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My thoughts exactly. It was so intense that it was hard to watch and the ending... holy shiee

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Glad to see I'm not the only one who noticed that guy has a cone head.

Anyway, I obviously never did get around to talking about the previous episode, although neither did anyone else, it would seem. Not a bad episode, but I just didn't feel like talking about it. It really just dealt with the aftereffects of the episode before it. Next episode looks like a corker, so expect more discussion for that one.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Wasn't this season cut in half or something ?

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Yep. Eight episode each. Two more episodes until the end of this season to go. Have you been watching?

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Wow, 16 episodes ?! Awesome, and yes I've been watching, but I thought it was going to be cut after this episode.

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HO...LY.....FUCK. FUCK! Part 2: Electric Fuckaloo

Will post more tomorrow.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

"Say my name"

I was a little underwhelmed with the previous episode, even though it was by no means a bad one. To make up for it, Breaking Bad came back with what might have been the best episode so far this season. And to think, there is only one episode after this one until next season.

So, unto...

The t3cii rundown!!!




SPOILERS


- Okay, let's talk about that first scene before we tackle the bigger stuff. Much has been said about how Walt no longer exists, that he is now, fully, Heisenberg. We get some support to this belief in the opening moments of the episode. Walt and the boys meet up with that one guy and his crew (that one guy actually being a fairly successful Canadian actor in real life). You'll notice in this scene Walt doesn't wear his Heisenberg hat. I was hoping he would stop wearing it altogether, but in the preview for next week, he's got it on. At this point, does he really need it? He's been in full Heisenberg mode for a while now.

- "Would you really want to live in a world without Coca-Cola?" I sure as hell wouldn't!

- Walt takes a cue from Destiny's Child, and asks that guy to say his name. Specifically, to say his alias. That guy obliges, and Walt replies, with what might be his most badass line "You're goddamn right!". What's interesting about this is, he's not acting in this scene. Like, Walt isn't putting on a badass persona, he actually is that guy.

- "I gotta hand it to ya, Walter...". I like how Mike doesn't actually finish that sentence and come out and give Walt props for how he handled the situation, but Mike isn't entirely fooled by Walt. He shoots Jesse a glance when Walt refers to Jesse as part of being the two best cooks, because he knows it's all bullshit. The problem is, so does Jesse.

- Skyler makes an appearance, and as usual, manages to suck the life out of the episode. I think I once called Betty Draper a "black hole", and I am starting to feel the same way about Skyler. Anytime she appears, she speaks in hushed tones, and comes across as being almost lifeless. I understand why she is acting this way, the problem is it is becoming repetitive.

- I have read some speculation that Jesse and Skyler will form some type of alliance against Walt, but I'm not sure I like the idea.

- Throughout the episode, Walt gives Jesse the runaround, failing to really acknowledge any of Jesse's claims that he is officially out of the business. Walt turns on a dime, going from blissfully unaware, to absolutely furious, and as always, Bryan Cranston does an amazing job. As always, I'll say he deserves whatever awards he should have coming to him. Because Walt is downright scary in this scene. I am becoming increasingly more leery of him as the episodes go by, as I always feel he's a genuine threat to those around him. He doesn't physically lash out against Jesse, instead he settles on verbally abusing him. As usual, Walt is incredibly petty. There is one thing he says to Jesse, and for some reason this got to me, but it's when Walt says something like "I don't know if you are into this sort of thing, but both of us are heading straight to Hell." It's just his total indifference to Jesse, and they're current situation. Walt understands perfectly well the bad things they have done, but unlike Jesse, he has regrets. Jesse tells him off, but this is something they always do, so I'm not sure if Jesse leaving is of much consequence. He'll show up again one way or another.

- At first, I thought Walt was talking to himself in the mirror when he was about to cook, until it was revealed he was talking to Todd. Anyway, Todd tells Walt it's going to take him a while to get the hang of it, which is a big understatement. "Yeah it will take a while".

- In an earlier episode, Lydia pleaded with Mike that she did not want her daughter to think she had abandoned her. After Hank gets the dirt on Mike, Mike has that decision to make himself: Leave while the heat is on him, and leave his granddaughter behind, or turn himself in. He chooses the former. That stuck with me until the end of the episode. He left his young granddaughter behind in the park. And would never say goodbye to her again.

- Why didn't Mike want Jesse to retrieve the bag he stored in the car? Of the three of them, Jesse was the one he could trust the most. Instead, Walt agrees to take the bag to him. Big mistake.

