Breaking Bad - Season 5

[gblews]

Walt has stepped down to new level of assholery in killing Mike solely because he was insulted and a bit jealous. I don't think he has killed for these reasons alone before.

I too was surprised to see Mike go this soon. I thought he'd definitely make it to the final 8 episodes -- must be a reflection of how much I like the character.

Such a warm scene with Walt and Skylar at dinner.

I don't think we have heard the last of the kid's death. Todd still has the bottle with the kid's prints on them -- and Todd is dumb. BTW, who said he is a better version of Jessie? In what way?

How would the DEA have arrested the lawyer? Did I miss it? He had a lot of money he couldn't explain, but that seems more like an IRS problem than DEA. Maybe this is what Saul was railing about. The lawyer didn't have the legal knowledge or kojones to stand up to the Feds. In the same situation, hard to see Saul rolling over without a HUGE damn fight and a still hot smokin' gun.

 

[Tom]

I have issues with the lawyer at the bank too. He is putting cash in his customers safe deposit box, what wrong with that. Yes, he has a big bag of cash, but its not against the law to have cash, last I checked he is in a bank after all. The DEA has no grounds at all to arrest him and as a lawyer he should know that. Also, legally he can't breach client/lawyer confidentialty and flip anyone. Just seemed a bit off.

 

[Count Zero]

Todd is a better version of Jesse in the sense that he's eager to learn from Walt and respects him from the start. As for now, he also seems to be more disciplined and ready to do what needs to be done. When Todd said they should talk about money only after he had learned to do the cooking right, Walt seemed to approve of the sentiment. I don't think this bodes well for Jesse.

By the way, I thought it was weird that Mike always warned Jesse about Walt but then ended up dying because he had underestimated him. He should have played along to a degree instead of setting off Walt but he thought he could afford it and that Walt wouldn't do anything about it.

 

[J.T.B.]

I have issues with the lawyer at the bank too. He is putting cash in his customers safe deposit box, what wrong with that. Yes, he has a big bag of cash, but its not against the law to have cash, last I checked he is in a bank after all. The DEA has no grounds at all to arrest him and as a lawyer he should know that. Also, legally he can't breach client/lawyer confidentialty and flip anyone. Just seemed a bit off.

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Saul made a point of the lawyer/client privelege thing when they first hooked up with him. I can't imagine even a crummy lawyer going in to be "sweated" by the police without his own legal counsel. It did seem off.

Justin

 

[Borgminister]

Let me die in peace...

classic.

 

[Mojochi]

The latest ep reminded me that there's one little thing that bugs me about this show, and I hate to mention it since I haven't looked forward to new shows this eagerly since The Wire. But they use gimmicky shots. Last night it was the POV of the hand opening the safe deposit boxes. A few episodes ago it was an upward shot through a table and a map which had somehow become transparent. Hitchcock always said the camera should be placed so the viewer feels they could see what it's seeing, it subconsciously draws them in. Every time they use a shot like that it takes me out of things a little. It seems like a gimmick that the show doesn't need. But that's small beer...

If the whole show was shot that way, I agree it would be a problem. But it's just a little bit of flash here and there for fun, to keep the show from feeling too oppressively dark and heavy.

Plus it's a way to make something as boring as opening safety deposit boxes (or cooking meth, or any of the other boring activities we see on this show) seem a little more cool and visually interesting.

Did anyone else find it peculiar that the camera shot in Hank's office, right after Walt removes the bugs, looked suspiciously like it was shot from a ceiling mounted surveillance camera? Could they have found the bugs & put Hank's office under surveillance? Could be something... could be nothing, but that's another reason why the occasional campy camera work is useful, to keep us off our guard

RIP Mike... I knew you're time would come & I pretty much had it pegged for when it happened, but your influence on the show will be missed, because you really were the only character that freely spoke everything that we all know is true

Never before have I really watched a show that manages to be so good, even though we already know what they are going to do. We all knew Gale had to die. We all knew Fring had to die. We all knew Mike had to die, & we have all known the entire time that Hank will find out about Walt. It's a series long cliffhanger, but we all know where is has to go. What we don't know is how they will do it.

That's what's so great about this show. Though there may be some surprises, there's no real twists.They want you to know what's going to happen, & they want to compel you to watch despite the fact, because they know that they can do it in a way you will never see coming. That's why I'm sticking to my guns & saying that Jesse is not a finished character unless he is the one that finally has to end this all by killing Walt

Lily of the Valley. Who the hell saw THAT coming? Nobody, that's who. It's not about what happens. It's about how it happens

 

[davejames]

With Jesse and Skyler crossing paths these last two episodes, I can't help but wonder if they're going to team up at some point. Either to stop Walt or somehow pin all the blame and evidence on him alone...

 

[TheGodBen]

Todd is a better version of Jesse in the sense that he's eager to learn from Walt and respects him from the start. As for now, he also seems to be more disciplined and ready to do what needs to be done. When Todd said they should talk about money only after he had learned to do the cooking right, Walt seemed to approve of the sentiment. I don't think this bodes well for Jesse.

