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Breaking Bad - Season 5, Part 1 - Sundays on AMC

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Don't sit here and think you can judge me based on my thoughts of what a character did in his own situation on a TV show.

Too late.

But I'm glad you actually don't think drug addicts should just all die, and that stealing money is a good enough reason to be spiteful enough to let someone die.

But yeah, pretty much judging you. Not a lot you can do about that one. Sorry.
 
Too late.

But I'm glad you actually don't think drug addicts should just all die, and that stealing money is a good enough reason to be spiteful enough to let someone die.

But yeah, pretty much judging you. Not a lot you can do about that one. Sorry.

Of course not. Just the ones who steal from me.


Lighten up, don't be such a judgemental douche.
 
I've just started watching this, having heard so many good things. Episode 2 and 3 of Season 1 are crazy. Basically an hour and a half long movie about getting rid of a dead body and a live one.

Genius.
 
Wow, lucky you with your naive virginal eyes. I'd recommend staying out of this thread and retaining that childlike innocence of remaining spoiler free.

EVERYTHING could potentially ruin your viewing pleasure, so be careful. I wish I could experience Breaking Bad for the first time again.
 
Wow, lucky you with your naive virginal eyes. I'd recommend staying out of this thread and retaining that childlike innocence of remaining spoiler free.

EVERYTHING could potentially ruin your viewing pleasure, so be careful. I wish I could experience Breaking Bad for the first time again.

Don't worry, I won't be reading this thread.

Don't know how I missed picking up on this series, but happy because now I have five seasons to look forward to.
 
Choosing to let Jane die is not really in the same vein of evilness as killing her. She would have died either way, whether he had chosen to break in or not. He saw that nothing good would come to him or Jessie by saving her. He would have had to explain why he was there, and Jesse would have been in the mindset to kill him.

You can relate to Walt at first because sometimes it can feel like the systems in life are working against you. I can sympathize with his plight, and it is only in S5 that I can see that his greed and madness has taken him over. Crawl-Space is the end of Walter White's sanity.

Walt knocked her on her back, she wouldn't have died if he wasn't there.
 
Yes, clearly that was always the plan. However, it isn't very subtle or believable, and it feels cheap, hence what I said about the show coming up against the limitations of Gilligan.

The transition:

Season 1 - He doesn't really do anything wrong, unless you consider cooking meth to be wrong in and of itself.

Season 2 - He lets Jane die. Kind of a dick move, but it's understandable.

Season 3 - He has Jesse kill Gale at the end. Justifiable. Before that, he's basically the same guy. Skyler forces him out of the house without the slightest opportunity to talk things through and later fucks Ted, so we really sympathize with Walt throughout this season. Heisenberg started to grow more dominant in the I.F.T. moment, IMO. Up to that point, he had done quite well at balancing the drug business with his family life, fugue episode aside. With his wife hating him irrationally (the writers' fault) and fucking a man like Ted, Walt starts to give less of a fuck.

Season 4 - He gives Brock a shitty weekend in the hospital and sets up a situation where anyone walking by a particular door in a nursing home at a particular moment in time would probably be injured. And he tricks some old lady into doing his recon work for him. He's becoming more of a dick, but at the same time, he keeps his family safe and takes out a major kingpin. Skyler is even warm and tender with him at certain points. Things seem to be heading for a reconciliation and happy ending, until...

Season 5 - Walt is a dick to everyone and isn't bothered when a kid gets shot right in front of him. In an unrelated turn of events, Skyler treats him like he just sacrificed a baby in front of her. The subtleties their relationship had in Season 4? Gone. We're back to Season 3 black and white irrationality.


The show is still great, but Season 5 Walt doesn't really feel earned at all. I'm still fascinated because Cranston is that awesome of an actor.

It's really a shame, because Skyler could have been one of tv's more interesting characters if the writers gave Anna Gunn anything to work with.

You only don't think it was earned because you've stuffed yourself deep in denial for a good three seasons or so. All because she fucked ted.
.
 
I admit I've played up the "She fucked Ted, dude" meme in the past for comic effect, but consider this: wouldn't Skyler be a hell of a lot more interesting if, instead of being immediately repulsed by Walt's meth dealing, and at this point basically treating him like the Antichrist, she was instead conflicted between her love for the man she married and her revulsion towards his new business?

