Breaking Bad Final Half Season

[ALF]

But it is really stupid how vitriolic people get about TV shows. "Oh NOES, the hours of entertainment I got for free didn't end exactly the way I wanted to. The person who provided all that free entertainment is EVIL for basing his creative decisions on his own vision instead of granting all my personal wishes! I HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY SLIGHTED!"

Not that I'm defending the hateful trolls on these internetz, but some people do actually pay for cable, dvds, etc so it's a stretch to call Breaking Bad 'free entertainment' only because some people steal it. Or... were you calling Lost free entertainment? In which case, network TV throws the argument into a grey area.

Anyway... TV shows: free for some. I guess that's my point. It's very amusing that a well execute finale would please many but draw the ire of those who hates other series' finales. It would be like having a fit on a very excellent Christmas because your Christmas in 1995 was shitty.
"This Christmas was great, but FUCK CHRISTMAS 1995 TO HELL!"

 

[Caligula]

Not that I noticed, however they DID play Marty Robbins' "El Paso" (in which the narrator tells of the girl he loves named "Felina") and that song's appearance was also predicted. What wasn't entirely predicted was the true relevance of the lyrics to the episode's plot.

Absolutely. As soon as I heard it at the beginning (in the snow-covered car), I knew how the episode would end. In fact, it was a play-by-play of "El Paso".

Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side.
Though I am trying
To stay in the saddle,
I'm getting weary,
Unable to ride.

Bravo to Breaking Bad.

Bravo, indeed. I've thought a lot more about it since last night. Most interesting is the identity of Walter White's "Felina" and his "Rose's Cantina." The only part I'm still not sure about is exactly who the "handsome young stranger" is supposed to be. It should be obvious but, for some reason, is not.

 

[Ryan8bit]

The Lost finale was perfect for the series that Lost was and always had been. That the finale was not perfect for everyone who watched it is not the fault of the writers of the show.

I don't get it, whose fault is it? The people watching it?

In one sense, yes.

Everything in that finale (for LOST) is there and can be used to tell you everything you need to know about just about every mystery on the show that wasn't already explained.

Hell, by the time you get to the first episode of season six, you have everything you need to know to figure out what's going on. It's just a matter of context and knowing what to look for. That so many people "didn't get it" or just outright refuse to actually think about what they saw and form explanations on their own is their own choice. Lost was never a show that spoonfed us answers or made them easy to come by. Why would the finale be any different?

Not wanting to get into a discussion of Lost too much here, that simply isn't true. While a lot can be figured out, there is a lot that also cannot and simply doesn't add up. And I'm not talking about inane shit like explanations for trivial details, but core things like motivations for characters doing what they do going unexplained. It's fine to leave a little mystery, but when characters start doing strange things just because MAGIC, that's basically bad writing. You can't label that as being the fault of people watching it, that's a load of bullshit.

 

[doubleohfive]

18 Fun Easter Eggs, Callbacks, And Moments Of Really Cool Symmetry From The “Breaking Bad” Finale

 

[doubleohfive]

Not wanting to get into a discussion of Lost too much here, that simply isn't true. While a lot can be figured out, there is a lot that also cannot and simply doesn't add up. And I'm not talking about inane shit like explanations for trivial details, but core things like motivations for characters doing what they do going unexplained. It's fine to leave a little mystery, but when characters start doing strange things just because MAGIC, that's basically bad writing. You can't label that as being the fault of people watching it, that's a load of bullshit.

I disagree entirely. But to further explain why, I'd need you to give me some specific examples of what things you are referring to.

 

[sidious618]

Yeah, everything about LOST was pretty much explained outside of a few small details. Some things are a little ambiguous but there's enough clues to piece together an answer which is preferable to being spoon-fed everything; makes the show rewatchable.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I will definitely be making that ASAP.

Me too... Of course, we like tourists to come to ABQ and buy it here..

The Candy Lady

She also has a section in the story where she sells "naughty candy" suitable for, well, more adult candy fans..

Wow, she sells a whole line of products including the Heisenberg Hat.

Anybody else feel sorry for Bryan Cranston now?

Cause he's NEVER getting a role this good again. Just never.

Maybe not, but it looks like Breaking Bad gave him a career boost and I don't think he'll be known as Walter White the way Hugh Laurie is known as Dr. House.

 

[sidious618]

The fact that Cranston looks so different in real life will prevent him from being typecast.

 

[doubleohfive]

Anybody else feel sorry for Bryan Cranston now?

Cause he's NEVER getting a role this good again. Just never.

Maybe not, but it looks like Breaking Bad gave him a career boost and I don't think he'll be known as Walter White the way Hugh Laurie is known as Dr. House.

Certainly Breaking Bad has upped Cranston's reputation as a dramatic actor, but he never needed a career "boost." He's been acting since at least the early '90s in everything. The X-Files (where Vince Gilligan first met him), Malcolm in the Middle, Murder, She Wrote, The Simpsons, Babylon 5, John Carter, Argo, How I Met Your Mother, Power Rangers, Seinfeld... the man is the very definition of "versatile actor."

 

[bigdaddy]

He was awesome on Malcolm in the Middle, he is still awesome today.

