Breaking Bad - General Discussion

[Umbelina]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

One thing I've always thought was fascinating is that Todd seems to be cut from a different cloth than his uncle and the Nazi gang.   Todd is just as much of a cold-blooded killer as they are, so he certainly inherited that particular family trait, but other than those shared murderous habits, Todd doesn't seem to fit in with those guys.  They have a different demeanor and personality type than what Todd has.   They are kind of loud, brash, crass and threatening.   They're not concerned with being polite or courteous.   Todd seems like an innocent lamb -- personality-wise -- compared to them. 

If they were not related, I would never even assume that Todd and Jack would be in the same orbit because they seem so different.  I wonder if Todd's parent -- whichever one is related to Uncle Jack, assuming there is an actual family connection and "uncle" is not just a nickname -- is more like Todd or more like Jack.

Todd's a psychopath, and they can be born into any family.  They others are just greedy, heartless criminals.

[TVFan17]

Just now, Umbelina said:

Todd's a psychopath, and they can be born into any family.  They others are just greedy, heartless criminals.

Oh, I know.  I am just referring to his demeanor vs. their demeanor.   Todd does not act like they act -- in any way.  It just always struck me as interesting and funny that he is so different from them in the way he behaves and conducts himself with people.   If they were not related and involved in crime together, I would not expect them to hang out or even necessarily like each other.   Todd and Jack seem even more different than Jesse and Walt seemed (to me).

It was just always amusing to me, how different they are.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

The thing that I noticed about Jesse was not only was his head bigger, his voice was much, much deeper. 

That distracted me too. I kept wondering if Aaron Paul took up smoking  (for real, not just fake) since the BrBa days.

*******************

Regarding Todd's polite, mild-mannered demeanor, to rephrase what I suggested upthread, I think young Todd was beaten into a submissive demeanor. 

Similarly, I recall reading that Saadam Hussein (or maybe some other horrible famous powerful dude) was put in the center of a circle of his uncles as a child and had to "dance" as they shot bullets at his feet. 

[DoctorAtomic]

The actors' physical appearance honestly did not even register with me.

[DangerousMinds]

54 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

The actors' physical appearance honestly did not even register with me.

Me either.

[Scout Finch]

6 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

Oh, I know.  I am just referring to his demeanor vs. their demeanor.   Todd does not act like they act -- in any way.  It just always struck me as interesting and funny that he is so different from them in the way he behaves and conducts himself with people.   If they were not related and involved in crime together, I would not expect them to hang out or even necessarily like each other.   Todd and Jack seem even more different than Jesse and Walt seemed (to me).

It was just always amusing to me, how different they are.

He was so nonchalant about his uncle and crew being wiped out by machine gun fire in the clubhouse ("So, that happened...") and then kind of shocked when Jesse started strangling him. Of course, after El Camino I can now view it as him assuming that Jesse was still an obedient "pal."

[DrSparkles]

On 10/12/2019 at 7:02 PM, ByTor said:

I really thought when Todd told Jesse he needed something from him & they ended up in Todd's apartment, I thought for sure Todd was going to rape him.  Glad I was wrong.

There were SEVERAL times I thought they were going the way of 'the gimp'/raping him. I was sick to my stomach.

[ByTor]

15 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

Todd and Jack seem even more different than Jesse and Walt seemed (to me).

That never occurred to me, I wonder if this was intentional on the writers' part.

[TVFan17]

5 hours ago, DrSparkles said:

There were SEVERAL times I thought they were going the way of 'the gimp'/raping him. I was sick to my stomach.

I must admit that it crossed my mind too, but I quickly tried to dismiss it from my thoughts.   I always wondered if were essentially supposed to fill in the blanks and assume that it happened when Jesse was a prisoner. 

Even if Todd had never done anything like that to Jesse, I wondered if his uncle and the gang had done it.  Or, if Jack didn't assault Jesse himself or order anyone else to, there might have been some rogue member of the gang who decided to do it when Jack wasn't looking.

I hate even considering such a disgusting, sickening scenario, but any sort of prisoner/hostage scenario can easily lead to sexual assault too, and it is a conclusion some viewers might come to.

But I hope NOT!  I hope we are not supposed to believe that Jesse was enduring rape as well as the other torture he had to endure.  I hope it's not what Vince Gilligan wants us to believe.

