Breaking Bad

[alexlitel]

Thought I would mention that the song playing during the lab scene was Peder's "Timetakesthetimetimetakes."

[Brian Seiler]

I don't really see the Walt/Jesse disagreement as forced either. Walt is a bad man. He treats Jesse likes a son sometimes, but he's also insecure and way too proud about his own work to let anybody else horn in without putting his name up in lights over it. If this were a tragedy, his pride would be his flaw, and I suspect that it will eventually get him killed in the last episode of the series, or possibly worse if they follow The Shield template. Jesse, on the other hand, is just an idiot who doesn't believe that there's any other way for him to make the living he thinks he deserves because he's a self-centered twit of the highest possible order. Jesse didn't even try to go straight after his drugs got his girlfriend dead (as far as he knows).

I expect Hank to grab Jesse at some point in the near future and shenanigans should probably ensue from that. I do wish that they'd find something even remotely interesting to do with Hank's wife whose name I cannot remember, but otherwise, they're doing a pretty alright job. Plus, this season doesn't quite make me want to walk out into freeway traffic the way the last one did (seriously - I will never watch those episodes again because that shit was just harsh). I do miss the Walt that I could cheer for, though - it's been a long time since he blew up something that somebody really deserved to have blown up.

[Nawid A]

Every time I think this show couldn't possibly get darker, it invents a new shade of black.

[Kirian]

What a terrific episode.

I thought for a second Jesse was going to be thrown to the wolves. Now I don't know whether Gustavo's going to make a power play and kill them off/sic the DEA on them, or they're going to off Hank and have it play out that way. Jesse's now a loose end who can't really do anything, and I can see Walt either giving up on him after these events or using it to force him straight.

As they've killed off a police officer, which I hope doesn't remain a piece of episode-beginning drama, I don't see things going well for anyone. Except Saul, who gets to smile his smug bullfrog smile even more.

It's been sitting in my mind for a while, so I thought I would say that I love that Bryan Cranston plays Walt completely straight, as if he believes in the character and believes he is a good man with good motivations, who is conflicted and guilty. It pins the whole show together, not to detract from the other great performances.

Addendum: I forgot to mention what balut pointed out. Gustavo's definitely planning on replacing Walt with the assistant, and I reckon Walt is or will become wise to that.

[balut]

I think it's pretty apparent that Gustavo's not worried about a short contract with Walt because by then the assistant will have learned all of Walt's secrets. I'd like to think that the assistant with whom Walt has such great chemistry (ha!) with is as he seems, but the show is dark enough that he could be far more sinister at heart.

[Tom Chick]

Yeah, that was a great episode, wasn't it?

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant. And it was doubly cool to see him and Bryan Cranston given so much time for their scene. Now that's how you introduce a new character! Put him onscreen with someone we know and give the two of them time to just breathe. Very nice.

But I especially loved the entire sequence from Hank gently prying at the RV's windows with his fingers all the way to his silent freak-out at the hospital. I loved the hospital scene with the jump cuts and then Hank's cell phone's ringtone adding sound and then ending with his dark look. Way to really flesh out what used to be an ancillary character. And way to play to that actor's strengths. What a great synergy of storytelling, visual technique, and acting.

Of course, seeing the RV trashed was a great scene as well. I love how much local flavor they add with the soundtrack.

Okay, Breaking Bad, season two's missteps are pretty much forgiven. :)

-Tom

[delirium]

Jesse's now a loose end who can't really do anything, and I can see Walt either giving up on him after these events or using it to force him straight.


Jesse appears to have gotten his shit together. There was the scene towards the beginning of the episode that made two things clear about Jesse: 1) He's learned how to cook some killer meth 2) He's clean for now and is in control enough to have other people do drugs in front of him without fiending for it. I feel like that scene established that Jesse is still very relevant. Maybe now that Jesse is thinking clearly, he can earn back Walt's confidence?

On the other hand, he flipped out about the RV and led Hank right to it, but I think that screwup was more Badger's fault. The way Jesse flew off in a rage, he obviously didn't know anything about the DEA being on his trail. I'm pretty sure Walt made that clear when he talked to Badger.

"This is my own private domicile and I won't be harassed.....BITCH!"

[Papageno]

That "wife's been in a car accident" ploy was some seriously underhanded shit. Not that I wasn't rooting for Walt and Jesse. I love the murderous look in Hank's eyes when he figures out he's been had.

[Kirian]

I meant that Jesse has just lost all means of producing meth, so he's either starting from scratch or he's getting out because he's a loose end as far as the meth part of the storyline is concerned. I think Walt may take this chance to force him out, but Hank will be going for him like the possessed man he is.

I can see Walt taking him back as a gambit against the assistant. It may go that way.


The whole scene running from Walt calling Jesse to Hank's black face was just superb, first in ratcheting up the tension, playing it out beautifully (kudos to their cinematography team) then giving the perfect, bitter ending to the whole thing.

I knew I recognised the assistant from somewhere, but it wasn't Flight of the Conchords. He was the Baltimore Sun manager on the Wire. I had to look that up, shame on me.

[LionelThompson]

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant. And it was doubly cool to see him and Bryan Cranston given so much time for their scene. Now that's how you introduce a new character! Put him onscreen with someone we know and give the two of them time to just breathe. Very nice.


Thank you Tom, that was driving me nuts where I knew him.

I now predict broken glass, or an attempt at breaking glass, to appear in every episode this season, this time around it was the windows of the RV.

Also, while I am on some Andy Rooney series of side notes, the opening scene reminded me very strongly of 'No Country for Old Men' and that in addition to being related to Tuco, the cousins could well be nephews of Anton Sigur.

For the past season I had a lot of doubt in casting Odenkirk as Saul. Between loving him on Mr. Show and Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, I could never see him beyond the schtick, but the scene where he had his secretary make the phone call, he showed just a hint, a touch of a dramatic side, and I really loved him for it.

[Athryn]

It was very cool to see Doug from Flight of the Conchords as the lab assistant.

Also from Damages, which was where I was remembering him from. This was truly an awesome episode.

[Tom Chick]

For the past season I had a lot of doubt in casting Odenkirk as Saul. Between loving him on Mr. Show and Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, I could never see him beyond the schtick, but the scene where he had his secretary make the phone call, he showed just a hint, a touch of a dramatic side, and I really loved him for it.

Yep, he's really grown on me as well. As first, he was just a clown, like Giancarlo Esposito was just a cipher. But now I'm quite fond of how the characters have, well, character. Furthermore, they're both so integral to the whole chessboard arrangement of the cast. Great great writing. Which is why I get excited when they introduce new characters like the lab assistant.

-Tom

[Nawid A]

Also from Damages, which was where I was remembering him from. This was truly an awesome episode.
Or the newspaper guy from the Wire.

[serling]

Making me pee my pants in excitement, eh? Whatever, Breaking Bad.

I seriously don't know how they will ever top this. Holy hell.

[Athryn]

AMC came out with a cute little set of photos today. Breaking Bad Mugshots (http://blogs.amctv.com/photo-galleries/breaking-bad-mugshots/jesse-pinkman.php).

The one of Jesse makes me giggle.

[drake113]

I seriously don't know how they will ever top this. Holy hell.


I think they just did.

[Bandersnatch]

Great ending, very intense.

[Animus]

Holy shiittttt

EDIT: it may be cuz I'm a bit stoned and drunk, but I haven't been that into/freaked out that much watching something in ages.

[LionelThompson]

While the end scene was fantastic and intense, it seems a bit of a let down that they spent the season hyping up what bad motherfuckers these Cousins are only to have them go down so quickly. I mean, Hank knows what he is doing, but I was a little disappointed that neither he nor Jesse ended up dead (Jesse for threatening to take down Walt).

One of the few good things Battlestar Galactica had going for it was that nobody was immune to death and it seems like that is not the case here.

Again, more broken glass, either it has some underlying meaning like male virility, or they just got a great deal on sugar glass.

[Juntei]

While the end scene was fantastic and intense, it seems a bit of a let down that they spent the season hyping up what bad motherfuckers these Cousins are only to have them go down so quickly. I mean, Hank knows what he is doing, but I was a little disappointed that neither he nor Jesse ended up dead (Jesse for threatening to take down Walt).



I think had Hank not been tipped off he might have been killed. I just wonder if it was Gus who called like I suspect.

[Glenn]

I think had Hank not been tipped off he might have been killed. I just wonder if it was Gus who called like I suspect.
It couldn't have been anyone but Gus, or someone under him. Which is weird, because him getting Hank killed was probably as good an outcome as he could get here.

A DEA Agent getting murdered would probably increase the pressure from law enforcement (because there's always a chance it was random or unrelated if the cousins just killed him and got away with it), but a DEA Agent almost getting killed in an assassination attempt by some cartel hitter is definitely going to bring some unwanted atention.

[Athryn]

I really liked the use of colors in this episode. The cinematography was just incredible.

[Nawid A]

It couldn't have been anyone but Gus, or someone under him. Which is weird, because him getting Hank killed was probably as good an outcome as he could get here.

A DEA Agent getting murdered would probably increase the pressure from law enforcement (because there's always a chance it was random or unrelated if the cousins just killed him and got away with it), but a DEA Agent almost getting killed in an assassination attempt by some cartel hitter is definitely going to bring some unwanted atention.
I think it'll be written up as pretty much the truth, Tuco's death leading to his cousins trying to kill Hank. I'm just wondering what this does to Hank's PTSD. And Hank is lucky to be such a fleshy man, ain't he? Shrader-brew worked out nicely for him.

[Kirian]

I want to say I called Gus setting up the twins, but I didn't think they would do it that way. Hank was lucky, so lucky that Gus decided he had had enough of the cartel trying to mark his territory. Almost a perfunctory offing for the twins, but I hope that is used to develop Hank further and push the DEA side of the plot along a little.

I also predict Tom saying "Whatever, Breaking Bad" about it.