- Walt and Mike eventually meet up, but Walt won't let him go without Mike at least giving up the names of the nine guys they're paying off to keep quiet. Mike says no, and while he leaves, Walt's arrogance comes bubbling back up, and he says "what? No 'thank you?'". Walt's smugness is unbearable, but finally Mike lets him have it, not by punching him in the face, but by spelling out just how much Walt fucked things up. I wish he had told Walt that Gus never meant to kill him, because I genuinely believe he never would have.

- We get some more great acting from Cranston, as he is totally furious now. He goes back to his car, stops, and storms right back. You knew the gun he took from the bag was going to come into play, but did you actually expect Walt to shoot Mike? Mike momentarily gets away, and I was hoping he would successfully escape, but then Walt finds him sitting down on a rock. Walt is freaked out, and then comes the kicker: He could have just got the list from Lydia. It's such a pathetic end to the toughest character on the show. But Mike has the final words of the episode...

"Just shut the fuck up and let me die in peace." That line is such a fitting tribute to him.

Hard to believe this season is now almost over. After watching it, I started to feel a bit annoyed towards Mad Men, because it will almost certainly win an Emmy over Breaking Bad, but it really doesn't deserve to. Breaking Bad is so much more deserving, and what's more, it's actually about something. Things actually happen. The two are very different shows, but seriously, if forced to choose between the two, why would anyone think Mad Men is the better show? Especially with how lackluster it has become?

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Oh lord. OH LORD.

"Jesse will die first"

"NO ! Walt will die first !"

And just look who we ended up losing.

In honor of his surviving awesomeness, a tribute he himself probably wouldn't have liked:

http://vimeo.com/48339572



The scenes between Walt and Jesse really gave some insight into the reach of Walt's excessive ambitions, sure, the guy wants acknowledgement and vindication, but he also wants friendship and trust, not realizing, after all this time and experience, that you can't have it all, I was actually feeling a little more empathy for him................

....................but then he had to fuck it up by lying to Jesse and hiring Todd, even though.............weirdly.............that turned out better for Walt than he would've expected.



I think the scenes with her were meant as foundations to the possible "Skyle-Jesse" alliance, as well as Walt going to the "Hank Confessionary", it's clear the writers want to do something with her, we just have to wait it out.



It's either that or Jesse will have sex with Skyler.............................................no ? Worse idea ?

It's also an idea I may not be fond of, but after such an awesome season, I feel confident it can turn out just fine.



He followed his own advise in the end.



It makes sense for him not wanting Jesse to go out with the bag, if anything bad happened to them, then Mike would've had to live knowing it was his fault Jesse got caught, it sure was a moment of weakness for him to make that decision, sadly it cost him the most.



???

Explain this to me.



Has Breaking Bad won anything ? This might be it's chance, if the Emmy judges want to play politics, as it always happens with award shows, then it's more likely they'd give something to Breaking Bad in it's last season.

And frankly, while this season of Mad Men wasn't the best, I think you're a little picky with the show.

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Well, despite his threats, I think Gus was reluctant to get rid of Walt because he was the best cook. Gus respected the process. It was a bad situation, but I thought Gus might have been hoping things would return to the status quo. I felt that way when it was suggested that Gus didn't know about Brock being poisoned. Which is why Mike is right, if Walt had just kept his mouth shut, and not tried to be "the man", Gus might have eventually let things slide.



I think Cranston has won in the past, and so has Paul. Because of the show's weird scheduling, it was not eligible for the last Emmys, so this year we'll be seeing Paul and Esposito fight for best supporting actor. Mad Men tends to do pretty well, though, and Peter Dinklage won last time, so who knows?

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

There is only one correct reaction after viewing the mid season finale.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Not this one ? -->

And fucking Walt, WHAT DID HE DO NOW ??!!!

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It will be clear once you see the episode why I chose that particular smiley.

I'll post thoughts tomorrow.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

"Gliding over All"

A good (although not quite great) end to the mid season. It's hard to believe we'll have to wait a full year for the final eight episodes. If there was one downside, it's that things felt too abbreviated. Although we're in for a hell of a final few episodes. Just a warning, I have included a shot from the episode that is a spoiler. Now, unto....


the t3cii rundown!
(no explosion necessary)


SPOILERS


- The episode begins with the aftermath of Mike's murder. One thing I had been wondering about was how Walt was going to be able to clean up the mess. Not necessarily literally, but how was he going to explain it to Jesse or Saul? Luckily for him, there's Todd. I feel like Todd is basically a walking plot device (is that the right word?). If Jesse is out of the picture, bring in Todd. He exists purely to help get the characters to where they need to go. In this case, to help liquefy Mike, and get rid of a car. As for Jesse, turned out a simple lie was enough. I suppose the fact Mike would simply disappear off the face of the earth would be in keeping with his character, for Jesse.

