.
Basically, the DEA doesn’t know shit and ABQPD will say Walt coerced Skyler into any involvement.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
Also from VG’s podcast:
Apparently baby Holly saying “mama” wasn’t in the script. It just happened, and the director, writer and Cranston looked at each other and just went with it because it was perfect.
If that’s true, it’s pretty amazing to me. I figured the baby saying “mama” was the tipping point for Walt. Even his baby daughter didn’t want to be with him.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
Was the pizza place they mentioned in the open the place that’s too cheap to cut its pies? Would be a hilarious extra call back.
BerseliusQuote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I saw that picture, but I don’t think that’s how he dies (a bullet in the forehead). I think he dies from the cancer (in prison?) or the ricin. A bullet would be too easy.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I don’t put a whole lot into previews for the next week, but I thought it was fairly clear a shitstorm was about to rain down on Skyler. I also thought that before I saw the preview. The DEA is getting someone and Skyler is the easy co-conspirator to grab. I’m also not so sure Marie is going to keep quiet. I’d actually be surprised if she doesn’t really hate Skyler now for her involvement in this. She certainly should.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
I assumed it was the same pizza place, but I don’t remember the name of that place.
dmick89Quote Reply
I was quite entertained by Sleepy Hollow last night. Imagine it will be tough to keep my interest for too many episodes. I can see it getting way too crazy for me, but I’m in so far. Anyone else watch? What other new shows do you have high hopes for? Any of them?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Ken Tremendous’s new show (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) looks pretty good, otherwise meh. I’m lukewarm on most of the returning shows that I’ve liked in the past too.
BerseliusQuote Reply
http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2013/09/16/why-breaking-bad-is-the-best-show-ever-and-why-that-matters/
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
We know Walt’s coming back. We know he thinks he needs a big gun.
This season, Walt has said Jesse needs to be left alone (before turning on him). In this episode, he offered $80 million to Jack for Hank’s life. After his phone performance for the police, I think it’s clear that Walt’s priority is family.
With what we know now, Skyler, Holly, Jr. and maybe Marie are the only family Walt has left (unless he changes his mind about Jesse in the next two episodes). Throw Marie out, and we can conclude that Walt is going back to save Skyler and kids.
The only danger to Skyler and kids would be (in my order) Jack and Co., DEA and local police. Walt wouldn’t need a gun for the DEA or police, so that makes me think he’s planning on taking on Jack.
There have been several scenes that foreshadow Walt’s death. Considering that the ricin returned to the story line (relatively subtly) and the fact that Jack smokes, it seems like an obvious contingency in case Walt isn’t capable of finishing the job with the gun.
Assuming Walt and his gun are taking on Jack and Co., consider the ricin to be what makes his plan a full measure.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
That was my quasi-geometric proof way of breaking down my theory.
And just so you know, I did so wearing a quasi-papal outfit.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
That pizza gif has made me laugh every time today.
Throw in a quasi-papal outfit reference and my day is made. Well done.
LukasQuote Reply
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/09/last-nights-breaking-bad-that-mindbending-phone-call.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen-ryan/breaking-bad-reactions_b_3942905.html
Both are good articles and I agree that some fans of the show have unfairly treated Skyler. I don’t think there is much doubt about that. I also think Gillgan and Co. didn’t do a very good job with the character early on, but they have definitely fixed that.
Regardless, I just don’t see much point in writing too much about it because all you really do is give a forum to those fans you’re speaking about. I haven’t even looked at the comments in either thread, but I’d bet a barrel of money that they have given those people a forum.
I think we can safely that Walt did all of this for family, but we can also safely say that it doesn’t change much. He still committed all these crimes and is responsible for a whole hell of a lot of shit that has gone down. What his intentions were that caused that is irrelevant to me. Walt has enjoyed becoming the criminal he is.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Omar Little:
What reason is there for Jack and Co. to go after Skyler and the rest of the family? They don’t know Jack, Todd or anyone else associated with it. There’s really nothing there for them to go after.
Your ricin cigarette theory does make some sense, but I’m having trouble seeing Jack and them go after Walt’s family.
I think Walt comes back to get the rest of his money and kill Jesse who ultimately kills him, but I’m not very confident about that.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I can see Todd going after Marie since she has the video, but even then what does the video say, that Todd killed a kid? Is Jesse aware of the prison stabbings that the Nazi’s did so would that make the video? It seems like these nazi folks would already be on the FBI/DEA radar (they killed two DEA agents without hesitation), so I don’t think they really care and would want to get closer to the heat.
I can see the DEA getting the video if or when Marie gives it to them and that can tie Skyler to Walt and let them know that Skyler was closer to the action than that phone call let on.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
Lydia will have to start putting out or Todd could do just about any insane thing we can think of. Dude is fucked in the head.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Forgot about Lydia. Is her character done or what? I don’t see how she really ties back into the story. Can’t believe there are only two episodes left and there is so much to do still.