I had a different read on that scene. It seemed to me that Walt was slightly pissed at Todd because he was so unlike Jesse, the irony being that Todd is exactly the sort of assistant that Walt would have wanted when the show began, but now Walt has changed. I may be wrong.

Lily of the Valley. Who the hell saw THAT coming? Nobody, that's who. It's not about what happens. It's about how it happens

Actually, the lily of the valley thing was a pretty hot fan theory going into the season finale last year. It's the reason why I've shied away from BB fan sites this year, it was still fun to see my favoured theory for how Brock got sick proven correct, but the season 4 finale lacked that gut punch for me as I was already expecting it.

 

[Mojochi]

Actually, the lily of the valley thing was a pretty hot fan theory going into the season finale last year. It's the reason why I've shied away from BB fan sites this year, it was still fun to see my favoured theory for how Brock got sick proven correct, but the season 4 finale lacked that gut punch for me as I was already expecting it.

Do you mean it was a hot theory before they diagnosed Brock as having been poisoned with it? Or just that once everyone knew Brock had been poisoned, everybody was theorizing that Walt had done it? because yeah, most everybody was theorizing that Walt had done it, once we knew about the Lily of the Valley being the diagnosis

I just mean no one could have known that they would do specifically that as a way to get Jesse away from Gus

With Jesse and Skyler crossing paths these last two episodes, I can't help but wonder if they're going to team up at some point. Either to stop Walt or somehow pin all the blame and evidence on him alone...

Been considering that myself. I don't really see how they can pin everything on Walt, but stop him, they could

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I loved the expression on Walt's face when Mike told him off. He knew every word Mike said was 100% right. Walt fancies himself a badass, but his move to kill Mike was desperate and pathetic and succeeded only in spite of his incompetence. Well-played.

I, too, wonder how the DEA got the lawyer to roll. Having a bunch of money isn't illegal, especially if you're a lawyer, and it doesn't seem like anything blatantly illegal could've been determined just from the safety deposit boxes. That lawyer must be a real tool to flip so easily under so little threat.

 

[TheGodBen]

Do you mean it was a hot theory before they diagnosed Brock as having been poisoned with it? Or just that once everyone knew Brock had been poisoned, everybody was theorizing that Walt had done it? because yeah, most everybody was theorizing that Walt had done it, once we knew about the Lily of the Valley being the diagnosis

Some fans had figured out that Walt poisoned Brock before the lily of the valley diagnosis, back when most people thought it was ricin poisoning. There had been a number of minor oddities in episode 4x12 that were picked up on which pointed to Walt being the poisoner, and then some people began to focus on the plant in the gun spinning scene and figured it was a lily of the valley plant. I never would have figured it out had I not read the theories online, and it was so outlandish that a lot of people that did read about it didn't believe it possible. That week between those episodes was a fun time; the camp that believed Walt was the poisoner were smug in their own brilliance for figuring it out, and the camp that believed he didn't do it thought it was so stupid that they threatened to stop watching if it turned out to be true.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Todd's dumb like a fox. Those "prison connections" will come into play, mark my words. I, too, think Walt would rather have Jesse. It's more of an ego boost if he can "woo" Jesse back, so to speak. Also, Jesse's developed a brain along the way and Walt always appreciates that. I think Todd's sucking up with the "we can talk about money when I get it right" business. He's stealing the formula. He has to be.

 

[PKerr]

I have issues with the lawyer at the bank too. He is putting cash in his customers safe deposit box, what wrong with that. Yes, he has a big bag of cash, but its not against the law to have cash, last I checked he is in a bank after all. The DEA has no grounds at all to arrest him and as a lawyer he should know that. Also, legally he can't breach client/lawyer confidentialty and flip anyone. Just seemed a bit off.

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Saul made a point of the lawyer/client privelege thing when they first hooked up with him. I can't imagine even a crummy lawyer going in to be "sweated" by the police without his own legal counsel. It did seem off.

Justin

Watched the episode last night and I too though that scene odd.

Umm ok so you caught me putting cash into a safety deposit box in a bank, BFD.

I would think the real crime would be you coming into said private area without any kind of warrant or provocation to do so and one would think a lawyer would quote that straight away.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Todd's dumb like a fox. Those "prison connections" will come into play, mark my words. I, too, think Walt would rather have Jesse. It's more of an ego boost if he can "woo" Jesse back, so to speak. Also, Jesse's developed a brain along the way and Walt always appreciates that. I think Todd's sucking up with the "we can talk about money when I get it right" business. He's stealing the formula. He has to be.

That all seems likely.

Todd strikes me as the sycophantic parasitical type. He will latch on and kiss your ass for as long as he thinks it suits him, but once he thinks he's got the edge, it's game over. He is probably just as ambitious as Walt, but much more ruthless. You could see that in the way he casually gunned down the kid and so easily rationalized it. All he's lacking is the expertise to do the cooking and the business himself, and well, he's working on those.

 

[Agent Richard07]

The latest ep reminded me that there's one little thing that bugs me about this show, and I hate to mention it since I haven't looked forward to new shows this eagerly since The Wire. But they use gimmicky shots. Last night it was the POV of the hand opening the safe deposit boxes. A few episodes ago it was an upward shot through a table and a map which had somehow become transparent. Hitchcock always said the camera should be placed so the viewer feels they could see what it's seeing, it subconsciously draws them in. Every time they use a shot like that it takes me out of things a little. It seems like a gimmick that the show doesn't need. But that's small beer...