- I mentioned The Godfather in a previous post. The movie is referenced again when Walt closes the door on Jesse.

- Later, Walt meets with Lydia, and she convinces him to expand his business. When she leaves, he puts away that ricin cigarette of his. I assume at some point that ricin is going to figure into the storyline, unless it has become a red herring? I wouldn't be surprised if Walt Jr. stumbles upon it and tries to smoke it.

- We finally get to meet Todd's criminal family in this episode. And they are apparently members of the Aryan brotherhood, as one of them is sporting a swastika tattoo on his neck. At this point, Walt has consorted with all types of lowlifes, but there is something unseemly about seeing him sitting so naturally with these other men. Anyway, Walt manages to convince the crew to carry out his plan by simply lowering his voice.

- We then get the bravura set piece of the episode, a massive shanking session all to the tunes of Nat King Cole. This might have been Breaking Bad at its most violent. I can't remember seeing such a display of violence on this show, or any other show, for that matter. Just shankings left and right. In fact, I don't think OZ had this many shankings, and it was set in a prison. Happy Shanksgiving!

- Walt continues his business with Todd, and we get a montage of them cooking meth, all set to the tune of Crystal Blue Persuasion". You have to wonder how long they have been waiting to use that song, as it is almost too perfect. But while the cash is rolling in, Walt looks more and more depressed. Is it because he's finally won? I mean, there are no other loose ends, no other bad guys to take down.

- Skylar finally stops moping and does something in this episode. She actually tries to get back her family. Although not without some prompting from Marie. She shows Walt all of the money he has made so far (at least, whatever money she hasn't been able to launder), which is in a giant pile. in a storage locker. Finally, Walt is able to see what Jesse has been saying all along: They now have so much money they don't know what do with it. I sometimes think it would be great to win some money in the lottery, but I also sometimes think it would be difficult to deal with the idea of having a lot of money. Obviously money lets you buy whatever you want, and not have to worry about not having any money, but there must come a point when you have as much money as Walt has that you really have no use for it. Where it comes to the point where there is so much of it, it is almost meaningless.

- Walt gets an MRI, but like the previous season, we don't get the results. Has Walt's cancer come back? Is that why he later decides to quit the business? Because he realizes he would rather live in peace with his family, then continue on building an empire he will never enjoy?

- Walt later pays Jesse a visit, and it's at this point where I (and Jesse) were thinking Walt might try to pull something. Why else would he be there? Turns out, just to reminisce. Jesse is on edge throughout the scene, and Walt has given him good reason to be nervous. But Walt just wanted to leave him something. I honestly had a feeling it was going to be Mike's dead body waiting in that bag.

- So in the end, it seems as if Walt is genuinely out of the game. He has proven himself, both to himself, and to his wife, and now he is going to settle down and live a mundane life. One in which he sits by his pool, engaging in idle chatter with his wife, sister and brother in law. As his son and daughter walk by the pool, the scene is so mundane, that you just new something was going to come along and upset the balance.

That someone was Hank.

- As soon as Hank headed to the bathroom, I knew he was going to find something of Walt's. I just didn't know it would be a book, inscribed and dedicated by Gale Boetticher. While I didn't catch the inscription when I first saw it, I did find a screencap for it:



Hank reads the inscription, and is instantly taken back to a conversation he had with Walt last season. Finally, after all these years, he has found his white whale. And it turns out to be his own brother in law.

Earlier in the episode, Hank tells Walt of a job he used to do as a young man, working out doors. He hated it at the time, but as he tells Walt, it beat chasing after monsters. He says this after just learning of the timed mass hit on the nine men. The move is so calculated, in fact, all of the moves have been so calculated, and so awful,that Hank feels out of his depth. After his story, Walt offers up an aside "I always liked going camping". Now here is where it gets interesting. Walt is that monster, and Hank now knows he is that monster. That he's not just a meth cook, but that he is a meth kingping, that he is capable of murder, and is well organized. And with that final revelation, the season comes to a temporary end, and Hank is left sitting on the can, with that look of shock on his face.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

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So, what did you think of the episode?

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Right on it pal !



ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME ??!!!

..................................