Edited October 17, 2019 by TVFan17

[DrSparkles]

14 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

I must admit that it crossed my mind too, but I quickly tried to dismiss it from my thoughts.   I always wondered if were essentially supposed to fill in the blanks and assume that it happened when Jesse was a prisoner. 

Even if Todd had never done anything like that to Jesse, I wondered if his uncle and the gang had done it.  Or, if Jack didn't assault Jesse himself or order anyone else to, there might have been some rogue member of the gang who decided to do it when Jack wasn't looking.

I hate even considering such a disgusting, sickening scenario, but any sort of prisoner/hostage scenario can easily lead to sexual assault too, and it is a conclusion some viewers might come to.

But I hope NOT!  I hope we are not supposed to believe that Jesse was enduring rape as well as the other torture he had to endure.  I hope it's not what Vince Gilligan wants us to believe.

That's EXACTLY what I've been thinking. Dear god. Poor Jesse.

Anyway, no Marie, Finn :), or Skyler. I did miss Marie!!

[ByTor]

On 10/17/2019 at 1:14 PM, DrSparkles said:

Anyway, no Marie, Finn :), or Skyler. I did miss Marie!!

The 1st time I watched the series, during season one I hated Marie with a passion.  She eventually turned it around and became my favorite character (tied with Flynn) & upon rewatch that hasn't changed.  It would have been fun if she were the one in the vacuum repair shop, watching Jesse hide from her would cause some drama since they know each other.

I know a general consensus is that everybody got the ending they deserved.  Marie ended up traumatized by her husband being murdered & finding out her sister was involved in Walt's BS; poor Flynn ended up in that crappy apartment with his chain smoking mother, knowing his father was a meth kingpin.  I hope those two end up happy in their fictional future.

[DoctorAtomic]

Flynn's also got free college too. I'd be studying my ass off and hiring tutors to get into an Ivy or Berkeley and write my ticket to a brand new life.

[TVFan17]

This is great!   So many theories....

[TVFan17]

This video is also very interesting -

[Artymouse]

After "El Camino," I decided to rewatch the entire BrBa series. It's been a few years since I saw it beginning to end, and it once again amazes me how well-put-together it is. I'm just past the halfway point of Season 5, and I'm dreading what is coming up in the next few episodes. 

I know that "Fly" is a love it/hate it episode, but I've always loved it. But what struck me on the rewatch is just how suspenseful it is. I know, from having watched it a few times, that Walt isn't going to confess to Jesse about watching Jane die, but it's so well played that I was on the edge of my seat while Walt was talking to Jesse about Jane and Jane's dad.

And on the rewatch, I find Walt absolutely contemptible. Even when he's not actively behaving like a narcissistic monster, I still find him chilling. His arrogance is monumental, and I think I'd forgotten just how arrogant and manipulative he was in so many different episodes. 

The performances in BB are across-the-board brilliant, but Aaron Paul's transformation through the seasons is mesmerizing, as is Bryan Cranston's evolution into the personification of evil.

But I've also developed a new opinion of Skyler. I still think she was a victim of Walt, but she could have opted not to break bad by letting her divorce attorney go to the police. So I see her as more culpable now than I did the first time around. And after Ted Beneke's accident, she visits him in the hospital and he swears he'll never tell the truth about what happened to him. Skyler simply says, "Good," and it's so chilling, it's almost Heisenbergian.

[Spartan Girl]

On 10/21/2019 at 2:17 PM, Artymouse said:

But I've also developed a new opinion of Skyler. I still think she was a victim of Walt, but she could have opted not to break bad by letting her divorce attorney go to the police. So I see her as more culpable now than I did the first time around. And after Ted Beneke's accident, she visits him in the hospital and he swears he'll never tell the truth about what happened to him. Skyler simply says, "Good," and it's so chilling, it's almost Heisenbergian.

Still can't bring myself to feel that much pity for Ted.  Pay your damn taxes, idiot.

The Take did a great video on El Camino:

[benteen]

52 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Still can't bring myself to feel that much pity for Ted.  Pay your damn taxes, idiot.

Agreed about Ted.  He gets the money to pay off his taxes and he immediately tries to start pissing it away again.  Screw em!

[Ohwell]

Ted was an idiot for not paying his taxes, but he still didn't deserve what happened to him.  If Skyler hadn't broken bad with Walt and wound up sending those goons to Ted's house, he never would have slipped and cracked his head.  

