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

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Something about too much time passing in that montage and all that passing time going against the way Breaking Bad always does things and Skyler being too comfortable and happy near the end or something. I don't know. I just listened to it about 15 minutes ago, but I've already forgotten it.
Everything about the pool scene is phony as shif. Walt is obviously not out. Thinking you can get out of the drug trade as easy as just saying " I'm out" is lunacy on Walt's part. Skylar probably knows this and is just putting on a facade.
 
Watched the midseason finale last night, and while it was a good EP, I don't agree with the people saying it was the best.

Liked the jail-bit, so brutal...
Also the bit where Walt and Todd were cooking, selling, and earning loads of money was great, and the scene in Walt's backyard was very tense, me and my GF thought hitmen would enter and kill em all except Walt...

Didn't like the ending though, ofcourse Hank would find out this EP (I expected that at least), but the way he found out was not 'BB-like' if you ask me, a show with so many original ideas, and then he finds out while taking a dump and because of Walt being careless with that book ?

Anyway, it's going to be a long year...
 
Breaking Bad has always used a lot of time lapse though that's nothing new, it's strange that suddenly it would become a problem. As for the amount of time that passed, that didn't bother me, but to each their own of course. As for Skyler, I think she was felt relieved because she's thinking Walt's out of the meth business. Personally I think his line about being out is complete bullshit, but we'll see in a year what happened.

Everything about the pool scene is phony as shif. Walt is obviously not out. Thinking you can get out of the drug trade as easy as just saying " I'm out" is lunacy on Walt's part. Skylar probably knows this and is just putting on a facade.

Yeah, I can't even remember what his criticism was exactly. I could be getting it wrong.
 
It looks like Jesse did just go back to smoking weed and playing video games all day. Tried to hide his bong from Walt. Oh Jesse, you'll never change.
 
Didn't like the ending though, ofcourse Hank would find out this EP (I expected that at least), but the way he found out was not 'BB-like' if you ask me, a show with so many original ideas, and then he finds out while taking a dump and because of Walt being careless with that book ?
What's unoriginal about it? I loved it. There's foreshadowing, it has Hank actually using his brain, it has Walt making an understandable mistake (one he wouldn't anticipate), and it's unique. For me it fits the mold of the show, but is unlike how events normally unfold.... which is great since this was the most important scene in the entire show (so far).
 
Badger and Skinny Pete debating zombie video games was the most important scene, but this one was up there.

If Breaking Bad was a novel, Gus' death was the climax of the series and Season 5 is the epilogue. Doesn't it feel like that? All we've seen in season 5 is the fallout of S4's finale. Walt tries to fill the power void, achieves this but is left unsatisfied. There is no antagonist left (besides Hank I guess, but he's just law enforcement). We're just finding out Walt's fate. I'm still enjoying S5, but it feels like the S4 finale could have been the series finale.

Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm watching the same show as other people...
Hank: just law enforcement
 
Epilogue? Really, Fei?

And you can't give a TV show like this just one 'climax' over several seasons. That's not how they're made. But Walt vs Hank will absolutely be the final climax. The entire show has been leading to this.
 
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Guess that was the ticking time bomb.

An episode or two ago Walt was having a shower and reached for a towel and the book was underneath it, I registered that it was Walt Whitman and thought hey that's like Walter White, but completely forgot about the whole Gale/Gale's note thing.
 
An episode or two ago Walt was having a shower and reached for a towel and the book was underneath it, I registered that it was Walt Whitman and thought hey that's like Walter White, but completely forgot about the whole Gale/Gale's note thing.
Always thought it was strange that they used a few scenes on the Walt Whitman stuff. IIRC, there was an earlier scene in this season that showed him reading it, for no apparent reason. Obvious now that the book/author was always meant as a plot device for this moment. Pretty awesome.
 
Maybe it's because I was marathoning the whole show from the start leading up to the most recent one, but the moment Hank was in the bathroom I knew he was going to see that Walt Whitman book and put 2 and two together.