As to Jesse/Walt? One's going to break seriously bad. I can see this becoming something of a knife-fight between the two, especially now Walt's used Jesse to get rid of the assistant (an inadvertent gambit?). Jesse's technically lost a best friend, a family and a girlfriend because of Walt. He's not going to back down, I just don't know if he's got the ruthless streak to do something the way Walt has. The symbolic son killing the surrogate father? Who knows?

I do like the way they're using the nature of the format to ratchet the tension up carefully. A carefully-placed development in the middle to end of each episode so that the next can up the ante a little more.


It could only have been Gus, one of his lieutenants or the PI guy that works for Saul. Unless they're going to run a long-shot and say the PI told Saul to stop Walt getting into trouble when Hank gets killed (because the pressure on Jesse would/will mount up). I don't buy that one, though.

[Nawid A]

I think the lab assistant kind of got a happy ending because staying around Walt longer is going to turn your life to shit. I'm guessing the PI was on the phone on Gustavo's behalf. Gustavo ordered the PI to tail Hank. Makes the most sense.

The remaining mystery is what Gus' endgame is. You think it's possible that with this massive amount of high quality meth, he may just stockpile, keep it rare, and have prices skyrocket? And to prevent any more from being created, kill Jesse and Walt? He could then even supply a known competitor with it when it nears 10% remaining, and have the DEA focus on them? I don't ever see the series having Gus go away especially after this episode where we found out he's been at this for a long damn time, even making a fool out of Tio.

Another idea I have has to do with the Shrader/Whitman relationship that Gus knows of. Gus has to be working that angle in some way. Preparing Shrader to be a dirty DEA agent in order to protect his in-law family?

[Aleck]

I think had Hank not been tipped off he might have been killed. I just wonder if it was Gus who called like I suspect.

I thought that if Hank hadn't been tipped off, he probably would have just driven off, rather than waiting a minute in the car for two guys who were apparently on foot to come after him. But I'll write that off to dramatic license...

Holy crap, what an episode. After watching that, I was sure it was going to be the end of the season, but it looks like we've got more still coming. How they'll top that, I don't know, but they'll definitely try.

And more David Costabile, please! My close brush with greatness: I used to work with him mom, back when he was doing mostly broadway stuff.

[PeterGinsberg]

Great episode.

To add a comment, here comes the most petty "Whatever, Breaking Bad" ever:
Confidential to the writer of the over-acting arms dealer - I'm sure "Stop a bullet like a soft wang against a Quaker girl" sounded funny, but you seem to be misinformed about Quakers. Quakers are liberal free thinker types, many of whom I'm sure would help out with your soft wang. I'll forgive the writer as he clearly didn't grow up in pennsylvania.

[Athryn]

Quakers were pretty tight laced, historically speaking, so I think you're probably nitpicking there. Most people don't think of The Religious Society of Friends in a contemporary context, they think of the dude on the oatmeal tins.

[Syzygy]

The past two episodes were a high point for the show, IMHO. I'm sad to see the assistant go as I thought he was an interesting character and it gave us a glimpse of how Walt may have been in his younger days.

I'm not sure why Walt rebuffed Skyler so soundly when she came asking for help. He *had* tried to work on it so it seemed he could have just said "I'm doing my best." and left it at that. Still working through the anger maybe.

[Papageno]

Who thinks that the assistant guy will be allowed to live now? He'd better have some value to the organization, or I can see him having an unfortunate "accident."

BTW, what was up with that terrible continuity error when Hank's wife sits next to him on the bed? First she plops down on his left, then we see her on his right (at first I thought it was an image reflected in the closet door mirror, but then it became clear that it wasn't in the next shot).

[LionelThompson]

Who thinks that the assistant guy will be allowed to live now? He'd better have some value to the organization, or I can see him having an unfortunate "accident."


Dying or not, I am sure we are not done seeing him yet. He knows where the lab is, he knows who Walt is, and is going to be very disgruntled at how things turned out. Gus does not seem the killing type although a man in his position must have some blood on his hands, and I cannot see this being a hanging loose end like 'The Russian' on The Sopranos.

[Joe M.]

The lab assistant is either already dead or Gus stuffed him in a closet until the whole Walt mess is resolved.

[alexlitel]

I really liked the use of colors in this episode. The cinematography was just incredible.This is easily one of the most beautifully shot shows ever on television; likely the most cinematographically compelling show presently on air.

[Tom Chick]

I also predict Tom saying "Whatever, Breaking Bad" about it.

I was going "Whatever, Breaking Bad" during Hank's heartfelt out-of-focus confessional with his wife, which felt abrupt and contrived. I think the episode accomplished exactly what it needed with that excellent weeping-in-the-elevator cut. Fantastic. We didn't need a long bedroom monologue.

But by the time it was over, I was going "Eff yeah, Breaking Bad". I actually thought they might kill Hank! Loved the callback to the chrome axe. Now I'm glad Paco and Enrique bought that thing.

And I'm really digging the structure for each episode. Last season's stupid bodies-in-the-yard fake-out before each episode was lame. But this season's opening flashbacks are a great prologue to what we're about to see.

-Tom

[Glenn]

that excellent weeping-in-the-elevator cut. Fantastic.
Yeah, that was great.

Also, on further reflection, Gus tipping off Hank makes sense if Gus want to break away from/go to war with the Mexican cartel now that he's going to have a massive stockpile of meth. Instigating a cartel hit on a DEA Agent within the US (and then setting them up to botch it) is a great way to put pressure on the cartel and make it easier for him to hang on to his territory in the US.

[Kirian]

I was going "Whatever, Breaking Bad" during Hank's heartfelt out-of-focus confessional with his wife, which felt abrupt and contrived. I think the episode accomplished exactly what it needed with that excellent weeping-in-the-elevator cut. Fantastic. We didn't need a long bedroom monologue.
...
That was brilliant. I did wonder at that point whether the cinematographers have a background in film, because the sort of shots and set-up we've been seeing are much more common there than in the admittedly little television I've seen.

The bedroom confessional: we didn't need it, no, but I think the characters did. Such confessions are normally abrupt: the bottle breaks when you're not expecting it. From a drama point, it wasn't necessary, even as the start of Hank showing signs of coming to terms with himself. It probably could have been cut.

Hank who may well not see the rest of the season, of course.

[Juntei]

Off topice but related ... The actor who played Hank was on this weeks Criminal Minds, wasn't too shabby.

[Nawid A]

And suddenly, it all clicks into place. I think I even figured out the three month thing.

[Lunch of Kong]

Nice powerplay by Gustavo. Good job sir.

[delirium]

I didn't like Gus having a conversation with Walt regarding illegal activities right in front of an entire police department. That's quite a bold thing to do for someone who is supposed to be extremely cautious and smart about his business.

Episode was OK. I could have done without most of the scenes of Jesse dicking around in the lab.

[alexlitel]

http://i41.tinypic.com/3321f1g.gifhttp://i41.tinypic.com/3321f1g.gif


And suddenly, it all clicks into place. I think I even figured out the three month thing.This isn't just an arbitrary time period?

[Tom Chick]

I didn't like Gus having a conversation with Walt regarding illegal activities right in front of an entire police department.

That's the best way to have that conversation! "Now thank me and shake my hand."

Yeah, Jesse's just been such a loose dangling annoying end this season. I think the best thing about his character has been the great make-up job for his injuries. I'm just not that convinced Aaron Paul is right for that role or a good enough actor. Although when he was getting dressed, he certainly has that heroin thin look down pat.

I loved Skyer's look to Walt when he was about to lie to her about who was on the phone calling him at the hospital. "Do you know who that was?" he asks, smiling. She just gives him this sort of cold resigned "we don't have to do this, you know" look.

Also, Giancarlo Esposito is great as our new villain. I'm a bit disappointed that the south-of-the-border element has been effectively shut down, especially given how much of a part it played this season. But after years of suffering through Lost and Battlestar Galactica, it's nice to see a show that understands the benefit of paring down the number of elements instead of just adding moar.

-Tom

[azzl]

Yeah Walt is really a terrible liar for someone who LIES ALL THE TIME. It's so entertaining to watch him squirm though.

[madkevin]

He's only been lying all the time recently, though. Before breaking bad, he never had the need to learn to lie well.

[Papageno]

Now that Chicken Man has cut off his southern supply lines, the pressure's really going to be on Walt and Jesse to produce.

[balut]

So, it looks like Gustavo's plan from the start was to have Walt work for him long-term. I wonder if it will eventually lead to a full-on partnership (Walt mentioned his approval/appreciation for Gustavo's strategy), although they both will likely have to squash Jesse soon.

[Lunch of Kong]

Jesse REPORTED! for viral marketing.

[Kirian]

Clever shots this week: the two men who "hide in plain sight" and the lighting on them, particularly their faces, in the cabin scene.

That and the composition and Anna Gunn's body language in the scene in her house. Although I'm disappointed in Skyler and the lie she span. Ah, well. Worth it for her expression, that fantastically she tries to hide, when Walt admits the size of his earnings.

One irrelevant thing I wonder: did Gus have Walt in mind before the first deal or did he plan this afterwards?

[delirium]

Did much happen this week? I was very tired when I was watching, and kept drifting in and out of sleep. It didn't seem like anything was moving forward during the times I was conscious, though I missed probably the last 15-20 minutes completely.

[Athryn]

Something interesting to note from the Los Pollos Hermanos ad at the beginning of the episode:

"Los Pollos Hermanos, Inc., is a registered trademark of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH"


Sounds like Gus has some German connections, too possibly.

[JPR]

I get what they were going for this week, but I didn't think it worked at all. My least favorite episode of the show so far.

[delirium]

That was an hour of my life I wish I could have back.

[Gendal]

The stupidity both had to display to get to the end was far too hard to swallow. Agreed - least favorite episode.

[Bandersnatch]

That episode sucked, least there was a Pulp Fiction reference.

[Juntei]

While it was rather slower paced I thought it was a solid episoded. Jesse was Jesse as usual... pretty much an idiot. Walt on the other hand is seriously starting to see the implications of how what he does is destroying those around him. To me it made sense that he focus or obsess of keeping one thing pure. Also the monologue about his perfect time to die was amazing.

