Breaking Bad

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Bump.

So, this is THE best show on TV, IMHO.

Hank is kicking ass and taking names. Walt continues to be so fucking self-involved that he is completely unaware of the danger he is in. Jesse seems to really like being on the "inside" and could really care less about what Walt thinks. Skyler continues to just be a stupid bitch and Gus is still scary as hell.

I was thrilled to hear that they had a final end date for the series (after Season 5) and am really looking forward to the journey. I mean, I can't see them screwing it up like LOST did.

This is such a smart show. I finally found Season One online and am getting ready to start the journey all over again. There is so much that I don't remember and I really cannot wait to relive all the episodes.

Just...a great, great work of TV. Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston and I'm gonna include Hank (whose real name I should know) should have permanent Emmys attached to their hands!

[kostgard]

I've been spoiling myself with shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men and wondering why other shows can't put in a little more effort and planning and be better shows.

I'm glad they have an end date. All stories should have a beginning and an end, not just stretched out until the ratings drop.

I like that this show allows Walt to be such an asshole. I mean, I kinda hate that guy. I don't agree that Skyler is a stupid bitch, other than the fact that she should have taken the kids and got the hell out of Dodge once she discovered what Walt is up to (and still hasn't left even though her coin toss told her to leave). I think she's doing the best she can on limited information. Poor Jesse is just sad.

This episode brought up some interesting questions - was Walt's checkup really okay like he said? I'm pretty sure he's gonna die at the end of the series, it's just a question of whether it will be the cancer or a bullet in his head. The other question is - who was Gus back in Chile? He clearly changed his identity. And when the drug cartel guy killed his partner, he told Gus the only reason why he was alive was because the cartel guy knew who he was. He had to have been something of a big deal back in Chile.

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I don't agree that Skyler is a stupid bitch, other than the fact that she should have taken the kids and got the hell out of Dodge once she discovered what Walt is up to (and still hasn't left even though her coin toss told her to leave). I think she's doing the best she can on limited information.

Agreed. Apparently a lot of people hate Skyler, and I just don't understand why. She's a flawed human being like everyone else on this show, but I don't think she's a stupid bitch by any means. I seriously doubt most people would be able to handle the situation any better than she is.

[kostgard]

Sept 5, 2011 22:49:48 GMT -4 @roisin54 said:

Agreed. Apparently a lot of people hate Skyler, and I just don't understand why. She's a flawed human being like everyone else on this show, but I don't think she's a stupid bitch by any means. I seriously doubt most people would be able to handle the situation any better than she is.

On the surface, I can see why people don't like Skyler. She keeps getting in the way of Walt's plans and tripping him up. She refuses to play along with him a lot, and she did petty and small things like sleeping with her boss to get back at Walt for all the things he does.


But married people often do petty shit to hurt their spouse, especially after they have been hurt. And while Walt is the protagonist, he's also a unbelievable asshole who lets his ego override common sense, and he's doing a really dangerous, thing. Of course she's trying to trip him up because she's trying to do the reasonable/smart thing. And while I was disappointed in her joining in Walt's scheme by laundering the money, she's doing it in large part to help Hank and Marie because she knows that Walt is indirectly responsible for what happened to Hank. She's trying to operate and move forward when Walt only gives her half-truths or flat-out lies.

But I don't totally love her either. I just understand her situation. But honestly, if the only people who walk out of this series alive are Hank, Marie, the kids and Jesse, I'll be happy.

[ladyboy]

I remember thinking that Gus was a military/government thingy in Chile. They didn't tell us that but from some flashbacks I thought maybe that was what his background was.

I love Jesse. and I have an embarrassing crush of sorts on Saul(!). This show is so damn good and keeps getting better. I can't wait to see how it ends. I loved Hank's glee at bringing Walt along to Pollos Hermanos - "Are you ready to have your mind blown?!" Dude, it's already blown!