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Ted was an idiot for not paying his taxes, but he still didn't deserve what happened to him.  

LOL, but best cautionary tale ever for paying taxes! 

[Constantinople]

On 10/13/2019 at 1:16 PM, shapeshifter said:

The ages and weight discrepancies bothered me as an avid BrBa fan, but, to be fair, I don't think they ever showed slim Todd in this movie, which, if I am correct, means there is no discrepancy within the movie for his character's physicality.

Jesse was imprisoned by Jack's Neo-Nazi gang during the last 3 episodes of Season 5: Ozymandias, Granite State and Felina.  All of Todd's scenes in El Camino are flash backs that take place during Jesse's imprisonment. So the events in the last 3 episodes of Season 5 are concurrent with El Camino, yet Season 5 Todd is noticably thinner than El Camino Todd.

[DangerousMinds]

8 hours ago, Constantinople said:

Jesse was imprisoned by Jack's Neo-Nazi gang during the last 3 episodes of Season 5: Ozymandias, Granite State and Felina.  All of Todd's scenes in El Camino are flash backs that take place during Jesse's imprisonment. So the events in the last 3 episodes of Season 5 are concurrent with El Camino, yet Season 5 Todd is noticably thinner than El Camino Todd.

Eh, I honestly didn’t really even notice.

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, Constantinople said:

On 10/13/2019 at 12:16 PM, shapeshifter said:

The ages and weight discrepancies bothered me as an avid BrBa fan, but, to be fair, I don't think they ever showed slim Todd in this movie, which, if I am correct, means there is no discrepancy within the movie for his character's physicality.

Jesse was imprisoned by Jack's Neo-Nazi gang during the last 3 episodes of Season 5: Ozymandias, Granite State and Felina.  All of Todd's scenes in El Camino are flash backs that take place during Jesse's imprisonment. So the events in the last 3 episodes of Season 5 are concurrent with El Camino, yet Season 5 Todd is noticably thinner than El Camino Todd.

Right. But did they use any footage from those seasons (when Plemmons was slimmer) in the movie? I don’t think so, but I could be wrong about that. 

[Scout Finch]

Not to be greedy but I think an origin story about Gus would be fascinating! While I would also like more Skinny Pete and Badger's Excellent Adventures, the material for a storyline is probably pretty limited. Of course, I initially thought that about a Saul Goodman spin-off because I didn't find the character all that interesting on Breaking Bad. However, it took no time at all from the first episode of Better Call Saul to remember that Vince Gilligan is a genius and wouldn't let me down!

Edited October 25, 2019 by Scout Finch

[lovinbob]

On 10/11/2019 at 3:31 PM, TVFan17 said:

I also got a kick out of Jesse in a white sweater at the end of the movie, for some reason!  I am not used to that look on him, and it was kind of jarring at first!  lol

The sweater threw me for a second. No way Jesse Pinkman ever owned that. But also I could see Jesse buying clothes to "look the part." 

I enjoyed this and it got me jonesing to watch BB again. 

The title "El Camino"—It was creepy how it seemed as if Todd was recruiting Jesse's help to put the top on the car, and then realizing why that was necessary. Yuck.  Can you imagine how long Todd was attempting it on his own before he "asked" Jesse for help? 

I liked the title, too, as it illustrated Jesse finding a "way" out. 

But I also kept wondering if it was slightly a nod to Aaron Paul's series "The Path." Not an exact translation, but similar. (Probably not.)

[wendyg]

I assumed the sweater was bought for Jesse by Mr Fixit, along with the identification documents as part of building the new persona.

There's a lot we never learned about Gus: why there was no record of him in the country he said he was from, for example. I agree he'd be fascinating to explore - but I can't imagine another actor playing him, and I doubt that Giancarlo Esposito can be youthened enough. I'd most like to see them build Esposito's awkwardness with Spanish into Gus's back story. 🙂

[DoctorAtomic]

I think we kind of know most of Gus' origins though.

[Quilt Fairy]

6 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I think we kind of know most of Gus' origins though.

We know some, but most of it has been inferred by fans. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I would dispute 'some'. I don't see an origin story enhances the Breaking Bad universe. I don't think it matters exactly where he is from, only his start with Don Elario and his quest for revenge. With Saul, I can see how the transformation to Saul contributes to the universe.