[Tom Chick]

Okay, I didn't really care for that episode either -- whatever, Breaking Bad -- but I love that the series did it. I was fascinated watching it unfold and I would submit that it was easily the least bad Aaron Paul performance so far.

But it felt less like an episode of Breaking Bad and more like a dream I might have had about an episode of Breaking Bad.

-Tom

[Kirian]

On the negative side: a slow episode with some off-kilter character development and interaction.

On the positive side: See the above.

I liked it. It didn't have the tension or plot development of other episodes, but it at least let the characters breathe a little. I got the feeling this was written as more of a stand-alone episode. I really think, given a little careful writing it could be a short film or play. I almost feel it was intended that way.

I also think it's a little unfair to blame Aaron Paul. It feels like the writers sort of know what to do with him based on precedent but don't really know where to take the character, so he sort of flaps around loosely. Aaron Paul's doing the best he can with what he's given.

[Drastic]

So that was the Breaking Bad version of that one sitcom episode where two characters get locked into a basement or elevator together for the whole episode. If it had to happen, at least it's out of the way.

The Breaking Bad version of that one sitcom episode that's mostly a series of clips from previous episodes will probably be more entertaining when its turn comes.

[gnarledroot]

The acknowledgment of Jesse's imminent self destruction and how the show plays with it is one of my favorite aspects. Very dark, but very funny.

And Bryan Cranston's slow descent into sleep was great. It's interesting how his performances raise my expectations for the show a little higher than maybe they should be and, at the same time, allow me to forgive it its' sometimes large idiosyncrasies.

[Bandersnatch]

Skylar, wow. Always hated her so much, but I like seeing her get dirty.

[Jeff Green]

So I'm LTTP on the "Fly" episode of BB, but am surprised at the hate here--I thought it was awesome. And, btw, you guys know this episode was directed by Rian Johnson, director of the Qt3-beloved, "Brick", right?

Anyway, to echo Tom, I just loved that they did it, first of all, that they had the balls to just go for it with a completely out-of-the-mold episode. That to me just shows the confidence that they have at this point in the series' life. And I liked, too, how much tension that they were actually able to derive out of such a patently idiotic situation. It reminded me of a Mamet play, in a way.

Most important, I thought it was just key insight into Walt's utter misery--the first time he'd really, truly allowed himself to feel the weight of his mountain of lies and bad decisions. That monologue near the end was I thought worthy of his third Emmy right there. The "contaminant" was his failure to hold his painfully-constructed pillar of lies together. He obsesses over the point it all went wrong, where the "fly" gets into his plan. If he could just get rid of it, if he could just get back to the place earlier, before Skylar knew, before Jane died...then everything remains pure, his plan remains intact. So of course it lands on his eye, staring at him, at the end, even after Jesse supposedly killed it. The fly is going to be right there until the very end of the series. The fly is going to win.

It was one of my favorite eps of the whole series.

[azzl]

Now that we know Gus is from Chile the likelihood of ties to Pinochet/the CIA goes up. If they do introduce a CIA element on the show, hopefully it is more of a shadowy manipulative presence than something made less mysterious through overexposure as X-Files did.

Although if they cast J.K. Simmons as an agent they should definitely go into as much detail as possible.

[Strollen]

My take on the Fly episode is he desperately searching for some sense of control in his life.
His cooking is the only area where he has control. I also think that some of the craziness is in an attempt to protect Jesse. The containment is a cover for Jesse's stealing but only to a certain point.

I didn't like "Fly" but I admire the creative team for having the balls to make it. Last night's episode in contrast was just pretty average. I guess it is nice to know that there are some lines (selling meth to single mom trying to get the habit) won't cross

[extarbags]

I just caught up on the last three episodes of this. I don't know what fly episode you guys saw, but the one I saw was awesome. It was a great change of pace, and it tackled this subject matter from a different angle. In a show about lots of big forces conspiring to ratchet up the tension in these characters' lives, I loved seeing that episode narrow the show's focus that much and demonstrate that their situation is so precarious that even a trivial thing like this becomes a potentially life-threatening disaster for them. I wouldn't want every episode to be like that, but I loved that one.

"I can see his taste in women is like his taste in lawyers: only the best, and just the right amount of dirty."

[Athryn]

I loved the fly episode too. It was the best version of a "bottle" episode that I've seen. This weeks' was really good too!

[extarbags]

Yeah, I loved Bob Odenkirk this week even more than usual, and not just because there was a lot of him, though that didn't hurt. I love it when Saul suddenly lets up on the hamminess and lets his ruthless, amoral competence shine through in these matter-of-fact ways.

[drake113]

Holy cow... That was the most awesome last 20 seconds ever.

[JPR]

I agree. 10 minutes earlier, I was thinking that I was kind of disappointed that this season hasn't been building to something the way the others have. I still don't know that the overall season has had that much direction (nor do the characters at this point, really), but they definitely made the wait for next season excruciating.

[Tactu]

Holyyyyyy shit! I was expecting the the first part, but daaaaaaammmn, the ending even surprised me. Also the beginning with the song was so surreal...it was great.

[Tom Chick]

I love when TV shows or movies make me yell out loud. In this case, not once, but twice. First when Walt's car -- what the heck kind of car is that anyway? -- enters from the right of the screen, the second time when he shoots the guy through the head. Good lord. That stuff was worthy of season one.

On a less vocal note, I also really enjoyed the PI's monologue. Great work from the actor and the writers. And Betsy Brandt's "seduction" scene with Hank was really quite adorable.

Rock on, Breaking Bad.

-Tom

[JPR]

It's a Pontiac Aztec. One of the most hated cars in recent history.

[Tom Chick]

Why is it hated? I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. For all I knew, it was something made special for Walt's character, kind of like the Batmobile, but for Breaking Bad. It can certainly hold its own again falling airplane wreckage and armed gang banbers.

-Tom

[Juntei]

I love when TV shows or movies make me yell out loud.

Rock on, Breaking Bad.

-Tom

I too had a positive vocal reaction to the ending, not so much at Walts driving but at the gun play. I honestly sat there mouth open in shock.

Rock on indeed.

[Tactu]

Why is it hated? I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. For all I knew, it was something made special for Walt's character, kind of like the Batmobile, but for Breaking Bad. It can certainly hold its own again falling airplane wreckage and armed gang banbers.

-Tom

It was a wonderful character builder and I'm pretty sure they specifically selected that car to tell us about Walt. When I saw the first episode and saw that he drove a Pontiac Aztec, it told me a whole lot about his character.

That car is/was consistently voted one of the ugliest cars ever made and it sold horribly, like very low numbers even during it's rollout. If you look at it, it has a number of extremely ugly styling elements that make the car look very dated.

[EvilIdler]

I laughed. Then I laughed again. Funnies execution ever[1] :)

[1] In this show, that is.

[Strollen]

I'll never hear the song "Wendy" again without thinking of that episode.

The ending was obviously fantastic but there were lots of other great scenes.

My stomach twisted itself into a knot,when Mike went up to Jesse and Wendy in the car and said you are coming with me.

[Gendal]

Wait, that's not a Prius?

[Neal Stevens]

Walt's on his, what...? 4th windshield now?

Next week is the season finale.

[Juntei]

Walt's on his, what...? 4th windshield now?

Next week is the season finale.

What might this do for Walt Jr's driving test?!

[JPR]

Oh, I thought this was the season finale. I feel dumb.

[EvilIdler]

Oh, I thought this was the season finale. I feel dumb.

Then you felt good, knowing there is another episode :)

[Papageno]

Jesse is so dead now. As I say at least once during every episode, this is not going to end well.

[EvilIdler]

Doesn't every episode end badly for someone?

[Neal Stevens]

I dunno, but I cannot see how Walt can smooth talk his way out of this one with Gus.

[Juntei]

I dunno, but I cannot see how Walt can smooth talk his way out of this one with Gus.

he can offer up skinny pete and badger as replacements

[Tom Chick]

Actually, it sounds to me like the two gang banbers killed the young boy. I can't imagine Gus is going to take issue with what Jesse or Walt have done. The bigger problem, of course, will be the po-po. (By the way, did I sound really street, the way I said that? Po-po?)

Which reminds me that I love the glimpse into Gus' household when Walt comes over for dinner. It looks like a standard family house, complete with children's toys visible in one of the rooms. But there's no family there. Did Gus' family leave him? Was that scene a look at Walt's fate as someone who will lose his family? Was Gus' "never repeat the same mistake twice" a warning that Walt could end up like Gus, successful in a life of crime, but without his family?

-Tom

[azzl]

Actually, it sounds to me like the two gang banbers killed the young boy. I can't imagine Gus is going to take issue with what Jesse or Walt have done.

It's entirely possible Gus ordered the hit on the kid knowing it would cause Jesse to freak out and get killed. Then he gets rid of someone who has been "on the bubble" without looking like the bad guy to Walt, as he can always claim the dealers acted of their own volition. He did use this same gambit before with Hank/Cousins.


Did Gus' family leave him? Was that scene a look at Walt's fate as someone who will lose his family? Was Gus' "never repeat the same mistake twice" a warning that Walt could end up like Gus, successful in a life of crime, but without his family?

Gus says he never gets a chance to make the dish he makes because "the kids don't eat it". They're just out, not gone.

[Neal Stevens]

he can offer up skinny pete and badger as replacements

Those guys are on step 5 of rehab and soaking up the positive energy, yo.

Like azzl mentioned, it would not surprise me if Gus ordered the kid to be taken out by his guys, expecting Jesse's reaction. Jesse would either get killed (problem gone) or to kill his stooges and Gus would use this to bind Walt more closely.

[Tom Chick]

It's entirely possible Gus ordered the hit on the kid knowing it would cause Jesse to freak out and get killed. Then he gets rid of someone who has been "on the bubble" without looking like the bad guy to Walt, as he can always claim the dealers acted of their own volition. He did use this same gambit before with Hank/Cousins.