Another recent one was when Walt and Jr. brought their new cars home. I love those little touches. They add a bit of panache to the show.

I loved the expression on Walt's face when Mike told him off. He knew every word Mike said was 100% right.

Gus was also trying to kill Walt, forcing him to fight back, so he didn't completely ruin a good thing. That fact got in the way of Mike's smackdown.

Did anyone else find it peculiar that the camera shot in Hank's office, right after Walt removes the bugs, looked suspiciously like it was shot from a ceiling mounted surveillance camera?

I knew there couldn't have been a camera, but it did look that way didn't it? I wonder if that scene was foreshadowing something. Walt's gotta be careful.

Let me die in peace...

classic.

Best death scene ever.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I loved the expression on Walt's face when Mike told him off. He knew every word Mike said was 100% right.

Gus was also trying to kill Walt, forcing him to fight back, so he didn't completely ruin a good thing. That fact got in the way of Mike's smackdown.

A fate Walt brought on himself by being such a total loose cannon to begin with. He assumed Gale was there to replace him, and therefore Gale had to die. Knowing Gus, Gale was probably there mainly to be an insurance policy in case they had to do away with Walt. But Gus was right not to trust Walt.

And then, after Gale was dead and Gus killed Victor, I think he made his point pretty clear: "You will work for me, and I will completely own you." Walt couldn't handle that, and kept pushing and pushing until Gus had to threaten to murder his whole family to get him in line. A miscalculation on his part, of course. It just made Walt take extreme measures to eliminate the threat.

Mike was right. If Walt had just been content to do his job and not make waves, Gus never would've found it necessary to kill him. Why mess up a good thing? Gale could've served as a backup, or he could've manned another lab elsewhere to expand the business. Gus was thinking long-term. Walt, as usual, couldn't see past his own ego.

 

[TheGodBen]

A fate Walt brought on himself by being such a total loose cannon to begin with. He assumed Gale was there to replace him, and therefore Gale had to die. Knowing Gus, Gale was probably there mainly to be an insurance policy in case they had to do away with Walt. But Gus was right not to trust Walt.

I think it was pretty clear in the season 3 finale that Gus was planning to kill Walt, Mike was sent to kill Walt before Gus even found out that Walt was planing to kill Gale. And the subtext of the scene between Gale and Gus in that episode was that Gale gave his consent for Walt to be killed sooner rather than later. It was Gus that messed up when he (presumably) ordered those two dealers to kill that kid, it was that decision that caused Walt, who had previously been loyal to Gus, to turn against him.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I loved the expression on Walt's face when Mike told him off. He knew every word Mike said was 100% right.

Gus was also trying to kill Walt, forcing him to fight back, so he didn't completely ruin a good thing. That fact got in the way of Mike's smackdown.

A fate Walt brought on himself by being such a total loose cannon to begin with.

Eventhough he may have been overstepping his bounds in a dangerous game, he was trying to protect Jesse, who was the main problem. Can't fault him too much for that.

He assumed Gale was there to replace him, and therefore Gale had to die. Knowing Gus, Gale was probably there mainly to be an insurance policy in case they had to do away with Walt.

I thought Gus was definately preparing Gale to be Walt's replacement, as mentioned above.

Mike was right. If Walt had just been content to do his job and not make waves, Gus never would've found it necessary to kill him. Why mess up a good thing? Gale could've served as a backup, or he could've manned another lab elsewhere to expand the business. Gus was thinking long-term. Walt, as usual, couldn't see past his own ego.

At the time though, you could see how dangerous a business he was in and his fears seemed justified. To be honest, this is the only season where Walt's pride and ego seem to be really out of control to the point where he's too irrational.

 

[Harvey]

The latest ep reminded me that there's one little thing that bugs me about this show, and I hate to mention it since I haven't looked forward to new shows this eagerly since The Wire. But they use gimmicky shots. Last night it was the POV of the hand opening the safe deposit boxes. A few episodes ago it was an upward shot through a table and a map which had somehow become transparent. Hitchcock always said the camera should be placed so the viewer feels they could see what it's seeing, it subconsciously draws them in. Every time they use a shot like that it takes me out of things a little. It seems like a gimmick that the show doesn't need. But that's small beer...

It's part of the visual fabric of the show. Not every scene has to be shot like Hitchcock would approach it.

I liked that the episode addressed the bugs in Hank's office, and that there would be a sweep of it. I expect we'll learn more about how the lawyer was persuaded to flip next week; this show doesn't like leaving loose ends when it comes to the plot. It does like to leave character detail a mystery, though. We'll likely never learn the details of Mike's police history, just like we'll likely never learn the details of Gus Fring's background in Chile.

 

[J.T.B.]

It's part of the visual fabric of the show. Not every scene has to be shot like Hitchcock would approach it.

Of course. I was just trying to explain why it doesn't work for me personally. It takes me out instead of drawing me in.

Justin