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[T.O.P]

Now that the series is over, what are some your favorite scenes?

I think for me it is one of Gus Fringe's scenes. Maybe the "I will kill your infant daughter" one.

S1 (Awwww shit)

runner up

S2 (4 Days Out)

S3 (Run)

runner up

S4 (Crawl Space)

runner up

S5.1 (Say my name <3)

runner up

S5.2 (I did it for me)

runner up

 

[PedroPanache]

It's really interesting to me, and I feel it says something about how television stories are usually structured, that people keep referring to the last two episodes as an epilogue or a coda when what they really are is simply the denouement. Most other storytelling mediums don't end on the climax, but television (when it reaches an overall arc climax at all) does tend to, to the point that people have trouble recognizing a normal story structure when they see it.

I did think about typing denouement, but coda serves as a suitable synonym. I'd distance myself from the idea that the last two episodes were some form of epilogue as that wasn't what I meant, but in terms of the dramatic energy of the story, that peak was reached with Ozymandias. Epilogues, usually, don't really add that much beyond the main story arc. Despite that peak, knowing Walt's ultimate fate was critical to the conclusion of the story.

 

[Nyx]

@ T.O.P. :

Nice selection, I would add this as S2 runner up:

 

[Window]

It's less on-the-nose than having him come out and say it, less on-the-nose than that final song, yeah. It's not SUBTLE, but it's a little more subtle. At the very least, it was a more effective ending (relative to its season) than this one was. Ending with ANOTHER successful, over-the-top Walt plan is cheap, safe, and does little to settle the story in any kind of unexpected way - and I mean on levels other than plot.

It was pretty on the nose but you didn't address the second part of his statement. The "I won" makes it clear to us the audience and Skylar that Walt did it for himself but it doesn't imply that Walt himself believes this. His self-realization doesn't happen till the finale.

The song on the radio (El Paso) really does accurately describes Walt's journey.

 

[UrbanRats]

The predictability of an ending shouldn't matter. Not everything needs an explosive twist. They ended it solidly, not many shows get that opportunity and not every show that does even bothers to do so (I'm looking at you LOST). In the end Walt got better than he deserved, but I like the moral ambiguity.

As i said i'm not too concerned with it either, however it did ride the line between tying up the character's arcs, and delivering some fan service.
I can see that aspect bothering some.

All in all i thought it was a very fitting (and dark) ending, giving Walt (admittedly one of the most evil characters still alive then) the happiest epilogue out of the bunch.
Everyone esle got their lives destroyed, yet Walt dies happy with one of his master plans going perfectly to fruition, and him being in control, in a way.

As i said, it rides the line between fan servicing TeamWalt and giving the series a fitting ending.
Dying happy after all the shit he's caused, just because things went according to plan, is 100% Walt, after all.

 

[dc89]

I watched the last two episodes yesterday, I was on holiday for a week so I couldn't watch the penultimate one shortly after it aired.

What a way to end it. Brilliant.

 

[Krev]

Man that was the ONE TIME this show broke my suspension of disbelief. I mean this show is so realistic it was weird to have something so absurd happen.

Not sure if serious

 

[cozo]

Now that the series is over, what are some your favorite scenes?

The narcocorrido.

"I fucked Ted."

Jane.

Hank finding the RV and the back & forth with Jesse in that scene.

 

[caffeware]

My favorite season was the first. It gets cartoony after that. Great show overall, though.

 

[liger05]

I really liked the last episode. Loved the scene with Badger and Skinny P and I wish we got to see more of them in the show!!

I always hated seeing Walt and Jesse beefing and always felt even with his crazy decisions Walt was looking out for Jesse. There was no hugging it out but I felt Jesse left satisfied the beef was squashed.

All in all I think the final season was dope and the last episode delivered but nothing beats the final season of the Shield. Man that last episode was classic!!

 

[rekameohs]

Now that the season's over, we can laugh at how stupid those fake spoilers were, where Ted was inexplicably one of the most important characters.