The best Skyler moments in the entire series, IMO, were in Season 4, where we actually saw this kind of nuanced characterization. However, with Season 5, she's reverted back to being the same hollow shell of a character that she was for most of Season 3.

Anna Gunn has proven that she can pull off something a little deeper than the direction they're currently taking her character in, which makes this so frustrating.
 
I admit I've played up the "She fucked Ted, dude" meme in the past for comic effect, but consider this: wouldn't Skyler be a hell of a lot more interesting if, instead of being immediately repulsed by Walt's meth dealing, and at this point basically treating him like the Antichrist, she was instead conflicted between her love for the man she married and her revulsion towards his new business?

The best Skyler moments in the entire series, IMO, were in Season 4, where we actually saw this kind of nuanced characterization. However, with Season 5, she's reverted back to being the same hollow shell of a character that she was for most of Season 3.

Anna Gunn has proven that she can pull off something a little deeper than the direction they're currently taking her character in, which makes this so frustrating.

Agreed. House arrest "UMAD? Skyler" is boring, I hate that they brought it back. Such a waste of a character.

Junkie who stole from me, and will likely get my only friend in the world killed? Wouldn't lift a finger to save them, we have 7 billion people our lives are not precious, special, or rare.

You must be a sociopath, like me.
 
Too late.

But I'm glad you actually don't think drug addicts should just all die, and that stealing money is a good enough reason to be spiteful enough to let someone die.

But yeah, pretty much judging you. Not a lot you can do about that one. Sorry.

Junkie who stole from me, and will likely get my only friend in the world killed? Wouldn't lift a finger to save them, we have 7 billion people our lives are not precious, special, or rare.
 
Eh, I think Skyler's been interesting since Season 2, when she took actions to find out about Walt's lies. I'm fine with the motivations behind all her actions. I love how people clean to "but she cheated on her murderous, drug-dealing, power-hungry, lie-about-whatever-I-want husband!!!"

I guess everyone is forgetting about Walt attempting and failing to get a pity fuck from the school principal.
 
I admit I've played up the "She fucked Ted, dude" meme in the past for comic effect, but consider this: wouldn't Skyler be a hell of a lot more interesting if, instead of being immediately repulsed by Walt's meth dealing, and at this point basically treating him like the Antichrist, she was instead conflicted between her love for the man she married and her revulsion towards his new business?

The best Skyler moments in the entire series, IMO, were in Season 4, where we actually saw this kind of nuanced characterization. However, with Season 5, she's reverted back to being the same hollow shell of a character that she was for most of Season 3.

Anna Gunn has proven that she can pull off something a little deeper than the direction they're currently taking her character in, which makes this so frustrating.

I, too, hate it when characters develop.
 
Wouldn't lift a finger to save them, we have 7 billion people our lives are not precious, special, or rare.

That's deep yo.


Eh, I think Skyler's been interesting since Season 2, when she took actions to find out about Walt's lies. I'm fine with the motivations behind all her actions. I love how people clean to "but she cheated on her murderous, drug-dealing, power-hungry, lie-about-whatever-I-want husband!!!"

I guess everyone is forgetting about Walt attempting and failing to get a pity fuck from the school principal.

The thing that annoys me the most is when people call it cheating, it wasn't cheating at all. Walt and her were done, they had broken up. Just because Walt was throwing a hissy fit and refusing to sign the divorce papers doesn't mean he owns her.
 
I, too, hate it when characters develop.

That is a terrible misrepresentation of my post, sir. You are being facetious.

Eh, I think Skyler's been interesting since Season 2, when she took actions to find out about Walt's lies. I'm fine with the motivations behind all her actions. I love how people clean to "but she cheated on her murderous, drug-dealing, power-hungry, lie-about-whatever-I-want husband!!!"

I guess everyone is forgetting about Walt attempting and failing to get a pity fuck from the school principal.

Early Season 3 Walt was neither murderous nor power-hungry. He was, admittedly, a drug dealer, and he did lie, though only to prevent his family from learning about the business. I think people were infuriated because 1) she didn't give Walt even a moment's chance to explain himself, and 2) the guy she fucked was one of the worst people in tv history.
 
I admit I've played up the "She fucked Ted, dude" meme in the past for comic effect, but consider this: wouldn't Skyler be a hell of a lot more interesting if, instead of being immediately repulsed by Walt's meth dealing, and at this point basically treating him like the Antichrist, she was instead conflicted between her love for the man she married and her revulsion towards his new business?