And I certainly like the actor and the character. One thing TPTB on this show does know that less is more makes for better tv.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

We know some, but most of it has been inferred by fans. 

Right. We have a vague mention of Chile and know that Max was important to him but that's about it. 

58 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

With Saul, I can see how the transformation to Saul contributes to the universe.

I don't think learning about Saul really adds more than learning about Gus would. I mean, I love BCS but knowing the "whys" of how Jimmy became Gus doesn't really add much to Breaking Bad, IMO. 

Edited October 26, 2019 by Irlandesa

[Umbelina]

[Constantinople]

El Camino had too much of Todd, the welders/fake cops and Todd's nosy next door neighbor, and they just weren't that interesting. I might have preferred a movie that focused a little more on what Jesse would do once he left town, what he would do with his life after all that happened.

Also, I don't feel a need for a Gus origin story, or any more origin stories.

[PeterPirate]

For me the attraction of both BB and BCS are the secondary characters.  Jesse, Hank, Marie for BB; and Kim, Chuck, Ignacio, and Howard for BCS.   Both of the central characters hold almost no attraction to me.  

I'm good with the "Jesse finds a willingness to fight" story line.  He was such a passive character in BB.  

That takes me to a question from BB that I have.  After Hank beat up Jesse, Walt offered him a partnership arrangement to work for Gus, which Jesse turned down.  Then Jesse called Walt and said he was in.  Are we ever shown why Jesse changed his mind?  

[xaxat]

A real life "breaking bad."

Two Henderson State chemistry professors arrested for making meth

[kieyra]

On 10/29/2019 at 12:26 PM, Constantinople said:

El Camino had too much of Todd, the welders/fake cops and Todd's nosy next door neighbor, and they just weren't that interesting. I might have preferred a movie that focused a little more on what Jesse would do once he left town, what he would do with his life after all that happened.

I truly believe that if Vince and company have one flaw, it's becoming too enamored of certain actors, causing them to wedge them into storylines (and flashbacks, and spinoffs), or leave them hanging on too long (Chuck on BCS). Especially now that they have they have a lot more creative control, I'm sure.

And so: I only watched a few chunks of El Camino, once it became apparent that Todd flashbacks would be the major framing device. Because life is too short for more Todd screentime.

Anyway, I agree I would have preferred to see less of PTSD Jesse and more of what he actually did once his head cleared a bit. 

[Hanahope]

I have to question why the welders would go to Todd's apartment to look for money.  Did they know Todd other than the one job that one guy did?  How did they know where Todd lived? and even if that could be learned, why would they think Todd hid money in his apartment (as opposed to the rest of the compound where money was found)? 

I know the story writers felt they needed to add another bit to the story, but given that Todd was so careful about who knew about his money, and where he hid it, it seemed odd that these two welders, would figure out that todd hid money there.  They set up the story well that Jesse would know, but not anyone else.

I too kept thinking it was hidden in the tarantula tank.

I laughed at the nosy neighbor.  there's always one.  almost surprised Todd didn't take him out.

Its been long enough since I'd seen BB that physical differences didn't register that much to me.

[TVFan17]

For those who didn't get to see or won't see El Camino on Netflix, it will be shown on AMC on February 16th, at the end of a multi-week marathon of Breaking Bad.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award!

Best Movie Made for Television

[Ohwell]

I'm watching El Camino right now on AMC and Todd looks just like a pig.

[TVFan17]

So sad, and yet so hilarious at the same time.  Comedy gold!  (Notice how Todd paints the red on the soles of Lydia's Louboutins.)

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by TVFan17

[suomi]

Given the circumstances, this scene is drop-your-jaw creepy/unsettling.

Quote

 

The Song Todd Sings In The Breaking Bad Movie Perfectly Captures How Insane He Is

Warning: the following post contains spoilers for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.

 

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/jesse-plemons-singing-in-el-camino-video-46764698

[suomi]

The last paragraph in Sepinwall's review in Rolling Stone. (Nice touch).

Quote

Finally, in one of the time-lapse montages of Albuquerque, we see the primary Los Pollos Hermanos location, which has now been rebranded as a Twister’s — what the restaurant has always been called in real life.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/el-camino-breaking-bad-movie-recap-895354/

[TVFan17]

8 hours ago, suomi said:

The last paragraph in Sepinwall's review in Rolling Stone. (Nice touch).

