Thoughts on Breaking Bad

[Ometiklan]

I just started watching Breaking Bad from Netflix Instant Watch after Chirstmas and I am now watching season 4. I guess this says something about how good a show it is (and how much free time I have managed to find), but as I near the end of season 4 I have had some complaints/thoughts and I wanted to see if others shared this view.

As the seasons have progressed it seems more and more that the writers have had to be less realistic in dealing with Jesse and Walt. To keep the story interesting and tension-filled the writers need to keep their partnership/cooperation on-again/off-again. And while, for the most part, they keep them acting in character, it seems like increasingly they are not rational or realistic. In other words, they keep blowing-up/arguing/falling out just so they won't cooperate and make life better for themselves. I get that this is one of the points of the show/narrative, but it gets a little grating to have it reoccurring so often.

My only other complaint is the show can be very slow. Again, the intent seems to be to keep the tension at a low boil for the duration (with occasional higher-tension bits like a truck hijacking or a sudden death), but I feel there is only so long you can draw things out. It reminds me a little of Lost, or almost any other arc-centric TV show, but without the benefit of the smaller and shorter B-stories or arcs that other shows use to keep the excitement high for individual episodes. I feel that they are missing something by tying the whole narrative to the walt/meth/pollos/gus story. (I hope I am explaining this clearly.) While the show slowly crawls toward the conclusion of Walt's story, there just aren't the little stories that keep the day to day interesting.

Otherwise, I find the show superb. The acting is excellent; I like most or all of the characters; and it doesn't every really disappoint.

Anyone else share my thoughts on the Walt/Jesse "relationship" struggles or the pace of the show?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Not really...I absolutely loved this season. After watching the first season of The Killing, I didn't mind the pacing for S4's Breaking Bad at all. In comparison, the story moved along quite well. I was very much intrigued the whole way.

In terms of the relationship struggles with Walt and Jesse, their relationship has always been pretty rocky and the final blowout/patch up with them towards the end felt organic to me. Some of the logistics about Walt, a plant, and a certain kid however, doesn't quite seem as feasible as it was shown. I'm certain there will be more on that next season.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I just finished season three, and I absolutely love the show. The Jesse character is a little annoying, and Skyler is a horrible, horrible bitch that makes Chief O'Brien's wife look loving and supporting by comparison. But I like how Walt is slowly transforming from a do gooder chemistry teacher to drug kingpin who won't hesitate to kill. And Gus is one of my favorite villains ever. Can't wait for season four!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Skyler is being unusually supportive of Walt, considering that he's been endangering his family without even having the courtesy to warn his wife what's been going on. And when she found out, she stuck by him - incredible! I would have divorced his sorry ass and called the cops on him, not necessarily in that order.

Walt was never a milquetoast and he's not a loving concerned husband and father. At his core, he's always wanted to be a badass, and everything he's done is just a smokescreen for that need. If you don't understand that, you just haven't been paying attention to this show.

If he was actually concerned about protecting his family, he could have taken that guy's money to get his cancer treatment and would not have needed to become a lawbreaker and endanger his family. He's a selfish, evil fucker underneath it all, but that's not to say it's not fun to watch.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Skyler is being unusually supportive of Walt, considering that he's been endangering his family without even having the courtesy to warn his wife what's been going on. And when she found out, she stuck by him - incredible! I would have divorced his sorry ass and called the cops on him, not necessarily in that order.

But she only stuck by him for the money. That, and perhaps she felt a bit guilty at the prospect of abandoning/forsaking her terminally-ill husband. Even if you can't stand someone, leaving them to die alone may be unconscionable. I've seen real-life examples of that.

Walt was never a milquetoast and he's not a loving concerned husband and father. At his core, he's always wanted to be a badass, and everything he's done is just a smokescreen for that need. If you don't understand that, you just haven't been paying attention to this show.

Come on, do we really need the obligatory "whatever interpretation Temis has is the only right one" passage here? I think Walt is a rather more complex character than that. He felt the clock ticking when he was diagnosed. He was literally a man with nothing to lose, given that he was handed a death sentence. On the other hand, he's hobbled by cowardice, pride, and an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. He's gradually overcome his own gutlessness, which just lets his egomania run wild--like when he taunted Hank about having not caught the real Heisenberg.