That would be far less original than what they are currently doing. We don't need another typical mob wife. Besides, it's not like she married into this life willingly. She was always a conservative woman with high moral ideals, hell she has been shown to freak out at the very idea of pot smoking. Then she learns her husband is heading a crystal meth business and you expect her to not react the way she has? What show have you been watching? What you're asking would not make sense for the character that we have been presented from day one.
 
Skyler would be far more interesting if she just you know....actually showed that she cared enough about her kids and took them and ran somewhere, or snitched to the po-pos. But I guess being complicit IS easier.
 
holy shit lydia is the blacksmith from a knight's tale. how did i not realize this sooner, i knew she looked familiar.
Good call:

wmckV.jpg
 
Too late.

But I'm glad you actually don't think drug addicts should just all die, and that stealing money is a good enough reason to be spiteful enough to let someone die.

But yeah, pretty much judging you. Not a lot you can do about that one. Sorry.

To be fair, he didn't let her die out of spite. He let her die because there was a chance she'd blow the lid off his operation. So with that in mind, there was some rationality behind his choice. He did what had to be done.
 
To be fair, he didn't let her die out of spite. He let her die because there was a chance she'd blow the lid off his operation. So with that in mind, there was some rationality behind his choice. He did what had to be done.

it being in defense of his illegal drug operation currently causing turmoil in abq makes it ok?
 
I just watched again episode 12 from season 2 with Jane dying and what happens is very clear and interesting from a moral standpoint.

Walt rushes at first to Jane, clearly with the intention of saving her and then he stops, and you can see on his face (brilliant acting) that thoughts are racing in his head "what do I do?", he seems hesitant "Do I save her or not?", she is clearly a threat to Walt AND Jesse as she threatened Walt of course but also she drags Jesse with her, I think it's safe to assume Jesse would have overdosed as well if he stayed any longer with her.

Finally, he makes his choice and stands idly, this is the right thing to do considering the situation, him crying immediately after just shows that he knows how difficult it is and probably that it was wrong in some way.


I just love too the scene with Jane's da before, how Walt talks of Jesse as his nephew, of course he's doing this because he's talking to a stranger, but still, he uses the word nephew, and this with so many elements coming in the following seasons, notably the scene in the crack house where Walt picks up Jesse show that (along with this amazing scene in Season 4 where Walt breaks down in front if Walt Jr and calls him Jesse) he thinks of Jesse as a son.

Of course, in Season 5, Walt is totally manipulating him but it's still worth noting, such a fascinating show from a psychological pt of view.
 
Starting to become less of a Walt fan - not just who he is as a person, but how he's being written. He went from pretty fucked up but trying to provide for his family to an all-out asshole in the span of a couple weeks. The transition was too quick to be credible for me, so I'm losing interest in him because the writers are hurrying their damndest to make him out to be Head Honcho Evil Asshole and I don't buy it. The fucker is cooking his own meth! Who the fuck at the head of a meth empire actually cooks their own shit? He's not stupid enough to believe that he's a drug kingpin or even close to being one, but the writers are trying their hardest to make it look like it.

I hope the punchline is that the cancer is back and has gone into his brain, which explains his recent bizarre megalomaniac tendencies.

That's the whole point, though Walt is insane enough to believe himself to be a drug kingpin even though he's cooking his own meth. Remember earlier this season Walt didn't even want to pay Mike's guys to keep quiet, which is really stupid. Walt's a guy playing at being at a kingpin.

As for the whole empire line from Walt, there's nothing inconsistent there with the rest of the show. Walt's always been an arrogant asshole, just look at the way he refused to take a job at Grey Matter, plus look at he was in charge (or at least tried to be) in season 2 when he and Jesse were cooking and Jesse's friends were selling, or how about when those meth heads robbed Skinny Pete, and Walt told Jesse to take care of it and placed a gun on the counter.

TLDR; Walt's always been an asshole who thought he was head honcho number 1 even though there's no evidence to support this at all, and so Walt's empire talk is consistent with his characterization. Just my 2 cents.
 
it being in defense of his illegal drug operation currently causing turmoil in abq makes it ok?

What makes it okay is that she was a manipulative, blackmailing junky who put herself in that situation. He didn't tell her to fuck her tenant, take up drugs again, or use his money to get high enough to puke in her sleep. Walt just happened to be there to watch her die. Not taking heroic measures to save someone who's out to hurt you, is pretty far from being "wrong" in my book.
 
