Author Topic: Breaking Bad  (Read 93563 times)

B_Buster

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #195 on: August 01, 2012, 10:40:16 AM »
Another thing for fans of logic in their dramas: Am I the only one who doesn't find Mike intimidating? How old is he anyway? He looks like a regular at Massa's, for Christ's sake!

At what point does watching stuff that makes you mad become self-loathing?

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Mark in Helsinki

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #196 on: August 01, 2012, 10:43:36 AM »
Who wants to take bets that Walt Jr. has already started "experimenting" with meth?

The detached conversation with his father at the breakfast table, the zoom in on his untouched bowl of cereal.

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B_Buster

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #197 on: August 01, 2012, 10:44:22 AM »
Another thing for fans of logic in their dramas: Am I the only one who doesn't find Mike intimidating? How old is he anyway? He looks like a regular at Massa's, for Christ's sake!

I dunno. Some of the regulars at Massa's are pretty terrifying. Joe Puppy the Cleaner would scare the shit out of me.

That's a good point. Did you know that Joe Puppy, as part of his service to his country in Vietnam, was required to cut off the heads of uncooperative enemy prisoners? He was 19 years old at the time. Something to think about.
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Bryan

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #198 on: August 01, 2012, 03:42:19 PM »
Who is enjoying Breaking Bad less than they enjoyed The Wire?

I stopped watching the Wire in the middle of the fourth season because it just felt like work. Nothing awesome ever happened. It felt... real-ish.

Breaking Bad is what happens when things like The Wire are actually entertaining.
Yup, I quit the Wire at the same time, for the same reason. I didn't hate the show (obviously, since I watched 3.5 seasons of it) but it was awfully self-important. I'll take Breaking Bad's stretching credulity over the Wire's "this is how it really IS, man!" any day.

Who wants to take bets that Walt Jr. has already started "experimenting" with meth?
Oh geez, I hope not. That would be a little too heavy handed for the show, I think.

Mark in Helsinki

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #199 on: August 02, 2012, 05:11:08 AM »
Who is enjoying Breaking Bad less than they enjoyed The Wire?

I stopped watching the Wire in the middle of the fourth season because it just felt like work. Nothing awesome ever happened. It felt... real-ish.

Breaking Bad is what happens when things like The Wire are actually entertaining.
Yup, I quit the Wire at the same time, for the same reason. I didn't hate the show (obviously, since I watched 3.5 seasons of it) but it was awfully self-important. I'll take Breaking Bad's stretching credulity over the Wire's "this is how it really IS, man!" any day.

Who wants to take bets that Walt Jr. has already started "experimenting" with meth?
Oh geez, I hope not. That would be a little too heavy handed for the show, I think.

I guess it would be a bit heavy handed, given how sweet a young man Walt Jr. is supposed to be. His uncle sure tried to scare him straight, even when there wasn't anything to straighten him out about... But here is what makes me think Walt Jr might be the next casualty of his breaking bad father: narratively, it makes sense, because as each season and episode comes, we're watching Walt becoming a Scarface-like drug lord (something creator Vince Gilligan has said), he's losing any feelings of remorse or moral code. Like any classic Tragedy, such behavior almost always ends badly, and where else could it go, besides his innocent family. We're already witnessing Walt Sr's quiet domination of his wife. "I forgive you," "it's time I moved back in," he states matter of factly to his wife, without any discussion. He's not the same guy he was when all this started.

But if his son became a direct casualty of his creation (becomes a meth head, or ODs or whatever), this is classical Tragedy, and once Walt Sr. finally realizes how indeed bad he has broken, he will either totally turn to the dark side and move on, or destroy himself in guilt and remorse. I (think I) stand by my guess that it just could happen... ;-)

And I thought Breaking Bad would run out of gas in season three!
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Mark in Helsinki

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #200 on: August 02, 2012, 05:17:00 AM »
... also, we've only seen a tiny glimpse of the horror and misery that meth wreaks on its addicts and their families. In a way, we've only seen the "good" side of the meth story (the money / power story), and not much of the truly heartbreaking part.
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Wes

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #201 on: August 02, 2012, 09:19:13 AM »
There hasn't been a scene with both Walt Jr. and Jesse on the show yet, has there? I'd like to maybe see this half-season end with the two of them both entered into a huge pancake eating contest (sponsored by and located at Denny's), with Jesse maybe competing to win money they need to pay somebody off or something like that. And the dramatic thrust would be that Walt would be conflicted about whether he'd be rooting for his actual son or Jesse to eat the most pancakes. And we would get this big scene at the end where Jesse can sense how conflicted Walt is and even though he needs that money and he loves pancakes, too, he pulls up and lets Walt Jr. shoot past him. Maybe Mike notices Jesse starting to sandbag it and and he's all "Come on, kid, I've seen you eat more than this!" and Jesse turns around and snaps "I SAID I DON'T WANT ANYMORE PANCAKES, YO!" and then shares a brief look and nod with Walt.