It was set up perfectly when Hank talked to Walt about the W.W. note in that lab notebook left behind by Gail. I seriously don't understand these OMG DEUS EX MACHINA accusations. Even the most careful person overlooks SOMETHING when trying to cover up stuff like this.
 
What's unoriginal about it? I loved it. There's foreshadowing, it has Hank actually using his brain, it has Walt making an understandable mistake (one he wouldn't anticipate), and it's unique. For me it fits the mold of the show, but is unlike how events normally unfold.... which is great since this was the most important scene in the entire show (so far).

I don't know, it just felt cheap I guess.
I mean, Walt has been pretty good with handling loose ends, and now he just lets that book hanging around in his bathroom, while he knew that Hank and he spoke about the book found in Gale's house.

Perhaps it turns out Walt put it there on purpose?
(As in, maybe the CT-scan showed him he has full fledged cancer again, and decides it's time for him to stop, so he says ''I'm out'', and places the book of Gale on a place Hank probably will go to)

But that last bit is probably not true. ;)
 
Walt knowing how incriminating the book is or not: Do you honestly feel that's the most preferable way of rolling the ball on the much-anticipated final act of the series? Letting Hank find out by sheer luck after he reached a dead-end? Really now?

There are plenty of ways to get the ball rolling w\o resorting to poor,lazy and cheap writing as they did. This ending could have happened anytime since S3. It's a type of ending that they written beforehand and always knew they are going to end the season that way so they stuck it in out of the blue, bluntly giving Hank the tool they need to move the plot forward. We need a cliffhanger to end the episode in and we are in the last season and Hank in nowhere close to finding out so we're dropping him a huge bone.

I do think this episode would have been better as S6E1 and the previous one as the finale.

I also disliked how they treated the new stage of Walt's career. For a show that mainly deals with Walt's rise in the drug business ladder they totally underplayed and rushed the great next level of exporting his Blue Meth to Europe. Common, that's huge for Walt's pride and ego having his product go international but for some reason they shoved it into some quick montage that ended with Walt's retirement. Made it look like an excuse to keep Lydia around.
 
I also disliked how they treated the new stage of Walt's career. For a show that mainly deals with Walt's rise in the drug business ladder they totally underplayed and rushed the great next level of exporting his Blue Meth to Europe. Common, that's huge for Walt's pride and ego having his product go international but for some reason they shoved it into some quick montage that ended with Walt's retirement. Made it look like an excuse to keep Lydia around.

I felt the purpose of that montage was mainly to show that Walt wasn't having fun anymore, it showed how monotone it had become without Jesse, Mike etc.
 
Why do people think Walt is some perfect evil genius who would never forget about the inscription inside a book... He has moments where he comes up with brilliant plans, but he also bungles shit ALL the time. And if "hubris" isn't one of the top five words that pops into your head when you think of Walt, I don't know what show you're watching.... it also works perfectly with the rest of the episode: Walt will go so far as to KILL TEN PEOPLE to tie up loose ends but in the end he is the loose end.
If Hank discovered Walt's identity through good detective work frankly that would almost take something away from the show, which is about Walt. Pride comes before the fall, and all that. Of course there are still people here who don't realize that Walt is the bad guy on this show, and think there will be a happy ending for him....
 
Why do people think Walt is some perfect evil genius who would never forget about the inscription in a book... He has moments where he comes up with brilliant plans, but he also bungles shit the time. And if "hubris" isn't one of the top five words that pops into your head when you think of Walt, I don't know what show you're watching....
A. I never liked how the show swung Walter from side to side in regards to his carefulness and level-headedness.

B. It doesn't take an evil genius to dispose of evidence.
C. Since when it became a good thing when a show bases one of it's pivotal moments on 'he goofed'? Walt is stupid - is that supposed to be the magic answer to every argument about the show? Is that supposed to have me saying 'good writing, tight narrative!'?

D. Walt could have goofed someway else which would have given Hank a new lead and after hard work and tense-filled scenes\episodes, Walt would become his #1 suspect. Not dropping the smoking gun in his lap.
 