That's the whole point, though Walt is insane enough to believe himself to be a drug kingpin even though he's cooking his own meth. Remember earlier this season Walt didn't even want to pay Mike's guys to keep quiet, which is really stupid. Walt's a guy playing at being at a kingpin.

As for the whole empire line from Walt, there's nothing inconsistent there with the rest of the show. Walt's always been an arrogant asshole, just look at the way he refused to take a job at Grey Matter, plus look at he was in charge (or at least tried to be) in season 2 when he and Jesse were cooking and Jesse's friends were selling, or how about when those meth heads robbed Skinny Pete, and Walt told Jesse to take care of it and placed a gun on the counter.

TLDR; Walt's always been an asshole who thought he was head honcho number 1 even though there's no evidence to support this at all, and so Walt's empire talk is consistent with his characterization. Just my 2 cents.

The whole is based around his blinding arrogance/ego etc.

That is the only reason he got into the meth game.
 
That's the whole point, though Walt is insane enough to believe himself to be a drug kingpin even though he's cooking his own meth. Remember earlier this season Walt didn't even want to pay Mike's guys to keep quiet, which is really stupid. Walt's a guy playing at being at a kingpin.

As for the whole empire line from Walt, there's nothing inconsistent there with the rest of the show. Walt's always been an arrogant asshole, just look at the way he refused to take a job at Grey Matter, plus look at he was in charge (or at least tried to be) in season 2 when he and Jesse were cooking and Jesse's friends were selling, or how about when those meth heads robbed Skinny Pete, and Walt told Jesse to take care of it and placed a gun on the counter.

TLDR; Walt's always been an asshole who thought he was head honcho number 1 even though there's no evidence to support this at all, and so Walt's empire talk is consistent with his characterization. Just my 2 cents.

Exactly. He spent the entire last season completely under Gus' thumb, while telling everybody else how completely in control he was, like with the "I am the one who knocks" speech and his speech to the other cancer patient. He's always been delusional and self-serving, and now that there isn't a Tuco or a Gus to keep him in line, he's gone completely over the edge.

Another great example of how far back it goes is Walt's reaction to the whole SaveWalterWhite.com thing. Even though the scheme was going perfectly as planned, with Saul's guy making all the proper anonymous donations, Walt ended up throwing a fit because he wasn't getting credit for all his hard work. That was back in the second season, so this is hardly a huge leap for the character.
 
It's perfectly realistic. This is walts true self unrestrained. For the past 4 seasons Walt has been under the boot of someone more powerful. With Gus gone, Walt is now on an power trip of epic proportions, he just killed Gustavo Fring, and now he can build an Empire. Sadly, Walt's "empire" will not last, he lacks in virtually everything, he could settle down as a drug kingpin like Tuco, but, he wants to be Gus. That won't happen because Gus spent decades building his Empire, and had tons of allies and the Cartel backing him. Walt has...??? Nobody, but, a few crackheads and a sleazy group of burglars.

Just cause you killed Gus dont make you Gus.

Imo, I don't want Walt to have a good ending. Not because he's bad, but, because he's too arrogant, and has no idea what he's doing. He has smarts, about, he isn't street smart. If he isn't killed by Mike, or arrested, he'll end up in an unmarked grave after losing control of his "empire" to a more powerful lord.
 
I could see Walt trying to sell his recipe to the Arizona gang for 700 million

I don't think there is any chance of that. I'm not sure what his deal will be, but he wants the empire not the money. That fact is secondary to the fact that Walt is insanely arrogant and he prizes that recipe with all his black little heart.
 
I don't think there is any chance of that. I'm not sure what his deal will be, but he wants the empire not the money. That fact is secondary to the fact that Walt is insanely arrogant and he prizes that recipe with all his black little heart.

I think he'd be happy if he got enough money to do a hostile takeover of Grey Matter.
 
At first, I thought the drug game was actually turning Walt into a meglomaniac, but the fact of the matter is that he always possessed that quality but his arrogance and audacity were inhibited by his humbling career, domestic situation, and string of underachievements. During the flashback to his grad school days, when he was tutoring Gretchen Schwartz on the biological break-down of the human body, you could almost see it. He's a man who's catching up for lost time and lost opportunities, because, in his mind, he believe the most cruelest thing the world has done was to marginalize someone of his superior intellect for so long.
 
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