Breaking Bad (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

[SpookyFrank]

So what's everyone's favourite scene from the whole thing? For me it's this, for my money this is one of the finest scenes ever to be witnessed on the big or small screen and that's largely down to the cinematography of it, particularly at the end of it when the camera is lifting up it captures so much in that slow moving shot and it just looks amazing. Simple shots like that are usually the most powerful IMO.

Walt sitting in Hank's office getting all teary-eyed about Skyler and the kids, knowing this will force Hank to leave the room so he can plant the bug. Not only do we see how good Walt is at predicting someone's reactions and planning accordingly but it shows how Walt is more than willing to sacrifice his dignity, or anything else for that matter, to get what he wants. Dean Norris is particularly good in that scene.

The train robbery as well, that was pretty awesome.

 

[Fez909]

My favourite scene was at the end of series one when you see the flash forward of Walt with no hair, walking across the concrete in that rough-looking neighborhood, having just blown up that dealer whose name I forget.

For the entire episode I couldn't work out how it got to that point but then when it happens, it just makes sense. And that, for me, was when the show really kicked in.

 

[mack]

Wrapped up very nicely I thought, lots of mixed emotions for me, happy, sad, relieved.

Favorite moment was when Jesse and Walt are stuck inside the RV with Hank outside trying to get in.

 

[neonwilderness]

"Fuck you! And your eyebrows!"

 

[girasol]

My favourite scene was at the end of series one when you see the flash forward of Walt with no hair, walking across the concrete in that rough-looking neighborhood, having just blown up that dealer whose name I forget.

For the entire episode I couldn't work out how it got to that point but then when it happens, it just makes sense. And that, for me, was when the show really kicked in.

You mean Tuco Salamanca, end of series 1, iirc? Yeah!

 

[Yetman]

Walt sitting in Hank's office getting all teary-eyed about Skyler and the kids, knowing this will force Hank to leave the room so he can plant the bug. Not only do we see how good Walt is at predicting someone's reactions and planning accordingly but it shows how Walt is more than willing to sacrifice his dignity, or anything else for that matter, to get what he wants.

This, compared to how terrible he was at lying in the first season when trying to cover up his actions to Skyler. He slowly got better at it til he became a master of deceit.

 

[rutabowa]

My favourite scene was the big song and dance number after then end credits of the last episode.

 

[Ranu]

Good end. Not a massive plot twist or shock but wrapped it up nicely I thought.

Hopefully Jesse will feature in the Saul spin off programme.

The spin-off is a prequel, so Jesse won't be in it. Huell on the other hand...

 

[nogojones]

Ding

 

[Fez909]

The spin-off is a prequel, so Jesse won't be in it. Huell on the other hand...

Where has everyone got this idea that it will be a prequel? I read the article announcing it and there was nothing in it which suggested prequel.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Where has everyone got this idea that it will be a prequel? I read the article announcing it and there was nothing in it which suggested prequel.

Well, two things. One, Saul has gone off for a new life/identity, so that would make a sequel a bit tricky. Two, AMC have announced that it will be a prequel.

 

[Fez909]

Well, two things. One, Saul has gone off for a new life/identity, so that would make a sequel a bit tricky. Two, AMC have announced that it will be a prequel.

Fair enough. I'm sure that article has been updated since I read it.

Thanks

 

[trabuquera]

favourite part? could only be: Magnets, bitch! Science!








(*although I had a pang of conscience about how much other irreplaceable evidence in cases of murder/rape/evil had been destroyed as well, which had nothing at all to do with Walt or Jesse)

 

[belboid]

slightly disappointing ending, a real 'crowd pleaser' that just didn't fit with the rest of the show.

and just absurd in too many places.

Walt somehow went back to his shack to pick up the 9mill, and the police never noticed? Please.

The nazi's just going, 'oh okay,. I wont kill you, I'll make sure the whole gang is together first' - I don't think so.

And Jesse should have been so weak from being manacled like that for months that there was no chance he could have killed Todd (altho his near escape last week was even more ludicrous)

 

[Doctor Carrot]

disappointing ending, a real 'crowd pleaser' that just didn't fit with the rest of the show.

and just absurd in too many places.

Haha it always makes me laugh when people complain about things being not realistic enough in films or TV programs. It's a fucking film or TV program, the whole point of watching them is to escape from reality.

Walt somehow went back to his shack to pick up the 9mill, and the police never noticed? Please.

Perhaps but then you don't know the time frames do you? You don't how long it would've taken to assemble the police to get to some pissant mountain town in the middle of nowhere. It's also probable the police weren't even aware of that shack.

The nazi's just going, 'oh okay,. I wont kill you, I'll make sure the whole gang is together first' - I don't think so.

Yeah could go along with that but then why bother? You can pick holes in it all day. You could point out how convenient it all was that Andrea happened to have a little brother who happened to be the killer of Jesse's friend Combo, or how convenient it was that Walt happened to have been there at the exact same time to run over the gangster Jesse was about to be killed by.

And Jesse should have been so weak from being manacled like that for months[/] that there was no chance he could have killed Todd (altho his near escape last week was even more ludicrous)

Again probably true but I think you underestimate the power of adrenaline. Do prisoners of war who escape when half starved and weak fit the bill of being 'absurd and not realistic enough?'

