WatchmenComicMovie.com Forum

Damn shame.

Though Aaron Paul didn't particularly got moments to shine, mostly the whole "juice" of the episode was handled by Cranston, Esposito and Gunn (Skyler), doesn't mean he hasn't been outstanding though.

_________________

Aaron Paul got the Emmy last year for his work in Season 3 which was so fucking deserved. That dude is amazing.

_________________


http://vimeo.com/korireaymackey

"I feel like this might be a difficult series to provide any good discussion. It just seems like very little happens." - Me, from a few weeks ago.

Slaps Past Me.

The board has been set. The pieces are moving. Something, something, Lord Of The Rings reference....what a great set up episode. I'll post some thoughts tomorrow because right now my mind is drawing a blank. Not because nothing happened, but because so much is happening that there's not much to speculate about. It's the reverse of what we had been used to for so many episodes. When things are in motion (and there wasn't a wasted minute in tonight's episode) you kind of just have to go along for the ride. The time for speculation might be over.

_________________


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

"End Times"


SPOILERS


- Recently I browsed through the Mad Men thread. I noticed that my reviews were longer, and more tongue in cheek, and tended to be a bit more in depth. I think the reason for that is Mad Men is a show that relies on metaphor and subtext, much more so than Breaking Bad. Which is not to suggest there is no subtext in BB, just that with this show what you see is what you get. Two very different shows, but just something I noticed.

- Breaking Bad puts its foot down on the gas as the episode picks up right after we left off. I thought Walt might try to approach Hank, but there wasn't any time. Walt tells Skyler that he alone should face the brunt of whatever is coming to him. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Walt almost reminds me of the sea captain in Tales from The Black Freighter. He wanted to do good by his family, make it so that they could survive without him should he die, but through his own actions he leads his family into danger. In the comic, the man himself kills his own family. Walt's family is still alive at least, but like the captain, Walt has become a wretch and must live among wretches. Perhaps that is why Walt could never ask for Hank's help. It's too late for that.

- Hank thinks Gus has threatened his family. He has been amazingly close to finding out the truth this season, but does he really believe Gus is involved, or is it just what he wants to believe? That look of doubt on his face at the end...

- Walt spins the gun on the table. Twice it stops and is pointing at himself. A third time points it away from him. He is making his own luck, and on the third spin he gets moving.

- Breaking Bad uses a lot of time shift photography, and it's something I'd wish they'd use less of. I feel the show too often becomes self conscious when it resorts to some of the camera angels, and effects that are used.

- Jesse and his recin cigarette finally come into play. Was it really Gus's fault, or did Jesse just screw up and forgot he left the cigarette in his pack? I think it would be more devastating to know that Jesse is the one to blame. There has also been some speculation that Walt really was the one to poison the kid, just so that Jesse would think it was Gus. But that seems like a massive gamble to me, and I'm not sure if Walt would really go those lengths.

- Jesse holds a gun to Walt's head hard enough to leave an imprint. I was convinced the partnership between these two was over, but I forgot just how ruthless Gus could be. I feel like the show purposely made us relate more to Gus than to Walt over the past few episodes. Just so that we would become comfortable around him (maybe even like him). Then, the rug is pulled out from under us and Gus (possibly) murders a child. It was the only thing that could happen to reunite Walt and Jesse.

- Walt works in his kitchen and builds a bomb. Science to the rescue!

- Mike is absent in this episode. I miss him. I hope he'll pop up in some shape or form in the finale.

- Gus gives Jesse a weeks leave of absence. Which he has no intention of actually giving.

- So why did Gus suspect his life might be in danger in that parking garage? What was it that tipped him off? Was it the light reflecting off of Walt's glasses? But if so, why would he take a chance and step closer to the railing? Was he expecting a sniper to take a shot? Or did he just get a bad feeling? Either way, Walt missed a glorious opportunity of taking Gus out once and for all. The scene is tense to be sure, but I'm not sure I buy the logistics of it all. Would Walt have really found the time to build the bomb, then find Gus's car, attach the bomb (which in a way is a nice call back to him planting the bug on Gus's car) without anyone noticing, then make his way to a building's rooftop across the street? I don't know, but there was no way the show was going to off Gus like that.

So the season finale is titled "Face Off", but where does that leave us? Assuming Walt and Jesse are victorious, what do they do in the future? What does the show become? I'd advise against looking at previews for the finale as one I watched was pretty spoilery.

_________________


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

Another fantastic Breaking Bad episode, none of the scenes were the absolute chill factor we saw last week, but I don't think anyone expected THAT could be topped, still, I thought it was a great episode, even if some scenes bothered me a bit.



You really should check out the previous episodes, specially when Gale Boetticher was alive, there was people who absolutely could NOT believe Jesse had actually killed Gale, Vince Gilligan himself had to come out and give a statement on how Gale HAD been killed.

What I'm trying to say is that the show hasn't held back on the typical taboos that are rule of law in other series, in another show it's unthinkable the main character would kill an innocent person to save his life, and yet, that's the beauty of Breaking Bad, anything can happen, anyone can do anything.



