Crystal Blu-Ray Persuasion: Breaking Bad on DVD

[Simon Boccanegra]

I'm hopeful to get some tips on the can't-miss extras here; there is so much to work through. I have the standard-definition complete series box, but I imagine that and the Blu-ray are identical in content.  

 

I listened to the two episode commentaries for S1, the pilot and "Crazy Handful of Nothin'."  What struck me immediately is how different this is from the Mad Men commentaries, which are very disciplined and focused. Usually you have two or three people, and they take care to talk in turn. When Matthew Weiner is involved, it's almost as though he's overseeing a class. "Kiernan. Talk a little about what's going through Sally's mind in this scene." The Breaking Bad ones are more of a party atmosphere. There are many more participants at a time, seven or eight, and a lot of cross-talk, a lot of laughter and joking around. Also, Mad Men's are more concerned with character, theme, subtext. Breaking Bad's are very much about the process -- "Remember that day the rock blew off the top of the RV and almost crushed you, Aaron?" "That hand holding the tube and pouring the liquid into the toilet bowl is actually [so-and-so's]."  "This scene was tough because the black-eye makeup made it hard to see." "This woman is a local Albuquerque actor who is in the advertisements for a jewelry store." Both have interesting information, they are just different approaches.  

[Simon Boccanegra]

Cranston is funny in the pilot commentary, totally faking out RJ Mitte, who asks about how Krazy-8's bullet holes in the RV door were done. He says there was a guy inside actually shooting a gun, telling him, "Now, it's very important that your head be no higher than this." He's so deadpan; everyone who doesn't know better buys it until he gives up the joke.  

[Scout Finch]

I keep wanting to listen to the commentaries but I get so involved in the episodes that I kind of don't want to keep getting interrupted by comments. Maybe after I finish my third viewing...

[Simon Boccanegra]

Something that doesn't help -- the English subtitles are unusable, at least on my series box. I can follow both things at once if I can read along while listening to the group, but that is not an option here.  

 

I have listened to the ones for S1 (two episodes) and S2 (four episodes), but beginning in S3, I think every single episode has a commentary. I decided to set Breaking Bad aside for a while and come back for those later. As much as I do enjoy the behind-the-scenes "process"-type details ("We wanted to reshoot this scene a week later because Bryan and Aaron came up with a great idea, so we lied and said the original footage was unusable, because everyone would have to go back to the desert for this one scene"), I hope VG and crew get deeper into the show's world in the later seasons. I like to hear points of view from the actors, writers, and directors about where the characters are, why people are behaving as they are, what the scenes mean, etc. 

Edited October 6, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[StatMom]

I am on my third (or maybe fourth?) rewatch of the series with the marathons they are showing now on AMC. I decided to listen to the BB Insider podcast with each episode. If you like the kind of behind-the-scenes information and general chatting about the show, this is a good way to get it. One recommendation I'd make: make sure you are familiar with which episode they are talking about. During one stretch, I watched a few episodes in a row, and then when I went back to the podcasts I couldn't remember what specifically they were talking about. They don't give any kind of recap or plot summary, but Kelly mentions the episode number and title right at the beginning.