Oh. Damn. That's a good point.


Gus says he never gets a chance to make the dish he makes because "the kids don't eat it". They're just out, not gone.

But isn't it conspicuous that they're not there? As in, they're not eating dinner with their father because he's divorced and his wife has custody that night, or whatever. Maybe I read too much into it, but I assumed Walt was walking into a situation where Gus' family would be there. I figured there was a deeper reason that no family members showed up.

-Tom

[serling]

It's entirely possible Gus ordered the hit on the kid knowing it would cause Jesse to freak out and get killed. Then he gets rid of someone who has been "on the bubble" without looking like the bad guy to Walt, as he can always claim the dealers acted of their own volition. He did use this same gambit before with Hank/Cousins.

I seriously don't see Gus taking the step of actually ordering the death of a kid, just to rid himself with a mild annoyance. He seemed pretty surprised by the fact that children were involved like that in the first place. Gus is a business man who likes to do business cleanly without collateral or risk. If he really wanted Jesse dead, he'd find someone to murder him. No half measures.

Then again, one episode ago I was convinced Walt would never be able to do the ting he did at the end, so anything can happen I guess. Can't wait for the season finale.

[Nawid A]

Heisenberg now completely ruins Jesse's life.
Lets see now:
Caused death of a best friend.
Allowed girlfriend to die.
Further estrangement from parents
Almost systematically takes away any shred of Jesse's innocence.

That last shot (no pun intended) was brutal. And if anyone was wondering, it's not ambiguous.

Big props to Constabile delivering and for the writers being like Heisenberg (two steps ahead).

And yeah, I know Tom is totally going to come in and give a "Whatever, Breaking Bad" because of Mike.

[Papageno]

It's not ambiguous? It looks like he moves the gun to his right a bit (enough? who knows.).

Pretty ballsy move by Walt there in the lab scene.

Aaargh, I can't wait till next March for another episode. It's not fair.

[BigRedCat]

It's not ambiguous? It looks like he moves the gun to his right a bit (enough? who knows.).

Pretty ballsy move by Walt there in the lab scene.

Aaargh, I can't wait till next March for another episode. It's not fair.

Vince Gilligan did an interview with Sepinwall and says he did not intend it to be ambiguous, Jesse is a murderer now.

[Strollen]

I am sure Jesse shot him. If he killed him when the gun moved is a open question.
I don't think it matters much he won't be cooking for a long time.

Very satisfying season finale. I will really miss this show after next season.

[Aleck]

I just loved Gale (David Costabile's) performance in that last scene. Holy crap.

[Nawid A]

I am sure Jesse shot him. If he killed him when the gun moved is a open question.
I don't think it matters much he won't be cooking for a long time.

Very satisfying season finale. I will really miss this show after next season.
Gun didn't move, it was a camera moving.

[Papageno]

BTW, have I ever mentioned that in his younger days (aka in Beverly Hills Cop) the actor that plays Mike (Jonathan Banks) looked a lot like a friend of mine from college named Evan. So everything we've seen him in since then, my siblings and I refer to him as "that 'Evil Evan' actor."

[Athryn]

I saved up the last 2 episodes and watched them back to back. Damn, that was some good stuff. I was also surprised at the ending, because my DVR decided to record the Rubicon sneak peek, so I didn't realize we were at the end of the show.

Just an awesome last 2 episodes all around. Poor Gale.

[Tactu]

That ending was just desolate. Damn. I dunno where this is going, but it ain't good.

[Nawid A]

That ending was just desolate. Damn. I dunno where this is going, but it ain't good.
When Walking Dead hits, AMC will be the most depressing channel ever.

[Tom Chick]

Gun didn't move, it was a camera moving.

Good lord, I didn't believe you until I watched that scene a second time. I think you're right. That has to be one of the worst camera movements of all time. I presume the intent was to make it seem like you -- the viewer -- are being situated between Jesse and Gale. But instead, it reads as if Jesse is moving the gun off to the right before shooting. If Gilligan intended to season to end with an unambiguous moment of Jesse shooting Gale, I'd say he failed pretty damn spectacularly. And since when did Breaking Bad get all shy about showing someone getting shot? What the effing eff?

Whatever, Breaking Bad.

But otherwise, good episode. I'm not buying Walt's sudden recent willingness to be a cold-blooded murderer, but I really like how it plays out.

-Tom

[Drastic]

Failure at not being ambiguous indeed, which is weird because it's usually such a very well shot and composed show. It's going to be a painful wait till next season either way.

I'm buying Walt's murderous streak mainly because I don't think there's actually much of cold blood in it; our hero's got a lot of seething rage inside him and some of my favorite moments of the show have been the layers peeling away and it peeking out. (For instance, probably my favorite bit in the uneven second season was after Hank's promotion-torpedoing breakdown, and Walt ending up giving him a great speech that culminated in advice to just screw the fear and go kick the bastards in the teeth as hard as he could, and Hank giving him a gobsmacked Holy Shit Dude look--because it was peeking out that there's a significant and growing part of Walt that is entirely capable of kicking the bastards in the teeth.)

[serling]

Hey guys, I can hold my breath for 46 minutes straight!

This is going to be a long wait :(

[prolix]

Interview with Vince Gilligan (http://www.avclub.com/articles/vince-gilligan,42064/).

[Tom Chick]

From the interview prolix linked, as BigRedCat mentions upthread:


The A.V. Club: Last season ended with an episode that was reasonably conclusive, whereas this season ends with a cliffhanger. Why’d you choose to end on an ambiguous note?

Vince Gilligan: Well first let me ask you: When you say “ambiguous” do you mean ambiguous in the sense of did Jesse shoot Gale or not?

AVC: Among other things, yes.

VG: Gotcha. That’s interesting, because I’m hearing that from some folks, that question. To me, for what it’s worth, it’s not actually meant to be ambiguous. It’s meant to be, “Oh my god, Jesse shot poor Gale.” But I’m realizing now that when people see the camera come dollying around so it’s looking down the barrel of the gun, some are reading that as maybe he’s changing his point of aim. But that’s not what we intended. Apparently it’s not as clear as I thought it would be. [Laughs.]

He's realizing now that when the camera dollies around a tightly focused show with no background, it looks like Jesse's changing his point of aim? Seriously? Gilligan and his cinematographer are that clueless?

Good lord.

-Tom

[JPR]

For what it's worth, there was no doubt in my mind that Jesse shot him. I can see why the camera move might make someone question it, the simple fact of the way the show is means that Jesse murders Gale.

[Nawid A]

This is going to bite Tom in the ass when he gets a casting call for a new lab assistant.

[delirium]

For what it's worth, there was no doubt in my mind that Jesse shot him. I can see why the camera move might make someone question it, the simple fact of the way the show is means that Jesse murders Gale.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty clear, also. My friend that I was watching with was flipping out, though, because he thought it was ambiguous and that he'd have to wait a year to find out what happens. We rewound it and watched again and he agreed the gun didn't move.

Besides, what reason would Jesse have to move the gun and then fire the shot at nothing? Wouldn't he just put his gun away and leave if he wasn't going to shoot Gale?

[JPR]

Well, it's possible that Gus's stooge could have come in or something. Of course, Jesse's back was to the door, so that wouldn't have made much sense.

[Two Sheds]

I didn't think it was ambiguous at all. For a split second I thought "hey is he moving the gun" but when the camera came to rest straight-on and Jesse's arm was still straight out in front of his face, I thought it was pretty clear.
(http://hawaii.dispensaries.org/)

[DrCrypt]

Even the pan you guys are saying is so sloppy and ambiguous is, in actuality, totally unambiguous. Watch it again: the shot starts with Jesse holding up the gun and a door jamb visible on the right of the screen. The camera pans to face Jesse head on, with the consequence that the door jam leaves the frame to the right. The only way that makes sense is if the camera, and not Jesse, moved.

As for why they didn't just show Jesse shooting Gale: the point of the scene isn't Gale's death, it's Jesse's emotional conflict. Leaving the camera on his face while he wrestles, then makes, the decision to kill an innocent human being in cold blood is just good drama. Breaking Bad's good about this: in early episodes, when Walt wrestled with the decision to kill others, they spent a lot of time close-up on his and his victims' face. Now that he's a remorseless and ruthless murder machine, though, they keep the camera far back and shoot the scenes objectively, to emphasize Walt's own total lack of compassion.

Any other interpretation of the final shot is just wanting for something to theorize about, which I find a bit strange: there's so much already to theorize about! To me, the more interesting question to wonder about for the next nine months is what kind of deal Walt will be able to strike with Gus, how long it will last, and how it will be broken. Vince Gilligan has always said the idea of the show is to take a high school chemistry teacher and turn him into Scarface. The season finale set up the obvious conflict of next season, in which both Gus and Walt are forced into a stalemate that eventually must be broken by one or the other person's death. My guess is by the end of season four, Walt will have struck a deal with the cartels and replace Gus as New Mexico's biggest and most powerful meth distributor... possibly with his own chain of car washes.

[extarbags]

For what it's worth, there was no doubt in my mind that Jesse shot him.

Yeah, same here. I was completely surprised when I came here and saw all this squabbling over it, because it didn't even occur to me that anything other than Jesse shooting Gale in that last shot could have possibly happened.

Anyway, awesome finale, awesome show, etc. Next season is the last season, right?

[JPR]

In that Onion article that was linked earlier, Vince said "Four, maybe five," but he also said that to some degree they have to consider the fact that if people still want to watch it, the network will still want to make it.

[Nawid A]

In that Onion article that was linked earlier, Vince said "Four, maybe five," but he also said that to some degree they have to consider the fact that if people still want to watch it, the network will still want to make it.
I don't think the ratings are that spectacular. And didn't Mad Men get a end date? *Pause and Google* Why yes, it did. Season 6. I think AMC will let him do his 4-5 seasons. Honestly, I don't know. If they're going to have Walt dead without actually becoming a crazy Scarface like kingpin then I only see one more season happening. But if they do go that route, I see five easy.