 

[corduroyCUCK]

one favorite moment that comes to mind is in the first half of s5

when Walt first meets Todd's uncle and crew. A room full of hardened prison nazis and Walter White is the scariest guy in the room. While being all distant and terrifying, he just all nonchalant just starts asking about a painting on the wall and speculating the idea of a factory that makes all those shitty paintings. It sent chills down my spine.

and even better yet is that it was a callback to a moment seasons ago when Walt does essentially the same thing about a picture of the teacher chick's dog i believe, asking about the breed in a similar, and it's so far from scary that its like, cheesy 50 year old dad.

 

[Vampirolol]

Has anyone pointed out that Walt finally built a robot? Jesse was right.

 

[Wilbur]

What do you guys think of this ending:

• Walt's entire family gets killed. Skyler, Flynn, Holly.
  
  
• Walt's cancer gets cured. He has to live with this for the rest of his life in jail. All five seasons and everything he went through was for nothing.

This would have been at least 100x better than the "play everything as safe as possible and tie everything up in a neat bow" ending what we got and would have put Breaking Bad's finale into god tier category instead of just meh-tier.

IT'S SO UNREALISTIC HE TIED EVERYTHING UP

MEANWHILE HIS TERMINAL CANCER THAT HE HAS BEEN DYING FROM DISAPPEARS AFTER A PARTICULARLY LARGE TURD

VILLIGAN

YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN

 

[Trent Strong]

Has anyone pointed out that Walt finally built a robot? Jesse was right.

Hurm? What do you mean?

 

[bud]

Now that the season's over, we can laugh at how stupid those fake spoilers were, where Ted was inexplicably one of the most important characters.

what were the spoilers? can you post them?

 

[Vampirolol]

Hurm? What do you mean?

It's a robot machine gun. When their old camper died in the middle of the desert, Jesse said "Mr. White you can build something... a robot, a battery..."
Walt: "OMG you're right"
"Yo are you going to build a Robot??"
"..."

 

[Wilbur]

I actually can't believe that Gilligan pulled off a finale that could make both #teamwalt and #notteamwalt satisfied. Just read the review from http://wegotthiscovered.com/, and it has some amazing points.

I did it for me.
Never expected to hear those words through the entire show. I love that scene so much.

and that last scene of Jesse was so relieving... poor kid.

Quoting this for those who haven't read it. The linked review is brilliant.

 

[Chichikov]

#TeamTodd4Life

Spoiler

Yeah, I probably need to find a hobby or something...

 

[Batigol]

Biggest holy shit moment is still the S3 ending when Walt ran over the two guys. I loved the show up until then, but that shit was god tier

 

[PedroPanache]

I watched it again today, and it struck me even more how I loved the episode. From that smug, self-satisfied smile that breaks out after Walt knocks the ice off his window to his vacant, dead stare as the camera panned upwards to the tune of the Baby Blue. It was a brilliantly, comic ending and it reminded me that I always loved Breaking Bad best when it was being darkly comic. The tone might have changed as the stakes got higher, but during those early seasons, it was a perfectly pitched black comedy about a meth cooking duo hopelessly out of their depth. You just had the sense in that final moment, as Walt's bloodied hand pressed against the lab equipment, that he wouldn't have done anything differently had he known how it all would end. He was truly alive, right up to the moment he wasn't. It brought the show full circle in that it ended with the same comedic absurdity in which it started.

 

[meppi]

Gus was boring. He hardly ever even spoke. How can you like a character who has no personality, never speaks, and just stands there doing nothing?

Takeshi Kitano would like to have a word with you.

 

[Nyx]

I watched it again today, and it struck me even more how I loved the episode. From that smug, self-satisfied smile that breaks out after Walt knocks the ice off his window to his vacant, dead stare as the camera panned upwards to the tune of the Baby Blue. It was a brilliantly, comic ending and it reminded that I always loved Breaking Bad best when it was being darkly comic. The tone might have changed as the stakes got higher, but during those early seasons, it was a perfectly pitched black comedy about a meth cooking duo hopelessly out of their depth. You just had the sense in that final moment, as Walt's bloodied hand pressed against the lab equipment, that he wouldn't have done anything differently had he known how it all would end. He was truly alive, right up to the moment he wasn't. It brought the show full circle in that it ended with the same comedic absurdity in which it started.

Good post!