Fair enough you're disappointed in it but it seems to me you're just picking for the sake of picking to separate yourself from everyone else who's praising it. If there were plot holes then yeah different story but your criticism just seems to be 'oh yeah right as if that would happen in real life.'

A cyborg travelling back through time to kill the future leader of a human resistance in a war that hasn't even started yet? Oh yeah right as if that would happen

 

[Virtual Blue]

disappointing ending, a real 'crowd pleaser' that just didn't fit with the rest of the show.

and just absurd in too many places.

Walt somehow went back to his shack to pick up the 9mill, and the police never noticed? Please.

The nazi's just going, 'oh okay,. I wont kill you, I'll make sure the whole gang is together first' - I don't think so.

And Jesse should have been so weak from being manacled like that for months[/] that there was no chance he could have killed Todd (altho his near escape last week was even more ludicrous)

And why didn't the Nazis check the boot of Walt's car?
And how did the police come so quick? Who called them?

Dude, there are plot holes in every BB episode.
That's what makes it so fun.
You seen Game of Thrones? Less plot holes but does it make it more realistic?

 

[belboid]

Haha it always makes me laugh when people complain about things being not realistic enough in films or TV programs. It's a fucking film or TV program, the whole point of watching them is to escape from reality.

that's one of the reasons for watching, its far from being the only one.

Perhaps but then you don't know the time frames do you? You don't how long it would've taken to assemble the police to get to some pissant mountain town in the middle of nowhere. It's also probable the police weren't even aware of that shack.

its only New Hampshire, not New Zealand. As it would take Walt at least 4 hours to get back to his shack (which the police would know about as it was bought legally, even if they wouldnt immediately put two and two together). e2a: we also know it isnt that long, because Walt's whisky is still on the bar when the police get there

Yeah could go along with that but then why bother?

because it broke then tension by making the entire room i was in go 'oh, come on'

Again probably true but I think you underestimate the power of adrenaline. Do prisoners of war who escape when half starved and weak fit the bill of being 'absurd and not realistic enough?'

sorry, but tish and tosh. They've been (mostly) realistic throughout the entire show, so its disappointing they stopped doing so. I dont think it would really have taken much for them to come up with a more realistic ending, even if it wouldn't be one that gave the viewer the same visceral thrill.

It certainly wasn't a wholly disappointing ending, but it was too neat. The Gretchen/Elliot set up was very nicely done, and the final scene with Skyler was superb. But Lydia's demise had been so thoroughly signposted, everyone in the world apart from her n Todd knew it was going to happen. The gunfire was most inventive, but just check back thru this thread and see all the people (okay, at least two) who were going 'please don't let it finish with a big shoot out with the nazis' - and yet, it did.

There should just have been a bit more comeuppance for Walt. We knew he was going to die from the beginning of the show, considering everything he went through and put everyone else through, he shouldn't really have been allowed to choose his own time and way of dying.

A cyborg travelling back through time to kill the future leader of a human resistance in a war that hasn't even started yet? Oh yeah right as if that would happen

dont be a complete eejit. That works perfectly well within its genre and style, if T suddenly turned up to save Walt, you'd be complaining all right.

 

[Virtual Blue]

Just thinking back to all the BB episodes.
My fav was the introduction of Gus Fring and his revenge on the cartel...
Great TV.
Emotional....
Sad to see it end.

 

[belboid]

And why didn't the Nazis check the boot of Walt's car?
And how did the police come so quick? Who called them?

Dude, there are plot holes in every BB episode.
That's what makes it so fun.
You seen Game of Thrones? Less plot holes but does it make it more realistic?

there are plot holes and plot chasms.

Why would the nazis bother to check his boot, he wasnt ever getting back to it.

And they (clearly) weren't so far away as to be completely out of earshot when 1000 rounds of sub-machine gun are being fired off.

Plot holes werent what made BB great, or fun, it was intelligent plotting, believable characters, and a cracking script.

 

[Virtual Blue]

Does anyone know the significance of the Walt's watch?

 

[belboid]

Does anyone know the significance of the Walt's watch?

Hardwick asks about Walt inexplicably leaving his watch at the gas station’s phone booth. Gilligan confesses that there’s the two reasons: a cool, artsy-fartsy reason that he and the writing team made up and a real reason. The real reason is due to continuity, since Walt did not have the watch on at Denny’s during the first season 5 flash-forward. The artsy-fartsy reason is that Walt didn’t need the watch anymore as he was about to encounter Jesse, who gave him the watch, for the last time.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/09/30/talking-bad-react-series-finale/

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Does anyone know the significance of the Walt's watch?

They pointed that out on the news this morning. Evidently it was to cover a continuity error. In the original flashback scene, he didn't have a watch on.

 

[keybored]

The train robbery as well, that was pretty awesome.

That spawned the best .gif from the whole series.