[Athryn]

There's a nice interview with Vince Gilligan (http://blogs.amctv.com/breaking-bad/2010/06/vince-gilligan-interview-part-i.php) up today on the AMC site, in case anyone missed it.

It's kinda cool how he talks about this season and how the characters almost took on a life of their own, especially the way he talks about Skyler.

[Janster]

Hm the show felt more like Breaking stupid towards the end...

[alexlitel]

Hm the show felt more like Breaking stupid towards the end...This sounds suspiciously like a "joke" from According to Jim.

[Nixxter]

Can I ask, from those of you who followed this show from inception, and liked it, when you think Season Three will become available?

I added it to my Netflix que, which is of course, completely helpless since it says estimated time of availability is not available.

I'd even consider buying the DVD set, I think I saw it was going to be in the mid 30s on Amazon but again, no idea when.

I don't really understand why they wait so long, does the marketing value for this go up the longer they wait? Are they waiting for the holiday gifting season or something?

I really dug the first two seasons, and am about a season and a half behind the rest of you. Life is short, I'd like to catch up!

You might even be even to coax me into some new technology, but it's so well done my preference would be to watch it on my nice 52" Sony Bravia rather than on a laptop. But hey, I did just get this sweet 27" Dell monitor for my PC that works like a champ, maybe you could teach an old dog a new trick?

[Brian Seiler]

I don't really understand why they wait so long, does the marketing value for this go up the longer they wait? Are they waiting for the holiday gifting season or something?

The nature of the seasons are such that Breaking Bad is effectively taking a year off, at least as far as the awards season is concerned. Generally you want to hold your latest season DVDs until some time in the vicinity of when your next season will hit the air for publicity.

[Pogo]

I watched all 3 seasons in the span of 4-5 days. I can't quite remember since my mind is in a dreamy state where I feel like I've been thrown into some other world.

Anyways, I love it. I heard people praising this show for over a year now and I figured I would get to it once I could watch most (if not all) of it without having to wait every week. Now I regret it, since it feels like Walt's rise to power happens so quickly.

It took me a while to get the hang of Jessie. It must have been after his 4th or 8th fuckup that I understood what the show was trying to do with Walt's inability to handle this lost kid. I actually felt proud for him when he embraced himself, and cursed coincidences when the another woman he finds sends him into a downward emotional spiral.

Yet the show never insults me for having these coincidences. I come away feeling like it's not some plot device. The "Fly" episode was brilliant in not only transforming what Walt thinks of how the world works (atoms bouncing into each other), but my own. It was a great episode for that, and for bonding together what previously just seemed like a superficial relationship, especially with tragedy imminent.

And I can't even count how many times the show has used either cinematography or dialog to play with expectations, and it's smart every time. All the little details that are added into the show that affect (or not) how you think it's going to turn out... just great.

I can't wait till March. I heard July was the next season, but March makes me feel a little bit better.


Hm the show felt more like Breaking stupid towards the end...

Way to provide good reasoning for this conclusion. Bravo! No, seriously, go watch the Bravo channel, maybe it will suit you better.

[skedastic]

Unless there's more recent information than this indicating otherwise, I have bad news:

http://www.tvovermind.com/cable/amc/breaking-bad/breaking-bad-season-4-delayed/27843

[Pogo]

Ahh shit, I did hear July, but then I saw March in this thread, and got excited. My hopes and dreams are crushed.

In other news, I can't find the damn minisodes that apparently were released between the first two seasons.

[alexlitel]

Minisodes can be found here (http://www.crackle.com/c/Breaking_Bad/) under "webisodes."

[Nixxter]

That is bad news indeed. However, it should allow ample opportunity for me to catch up.

Didn't I just hear Pogo say he watched all three seasons in a short period of time?

I've only seen the first two. I have season three saved in my Netflix que.

Suggestions on how to watch season three now? I do have a nice new monitor (27") so I might be ok with watching it now rather than waiting a half a year or something until it hits Netflix.

[Pogo]

I'm unemployed and currently have no life to speak of. I watched all 33 episodes in like 5 days.

The problem with the way I do it is that everything seems very compressed. The show's timeline for the 3 seasons seems to be about one year, but it's hard to really pin down since Walter is still employed as a teacher the whole time (well, with a bunch of "a couple week" breaks). So if you have any self control, maybe watch two or three episodes a week to keep it fresh.

[Nixxter]

I hear you Pogo! I had a similar experience with Seasons One and Two, they were like (I'll stay away from the obvious drug references) chocolate to a chocoholic. I watched them all very quickly.

I promise to take my time with Season Three. What I am asking though, is how did you get your hands on Season Three?

Something like Hulu?

[Like I said, on Netflix it goes into the unavailable yet part of my que with an unknown date of release, and checking on Amazon, say if you wanted to buy the DVDs, has the same result, at least the last time I checked.]

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your employment situation - right now I am on a short term disability leave and will return to work in a couple weeks. There is a possibility I won't last long if I don't sell some new business quickly (think of me as a glorified accountant, but I am not really a salesperson, still, I will do my best, or I may end up without a job and thinking about re-engineering my career). I'm just saying don't let it get you down in the dumps too much man, if you can help it (trying to give you a big ole morale boost!).

[Pogo]

I promise to take my time with Season Three. What I am asking though, is how did you get your hands on Season Three?

It would not be appropriate for me to speak on that matter on this forum.


Also, I'm sorry to hear about your employment situation - I'm just saying don't let it get you down in the dumps too much man, if you can help it (trying to give you a big ole morale boost!).

Thanks.

[Nixxter]

Thank you Pogo (I was thinking I was just being my usually tecnologically deficient self here - not to worry, the time will come when I catch up).

Heck, it took me a long time to catch up on 24, but I did, eventually!

[Strollen]

I faced a similar problem with Season 2, when I finally got my hands on the episodes, I went through the season in a couple of days so it was somewhat of a blur. Watching Season 3 the old fashion way on TV!! seemed agonizingly slow.

My good friend, who has been unemployed for 2+ years, introduced me to the show. We both decided that despite the piles of money that occasionally appear on the show, there is no need to brush up on our chemistry. There are worse jobs than looking for work.

[Nixxter]

Agreed Strollen.

Also, apparently, those rat bastards over at Amazon will sell me each Season 3 eispode to be watched at 99 cents.

I decided to practice patience and just want them when they become available... : )

[Pogo]

That's $13. Are they downloadable, DRM free, and in HD? That would be worth it.

[Nixxter]

It's apparently also a hook to encourage you to (surprise surprise) buy more compatable HDTVs, Blu Ray players, etc. But quite possibly your already existing equipment will work. I was just hoping to watch them on my nice new monitor, that would have been fine.

Answers to some of your questions (at which point I stopped my own research): Downloadable, yes; HDTV format available, yes, but $2.99 each which makes it just about the price of the boxed DVD set when it comes out later. Not sure about DRM free, probably not, didn't get that far, just decided to wait unless I become aware of another way to watch them with less of a hassle in the meantime.

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Bad-Complete-Third-Season/dp/B0032UYFA6/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1289879196&sr=1-1#productPromotions

Edit: Apparently there are other free ways to watch Season Three, which I will explore soon:

http://techpp.com/2010/03/20/10-ways-to-watch-breaking-bad-season-3-online-for-free/

[Juntei]

Does anyone have an idea when season four will actually start? Also does anyone know when season three will be available on DVD? I lost it when my DVR had to be reset :(


Edit to say that I have tried finding the answers but could not. Amazon will let me pre-order but does not list when it's available..

[espressojim]

Does anyone have an idea when season four will actually start? Also does anyone know when season three will be available on DVD? I lost it when my DVR had to be reset :(


Edit to say that I have tried finding the answers but could not. Amazon will let me pre-order but does not list when it's available..

I tried googling "Breaking Bad new season", and this (http://tvovermind.zap2it.com/cable/amc/breaking-bad/breaking-bad-season-4-delayed/27843) was the first link. Sounds like July of this year, as the start was delayed to avoid competition with other shows.

[Warning]

I'm catching up with this as AMC is replaying the episodes in preparation for season 4. I just saw the season 3 episode where the cousins try to kill Hank in the parking lot.

Ho-lee-sheet.

I was sitting about 10 inches from the screen for the last two minutes, just sure that Hank was a goner.

Don't spoil anything for me but that's the high point for the season, right? It can't get better than that, right?

[magnet]

The last two episodes are just as good.

[Nawid A]

I must say, this show did No Country better than No Country did No Country .

And yeah, the seasons defining holy shit moment, you haven't witnessed yet.

[Papageno]

This show walks that line perfectly between being hard to watch and yet being something you have to keep watching. Much like The Shield. Pretty much at every moment you're thinking "this is not going to end well."

[LMN8R]

New season starts July 17th!

http://www.tvline.com/2011/05/tvline-items-breaking-bad-premiere-szohr-gossip-girl-goodbye/

There's a (probably) higher-quality official video at the link, or there's this Youtube version here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alFsfEUtDmQ


Yes please

[DT]

Just fyi, they've been rebroadcasting the whole series on Wednesday nights (http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad/where-to-watch). Season 3 starts this week.

[Juntei]

Just fyi, they've been rebroadcasting the whole series on Wednesday nights (http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad/where-to-watch). Season 3 starts this week.

Looks like season 3 will be out on DVD next week!

[Papageno]

New season starts July 17th!

http://www.tvline.com/2011/05/tvline-items-breaking-bad-premiere-szohr-gossip-girl-goodbye/

There's a (probably) higher-quality official video at the link, or there's this Youtube version here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alFsfEUtDmQ


Yes please

I'm psyched. This series is so good, but Walt and Jesse are so boned--everything is in a downward spiral.

[Jon Rowe]

I would like to just say, that this is the best show on television right now. (Drama wise)

So good.

[lordkosc]

Ok so I just started with Season 1, and damn this is a good show.