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/el-camino-breaking-bad-movie-recap-895354/

I was wondering why that quote and link looked familiar, and then I realized you had posted them on the previous page of this thread back in October!  lol  I can't believe that 4 months have passed since the movie premiered on Netflix.  Time flies so quickly.

 

(I have been jumping around between this thread and forums for Better Call Saul and other series/movies I watch, so I am starting to forget when and where I read certain info, or posted certain info -- everything is running together in my mind!  lol)

 

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by TVFan17

[Ambrosefolly]

On 10/14/2019 at 9:18 AM, Bryce Lynch said:

I thought El Camino, was OK but not great.

My biggest problem was that I thought the characters made some ridiculous, unrealistic choices.

1) No way Jesse doesn't kill Todd in the desert.  He would have seen it as his only hope for escape from the hell he was in.  Plus, Todd had murdered Andrea in front of him (not to mention Drew Sharp.), so he would want revenge.

With Jack and the Nazis off water skiing he would have had plenty of time to getaway and all sorts of options.

He could have gone back to Todd's to take his encyclopedia cash.  Or he could have gone back to the compound to search for Jack's cash.

He definitely could have warned Brock's grandmother or the police about the threat to him, and could have called tipped the police off about the Nazi compound, the meth lab and the cash, and told them that they killed all the prisoners and Hank and Gomie.  

That was a ridiculous scene, IMO.

True, but Brock is still out there and if he had even the smallest amount of affection for them, his family, and I am sure Todd told the Nazis all about the kid, so that was still hanging over his head. He didn't have access to any money and the Nazis would come back and hunt him down once they figured out something happened to Todd. Once Walt killed a majority of the gang,  Jesse and anybody else he cared about were safe and Jesse could finally take out Todd. 

[Umbelina]

The police could have protected and relocated Brock though, and Jesse could have made that part of the deal for his report.

[Gigi43]

I get this forum is dead and I may be typing to myself but oh well! I'm over a decade late so why not. I'd heard about BB and always put it on my list of eventually checking out and binged the series for the very first time starting from Jan-til last night. I haven't watched El Camino yet but I assume anyway they didn't make a Jesse movie to kill him, I'm fine with having scanned the forum.  I'm curious as to what others thought of the show/characters and am reading the old archived ones. I'm mad I didn't get on this show to post on the TWOP forums now back in the day.

 

The show was very "binge-able" with episode endings that hooked me to have to watch another, then another, appropriate given the nature of the show, I guess. I think my favorite episode was the s4 finale, though God knows I despised Walt for what he did to Brock. I don't care how much of a genius he is, there were factors that could have made Brock not survive. His heart or lungs could have been unable to handle it even if most others are fine. Brock seemed to be on a ventilator, he could have lost O2 just long enough to have brain damage or the vomiting could have caused him to aspirate. It's a suspension of reality that Walt was able to get to Brock to poison him while being on the run from Gus. It also seemed like he had the cig lifted from Jesse after Brock would have ingested it, which is a risk that Brock would be sick on time that Andrea wouldn't have called before the meet where the cig was lifted. Still, I didn't see it coming. I genuinely believed Walt even though I already was against him, I didn't think he'd poison a kid and Cranston sold it as one of the times Walt was a good liar. Maybe I need to watch again. 

 

Going into the show I didn't know Walt would be straight up evil. I thought the whole run he was just gonna be this normal guy who got way in over his head, not become just as bad as the other bad guys. I hate him. It's good he tried to clear Skyler and in my mind once Walt heard from Badger and Skinny Pete that they hadn't heard from Jesse but Walt knew it was Jesse cooking, I think Walt knew Jesse was a hostage and Walt may have wanted Jesse dead, but not tortured. I think he went to confront the Nazi's knowing he was going to free Jesse, or maybe it's just wishful thinking given how much Walt manipulated Jesse through the series. The second lift of the cig, man Jesse really needed that hug and to find out it was a scam for a lift, when he was already on edge, then figuring out Walt poisoned a fucking child, no wonder he snapped and went to Hank. Walt owed it to Jesse to get him out of their. Still, it was emotional seeing Walt cover Jesse with his body from the bullets. Though I was still rooting for Walt to die (Bryan Cranston was amazing throughout.)