10.3 million viewers.

The season 4 finale had less than 3 million, and season 1 had less than 1 million. That's like a 1100% increase.

Well deserved, a beautiful 62 hour (~45 minute long hours) movie.

 

[Ryan8bit]

I disagree entirely. But to further explain why, I'd need you to give me some specific examples of what things you are referring to.

I think at this point it's probably a disservice to keep discussing the particulars Lost in this Breaking Bad thread. I feel like we're sidetracking here a bit too much and that this kind of thing could go on forever. I think we can just agree that it was shitty of those people to heckle Lindelof over those things and leave it at that.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Certainly Breaking Bad has upped Cranston's reputation as a dramatic actor...

Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. For a while it felt like his main "boost" was shaking off being known as the dad from Malcolm in the Middle.

10.3 million viewers.

The season 4 finale had less than 3 million, and season 1 had less than 1 million. That's like a 1100% increase.

Back when the show started, I saw the numbers and wondered why people weren't watching.

 

[J.T.B.]

I don't see how Walt's finally being able to take care of his family goes against "karma". His family should continue to suffer because of karma?

I don't know about karma, but criminals' families reaping benefits from criminal enterprises is not generally considered A Good Thing. That's why the Feds -- you know, the good guys -- would have interdicted the money if they could.

Lest the episode be seen as too redemptive for him, we do get one last Hisenbergian moment from Walt as he kills Lidia for no reason other than her infringing on his perceived meth "copywrite".

I think it was primarily to eliminate her as a threat to Walt's family.

 

[gblews]

10.3 million viewers.

Un-frigging-real.

The season 4 finale had less than 3 million, and season 1 had less than 1 million. That's like a 1100% increase.

And Face-Off was one of the greatest season finale's ever. Gilligan gives a lot of the credit for the ratings explosion to the show's exposure to new viewers on Netflix.

 

[davejames]

Anybody else actually feel kind of sorry for Lydia at the end? I know she was threatening Skyler's life and had ordered Walt to be killed, but still... having her be poisoned with Ricin just felt unnecessarily cruel to me somehow. Especially given the rather contrite mood we'd seen from Walt through the rest of the hour.

I mean it was pretty clear that she wasn't some evil, sadistic mastermind or anything; she was just a fearful and nervous woman who was constantly scared about getting caught. I would think it would be enough for Walt to simply point the DEA in her direction and have her be arrested-- which for her would still be a pretty damn terrifying fate.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Anybody else actually feel kind of sorry for Lydia at the end?

I was thinking about her daughter. What will happen to her?

I know she was threatening Skyler's life and had ordered Walt to be killed, but still... having her be poisoned with Ricin just felt unnecessarily cruel to me somehow.

It did seem unnecessary but the writers had to find some use for the ricin, which hadn't actually been used until that point.

I mean it was pretty clear that she wasn't some evil, sadistic mastermind or anything; she was just a fearful and nervous woman who was constantly scared about getting caught. I would think it would be enough for Walt to simply point the DEA in her direction and have her arrested.

Tie up all loose ends. And now that we know what she was planning, it seems that Walt was right to get her out of the way.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

I think it was primarily to eliminate her as a threat to Walt's family.

Yes, I think from the moment Walt realized Lydia had sent goons to threaten Skyler and the kids, her life wasn't worth a plugged nickel, as they say.

 

[Ryan8bit]

Lydia was a target because Walt knew should would call for him to be hit. It was very calculated. This wasn't the first time that she had ordered underlings to do her dirty work of killing, so she wasn't exactly any kind of innocent person. Walt was just turning that on her, which I think she deserved.

 

[J.T.B.]

Anybody else actually feel kind of sorry for Lydia at the end? I know she was threatening Skyler's life and had ordered Walt to be killed, but still... having her be poisoned with Ricin just felt unnecessarily cruel to me somehow. Especially given the rather contrite mood we'd seen from Walt through the rest of the hour.

No, I didn't feel sorry for her. No more sorry than I felt for the gangsters she had gunned down in the desert.

I mean it was pretty clear that she wasn't some evil, sadistic mastermind or anything; she was just a fearful and nervous woman who was constantly scared about getting caught. I would think it would be enough for Walt to simply point the DEA in her direction and have her be arrested-- which for her would still be a pretty damn terrifying fate.

I thought it was clear she was pretty evil, she just didn't get her hands dirty. She certainly had no qualms about having Skyler killed. If she was arrested Walt would have to worry about her connections eliminating witnesses.

 

[Mojochi]

The fact that Cranston looks so different in real life will prevent him from being typecast.

Agreed. He is always showing up in extremely varied projects. He was never going to be an A-List actor, but with his performance on this show, he's cemented himself a solid finish to his career, being that he's coming up on 58. For the next 10 years he can very likely get quality work, granted, maybe not A-List motion picture work as a lead actor, but I bet we see him in cinemas doing very strong supporting work

The guy I'm worried about is Aaron Paul. If the trailer for Need For Speed, that I saw on last night's finale is any measure, he is not off to the best of starts. He has far many more years of a career to maintain, & his brilliant performance on Breaking Bad might not hold out at keeping him relevant, & may serve to even typecast him