Also I love the cop brother-in-law , he cracks me up.

[stusser]

He's not a one-dimensional caricature either; the brother-in-law's character is greatly expanded as the show progresses.

[Calistas]

The indespensibility of every character is one of my favorite things about BB.

[Pogo]

I don't think there is any one dimensional character on the show. Every one changes with ongoing circumstances, you can see their internal struggle over the course of a season or several episodes. It's really great writing.

[Jon Rowe]

Best show since The Wire. I watched all 3 seasons of this series over the last 2 months, and it just got better and better till that nail-biting finale of season 3. So gut-wrenchingly tense, but I can't stop watching.

[Papageno]

I'm trying to remember, why did Mr. Local Drug Lord want Walter dead again? Was it because he'd hidden/protected Jesse?

[Pogo]

That's... kind of a spoiler.

It's a power issue, ultimately. Walter protects Jessie and if Jessie did something that broke the rules, protecting him is breaking the rules and/or denying the will of the king.

Tried to make that as ambiguous as possible.

[Mike O'Malley]

I'm working my way through the first season and just met Tuco. What a great scene. The energy these guys bring to the show is just amazing, and the cinematography is everything it's cracked up to be.

Nice to see Sniper from Training Day again as well, he still has that manic energy.

[Brian Seiler]

What the what?

So this is back on Sunday, apparently. I thought it was holding over until August and starting at a really stupid time like Dexter.

[Two Sheds]

Hells yes, man. Been counting down the weekends.

[alexlitel]

Is there a recap video of the last season from AMC? Weirdly hazy on the finale, and too lazy to ready the season's Wiki page.

[Mike O'Malley]

The first season's finale was great. Looking forward to the second season.

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.

[extarbags]

The first season's finale was great. Looking forward to the second season.

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.

A word of advice: don't ask anyone to tell you anything about what happens in Breaking Bad, with Tuco or otherwise.

[lordkosc]

The first season's finale was great. Looking forward to the second season.

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.

You know we are about to start Season 4, right?

[Strollen]

Two days until season 4. I rewatched season 3 on the AMC repeats. I almost never knowingly watch repeats, but it is testimony to how good a show Breaking Bad is that repeats of Season 3 are some of the best TV I've watched this year.

[Mike O'Malley]

You know we are about to start Season 4, right?

Yes, that's why I started watching the series.

[stusser]

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.
Ahahahahahahahah

[Mike O'Malley]

Yeah, I watched that episode last night. He had a good run...

[Warning]

The first season's finale was great. Looking forward to the second season.

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.

Stay way the hell away from this thread. Spoilers abound!

[Chuck]

That warning from Warning should be heeded.

[Athryn]

Awesome start to the season!

[erikg88]

Gus's demonstration seemed unnecessary. Isn't it a given that they were on notice in the most serious way?

[Wing of ilium]

He was seen. Great stuff.

[Strollen]

I figure Gus killed mostly for a demonstration but also because he got spotted at the scene of the crime. Gus is unforgiving of people who put him in jeopardy.

I love this show.

[Papageno]

I only figured out the deal with the random hole in the hot water kettle late in the show. D'oh!

That was some F'd up sh*t that Gus did.

[Strollen]

I only figured out the deal with the random hole in the hot water kettle late in the show. D'oh!

That was some F'd up sh*t that Gus did.

I'm still a bit confused about the hole did the bullet go through Gail and hit the kettle or something else?

[Strollen]

The Hollywood reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/breaking-bad-season-4-premiere-212370)has great comments from other Hollywood type about tonight's episode.

My fav
"Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof: "Every potential Supporting Actor Drama nominee for 2012 who watched BREAKING BAD tonight just quietly muttered, 'S--t.."

[Bandersnatch]

Stupid AMC viewer discretion message. I don't want to be told the next scene contains violence. Good ep though, glad it's back. Liked the nod to season 1 with the acid.

[alexlitel]

Was Gus ever directly violent before this? I can't recall him killing or even seriously injuring someone himself before this.

[Chuck]

I'm still a bit confused about the hole did the bullet go through Gail and hit the kettle or something else?

Right through Gail and hit the kettle. My Dexter knowledge tells me they now have the trajectory of the bullet which gives them an idea of the height of the shooter.

[Hemalin]

Stupid AMC viewer discretion message. I don't want to be told the next scene contains violence. Good ep though, glad it's back. Liked the nod to season 1 with the acid.
The viewer discretion was practically a spoiler. Right after that, I knew that guy was going to die.

[TheLastBaron]

They made it pretty clear in the opening that someone was going to get killed with the box cutter, and it obviously wasn't going to be Walt or Jesse.

[Nawid A]

I missed the viewer discretion but I knew he was dead when I saw Gus walk around Walt.

[Papageno]

The show is fantastic, but it's just so tragic--Walt could have just stopped cooking when he had the chance (don't want to spoil why for the newbies to the series) but instead he goes and doubles down. Things keep going from bad to worse.

I like when Mike (the actor will always be "Evil Evan" to me since his turn as a bad guy in Beverly Hills Cop, due to how much he looked like an old friend of mine from college) asks "Does this stuff work?" and Jesse gives him a look and says "Trust me."

[GatInDaHat]

"Right as rain".. lol I love this show, it's bacckkkkk

[Strollen]

Sorry if this has been posted before NY Time magazine (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html) has a long article on Breaking Bad, mostly about Vince Gilligan. Confirming suspicious of mom's everywhere, turns out that Vince was an avid D&D player.

I've decided that Gus adds new meaning to the term a cut-throat competitor. :-)

[Brian Seiler]

Not terrible. I kind of prefer for my premier episodes for the season to do more than just clean up the mess left at the end of last season, but that's a tiny complaint. I didn't need the warning card to know that Unnamed (?) Extra was going to die, though. That was telegraphed from the beginning (i.e. Bald George Carlin asks him if he was seen, Extra says yes, and then he sighs and says he ought to get this over with and puts in a call). I continue to be impressed with how much better of an actor Dean Norris seems to be in this show than he has in anything else I have ever seen him in.

Also, whoever did the casting and wardrobe for Gus deserves a frigging raise. The image that I had of him going in was a kind of scrawny guy, but when he got out of that suit it became plainly obvious that he was ripped as hell. I think I might have had that same reaction last season when I saw him out of his suit.

[TheLastBaron]

I didn't need the warning card to know that Unnamed (?) Extra was going to die, though.

For the record he wasn't a random unnamed extra, his name is Victor and he's been in a number of episodes before. He was in Gus' restaurant in season 2 and he was the one watching Walt in season 3 so I think he's pretty high up which makes it a bigger deal that he was killed than if it was just some random guy.

[Brian Seiler]

Well, I knew who he was - just didn't know if he'd been named or if he'd always just been Mute Guy What Stands in Front of the Door.

[Andrew Mayer]

Please tell me Tuco sticks around.

DING DING!

Meanwhile, I really enjoyed the opener.

It was pretty clear who was gonna get it, but an enjoyable scene nonetheless.

[delirium]

I didn't really like the episode that much. The scenes with Walt and Jesse were OK, but all of the side stuff with Skylar trying to locate Walt was awful. The scene with Hank didn't really move anything along. That scene where Gus comes in did a decent job being suspenseful even though it was obvious what was going to happen, but it just dragged on for so long. I don't have the attention span for a 10 minute scene where nothing happens for 9 minutes of it.

[erikg88]

I didn't really like the episode that much. The scenes with Walt and Jesse were OK, but all of the side stuff with Skylar trying to locate Walt was awful. The scene with Hank didn't really move anything along. That scene where Gus comes in did a decent job being suspenseful even though it was obvious what was going to happen, but it just dragged on for so long. I don't have the attention span for a 10 minute scene where nothing happens for 9 minutes of it.
Gilligan's trying to fit one season's worth of plot into a two season sack.

[TheLastBaron]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/30856/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-on-last-nights-season-premiere
Great interview with Gilligan

[Warning]

"Not exactly fleet of foot."

Great episode.

[Tom Chick]

I'm with Seiler and delirium. What a disappointing opening episode. It just felt like a bunch of faffing about. Mopping up, quite literally. Oh, and a generously telegraphed gratuitous murder with a boxcutter. What I liked about Giancarlo Esposito's character is how coldly practical he was. Now he's just another ruthless bad guy. Ruthlessness is so overrated and ubiquitous. Coldly practical is the new ruthless, and ruthless is just so TV level quality.

But that's all I got from that extended scene. That Gus will fuck you up. And I'm still not sure why he killed that guy. Can someone brief me on the point of that? Am I forgetting something from last season, or did I miss something in this episode?

And we're going back to dissolving a body with acid? It's sort of like saying, "Hey, remember how good season one was?" Yeah, those were the days.

I really liked the exchange between Hank and Marie. It's kind of odd that they're the more interesting characters to me now. I'm not sure why Jesse is still a part of the show, I'm at a loss about what to think of Walt and Skyler's relationship, and Bob Oedenkirk is a fun clown, but just a clown. Then there's Hank and Marie, each dealing with the situation in his and her own way, but still together.

"You're ordering a new rock?"
"I'm bidding on a new mineral."

I give the show major points for letting Skyler find that eyeball in Walt's apartment. Any show that keeps bringing up an absurd detail like that -- Wasn't it in their pool, from the plane that blew up? -- will keep me watching.

-Tom

"Kenny Rogers."

[Bandersnatch]

I absolutely loathed Skylar up until about the end of last season. I'm enjoying her much more this season, glad they took her character in this direction.

I liked the videogame scene. It wasn't a train wreck! Amazing.

Loved the Jeckyll and Hyde part with Walt going into Heisenberg mode. Too bad he got shut down 3 seconds later.

Walt Jr: Still useless. Go eat your cereal dillhole.

They are clearly setting Hank up for his spinoff show where he plays a mineral themed super villain.

[Wing of ilium]

But that's all I got from that extended scene. That Gus will fuck you up. And I'm still not sure why he killed that guy. Can someone brief me on the point of that? Am I forgetting something from last season, or did I miss something in this episode?