 

Jesse.  My favorite character, along with Hank. Jesse trying his best to hold on to his soul throughout, and having his clear lines not to cross (children, specifically) and wanting to be the one who wanted out more was kind of closer to who I thought Walt would be as opposed to the guy who crosses those lines. Like Jesse, I was put off by Walt's whistling after talking about the murder of the little boy, Drew. I loved all  Jesse's "bitches" but "this is my own personal domicile and I will not be harassed, bitch!" is my favorite. I wish Jesse and Junior could have met. That would be one awkward dinner. Aaron Paul was also excellent, they struck gold with the Cranston/Paul dynamic. Jesse's confession over killing Gale (poor Gale, he was just there to cook) was one of my favorite Jesse scenes. 

 

I loved Hank. Yeah he was a dick to Marie after his shooting, but he was a good guy and a great detective, despite it being his brother in law all along. I didn't know the show was taking place in a two year time span, I assumed 5 seasons = five years so I thought in the beginning Hank would either die half way through, be really incompetent or turn corrupt. I love he refused to beg for his life. It's sad for Marie but Jack was in fact going to kill him no matter what, so at least he could go out with his pride. Marie was annoying but mostly just there to me. If they had ended up with Junior and Holly, I wouldda been okay with that.

 

Skyler. I don't like her but I don't hate her the way I did Abby Donovan or Carmella Soprano (I didn't actively root for Ray or Tony to die the way I did Walt to extend the comparisons of shows with bad guys/husbands as leads.) Weirdly, the more she turned dark as Walt did I did kinda respect she wasn't keeping her head in the sand and actually tried to make smart moves, even though giving Ted the money was dumb. I liked the scene where she played the ditz to the IRS. Though as far as buying Junior the car, both Walt and Skyler missed an obvious cover. Walt was overcompensating Junior with a nice car in case Walt wasn't there for his HS graduation because of the cancer and took out a crazy loan or something would have been a decent explanation. Plus, Junior is disabled, maybe Walt wanted to get him something because of that. That said, buying the car  was a fuck you to Skyler more than it was about getting his son a car. He was fine with Junior being disappointed if it meant making Skyler look bad, In a way Walt did treat Jesse like a son because he manipulated and used Junior too, just to a far lesser extent. As much as I may have not liked Skyler (I did outright hate her when they made the tape blaming Hank and was fine if she died at that point), she didn't deserve the 'bitch mom' title. I didn't buy the 'making Walt look bad just wait for him to die' reasoning for Skyler not turning him in or leaving since the situation was extremely unsafe for her children to be in and she let Hank and Marie care for the kids knowing full well Walt worked with people who put Hank in danger. But still, I liked seeing Junior go to her defense against Walt in the end and Junior continuing to stand up to Walt refusing the money. Maybe he'll take the nearly 10mil later on. I liked Junior a lot and usually teenagers on these kinds of shows are awfully annoying. 

 

Gus was a great, great, bad guy and I liked Mike despite he was a murderer. I liked Mike shook Jesse's hand in the end and liked him in his own way. Jesse wanting to do right by Kayleigh was also nice. If not for Brock and Mike, Jesse never would have turned on 'Mr. White' imo. Saul was a riot but I'm wondering if he's better in small doses as I consider binging BCS.

 

And in final on my dissertation of BB, the plane crash. At first I was just shocked but now... I don't know. Kinda outrageous and there should have been more on the ground damage and I can suspend leaps in reality a lot but Jane's dad being an air traffic controller so Walt's inaction lead to a plane crash was maybe a bit too much.

 

Great show, I wish it hadn't taken me so long to watch it. But it's not my favorite ever but now definitely up there. 

[SusieQ]

2 hours ago, Gigi43 said:

I get this forum is dead and I may be typing to myself but oh well! I'm over a decade late so why not. I'd heard about BB and always put it on my list of eventually checking out and binged the series for the very first time starting from Jan-til last night. I haven't watched El Camino yet but I assume anyway they didn't make a Jesse movie to kill him, I'm fine with having scanned the forum.  I'm curious as to what others thought of the show/characters and am reading the old archived ones. I'm mad I didn't get on this show to post on the TWOP forums now back in the day.