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Quinn & Batistas reaction to Breaking Bad's ending lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF6dQV6a3Qk

The faces of Quinn and Batista and Dexter's resignation reaction is priceless.

 

[Alpende]

I watched it yesterday and it was awesome.

One last Heisenberg action and Jesse killing Todd felt soo good. It's great that the series first lets you think Walt is a badass, then you start to hate him and in the end you kind of feel sad. At least, that was the case for me.

So good.

 

[Wilbur]

Yeah the finale is better the second time round, as someone who loved it anyway. It's absolutely satisfying. They nailed it. Every moment.

Season rankings:

5 > 3 > 4 > 1 > 2

The endgame of 4 from episodes 10-13 is ridiculously strong but the first half had a few of the weakest episodes of the run, Box Cutter aside. Season 3 has 5 or 6 absolutely stand out episodes, and the end of 2 sours what is still a quite brilliant season. But 5 as a whole is where the show does everything we always wanted it to do. Walt goes full Heisenberg, he gets to the very top of the game, and then everything crashes down around him. He ends it on his terms. His deluded, misconstrued terms of what victory means.

S1
Best Episode - And The Bag's In The River
Best Scene - when Walt realises the plate piece is missing

S2
Best Episode - 4 Days Out
Best Scene - Walt and Jesse trying to make Tuco take the ricin in Grilled

S3
Best Episode - Half Measures
Best Moment - the Hank and Cousins shootout in One Minute (but there is a ton of incredible moments in S3)

S4
Best Episode - End Times
Best Scene - Crawl Space ending

S5
Best Episode - Ozymandias
Best Scene - the Walt and Skyler confrontation in above episode is the most emotionally charged scene they've ever done, but it's too harrowing to be a favourite :lol, it can just be the best. My favourite? Probably the Crystal Blue Persuasion montage

 

[Trent Strong]

It's a robot machine gun. When their old camper died in the middle of the desert, Jesse said "Mr. White you can build something... a robot, a battery..."
Walt: "OMG you're right"
"Yo are you going to build a Robot??"
"..."

Lol. I didn't remember that line.

Takeshi Kitano would like to have a word with you.

I'm not familiar with his work. But if he's anything like Gus, he's totes boring.

 

[NotLiquid]

Bwahaha

 

[liger05]

I loved that scene S1 where Walt is at Jesse’s house and helps himself to some weed. Jesse comes back and is like “Yo Mr White, check you out smoking the weed” and then he soon realised it’s his weed and is like “What that’s my weed, make yourself at home already”.

Nothing great just it really made me laugh at the time.

 

[CloudWolf]

The more I think about it, the more I dislike Walt's final 'grand plan'. The use of the automated machine gun requires way too much 'lucky coincidences' to work. I mean, in order for his plan to work perfectly, which it did, Walt had to rely on:

1. The building and room being small enough for the gun to cover everything
2. Everybody being in the room
3. Jack believing Walt and not shooting him the moment he entered the club house/premises
4. Jack falling for Walt's gloating
5. No one checking the trunk of his car for bombs

I really believe the writers wrote themselves in a corner by including the flash forward where Walt gets the gun in the first episode of the fifth season, without having a clue what he was going to use it on. If they hadn't done that, I'm pretty sure Walt would've dealt with Jack and his gang in a different way.

By the way, how dumb was Walt by calling Lydia to tell her she was going to die in a few hours? We know from the beginning of the fifth season that Lydia has all kinds of contacts in the drug/gangster world. Who's to say she didn't call one of her hitmen or her 'friends' in Croatia the moment Walt put down the phone to call in a last minute hit on Skyler, Holly and Walt Jr.?

Now that the season's over, we can laugh at how stupid those fake spoilers were, where Ted was inexplicably one of the most important characters.

Not too far fetched, considering the fact that in the real finale two minor characters from the first season suddenly became two of the most important characters.