Victor was seen at Gales apartment. Mike called Gus and told him. Gus, being a coldly practical guy, used this to kill two birds with one stone.

[Wing of ilium]

Oh I get it

[Drastic]

I like the show, but it does spend far too much of its time just dithering along with its characters. Yes, Jesse's feeling hollow inside and suffering. I get that. I more than get that by now. He should at least get a cat and teach it to ride his next Roomba around. He could stare hollowly at the cat, and in return the cat would pawsmack at him each time it passed.

Tweedledee has a very good point about Nazi zombies. It doesn't really matter what zombies did when they were alive, yo. Tweedledum's counter about true zombies versus infected is true enough, but much more staid talking-point geekdom, so Dee clearly won that debate even if Jesse is so hollow with suffering that he couldn't agree more heartily. Because he is, all hollow inside. They should have lots more scenes of him staring hollowly at the camera, to make sure it's demonstrated he's hollow inside. Hollow. So hollow.

Also, it was just mean to have Walt start breaking into Heisenberg mode and then get the rug yanked out from under. Not surprising, mind you, but still mean.

[Tom Chick]

He should at least get a cat and teach it to ride his next Roomba around. He could stare hollowly at the cat, and in return the cat would pawsmack at him each time it passed.

Do want.

-Tom

[Andrew Mayer]

But that's all I got from that extended scene. That Gus will fuck you up.

Amusing to see that Walt had the same response.

[Brian Seiler]

I've never liked that godawful stop motion shooting style. It makes my head hurt. Please let's not do that again, okay? I think I get what you were stabbing at there, but I just feel like I'm having an epileptic seizure at a rave when video-related entertainment starts doing that.

I can't help but feel like we're still spinning our wheels at this point. Bobby Singer's guest spot was pretty excellent, and I think that from everything that I saw, I gathered that Walt was planning on shooting Gus in the face, but I'm still not a hundred percent clear on that, and in the meanwhile not much else happened. I like what they're doing with both the Skylar and Hank stories, though, and according to Jesse on the EW podcast there's some utterly crazy shit on the way, so I trust that they're setting up something good, and if I was okay with the pacing on The Killing that kind of means I have to be down with this by default.

Random observation: was I supposed to have observed that Jesse didn't do anything harder than cigarettes and liquor? Because I did. And I keep thinking that I have to be wrong about that, but it would also make a certain amount of sense.

[madkevin]

Random observation: was I supposed to have observed that Jesse didn't do anything harder than cigarettes and liquor? Because I did. And I keep thinking that I have to be wrong about that, but it would also make a certain amount of sense.

You're wrong. Jesse was clearly riding on the meth he offered his two bros when they showed up to the house.

[BigRedCat]

I can only imagine anyone complaining about the pace if you don't remember the first season. They spent ep after ep on getting rid of two bodies. The show has always been good at the slow crawl. The show is establishing just how screwed Walt is. I like an entire ep where his plan to gun down Gus is foiled every which way. He is left with no easy options now. Time to get creative.

[Brian Seiler]

Was he? Because the part that got me thinking that I was supposed to have noticed that he wasn't high was when he deliberately cut out some lines of meth, rolled a bill to snort it through, and then just pushed it at Skinny Pete and Badger, who we do see taking it. I'm unclear on that point, because I also remember him sitting in front of the stereo and watching it blink like a moron, which seems like a high thing to do, but might just be intended to reflect how far into himself he's sunk.

Of course, I didn't catch the inbred panthers intending to run an underage train on Jason, so maybe my perception score is just really low.

[delirium]

He cut three lines.. one for each of them, I assumed.

[Jazar]

Loved the last episode.

Loved the opening scene with Walt and the gun salesman. Can Jim Beaver ever *not* be a badass?

The Hank and Marie situation is great. Loved the way Hank seamlessly goes from excitement for his achievements to disgust over his wife's support.

Loved the scene between Walter and the hitman (forgot his name). Walt's attempt to persuade him was definitely worth a try IMO. For a second I almost though it was going to work.

Loved the scene between Skyler and the car wash guy. Something tells me he is going to regret that.

Loved the scene between Jesse and the girl from Men of a Certain Age. I know he's been moping way too much lately but I appreciate the gravity of coming to terms with killing someone.

[delirium]

I don't quite remember everything that happened at the end of Season 3...why is Hank so angry at his wife? Obviously, he's dealing with the whole murder attempt thing, but I can't remember what happened between him and Marie that he has so much hatred towards her in particular.

[Brian Seiler]

I believe he's just taking out his frustrations on Marie, because her unrelenting positivity and optimism is probably completely grating and intolerable for him at this point. Also she's the only one who's always around all the time, so he has a lot more opportunity to get pissed off at her than he does at his physical therapist. He also had to open up to her about his panic attacks before the shooting (which was something he was probably not comfortable with), and the entire reason he's home now is because he lost a boner bet with her.

[delirium]

Yeah, that's kind of what I figured. I couldn't remember if there was something specific that happened.

[Two Sheds]

And Hank is a Big Macho Man. His wife is supposed to see him that way, not take care of him and see him at his weakest. He can get all high-five-bro with the physical therapist because they're dudes and it's like, yeah! Sports! His wife being there makes him feel emasculated, and he resents her for it.

At least, that's how I read the whole dynamic.

[Drastic]

Yep, Hank's in a dark place, and remember that the crippling injuries were really the latest and most severe blow on top of others to his previous Mr. Macho Tough Guy Walking Tall act, after the reassignment/promotion peter-principling him, the panic attacks, etc.

Related to one of my favorite quieter moments in I think season two, possibly three, when having really no one to talk to about such things, he starts feeling out Walt because, hey, obviously Walt is a milquetoast kind of guy, right? And Walt's starting the slow-seething-burn phase of his arc (after remission and his realization that he's increasingly stuck with having to break bad) and tells Hank to in effect just stand up and kick those fuckers right in the teeth, and you can see Hank internally rocked back by what Walt just showed--and by the realization that he's even "weaker" than he had to confront himself as being.

And now that's even worse, so he's lashing out at who's available to lash out at.

I also really enjoyed Marie's desperately awkward clinging at the physical therapist spiced with more than a little "oh god I need an outlet" and his good-natured brush off. You could just about see the "yeah, I've seen this before, lady. Sorry," in him.

[Bandersnatch]

Didn't care for this week's episode, felt like leftovers from last week. We get it, Jesse is a sad panda. Let's move on.

[Pogo]

Most insane house party ever. Marie is a strange individual.

[mystery]

Didn't care for this week's episode, felt like leftovers from last week. We get it, Jesse is a sad panda. Let's move on.

Exactly. No plot movement to speak of. It could have been a continuation from last week's episode for as much that happened.

[delirium]

This whole season just feels like they're dragging their feet to stretch things out at this point. Very little has moved forward since end of the last season at this point.

[Erik J.]

I haven't watched any of this before this season, so I'm probably not as annoyed by these episodes as you guys are, since I'm still learning everyone's character. However, the opening scene made me chuckle. I also like how it injected the bad guy into the show, without him actually making an appearance. Dig the characters, but Hank (the guy who is laid up but I don't know why) is a character that really makes me uncomfortable. When I have a weekend I'll try to get through the previous seasons.

[Two Sheds]

It's not all of us, Erik. Episodes like this are one of the reasons I love Breaking Bad. A slow simmer and some time with the characters. I don't need (or even want) action every week.

That said, you need to stop watching this season until you've caught up.

[stusser]

Most insane house party ever.
Well that's the whole point, he started off with a 24/7 party and ended up, quite literally, with a crackhouse. At his house.

[DT]

Hank takes out Gus for Walt and it's problem solved! Hank doesn't turn Walt in because he's been paying Hank's bills with illicit money. Walt becomes new Tony Montana. Done and done.

[Pogo]

Well that's the whole point, he started off with a 24/7 party and ended up, quite literally, with a crackhouse. At his house.

Yeah I get that it's supposed to be a reflection of his current state of mind. I'm just wondering where this is going to crack open, considering there's a goon watching his movements. What's sad for him is that he has no actual friends to turn to, and Walt is too superficial in his attempts to get him to open up.

Also... random fat college-type kid in suit+tie missing his pants while laying on Jessie's floor is pretty hilarious.

Skylar has kind of gone back to being completely annoying in her insistence on showing up the car wash owner, but the chemistry that's sorta sparked up again between her and Walt is pretty refreshing. She's definitely coming around to the more libertarian viewpoint that Walt is having. The whole "waiting for the phone call" scene was just great. Skylar does a great job of playing that strong businesswoman who uses reverse psychology to get what she wants.

And of course, the lab notes given to Hank will almost immediately be given to Walt, since I doubt Hank is going to understand most of it without using Walt as an adviser. It'll be interesting to see how Hank spins the information in there. He might attempt to say that it's not referring to a large scale meth production, or he might try to get it destroyed before it falls into Gustavo's hands, which would give him enough to work with to hire someone else.

[stusser]

The previews of next week's episode foreshadowed that Jesse's actions are not going unnoticed.

[Pogo]

I don't watch previews, but yeah that much is already being shown.

[Athryn]

Ugh, my DVR cut the first 5 and last 2 minutes, but I thought it was a fantastic episode. So much going on under the surface, and I really love what they're doing with Skylar.

[Pogo]

First 5 minutes was Walt hearing the new video camera at the lab, then getting disgruntled that it's there, then giving it the middle finger. Last 2 minutes, after we see the "new guy" parked outside Jessie's house, was Hank finally picking up Gale's lab manual and starting to read it.

I also loved the episode. I realize some people may get bored or disgruntled with how much airtime is given to the seemingly mundane, but I feel like every conversation is just so well done that I don't mind the plot not being pushed that much forward. This is certainly going with the previous pacing of the show.

[CourteousD]

The previews of next week's episode foreshadowed that Jesse's actions are not going unnoticed.