 

The show was very "binge-able" with episode endings that hooked me to have to watch another, then another, appropriate given the nature of the show, I guess. I think my favorite episode was the s4 finale, though God knows I despised Walt for what he did to Brock. I don't care how much of a genius he is, there were factors that could have made Brock not survive. His heart or lungs could have been unable to handle it even if most others are fine. Brock seemed to be on a ventilator, he could have lost O2 just long enough to have brain damage or the vomiting could have caused him to aspirate. It's a suspension of reality that Walt was able to get to Brock to poison him while being on the run from Gus. It also seemed like he had the cig lifted from Jesse after Brock would have ingested it, which is a risk that Brock would be sick on time that Andrea wouldn't have called before the meet where the cig was lifted. Still, I didn't see it coming. I genuinely believed Walt even though I already was against him, I didn't think he'd poison a kid and Cranston sold it as one of the times Walt was a good liar. Maybe I need to watch again. 

 

Going into the show I didn't know Walt would be straight up evil. I thought the whole run he was just gonna be this normal guy who got way in over his head, not become just as bad as the other bad guys. I hate him. It's good he tried to clear Skyler and in my mind once Walt heard from Badger and Skinny Pete that they hadn't heard from Jesse but Walt knew it was Jesse cooking, I think Walt knew Jesse was a hostage and Walt may have wanted Jesse dead, but not tortured. I think he went to confront the Nazi's knowing he was going to free Jesse, or maybe it's just wishful thinking given how much Walt manipulated Jesse through the series. The second lift of the cig, man Jesse really needed that hug and to find out it was a scam for a lift, when he was already on edge, then figuring out Walt poisoned a fucking child, no wonder he snapped and went to Hank. Walt owed it to Jesse to get him out of their. Still, it was emotional seeing Walt cover Jesse with his body from the bullets. Though I was still rooting for Walt to die (Bryan Cranston was amazing throughout.)

 

Jesse.  My favorite character, along with Hank. Jesse trying his best to hold on to his soul throughout, and having his clear lines not to cross (children, specifically) and wanting to be the one who wanted out more was kind of closer to who I thought Walt would be as opposed to the guy who crosses those lines. Like Jesse, I was put off by Walt's whistling after talking about the murder of the little boy, Drew. I loved all  Jesse's "bitches" but "this is my own personal domicile and I will not be harassed, bitch!" is my favorite. I wish Jesse and Junior could have met. That would be one awkward dinner. Aaron Paul was also excellent, they struck gold with the Cranston/Paul dynamic. Jesse's confession over killing Gale (poor Gale, he was just there to cook) was one of my favorite Jesse scenes. 

 

I loved Hank. Yeah he was a dick to Marie after his shooting, but he was a good guy and a great detective, despite it being his brother in law all along. I didn't know the show was taking place in a two year time span, I assumed 5 seasons = five years so I thought in the beginning Hank would either die half way through, be really incompetent or turn corrupt. I love he refused to beg for his life. It's sad for Marie but Jack was in fact going to kill him no matter what, so at least he could go out with his pride. Marie was annoying but mostly just there to me. If they had ended up with Junior and Holly, I wouldda been okay with that.

 

Skyler. I don't like her but I don't hate her the way I did Abby Donovan or Carmella Soprano (I didn't actively root for Ray or Tony to die the way I did Walt to extend the comparisons of shows with bad guys/husbands as leads.) Weirdly, the more she turned dark as Walt did I did kinda respect she wasn't keeping her head in the sand and actually tried to make smart moves, even though giving Ted the money was dumb. I liked the scene where she played the ditz to the IRS. Though as far as buying Junior the car, both Walt and Skyler missed an obvious cover. Walt was overcompensating Junior with a nice car in case Walt wasn't there for his HS graduation because of the cancer and took out a crazy loan or something would have been a decent explanation. Plus, Junior is disabled, maybe Walt wanted to get him something because of that. That said, buying the car  was a fuck you to Skyler more than it was about getting his son a car. He was fine with Junior being disappointed if it meant making Skyler look bad, In a way Walt did treat Jesse like a son because he manipulated and used Junior too, just to a far lesser extent. As much as I may have not liked Skyler (I did outright hate her when they made the tape blaming Hank and was fine if she died at that point), she didn't deserve the 'bitch mom' title. I didn't buy the 'making Walt look bad just wait for him to die' reasoning for Skyler not turning him in or leaving since the situation was extremely unsafe for her children to be in and she let Hank and Marie care for the kids knowing full well Walt worked with people who put Hank in danger. But still, I liked seeing Junior go to her defense against Walt in the end and Junior continuing to stand up to Walt refusing the money. Maybe he'll take the nearly 10mil later on. I liked Junior a lot and usually teenagers on these kinds of shows are awfully annoying. 