In regards to this, I thought the scene with Steve Gomez was absolute hilarity, don't know about the rest of you guys, but Agent Gomez sure as hell knows how to "knock on doors" !



Gale Boetticher man, Gale Fucking Boetticher.

Walt's version is credible, but I still have issues with his accusations on Gus, did he really do it ? I mean did Tyrus really stole a cigarrette from Jesse's pack, chose NOT to smoke it, and then for some reason found a ricine pill inside ? To which, suddenly, he notified Gus, and Gus decided to use it on Brock ?

I think we're in for some really shocking news on the finale.



"I will KILL your infant daughter"

Still have nightmares about it.



I would really like to see this scene:

*Walt and Jesse stand in front of Mike, both covered in Gus' blood"

Walt: He's dead.........

Mike: ....................

Jesse: So...where do you stand ?

Mike: ...................

*Mike beats the shit out of both, goes out for a smoke*



Odd scene for sure, I mean, I know Gus is a force to be reckoned with, but I would think even he, realistically, as a human being, would have his goddamn limits !

Though I think the scene just pulls as Walt's glasses as what tipped off Gus.

_________________

True. But both of their lives were on the line. I mean, they are on the line right now, but at that moment they didn't have a choice. And I think there's a difference between killing a grown man and a child.



I don't think that's what Walt is suggesting. I think he is suggesting that somehow, Gus knew about the plan all along. That he had the lab bugged as well as videotaped. So Tyrus would already be on the lookout for the cigarette. Of course, Gus wouldn't even need it. After all, he did poison his former associates in Mexico. Personally I think Walt is just using it as leverage against Gus. I think Jesse is the one who fucked up. And the sad thing would be that the kid he cared about ultimately has his life in danger because Jesse was trying to kill someone else. Someone who may not have even wanted him dead.



Gus is definitely capable of being scary. But I guess even with some of the best villains, you kind of have to dig him. Villains sometimes have a certain nobility to them and this is true of Gus. You want to see him success because, at least on some level, you respect and admire him. He is cold and ruthless, manipulative, but also precise, and ballsy.

_________________


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

That sounds more like it, though it doesn't get Walter off the hook to me, I'd rather wait to see if the finale answers that.



That would be fucking amazing if true !



I'd feel sad to see Gus go, I always thought he would stick around to the very end, guess we'll see what happens with him next week...............

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

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

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

.........................can't fucking wait.............

_________________

I'll just have to repeat, don't watch the previews. Seriously, I decided to stick around and see if there was going to be a promo, and there was, and while it doesn't really spoil any of the fates of these characters, it does strongly suggest a possible direction for one character, unless the promo was really misleading.

As for Gus, what are the odds that he'll be killed by Walt? I mean, there's going to be a face off, it's in the title. Everything has been leading up to that one moment. But where would that leave things for the next season? I'd think Walt would almost certainly have to kill him as they've been talking about it all season. So I'll predict Walt will be on the lam next season, as that would at least provide a sufficient enough plotline. Maybe Walt will sabotage the lab?

_________________


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

What's a "lam" ?

_________________

I wasn't sure if it was "lamb" or "lam", but checking online "lam" seems to be the write word. Anyways, unless your not joking, to be on the lam means to be on the run.

_________________


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

Not joking in this case, just was a little confused by the term.

Though I must agree, that could be a pretty good storyline for the final season !

_________________

Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive

I could have used "on the run", but "on the lam" just has more of a gangstery, literature vibe to it. It's the type of phrase used to described those in trouble with the law.

Also, you needn't look up the word "gangstery", it's not a real world.

* I should add, Walt would have to be on the run from the police, for the term to be accurate.

_________________


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

If there is one thing that Breaking Bad is not, it's predictable. I had been afraid that the promo for the finale was hinting at one thing, then the show takes it down a road I hadn't considered. Very few shows today can completely keep you guessing, and Breaking Bad is one of them. A great finale to what turned out to be a great season.

And so we come to the ingeniously misleadingly titled "Face Off".


SPOILERS


- For once, Jesse is the voice of reason. Walt brings the bomb from Gus's car into the hospital with him, and we get a fun visual of the bomb acting like a magnet in the elevator doors. Cranston and Paul bring the goods once again, both men looking like their lives are literally in danger.

- Jesse is interrogated by the FBI. From the promo for this episode I was expecting Jesse to confess everything to Hank, that he was the guy with information. Guessed wrong.

- Walt is unfamiliar with threats. I know that Walt may sometimes be naive to this sort of thing, but it was a bit silly that it took him so long to pick up that Saul's secretary was trying to extort money from him.

- Amazingly, Saul is still in the picture. I had been expecting him to simply to skip town.

- Mike doesn't play a role in this episode, unfortunately. I hope we haven't seen the last of him, I feel that would be too unresolved a plot point.

- Hank gets what he wants. You think his own wife is going to stop him? Please. Hank faces a minor humiliation at the hands (bell?) of Tio. But he'll get some vindication later in the episode.