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My husband loves this show. I will watch until it gets too heavy and then I have to retire to another room. I agree that Giancarlo Esposito needs to start working on his Emmy speech now. And Aaron Paul just blows me away every week. Bryan Cranston is flawless in this, but even he is overshadowed by them.

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To my knowledge, Giancarlo Esposito doesn't speak Spanish; he's Italian/African American and does speak Italian. But he does a really good job with the Spanish on the show. The voice he found for Gus really works with the character. His speaking manner is so businesslike and refined, like he's weighing every word before he reluctantly lets it go. Gus is a guy that doesn't let anything out easily.

I think the Mexican cartel boss decided to kill the other Pollo Hermano when he heard how Gus sent him to college. You can always train a new cook but you can't train a stone cold gangster like Gus; they're born. That scene really underscored how tenuous Walt's position as head cook is. Who knows how many chemists Gus has ready to graduate from college and take Walt's place?

And is anyone else floored by how plausible the Pollo Hermano operation is? It makes me wonder every time I drive by a fast food place or the giant commercial laundry near my job!

[kostgard]

Sept 5, 2011 23:47:48 GMT -4 @dguzpy said:

To my knowledge, Giancarlo Esposito doesn't speak Spanish; he's Italian/African American and does speak Italian. But he does a really good job with the Spanish on the show. The voice he found for Gus really works with the character. His speaking manner is so businesslike and refined, like he's weighing every word before he reluctantly lets it go. Gus is a guy that doesn't let anything out easily.

I think the Mexican cartel boss decided to kill the other Pollo Hermano when he heard how Gus sent him to college. You can always train a new cook but you can't train a stone cold gangster like Gus; they're born. That scene really underscored how tenuous Walt's position as head cook is. Who knows how many chemists Gus has ready to graduate from college and take Walt's place?

And is anyone else floored by how plausible the Pollo Hermano operation is? It makes me wonder every time I drive by a fast food place or the giant commercial laundry near my job!

Wow. I had no idea he didn't speak Spanish. I suppose speaking Italian helps since they are both Romance languages, but that's still pretty impressive.

I completely agree on your reasons why Walt needs to watch it, because Gus has probably got a bunch of kids in college through the chemistry scholarship program he mentioned to the DEA and he just needs to find the ones who are 1. talented, and 2. willing to do criminal work for large sums of money.

Is it wrong that I don't want Walt to kill Gus? I don't really want Gus to kill Walt, I just don't want someone like Gus (even though he's an evil criminal) to be taken down by a posturing little douche like Walt. If Gus has to go down, I'd rather Mike or Jesse be behind it.

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Absolutely the best show on television.

Skyler reminds me a lot of Carmela Soprano. She wants to think of herself as more ethical than she really is, but when it comes down to it, she wants the money for her family and will put up blinders as to where exactly it comes from. She seems to be enjoying at playing at a criminal, hiding and laundering that money and keep their cover story alive, but she willfully closes her eyes to what is done to provide it. Walt put some of it out on the line a few episodes ago, and she temporarily left so she could have the upper moral hand... but then consciously chose to come back at Four Corners, yet did so in a way that she could sort of fool herself into thinking it was fate. I don't really like her, but then again, I don't really like most of the characters on this show. I like her storyline a lot this season, though.

I think my favorite small moment in this week's episode was when Mike pulled up next to Hank and Walt in the parking lot and gave him that little look. I do love Mike, almost as much as I love Saul.

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Saul is my favorite character. I love how his hair gets more ridiculous every week.

It amazes me how quickly the show can go from being humorous, when Hank and Walt were in the parking lot to tense, when Gus came to the counter.

So Gus has twice tried to groom a cook, first with Max and then with Gale and both ended up shot in the head. You think he'd realize he needs a different approach. It is interesting that after the first episode of this season Gus seemed like he was in complete control. Now it seems like he is a dead man walking. It is just a matter who kills him first Walt, the cartel or the DEA. I hope that doesn't happen for a while. Giancarlo Esposito has been killing it this season as has Aaron Paul. It is a shame they can't share the Emmy next year.