 

[TopCat]

WW was a cunt.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

its only New Hampshire, not New Zealand. As it would take Walt at least 4 hours to get back to his shack (which the police would know about as it was bought legally, even if they wouldnt immediately put two and two together). e2a: we also know it isnt that long, because Walt's whisky is still on the bar when the police get there

How do you know he didn't nick a car from outside the bar to get back to his shack? You don't. You have no idea how he made it back to the shack. You don't need to know everything.

because it broke then tension by making the entire room i was in go 'oh, come on'

So you would be more satisfied if he had just turned up to to the Nazi's compound and they executed him right there and then outside the club house? That would've meant the Nazis winning and that would've been really shit.

sorry, but tish and tosh. They've been (mostly) realistic throughout the entire show, so its disappointing they stopped doing so. I dont think it would really have taken much for them to come up with a more realistic ending, even if it wouldn't be one that gave the viewer the same visceral thrill.

I don't think they really did stop being realistic, not in any major way anyway. I think it's perfectly plausible for a man of Jack's arrogance to mug him off before having him executed, certainly more so to not want it done in his living room.

It certainly wasn't a wholly disappointing ending, but it was too neat. The Gretchen/Elliot set up was very nicely done, and the final scene with Skyler was superb. But Lydia's demise had been so thoroughly signposted, everyone in the world apart from her n Todd knew it was going to happen. The gunfire was most inventive, but just check back thru this thread and see all the people (okay, at least two) who were going 'please don't let it finish with a big shoot out with the nazis' - and yet, it did.

I'm glad it was neat really, as I said earlier I'm bored of all the normal postmodern wank that seems fashionable lately. I mean I was fine the Sopranos ending, it's perfectly obvious what happened but it spawned all this faux intellectual shit that still drones on today. It's just dull, we won't get that with Breaking Bad and I'm glad about that.

There should just have been a bit more comeuppance for Walt. We knew he was going to die from the beginning of the show, considering everything he went through and put everyone else through, he shouldn't really have been allowed to choose his own time and way of dying.

I dunno if you're aware but Giligan intended it to be a contemporary Western. What happens in Westerns? The main character is usually a bit of a cunt, he usually leaves town, then rides back into town, kills everyone he wants dead, has a last shoot out and then dies. So looking at it through that lens, the lens intended by the writers, it was spot on.

dont be a complete eejit. That works perfectly well within its genre and style, if T suddenly turned up to save Walt, you'd be complaining all right.

It would certainly have been quite the twist if Arnie showed up, yes. They could've worked it in too, Arnie could've walked up to Jack and said 'I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle'

 

[Virtual Blue]

That spawned the best .gif from the whole series.

That makes Jessie, Walt and Todd look so evil.

 

[J Ed]

I get what belboid is saying. One thing that I think appeals to a lot of people about programmes like The Wire, and to a lesser extent Breaking Bad, is the fact that a lot of what it deals with are the unpleasant moral ambiguities that are so unusual on TV but tally with our own realities.

The lack of moral ambiguities is especially true of American TV and cinema and the ending of Breaking Bad wasn't really in keeping with the fact that for most of the series it deviated from that. One thing that I think that was brilliantly done in The Wire was the montages at the end of the series which showed that there are no heroes. Drug dealers and murders, corrupt cops and politicians and so on fall and others take their place, the failures of the education system and post-industrial society continue and people suffer as they did before with no end in sight. The ending of Breaking Bad was too Disney-esque for me.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Wrapped up very nicely I thought, lots of mixed emotions for me, happy, sad, relieved.

Favorite moment was when Jesse and Walt are stuck inside the RV with Hank outside trying to get in.

"How did you know there were bullet holes under the tape?"

That scene was very, very cleverly done.

 

[Ted Striker]

That spawned the best .gif from the whole series.

Not a chance.

 

[belboid]

I get what belboid is saying. One thing that I think appeals to a lot of people about programmes like The Wire, and to a lesser extent Breaking Bad, is the fact that a lot of what it deals with are the unpleasant moral ambiguities that are so unusual on TV but tally with our own realities.

The lack of moral ambiguities is especially true of American TV and cinema and the ending of Breaking Bad wasn't really in keeping with the fact that for most of the series it deviated from that. One thing that I think that was brilliantly done in The Wire was the montages at the end of the series which showed that there are no heroes. Drug dealers and murders, corrupt cops and politicians and so on fall and others take their place, the failures of the education system and post-industrial society continue and people suffer as they did before with no end in sight. The ending of Breaking Bad was too Disney-esque for me.

quite. It wasnt bad, it certainly didnt ruin everything that preceded it, but it was a little disappointing after the brilliance of the rest of the show.

eg:

How do you know he didn't nick a car from outside the bar to get back to his shack? You don't. You have no idea how he made it back to the shack. You don't need to know everything.

In previous episodes we would have known. They make a big thing out of how hard it was for Walt to make it into town, and then its easy for him to get out?? Makes no sense. If he'd nicked a car it would be even more obvious (towns like that generally not having many roads to travel in or out on, and a stolen car being noticed quite quickly in all likelihoods.) Sure, we can think of ways round that, but the point is, until now we havent had to. Walt's brilliant and he comes up with brilliant ways of getting himself out of a hole. Except for at the end when they couldnt think of one. Thus, a little disappointing.