*insane rambling*



Mike was in quite the convenient position, if he had drowned himself on a well, it wouldn't have made any difference, he's out of the picture, he's gone, he won't be a problem anymore. Walt was very lucky in that regard, with a simple line and a poker face, he was able to sell the lie to Jesse.

As for Saul, I specially loved how they showed him drinking his whisky on his desk, just imagine, the weight of all this, of all that Walt has been doing, is pressing down on Saul, ON SAUL. That for me speaks a lot about Walt's ruthlessness, and how his actions have created guilt on people that are not supposed to have a conscience.



I thought the same thing about Walt Jr., even Holly ! But then again, too predictable, and this show is not the "obvious" kind.

Still, it would be quite the ending to see Walt Jr. or Holly getting poisoned by that precise ricin vial.



My "favorite" was the lawyer, I didn't even know shanking was like that, I first thought they were............punching him...............but then the blood



It's lonely at the top !

Things really were clear once Skyler showed him the pile of money, and when he found out the cancer came back.

Oh yeah, I'm on the "Cancer came back on Walt" bandwagon.

I specially liked the scene where he saw the punch mark (at least I thought that was what he saw) on the drying towel case in the bathroom, it was a short scene, but it made me care...........a little............for Walt, he's a different person now, he has gone through a lot of things, it's only natural he wouldn't react the same way as the "other guy" did (the one who punched the towel case) because he sees life in a different way now, as such, it validates the next scene where he tells Skyler he's out.

Unfortunately, Hank..............OH HANK !



That scene would've been SO awesome.



I don't want to rush too much, but just to play Devil's Advocate:

Should we assume Hank NOW KNOWS Walter White is Heisenberg ? Or has Hank now been "led" towards his brother-in-law ?

I mean, is it logical for Hank to assume that all this time it was his own Brother-in-law ? That doesn't happen very often in real life.

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I thought you knew? AMC apparently only wanted a short final season, of no more than six to eight episodes. The producers had to convince them to let them film more, so they split the season into two parts.



But I think it needs to come into play somehow. It's like a "Chekhovs Gun" sort of thing.



Well, they had to act fast, because of the time window.



It would also have been SO dark. Like a warning to Jesse. Hell, on its own with no explanation would have been even scarier. Even still, Jesse came to the door armed, so he at least now leery of Walt.



I don't know, I think it goes back to Hank's boss's feelings towards Gus, how he had this man in his own home, with no idea of what kind of person he really was. But I think the flashback served an important purpose beyond just showing us that Hank had made a connection. When Hank was coming up with a list of possibilities of who "WW" could be, when he says "Walter White", he fixes Walt with a rather heavy gaze, as if he isn't quite joking. But the implications are so huge, that Hank is thunderstruck by it. The last time Hank was reading anything by Walt Whitman was when he read the quote from Gale's notebook. And here is a quote from a "GB" to a "WW", and the book is a compilation of poems by Walt Whitman. And it's possible that Hank has subconsciously noted all of Walt's strange behavior, his arrogance towards Gale's work, the mysterious bruises, Walt's supposed gambling problem, that this was simply the final piece of the puzzle that locked into place. So at the very least, I think he does suspect Walt is Heisenberg.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

Shit bro, I thought it was going to be the same as it was with The Walking Dead, merely three months of difference, can't the assholes at AMC appreciate what their money has made ?



It deffinitely is, but I don't know, it seems way too easy to guess that it would be one of those things where Holly was playing around, saw the vial, and swallowed it.



Jeez, but wouldn't one stab in the neck be enough ? They had to turn him into swiss cheese ?!



Yeah, Walt's reminiscing was only a charming moment for him. What matters most to me about this scene is how will Jesse figure into the plot now ? This can't possibly be the last we see of him obviously.



Very interesting thoughts, I agree that at the very least we know Hank is on Walt's trial.

Now, what do we make of Walt buying a military-issue 100 round machine gun ? Still not a fucking clue

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I think it comes back next summer, although maybe it will come back a bit early. It's back in 2013 at any rate.



Well a shank is basically an improvised knife. Usually the end of a toothbrush or plastic fork that has been filed down to a sharp point. So they might need multiple stabbings just so they can do some damage.



I had a theory earlier on in the season that Skyler would ask him just why he apparently once held a gun to Walt's head. Jesse can then tell her he was upset because he thought Walt was responsible for poisoning Brock, but would say it was due to the "Lilly of the valley" plant. At which point Skyler would tell him they use to have such a plant in their back yard.



Now that, I don't know. Maybe the guys he killed in prison had connections of their own? Who knows?

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."