- Speaking of Tio, what other show would make of such great use of a bell? Is this something that really exists? That form of communicating? It made for a surprisingly light moment.

- Stun guns. They are the bane of the Breaking Bad world.

- All season, we had been expecting a literal face off between Gus and Walt. And we got one, just one that was a bit more covert. What were the last words that Walt said to Gus? I can't remember. I suppose some might be disappointed that there was no literal face off between the two, but now we come to the title of the episode...

- Face off. Tonight was comprised of a series of face offs. Walt and Marie on the phone. Marie and Hank. Hank and Tio. And most importantly, Tio and Gus. It was this face off that the past episodes had been leading up to. And think about the title just once more. Face off. Like Gus, who walked away with half his face off. Fucking. Yes!

- Rest in peace, Gustavo. You went out like a G. I'll miss this character, just as I'll miss Giancarlo Esposito. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but Gus had balls! Walking away and adjusting his tie, just after having his face blown off? Balls, son, balls! I suppose with such an immense character, blowing him up was the only possible way he could go out. Still, he will be sorely missed.

- Hank hears of the explosion, and is vindicated. He was on the right track, and that will be of some comfort to him. Still, where does this leave him? Will he decide to reopen the Heisenberg case?

- Walt and Jesse share one final moment, having come up ahead in the game. Did you suspect Walt had been behind the boy's poisoning all along? I was thinking their moment might have been too neat, and was wondering (and still am wondering) where that will leave them for next season. I still think the episode should have created a bigger hook, but now we know Walt just how ruthless Walt is. You can not compare this to what happened to Gale, Walt had planned this for some time. And has lost his soul, or whatever was left of it.

- "I won." This round, yeah, but the game is never over.


So....now what am I going to watch?

_________________


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

This show man, this show !

I should point out, for those interested, that my girlfriend is watching this show now, she's starting this season just tomorrow, she wants to catch up.

She already hates Walt..............with a passion.

So I can't even IMAGINE what she would think of that final, brilliant shot we got at the end of this episode.

HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. What an awesome show.



That was a hilarious moment, I was wondering what the hell was the nurse thinking when he saw Walt pulling the bag away from the elevator.

Also the old lady waving and saying hello to Walt, that shit was outrageous.



That was probably the only scene I didn't like from this episode, it felt forced, I really don't think anyone couldn't have noticed that she was blatantly blackmailing him, maybe she didn't pull it off as an actress and gave the poker face too early, making Walt look REALLY stupid.



I can only wonder where the hell is he going to fit into the show ? Given how there's no cartel and no Gus, maybe he'll work for Saul ? That's assuming Saul changes his mind about skipping town.



I don't want to say I outsmarted Vince Gilligan, I sure didn't, but there's only so many scenarios you can come up by the time Gus goes to meet Tío, it doesn't help at all that the warm-up is really frikking long, giving the audience more than enough time to imagine all the kinds of ways in which Walt could end up killing Gus, I actually thought Tío was going to have the bomb in a blanket over his legs or something.

Still, doesn't make that scene any less brilliant.

Also, was I the only one who thought for a moment that season five was going to be about an insane Gus playing two-face on Goth........New Mexico ?



He will indeed, be missed, a fantastic character, played by a fantastic actor, who gave us all a great lesson:



Too much ?



That is probably the moment every single Breaking Bad fan has been waiting for, hopefully next season will deliver !



Dude, when are you going to understand that Walt is an evil fuck ? He risked the life of Vince Gilligan's mom for crying out loud !

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan- ... s-season-4





As for me, I think this one is worth a shot:

_________________

I forgot to mention the destruction of the lab. There was a second where I thought two were going to continue to make meth.

Also, Walt shooting Gus's goons. I had totally forgotten that Walt had bought the gun at the start of the season. That's something that Lost didn't do particularly well. Pretty much all of Breaking Bad's plot points were addressed. If something was introduced, it was addressed by seasons end.



It's true, especially with Gus's final, Leone western walk to the building. I just didn't know how it was going to happen.

So what do you think the plot will be for next season? Walt more or less got away with everything. He'll have been done cooking meth, Jesse will have nothing to do....

Also, funny you should mention the Walking Dead as it was that production studio that provided the effects for Gus's face. Apparently it had been months in planning. But yeah, I'll watch the show. It's just not in the same league.

_________________


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

Are they really done cooking meth ? Can we really be sure of that ?

Then again, the lab was blown to shit, and they really don't have the means or the financing to pull off the operation that Gus had.

For my part I don't have a specific motive or arc, but it's almost certain that next season will deal with Walt not having anything to do, and being frustrated with it, Skyler going crazy about what Walt did, and Hank finally discovering Heisenberg !



Now that is an awesome coincidence.

Still, even though Walking Dead is not as good, we can still have some fun discussing the episodes !

_________________

_________________


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

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

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

_________________

You just knew someone would think to do that.

_________________


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

I really want it, shit seems like a magnet for new awesome friends !

_________________