I liked the juxtaposition of Skyler's sensible concern with how Walt paid for the champagne against Jesse's "Hey yo: MONEY!" fling at all the fiends.

Do we know what denomination those bills were? (My guess is they were clean c-notes, and eventually someone will notice that a surprising number of drug addicts are in possession of fresh hundred dollar bills, and how exactly did that happen?) I don't see how Jesse doesn't get renewed attention from a couple of different quarters now.

[anaqer]

She's definitely coming around to the more libertarian viewpoint that Walt is having.
Walt has a point of view that's hardly 'libertarian'. He's still every bit the control freak* he has been since the very beginning of the show.

*I'm still waiting for the grand internal turmoil when he truly realizes how he has betrayed his own ideals about procedures. and not just chemical ones. breaking the rules to protect his family (and Jessie) is one thing. breaking them to protect himself is a step forward I'm eager to see.

[anaqer]

Do we know what denomination those bills were? (My guess is they were clean c-notes [...]
We don't, but I'd still say those were 20s at best - substantial enough to fight about, but not to draw too much attention. If Jessie was really THAT self-destructive already, he wouldn't have bothered with go-karts. He's getting there, sure, but not just yet - he's still trying to find something that could finally shock him out of this deal.

[Pogo]

Do we know what denomination those bills were? (My guess is they were clean c-notes, and eventually someone will notice that a surprising number of drug addicts are in possession of fresh hundred dollar bills, and how exactly did that happen?) I don't see how Jesse doesn't get renewed attention from a couple of different quarters now.

I don't think it's that easy. Jessie definitely hides his money, and I'm assuming that his purchase of the house done through Saul Goodman was somehow laundered and hidden. A dozen meth heads with fresh bills aren't exactly going to be evidence of much. I'm not sure where he's at with the meth that he stole from his employer, but I can't imagine he's going to be stupid enough to steal any more considering that the camera is watching. Though he does self-destructive stupid shit all the time so maybe that will actually happen.


Walt has a point of view that's hardly 'libertarian'.

Whatever, wrong word.

He's been stretching his own rules for the whole show now. At this point he's a "don't kill kids" kind of guy and that's it.

[CourteousD]

I don't think it's that easy. Jessie definitely hides his money, and I'm assuming that his purchase of the house done through Saul Goodman was somehow laundered and hidden. A dozen meth heads with fresh bills aren't exactly going to be evidence of much.

I wasn't really thinking it'd be evidence in the "Arrest that guy!" sense, just that it might be something that could come to the attention of law enforcement types who would be interested enough to start digging. Plus I can't imagine that Gus will approve.

Although come to think of it, the law enforcement interest is much more likely to come via the neighbors.

[Pogo]

Yeah they're not really taking the realistic angle. That party is in suburbia, it would have been busted days before that.

[stusser]

At this point he's a "don't kill kids" kind of guy and that's it.
He didn't care about that kid. He wasted the street dealers to protect Jesse, who he thinks of as his son.

[Mike O'Malley]

I just finished the next to last episode in season 3, where Walt runs over the dealers. What an ending! Walt's gone from being a boring chemistry teacher to a drug dealer who indulges in vehicular homicide.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Pogo]

He didn't care about that kid. He wasted the street dealers to protect Jesse, who he thinks of as his son.


Dude... you're taking me literally again. I even used parentheses this time.

[Papageno]

The previews of next week's episode foreshadowed that Jesse's actions are not going unnoticed.

Was that dude sitting in a car staking out either Jesse's or Walt's place played by Keith David? Looked like him.

[Brian Seiler]

AMC continues to be a sack of buttholes when it comes to renewal, as the Season 5 discussions are dragging out and the producers have shopped the show around a little to see if there's any interest. The reasonably good news is that there will be a fifth season somewhere, which also tells us some things about what can happen this season.

The episode contents were alright. It does feel a little bit like they could have lumped this together with last week's to get a single episode and trimmed out some of the fat, and the Jesse scenes were out of place with the general feeling of the episode. I kind of wish that they'd taken what they did with Jesse this week, done it last week, made the episode entirely concerned with Jesse, and then let the past week belong to Walt/Skylar, but I'm guessing that sort of time dickery would be deemed too confusing. It does feel like they've finally got all the pieces into the positions they need to be in to have another Mexican hitmen episode soon, though, so I'm looking forward to the next few weeks.

[Athryn]

AMC continues to be a sack of buttholes when it comes to renewal, as the Season 5 discussions are dragging out and the producers have shopped the show around a little to see if there's any interest. The reasonably good news is that there will be a fifth season somewhere, which also tells us some things about what can happen this season.

Speaking of this, there's a really good article here (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/sheen-fading-fast-at-amc-217753) about how AMC is dicking things up all over the place on their channel.

It makes me so mad. First they fuck up negotiations with Mad Men not once, but twice, and because of that they are asking the other series to cut their episodes/budgets to make up for the loss leader, which is why Darabont left.

I can't believe they want to make season 5 8 episodes, especially since Gilligan said that it would likely be the last season.

AMC has such brand cache, and they go do this stupid stuff, not to mention letting the showrunner of the Killing pull off the biggest middle finger to viewers in history.

[Chuck]

Sounds like the execs need a midnight visit from Mike.

[Brian Seiler]

We should note - there is absolutely no chance of Breaking Bad going anywhere other than AMC. It's not going to happen. AMC is just being dicks about the budget because they had to give in on Mad Men. What's happening here is Sony is taking this to the press, where AMC will be roundly farted on by every human that reads the story, maybe they throw a pissy little fit for a month or two, and the fifth (and some are saying final, though I don't know that that's confirmed) season gets delayed a little bit.

I could see FX picking the show up if worst came to worst, since this basically is an FX show already, but we're not going to get there. AMC is not that stupid.

[Juntei]

Cliffhangers are not nice!

[alexlitel]

They have the entire Gale karaoke video (http://www.amctv.com/breaking-bad/videos/breaking-bad-gales-karaoke-video) up on the AMC site.

[Athryn]

Were they playing Mario Kart with 360 controllers?

[Pogo]

That looked like Sonic Racing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3Lxln-cSPM

[Athryn]

Oh! Maybe that was it. I swear I thought the girl was playing Princess Peach.

[Tom Chick]

Well, at least stuff actually happened in that episode. I wonder if that opening is actually leading anywhere, or if it was just a way to show us that guy is a bad-ass. Because, like, it's not as if we didn't already know that. And then it was supercute watching Walt and Skyler rehearse for the dinner, even if it did play suspiciously like something from a sitcom. Cranston and Gunn seemed to be having fun, and that counts for a lot. "Where's the 'I Slept With My Boss' bullet point?"

Here's hoping they're going to leave Jesse out in the desert so the rest of the story can get moving along. I mean, it took the dude three episodes to shave his head? Maybe by the end of the season he'll resort to a bout of heavy drinking!

I did enjoy Walt and Hank going over the lab notebook. And the reveal with Gale's karaoke bit was inspired. More stuff like that, Breaking Bad, and I might not even mind sticking with the show for another season!

-Tom

[Pogo]

They have to have some drastic shit prepared for Jessie. He's being a total... nihilist or something. I felt like even Walt realized he might have to give up Jessie in order to save his own livelihood... but that probably won't happen due to 3 seasons of relationship building there.

I felt genuinely bad for Gale that he was getting mocked. I think my reaction was just like Walt's... that this guy was a human being that Walt had killed, and he feels like shit for it. That his own sun and his brother in law are laughing it up is just a kick in the groin for him.

[Brian Seiler]

Well, I like that things are moving again. It took a little while to get everybody on the same page, but now we seem to have some forward momentum.

I gotta say that I'm starting to have a problem with knowing that this is a television show, though. I absolutely KNOW that Jesse is not going to be killed to death in the desert. He's probably not going to be horribly deformed. Worst thing that happens is maybe he gets a scar, because neither he nor Walter can die before the last season, and since they're negotiating another right now, I know they're not there yet.

[BigRedCat]

Most likely he's going to rehab, boot camp, or drug lord training school or some such thing.

[Athryn]

because neither he nor Walter can die before the last season, and since they're negotiating another right now, I know they're not there yet.

They actually intended to kill Jesse off in the first or second season, so I wouldn't necessarily count on an ironclad plot shield for him.

[Brian Seiler]

While I would love that in the story (I don't really like Jesse anyway, so, you know, go nuts RumpleCranston), dude's on the DVD art and does publicity interviews for the show. I think we're probably stuck with him until the show is ready to sign off. Last season I felt like there were stakes because it was often people that we could legitimately expect not to have any guarantees on (just one example, they could totally have killed Hank in that absolutely spectacular scene, because he's just some random doughy character actor who's been on everything and the story doesn't revolve around him, though now they're starting to reintroduce some tension with him being a DEA agent). I don't feel like there are stakes when the question is, will Cranstroll kill Jesse, or will Gustavo kill both of them. I think we need to get Walter Jr. (though cutting him from the show will undoubtedly invite criticism from people who live to complain) or Skylar or Hank back into some seriously risky situations to get the tension from last year back.

[BigRedCat]

I would stop watching if they killed Jesse before the end arc of the show. He's just as significant as Walt, IMO.

[Nawid A]

I would stop watching if they killed Jesse before the end arc of the show. He's just as significant as Walt, IMO.
Really? Four seasons in, and you don't trust the creators?

[Pogo]

It would be for a damn good reason, I'd think.

[Blips]

I really hope they do something with Jesse other than continuing to roll him further down his spiral shit stairway of self loathing. I really liked the direction his character was taking when he got out of rehab but now all that progress is gone.

[BigRedCat]

Really? Four seasons in, and you don't trust the creators?

I trust the creators to not be stupid enough to kill one of the two main leads. He is too vital to Walt's arc.

[Blips]

I trust the creators to not be stupid enough to kill one of the two main leads. He is too vital to Walt's arc.

Why do you think you should be able to define what Walt's arc should be?

[Jon Rowe]

I could see this going either way. I think Jesse is going out to get "scared straight"