 

[PedroPanache]

Speaking of Dexter and building on my point in my last post, I hated the finale because it forgot it was a black comedy about a serial killer who killed bad guys instead of good guys. It forgot that its premise was utterly absurd, completely camp and that its best moments tended to marry drama and comedy rather than what happened in its last few seasons, when it conjured itself a gravitas it neither merited or deserved. Dexter was good, absurd, camp fun, but it never managed to successfully transition itself away from that. In the end it became a different kind of camp. So, as the drama increased, so did the unintentional comedy moments; perhaps Harrison's treadmill incident being the most notorious. The difference between the two finales was one team of writers never forgot what lay at the core of their show and weren't shy to fall back on it despite moving so far away from it in subsequent seasons.

In some respects, it makes what Vince Gilligan and his team achieved even more admirable considering that it never faltered in transitioning away from its black comedy roots to the incredible high tension drama of the later seasons.

 

[amnesiac]

I loved that scene S1 where Walt is at Jesse’s house and helps himself to some weed. Jesse comes back and is like “Yo Mr White, check you out smoking the weed” and then he soon realised it’s his weed and is like “What that’s my weed, make yourself at home already”.

Nothing great just it really made me laugh at the time.

Lol

 

[ComputerMKII]

Breaking Bad: overrated, over here, and thankfully, all over

Breaking Bad has finally ended. Ed Cumming is glad to see the back of it, and its boring

In its way, this is a historic moment. A small but long-suffering group of outcasts can breathe a sigh of relief. It feels like the Armistice Day of a long and attritional civil war. Breaking Bad, the most overrated TV show of its generation, has finished. Its plot has hinged for the last time on some ridiculously improbable decision by a character. Jesse has uttered his final idiotic exclamation. #Breakingbad will have trended its last.
Of course the problem has never been the programme itself. It is innocently beamed into our homes, easy to ignore. Neither can we blame the producers, who have made millions out of the Emperor's New Television. In Mencken's words, nobody went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. I can even forgive Anna Gunn, who wrote a ridiculous article claiming that critics of her character didn't like strong women. No, Anna, I don't like feeling as if I've been sedated every time the ghastly Skyler lumbers into view.
The real problem has always been the fans. The Breaking Bores, media's most loathsome demographic, who whine on and on and on, like Jehovah's Witnesses without the manners. Actually, they're worse than that. Religious nuts at least usually have the grace to acknowledge that their beliefs are subjective. Breaking Bores are more like radical atheists, convinced that their position is objective fact, and about as much fun to talk to.
For five years the programme has been a Statue of Liberty for uncritical ovine viewers. Bring me your credulous, it cried, and your naive. Bring me people who've never seen Weeds. Bring me people who've never seen a real married couple, a teacher/pupil relationship or a cancer sufferer. At times I considered cooking meth myself, so I could spend the proceeds on sabotaging the enjoyment of everyone who posted about it on my Facebook. I am the one who knocks your aerial off.
I have already adjusted to a post Breaking Bad world. I look forward to using water coolers again, safe in the knowledge that there won't be some Olympian dullard banging on about Bryan Cranston. I look forward to spreading this New Yorker profile, which makes the actor out to be a total nightmare.
Most of all, I'm looking forward to never again hearing, reading or thinking about the joke about how the end of Breaking Bad is actually the start of Malcolm in the Middle. They're the same actor, you say? How brilliant.
You've had your fun, Breaking Bores. But it's over now. Let the rest of us live what remains of our lives in peace.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...rrated-over-here-and-thankfully-all-over.html

 

[Nyx]

1. The building and room being small enough for the gun to cover everything
2. Everybody being in the room
3. Jack believing Walt and not shooting him the moment he entered the club house/premises
4. Jack falling for Walt's gloating
5. No one checking the trunk of his car for bombs
.

1. He was there before.
2. Sure, but on the other hand, when Heisenberg arrives there after all that time I bet everybody wants to be inside.
3. Why would he shoot him straight away? He didn't hate him or something.
4. What do you mean exactly?
5. In my opinion it would not have been realistic if they DID want to check out the trunk, they are not police, it was clear to them that it was just an old car Walt stole, they searched him and didn't find anything, why would they want to check the trunk?

 

[BoerBert]

There is one part in which he actually has a point:

Most of all, I'm looking forward to never again hearing, reading or thinking about the joke about how the end of Breaking Bad is actually the start of Malcolm in the Middle. They're the same actor, you say? How brilliant.