Do you think that Walt buys the gun and goes back to get his Ricin in the last episode?
WaLiQuote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
To flush out Walt. There are a few possible reasons, but my instinct was this: Jesse might not produce a pure enough product, causing Lydia to demand Walt. Todd will do whatever Lydia wants, so he tells Jack to round up Walt. Jack and Co. motivate Walt the same way they’re motivating Jesse to cook.
dmick89 wrote:
This part of my theory is obviously contingent upon the first part. It’s also the basis for my prediction. I thought a great final scene would be Walt dying and then Jack collapsing. Then I worked backward.
dmick89 wrote:
That was what I was thinking would happen until Walt’s conversation with Skyler in front of the APD. Bear with me…
Walt’s initial motivation in the show was family. I maintain that it’s always been his motivation. Heisenberg’s motivation is power, reputation, money, etc. Heisenberg slowly began to dominate his decision making throughout the show, peaking this season. I think that changed when Jack killed Hank and might have culminated when Holly said, “Mama.” Incidentally, that’s what I find so amazing about that not being initially scripted.
Even though Walt’s probably still pretty pissed off at Jesse, I don’t think he’d kill him. Heisenberg would, but I think that persona is fading away.
What I think is interesting is the contrary fallout from Walt’s and Gus’ worst moments. Both lying down, face to the ground with their mouths open…Walt began to overtake Heisenberg again, while Gus had the opposite reaction.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
The open from a few episodes ago wanted to drive home the point that Todd seems infatuated with Lydia. Since Jack’s crew seems to be in control at the moment, Todd has Jack’s ear and Lydia has Todd’s full attention, I think she’s going to play a major role in what happens next.
The story could feasibly end right now. I think Lydia lights the fuse for the final two episodes.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
I don’t think Walt comes back for the money. What need does he have for that money? He’s going to be dead soon anyways and at this point, his family probably wouldn’t even take the money. I think Walt comes back for revenge. I think Jack and Co. will end up killing Marie for the video and will probably kidnap the Whites to flush Walt out. I think they want Walt for the cooking after Jesse doesn’t make a good enough product. I mean how could he? Jesse is a broken man at this point and is probably on suicide watch. I think Lydia has something to do with it and I’m not sure what that is yet. But I don’t think the money is Walt’s objective in buying that gun and getting the ricin.
MuckerQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
Last time Jesse cooked on his own without Walt, Walt was actually impressed with what he made. IIRC, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between his stuff and Walt’s. Isn’t that right?
dmick89Quote Reply
Jesse’s meth in the cartel lab was over 90%, right?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I think he hit 96 or so
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
That sounds about right.
Honestly, I have no idea what happens. All I know is Walt is fleeing town, Skyler is going to find herself in a world of shit (this is something I assume has a 95% chance of happening, she’s either dead or has fled the house, that much we know for sure), the Nazi’s are doing unspeakable things to Jesse and Todd is splitting time between cooking and being courting Lydia, and Marie is wearing purple. We also know Walt is sick and has a bigass gun and some ricin.
That’s about it. I’m not even sure Jr. likes breakfast after what happened in Ozymandias.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Awesome, so we’ll be getting half an episode extra. Any idea on episode names?
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
Penultimate episode is “Granite State”, final ep is “Felina”
BerseliusQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SgLrFHs0Jk
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Yeah, Jesse is nearly as good as Walt and much better than Todd.
He’s also nearly broken. Brock and his mom are all he has left.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Walt were coming back to kill Jesse.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Walt were coming back to save Jesse.
It would surprise me even less if Jesse offed himself and Jack wanted to flush Walt out of hiding.
There are many directions this show could go. Like I said, the ricing being used on Jack seemed very appropriate, so I worked backward off that.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
I had assumed Felina was just an anagram. That’s been confirmed as the title?
dmick89Quote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
that makes sense
Omar Little wrote:
I could see Jack and his merry crew surviving the series.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
They seem like good guys at this point. At least they don’t lie. They are honest about who they are – Scumbag nazi’s.
WaLiQuote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Not sure, that’s what it’s listed as on imdb. I didn’t even notice that it was an anagram (dying laughing). I know the finale is on the schedule on my dvr but didn’t check the episode title.
BerseliusQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
I hate
IllinoisNew Mexico NazisBerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
It says Felina on my dvr schedule. FWIW, there seems to be some connection between a song about (or called) Felina and New Mexico. Seems a little thin to me. I think it’s an anagram and the name will be revealed after Granite State.
dmick89Quote Reply
There’s also this from Reddit
Fe-Li-Na
Iron-Lithium-Sodium
Blood-Meth-Tears
The Hello Kitty phone (felina is Spanish for feline)? Doubt it.
I think the only place they’ve seen the name was on Betsy Brandt’s script so IMDB added it as the name. It’s gotta be just an anagram and will be announced later.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
Poor guy.
WaLiQuote Reply