I don't think it's fair to say he always wanted to be a badass, just that he was never very satisfied with domestic life, and with a ticking clock hanging over his head he was finally motivated to get off his ass and make something of himself.

If he was actually concerned about protecting his family, he could have taken that guy's money to get his cancer treatment and would not have needed to become a lawbreaker and endanger his family. He's a selfish, evil fucker underneath it all, but that's not to say it's not fun to watch.

No argument on his selfishness--there were plenty of times he could've quit, if not for his own greed.

One of the most interesting facets of his character, to me, is this image he builds up of himself that doesn't really match what he does. There is the man Walt says he is--"the man who knocks"--and the man he behaves like, who is driven by greed, fear, and deceit. He thinks they're the same person, but the audience can tell the difference.

 

[sidious618]

I find the relationship between Jesse and Walt to be perfect and have no problem buying their back and forth journey in regards to being friends.

I've never found the show slow.

 

[Professor Zoom]

The show is pretty much near perfection. Season 4's slow build pays off in the end. Oh, yes, it does.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The show is pretty much near perfection. Season 4's slow build pays off in the end. Oh, yes, it does.

Totally agreed. I love the way the show turns the screws slowly on Walt and Jesse, seeing their tension build and relationships break down. It's great!

 

[WillsBabe]

I got this from Love Film and on the back of watching half a disc bought the first season. Really loving it so far (haven't read the rest of the thread because I don't want to be spoiled!)

 

[Temis the Vorta]

But she only stuck by him for the money.

Wrong. What show have you been watching?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

But she only stuck by him for the money.

Wrong. What show have you been watching?

No, not wrong.

She kicked him out of the house because of all his secrecy and lies. Once she found out it was because he was making mad bank cooking and selling meth, all of a sudden she wants a piece of the action. Money may not be the only reason she took him back, but it was the primary factor.

If he really had just been sleeping around (rather than cooking meth), you think she'd have been willing to take him back if he just came clean? I don't think so.

 

[stj]

Well, the notion that Walt was always really bad at the core depends there really is a core. It just recapitulates religious notions of the soul. It seems to me to be better to realize that Walt was broken by his fear of death.

It also seems to me that the elephant in the room so far as Walt and Skylar goes is how they feel about Walt Jr. A handicapped child had to be a major trial and seems to have been the direct cause of Walt leaving Gray Matters, for a steady job with health insurance. Walt's continuing moral disintegration must inevitably affect his relationship with Walt Jr. Jesse cannot substitute as the son ruined by Walt the Bad Dad forever, not if the show treats the situtation honestly.

The series, however, is sharply threatened by derailment. Like many serial dramas, the necessity to drag out the plot involves contortions that can undermine the theme of the show. In particular, Walt's acquisition of Fring's magical abilities threaten to turn this into a show about how really does make a better man of himself. Personally I find the notion that being bad ass is necessarily better than being a moral loser is a repellent way of thinking. But giving both Fring and Walt the ability to carry out impossible plots against their enemies (Fring's poisoning of the cartel head and Walt's ruse to enlist Jesse,) may indicate the desire to see their hero be a winner.

In my view Walt is one of the rare true examples of antiheroes. The show has also lost control of one character, Jesse, who was originally slated to be killed at the end of season one. (The subsitute horror, the airplane collision, was a rather awkward anticlimax.) The amazing thing is, that the writers managed to turn this error in terms of the original premise and storyline into something even richer, if they can keep from rewriting the premises and themes. Jesse is now an example of something even rarer in drama I think, namely, an antivillain.

 

[sidious618]

But she only stuck by him for the money.

Wrong. What show have you been watching?

No, not wrong.

She kicked him out of the house because of all his secrecy and lies. Once she found out it was because he was making mad bank cooking and selling meth, all of a sudden she wants a piece of the action. Money may not be the only reason she took him back, but it was the primary factor.

If he really had just been sleeping around (rather than cooking meth), you think she'd have been willing to take him back if he just came clean? I don't think so.

I agree. I also think there's a weird thrill in it for her, too.

 

[TheGodBen]

Anyone else share my thoughts on the Walt/Jesse "relationship" struggles or the pace of the show?