And then the camera pulls back and we see that Huell was also in the contest and he just houses twice the amount of pancakes that Walt Jr. does and then Saul and Huell celebrate with true enthusiasm and a real bond that doesn't exist in any combination of Mike, Jesse, Walt and Walt Jr. Like, Saul is actually crying in happiness for Huell, and Huell picks him and and throws him around in celebration and it ends in a freeze fram with the two of them hugging and doing stereo fistpumps.
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Bryan

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #202 on: August 02, 2012, 11:19:07 AM »
... also, we've only seen a tiny glimpse of the horror and misery that meth wreaks on its addicts and their families. In a way, we've only seen the "good" side of the meth story (the money / power story), and not much of the truly heartbreaking part.
Interesting thought. You're right, but I'm not sure that's so much of what the show is about - that's more The Wire's territory. But I think in a general sense that you're right that we're going to see something bad happen to Junior. It may just be the heartbreaking loss of a pancake eating contest, though. Which I think would be held at a Madrigal-owned pancake restaurant, not Denny's. Besides that minor detail, I think Wes has probably hit the nail on the head.

amiright??

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #203 on: August 02, 2012, 02:27:05 PM »
There hasn't been a scene with both Walt Jr. and Jesse on the show yet, has there? I'd like to maybe see this half-season end ... Saul is actually crying in happiness for Huell, and Huell picks him and and throws him around in celebration and it ends in a freeze fram with the two of them hugging and doing stereo fistpumps.

Wes, the speculation of a Saul Goodman spinoff FINALLY makes sense to me.

wood and iron

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #204 on: August 02, 2012, 07:31:14 PM »
How exactly did the meme of Walt Jr. being super into breakfast come about?

thom

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #205 on: August 02, 2012, 10:38:29 PM »
I hope Walt kills his entire family.

Don't we all want that? Isn't that what this show is about? What is this all leading toward if not something that grandiose?

Mr. Spacely

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #206 on: August 03, 2012, 06:30:49 PM »
Who is enjoying Breaking Bad less than they enjoyed The Wire?

I stopped watching the Wire in the middle of the fourth season because it just felt like work. Nothing awesome ever happened. It felt... real-ish.

Breaking Bad is what happens when things like The Wire are actually entertaining.
Glad I'm not the only TV fan who was "bleh" on the Wire.  I mean, I guess it's good art, but as a TV show? No. I like to be entertained, not given homework about the state of crumbling East Coast cities.

Also, I kinda get AP Mike's point about BB Mike. Jonathan Banks is, what, 5'7", 175? And 65-years-old? It is a little odd to see him muscling people. Granted, guns are great equalizers, but still -- he's small.
 
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Chris L

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #207 on: August 05, 2012, 03:53:13 PM »
Who is enjoying Breaking Bad less than they enjoyed The Wire?

I stopped watching the Wire in the middle of the fourth season because it just felt like work. Nothing awesome ever happened. It felt... real-ish.

Breaking Bad is what happens when things like The Wire are actually entertaining.
Glad I'm not the only TV fan who was "bleh" on the Wire.  I mean, I guess it's good art, but as a TV show? No. I like to be entertained, not given homework about the state of crumbling East Coast cities.

Also, I kinda get AP Mike's point about BB Mike. Jonathan Banks is, what, 5'7", 175? And 65-years-old? It is a little odd to see him muscling people. Granted, guns are great equalizers, but still -- he's small.
 

The Wire had some of the best dramatic payoffs I’ve ever seen on television, and for the first four seasons I found the storytelling every bit as entertaining as it was didactic. Just because whatever you want to see isn’t happening doesn’t mean that “nothing” is happening (cf. Mad Men, Sopranos).

Mike from Breaking Bad was introduced simply and more believably as a “cleaner” who got rid of Jane’s body, rather than as a cartel enforcer.  I don’t know if Vince Gilligan has confirmed this, but I suspect they saw something in the character and Banks’ screen presence that just made them find a way to expand the role.

Mr. Spacely

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #208 on: August 05, 2012, 06:29:48 PM »
Good points on the Wire (and MM and Sopranos...the latter of which still drives me crazy in some ways).  I fully admit to being in the "annoying minority" when it comes to the Wire.
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nec13

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Re: Breaking Bad
« Reply #209 on: August 06, 2012, 10:48:03 AM »
How about Skyler basically telling Walt that she wants him to die? As despicable a person as Walt has become, I couldn't help but feel bad for him after she uttered those words.
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