Frankly Saty I know it's not nice to say someone has terrible opinions but having read the last few pages of this thread, your comments are mindnumbingly idiotic and I think I need to place you on my ignore list just for the sake of my own sanity.
Deus ex machina lol

Edit: Oops, that's "Deux"...

A. I never liked how the show swung Walter from side to side in regards to his carefulness and level-headedness.

lol yeah that never would happen in real life, good point... looks like you have Walt's personality totally figured out.

But wait, did you just admit that throughout the show, Walt has swung from side to side in regards to his carefulness and level-headedness? So then WTF are you even complaining about? "Walt isn't an idiot, he's a great chemist and was one of the founders of Gray Matter" blah blah blah
 
I feel as though whatever unfolds next season will justify the sudden and coincidental way that Hank discovered Walt, in terms of writing/narrative. If sure they have 8 killer episodes lined up.

Any season has moments throughout that make you raise an eyebrow, but once you see the rest of it, it all makes sense and works out for the better.
 
Frankly Saty I know it's not nice to say someone has terrible opinions but having read the last few pages of this thread, your comments are mindnumbingly idiotic and I think I need to place you on my ignore list just for the sake of my own sanity.
Deus ex machina lol

Edit: Oops, that's "Deux"...



lol yeah that never would happen in real life, good point... looks like you have Walt's personality totally figured out.

But wait, did you just admit that throughout the show, Walt has swung from side to side in regards to his carefulness and level-headedness? So then WTF are you even complaining about? "Walt isn't an idiot, he's a great chemist and was one of the founders of Gray Matter" blah blah blah
'mindnumbingly idiotic'? What others have mentioned as well? You don't think nothing was wrong\less than optimal with how the last scene played out?

I really am perplexed how some posters try to keep the veneer of the show being infallible and a beacon of exemplary writing in the face of sub-par writing ploys. Haven't followed the thread but i presume people had no problems with Mike using that plastic handcuff on Walt's one hand in a room full of objects knowing the guy is resourceful having killing Gus and all. I guess Mike goofed there as well, what? Every person makes mistakes so it's okay to have a narrative's key moments dictated by these mistakes.

What i complained about Walt is that whenever it fits and suits the writers, he can be super smart or dumb and careless just for the sake of moving the plot where they wanted. (Blowing a fuse and killing Mike 'oops, i could have gotten the names from Lydia, my bad!).
 
Wait this was the season finale???

Also I didn't get the whole scene at the end?

Hank found a book & had the initials of WW & then had a dream or flashback sequence?
How is that supposed to prove Walt is the kingpin?
 
Read a real cool opinion on Reddit that suggested that the series end with Holly watching this video.
Oh man, I totally forgot about that.

We really need to have a thread a month or two before the episode 9 premier where we all just re-watch all of Breaking Bad together, chronologically and at the same time. It'll sure help refreshen out memories.

Wait this was the season finale???

Also I didn't get the whole scene at the end?

Hank found a book & had the initials of WW & then had a dream or flashback sequence?
How is that supposed to prove Walt is the kingpin?
Proves my point exactly. Seems like a lot of people have forgotten that flashback from previous season 3 as well as the whole Gale/W.W. stuff..

PS. This is the mid-season finale. Still 8 more episodes to go starting July 2013. I was confused at first about that, too. But as for your confusion on the book, gotta rewatch previous seasons I guess.
 
I don't get how people are completely forgetting that flashback sequence and the whole Gale/W.W. thing. It stuck out like a sore thumb to me when I first saw it, even just visually with the lighting and such.
 
A. I never liked how the show swung Walter from side to side in regards to his carefulness and level-headedness.
People aren't infallible and their mistakes/oversights can have consequences. He's also done some things sloppily that he's ultimately gotten away with. This time he didn't.
Saty said:
C. Since when it became a good thing when a show bases one of it's pivotal moments on 'he goofed'? Walt is stupid - is that supposed to be the magic answer to every argument about the show? Is that supposed to have me saying 'good writing, tight narrative!'?
How was Hank supposed to catch him unless Walt left some kind of loose end?