 

[PedroPanache]

It's a robot machine gun. When their old camper died in the middle of the desert, Jesse said "Mr. White you can build something... a robot, a battery..."
Walt: "OMG you're right"
"Yo are you going to build a Robot??"
"..."

I love the little story around that line. I'm going from memory, but Cranston said they'd finished recording, and had come up with this stupid, absurd line about building a robot after the fact. So, they lied about something being wrong and having to reshoot the scene. This time with the line about the robot. Brilliant. Those really were the days. In some ways I see a flicker of a memory back to those good old days in that final exchange of glances between Walt and Jesse during the finale.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Damnit. I watched the episode on UK Netflix and there was no song at the end, just the typical finale credits music. What was the song they played?

Wait, UK Netflix has 5b? US Netflix only has up to the end of 5A, Gliding All Over.

 

[Nyx]

Wait, UK Netflix has 5b? US Netflix only has up to the end of 5A, Gliding All Over.

UK Netflix had the latest ep on mondaymorning already.

 

[liger05]

By the way, how dumb was Walt by calling Lydia to tell her she was going to die in a few hours? We know from the beginning of the fifth season that Lydia has all kinds of contacts in the drug/gangster world. Who's to say she didn't call one of her hitmen or her 'friends' in Croatia the moment Walt put down the phone to call in a last minute hit on Skyler, Holly and Walt Jr.?

I think knowing you are you going to die leaving your daughter alone very shortly means the last thing on her mind was arranging a hit.

Also she called Todd's phone, he didnt call her.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

UK Netflix had the latest ep on mondaymorning already.

Another reason I'm considering moving back to the UK.

 

[Courage]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...rrated-over-here-and-thankfully-all-over.html

What a fucking snob.

 

[flowsnake]

Wait, UK Netflix has 5b? US Netflix only has up to the end of 5A, Gliding All Over.

Netflix has the airing rights to it in the UK.

 

[Bomber Bob]

man Todd was a real weirdo, what was up with the lydia ringtone?

 

[Batigol]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...rrated-over-here-and-thankfully-all-over.html

 

[Nyx]

What a fucking snob.

Agreed, ''look at me NOT loving BB, i'm so fucking special''

 

[flowsnake]

man Todd was a real weirdo, what was up with the lydia ringtone?

Don't make me walk you through this, Bob.

 

[CloudWolf]

3. Why would he shoot him straight away? He didn't hate him or something.

Walt was a liability. Unless Jack actually believed Walt's story about inventing a new method of making meth without the key ingredient, there was no reason why Jack would take Walt inside for a long talk.

4. What do you mean exactly?

Walt's plan included Jesse, who wasn't in the house at the time. Walt had no way of knowing that Jack would react the way he did to Walt's remark about Jack partnering up with Jesse. Especially since in Ozymandias it was shown that Jack can't be swayed by words.

5. In my opinion it would not have been realistic if they DID want to check out the trunk, they are not police, it was clear to them that it was just an old car Walt stole, they searched him and didn't find anything, why would they want to check the trunk?

Because they suspected Walt of trying something? Hell, they checked his body for guns and wires, why would they not check every inch of the car, too? More so, because they probably know that Walt has used car-trackers before.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Wait, UK Netflix has 5b? US Netflix only has up to the end of 5A, Gliding All Over.

UK Netflix aired every 5b episode after it aired in the US, and I will forever love Netflix for it! What song is that poster referring to by the way? Baby Blue? Because that was deffo on when I watched it on Netflix.

 

[Courage]

W
Because they suspected Walt of trying something? Hell, they checked his body for guns and wires, why would they not check every inch of the car, too? More so, because they probably know that Walt has used car-trackers before.

Because they're stupid lowlife Nazis. Also, it plays to the notion that once again Walt was underestimated, like he was over and over again throughout the series.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Walt was a liability. Unless Jack actually believed Walt's story about inventing a new method of making meth without the key ingredient, there was no reason why Jack would take Walt inside for a long talk.

I don't agree with this. Jack not only let Walt live after killing Hank, he gave him $9million back! All because Todd respected him. What has changed now? Lynda wanted Walt dead, that's it. I'd bet if Lynda didn't, Jack wouldn't have wanted to kill Walt.