 

Gus was a great, great, bad guy and I liked Mike despite he was a murderer. I liked Mike shook Jesse's hand in the end and liked him in his own way. Jesse wanting to do right by Kayleigh was also nice. If not for Brock and Mike, Jesse never would have turned on 'Mr. White' imo. Saul was a riot but I'm wondering if he's better in small doses as I consider binging BCS.

 

And in final on my dissertation of BB, the plane crash. At first I was just shocked but now... I don't know. Kinda outrageous and there should have been more on the ground damage and I can suspend leaps in reality a lot but Jane's dad being an air traffic controller so Walt's inaction lead to a plane crash was maybe a bit too much.

 

Great show, I wish it hadn't taken me so long to watch it. But it's not my favorite ever but now definitely up there. 

So glad you liked BB. I, too came to it late and watched it all two years ago.

Just wanted to tell you to definitely watch Better Call Saul. As much as I loved BB, I loved BCS even more. At little less dark, much funnier. Bob Odenkirk is fabulous. Characters from BB show up. And one new wonderful character is introduced. It's killing me that I have to wait a year for the final season.

[larapu2000]

On 3/2/2021 at 1:19 PM, SusieQ said:

So glad you liked BB. I, too came to it late and watched it all two years ago.

Just wanted to tell you to definitely watch Better Call Saul. As much as I loved BB, I loved BCS even more. At little less dark, much funnier. Bob Odenkirk is fabulous. Characters from BB show up. And one new wonderful character is introduced. It's killing me that I have to wait a year for the final season.

Totally agree on Better Call Saul.  It's fantastic in its own separate way from BB.  Saul is a character that doesn't even come into the show until later, so you aren't getting the full Saul Goodman show on BCS.  It's incredibly good, there are so many great characters and storylines.  

One thing I always loved about BB was how tightly written it was, and BCS is the same.  No loose end (for the most part) ever goes unanswered or unexplored.  I think BCS is also very bingeable like BB is-great cliffhangers and season finales.  Both series get into your head and keep you thinking and analyzing long after watching.

[PeterPirate]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:13 AM, Gigi43 said:

Saul was a riot but I'm wondering if he's better in small doses as I consider binging BCS.

 

11 hours ago, larapu2000 said:

Totally agree on Better Call Saul.  It's fantastic in its own separate way from BB.  Saul is a character that doesn't even come into the show until later, so you aren't getting the full Saul Goodman show on BCS.  It's incredibly good, there are so many great characters and storylines.  

One thing I always loved about BB was how tightly written it was, and BCS is the same.  No loose end (for the most part) ever goes unanswered or unexplored.  I think BCS is also very bingeable like BB is-great cliffhangers and season finales.  Both series get into your head and keep you thinking and analyzing long after watching.

Better Call Saul is most definitely worth a look.  I agree that Saul is better in small doses, and I skipped the first season because of that.  I only gave the show a chance on Netflix when I learned that Rhea Seehorn was in it.  Eventually I was hooked.  There are complexities to the characters you won't find in BB, or in many other shows for that matter.  

Edited March 5, 2021 by PeterPirate

[Quilt Fairy]

On 3/2/2021 at 9:13 AM, Gigi43 said:

Going into the show I didn't know Walt would be straight up evil. I thought the whole run he was just gonna be this normal guy who got way in over his head, not become just as bad as the other bad guys

Yeah, we all thought that the first season.  

[Irlandesa]

On 3/2/2021 at 9:13 AM, Gigi43 said:

I thought the whole run he was just gonna be this normal guy who got way in over his head, not become just as bad as the other bad guys.

 

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Yeah, we all thought that the first season. 

I didn't know how evil he'd become but I did know this was about way more than a normal guy who just got in over his head by the fifth episode of the first season. Up until that episode, I believed the story was that he was doing all of this to earn money to cover his cancer treatments and leave money for his family.  But then Elliot presented him with a different option to achieve the same ends and he turned it down to continue cooking meth. 

They were laying the groundwork early.