Mistle said:
I feel as though whatever unfolds next season will justify the sudden and coincidental way that Hank discovered Walt, in terms of writing/narrative. If sure they have 8 killer episodes lined up.

Any season has moments throughout that make you raise an eyebrow, but once you see the rest of it, it all makes sense and works out for the better.
But it makes sense now...

Saty said:
I really am perplexed how some posters try to keep the veneer of the show being infallible and a beacon of exemplary writing in the face of sub-par writing ploys. Haven't followed the thread but i presume people had no problems with Mike using that plastic handcuff on Walt's one hand in a room full of objects knowing the guy is resourceful having killing Gus and all. I guess Mike goofed there as well, what? Every person makes mistakes so it's okay to have a narrative's key moments dictated by these mistakes.
I made that same criticism. Then someone pointed out that Mike had stayed up all night guarding Walt... so naturally he'd be prone to such a mistake. So I admitted I was wrong.

I've been pretty critical of BB this season, but I think the complaints about the ending are pretty silly. Walt had been reading Leaves of Grass since well before Hank showed him the notebook. He probably forgot there was an incriminating inscription. Doesn't seem like something people would remember, and it doesn't seem like a page that people would open to a second time if they were already deep into the book.
 
I'm confused. Did Jesse's girlfriend left him when they started cooking again? I remember Walk and Jesse talking about her at that time but it's all fuzzy, don't remember what happened.

:/
 
I made that same criticism. Then someone pointed out that Mike had stayed up all night guarding Walt... so naturally he'd be prone to such a mistake. So I admitted I was wrong.

I think Mike's mistakes this season have more to do with getting shot. Was never the same after that.
 
By the way, i cant recall walt ever getting that book. Is it ever shown on screen? cause if not, wouldnt it be even more poetic irony if walt actually DID get that book from Gretchen..
 
I wasn't that impressed by the ending of the episode, but at least it looks like I might get what I want from the end of this show. Walter has become an awful human being and he deserves to get caught.
 
By the way, i cant recall walt ever getting that book. Is it ever shown on screen? cause if not, wouldnt it be even more poetic irony if walt actually DID get that book from Gretchen..

When he comes back to the house, during the scene where he unpacks his stuff, he grabs it, looks at it and smiles. Then puts it on his nightstand. You saw it again during one or two episodes and I thought they'd be too much emphasis on it and called it to myself that Hank would find it.
 
How was Hank supposed to catch him unless Walt left some kind of loose end?


I made that same criticism. Then someone pointed out that Mike had stayed up all night guarding Walt... so naturally he'd be prone to such a mistake. So I admitted I was wrong.

A. Walt could have left some loose end which Hank would uncover and after respectful police work would come to the conclusion Walt is behind it all.
Or Skyler could have had enough and turn on Walt. I really disliked her passive approach, just laying their taking it, waiting for Walt to get sick, instead of playing the cards she has all be it difficult and hurtful for the kids.

Or Jesse would learn about Mike's death and be convinced Walt is to blame so they are now on a collision course so he goes to Hank. (I believe the only thing worthwhile about Walt killing Mike is that it may turn Jesse against him, but so fat it doesn't seem to be the direction they are going with).

What these alternatives have in common is that they require a deliberate and solid writing across multiple episodes. What actually happened required nothing but knowing when is the last ep of the season so that they can drop it as a shock\cliffhanger of an ending and take the easiest, laziest and worst way out possible.

B. That's a pitiful reasoning given. Mike knew he had that meeting at the Police in the morning. He had all day (and night) to figure what do with Walt while he's away and this is what he comes up with? Pathetic. He didn't even use 'real' handcuff and cuffed his both hands. He could have given him some soporific drug. What he should have done is take him and tie him up in that EMPTY UNDERGROUND space that we've but seen few episodes before where he had taken Lydia for interrogation. Solid pillars there.
 
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