I didn't like the way they handled the Walt/Jesse falling-out in early season 3, that come across a little forced and it wasn't really necessary for the plot. However, I don't mind the way it was handled in season 4, there it felt more natural as they were being manipulated by Gus (and fuelled by Walt's natural assholishness). Also, considering all the bad things that Walt has been keeping from Jesse, I wouldn't be at all surprised if season 5 contained the mother of all blow-ups between those two.

 

[Joe Washington]

Breaking Bad is the best show I've watched on TV. I've enjoyed its twists and turns, and, most of all, the character development. The concept of watching Walter White going from Mr. Chips to Scarface was too interesting for me to ignore and the show has been fulfilling that promise in dark, entertaining ways.

I can't wait to see Season 5 and I have no doubt, Jesse will find out the things Walt has done to him and from a point on, it will be all-out war between them the likes that hasn't been seen since the conflict between Vic and Shane in the final season of The Shield. Or maybe it will be even better than that. One can hope.

 

[CaptainCanada]

A handicapped child had to be a major trial and seems to have been the direct cause of Walt leaving Gray Matters, for a steady job with health insurance.

Walt left Gray Matters because of his blowout with Elliot and Gretchen. Walter Jr. wouldn't even have been born at that point.

Moreover, Walt's job pays so poorly (and has such poor insurance; indeed, that's the whole point of the series) that it could hardly have been something he took because of Walter Jr. anyway.

 

[Professor Zoom]

The series, however, is sharply threatened by derailment. Like many serial dramas, the necessity to drag out the plot involves contortions that can undermine the theme of the show. In particular, Walt's acquisition of Fring's magical abilities threaten to turn this into a show about how really does make a better man of himself. Personally I find the notion that being bad ass is necessarily better than being a moral loser is a repellent way of thinking. But giving both Fring and Walt the ability to carry out impossible plots against their enemies (Fring's poisoning of the cartel head and Walt's ruse to enlist Jesse,) may indicate the desire to see their hero be a winner.

The show is called Breaking bad for a reason. Walt IS becoming a repellent person. I don't think the creators of the show would argue that Walt is a BETTER person now than he was at the beginning.

In a lot of ways I think this show is more honest than the Sopranos was... a show that glorified the mob life.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The series, however, is sharply threatened by derailment. Like many serial dramas, the necessity to drag out the plot involves contortions that can undermine the theme of the show. In particular, Walt's acquisition of Fring's magical abilities threaten to turn this into a show about how really does make a better man of himself. Personally I find the notion that being bad ass is necessarily better than being a moral loser is a repellent way of thinking. But giving both Fring and Walt the ability to carry out impossible plots against their enemies (Fring's poisoning of the cartel head and Walt's ruse to enlist Jesse,) may indicate the desire to see their hero be a winner.

The show is called Breaking bad for a reason. Walt IS becoming a repellent person. I don't think the creators of the show would argue that Walt is a BETTER person now than he was at the beginning.

In a lot of ways I think this show is more honest than the Sopranos was... a show that glorified the mob life.

Yeah, one shouldn't confuse Walt's point-of-view with the show's narrative POV. Although viewers are welcome to draw their own conclusions, we've seen Walt do some pretty abhorrent things that he really has no excuse for, and it would be hard to argue that any of them made him a "better" person.

 

[Professor Zoom]

The series, however, is sharply threatened by derailment. Like many serial dramas, the necessity to drag out the plot involves contortions that can undermine the theme of the show. In particular, Walt's acquisition of Fring's magical abilities threaten to turn this into a show about how really does make a better man of himself. Personally I find the notion that being bad ass is necessarily better than being a moral loser is a repellent way of thinking. But giving both Fring and Walt the ability to carry out impossible plots against their enemies (Fring's poisoning of the cartel head and Walt's ruse to enlist Jesse,) may indicate the desire to see their hero be a winner.

The show is called Breaking bad for a reason. Walt IS becoming a repellent person. I don't think the creators of the show would argue that Walt is a BETTER person now than he was at the beginning.

In a lot of ways I think this show is more honest than the Sopranos was... a show that glorified the mob life.

Yeah, one shouldn't confuse Walt's point-of-view with the show's narrative POV. Although viewers are welcome to draw their own conclusions, we've seen Walt do some pretty abhorrent things that he really has no excuse for, and it would be hard to argue that any of them made him a "better" person.

That's right. The show isn't ADVOCATING for Walt's way of life... It's telling a compelling tragedy...