Ordinarily, this would be the place where I'd offer some kind of detailed analysis of "Breaking Bad" episode 3, but I'll be honest with you: I've spent the last week and a half coughing so much that I'm empathizing with Walt a little too much, you know? Also, it's been so long since I watched this episode and my opinion on the series overall is the same, so I'm gonna take a sick day on this one and come back next week with clearer lungs and a clearer mind. Fire away with any thoughts you have, of course.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Breaking Bad open thread
Ordinarily, this would be the place where I'd offer some kind of detailed analysis of "Breaking Bad" episode 3, but I'll be honest with you: I've spent the last week and a half coughing so much that I'm empathizing with Walt a little too much, you know? Also, it's been so long since I watched this episode and my opinion on the series overall is the same, so I'm gonna take a sick day on this one and come back next week with clearer lungs and a clearer mind. Fire away with any thoughts you have, of course.
The quality of the series continues to surprise me. It's one of the darkest things I've ever seen, but I can't wait to watch the new episodes when they come in.
ReplyDeleteIt was, however, disconcerting to see Walt and the other chemist at the beginning and throughout the show talking about lab results with no discussion of the differing precision of the results themselves or at least some way of representing the uncertainty of the results. One element was exactly 63% and another was exactly 0.00004%? And then they wrack their brains as to where the remaining 0.111958% went? Doesn't ring true to me.
Rest assured that I was on the Internets within minutes, registering my disgust throughout the world.
This episode was very character-driven, and I liked it that way. The conversation with Walt and Crazy 8 was particularly poignant...especially after Walt found a shard of pottery missing. It made him realize what a sucker he was to believe anything that guy had to say.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was laughing out loud when the DEA uncle took Walt Jr. to the 'Crystal Palace' trying to scare him straight. Reminded me a lot of the famed episode of "Arrested Development" where Buster asks George Michael to score him some marijuana.
Next week's ep looks good, too. I like how bleak and dark this show is.
**Hope you're better soon, Alan!**
I neglected to mention one of the most interesting developments: the DEA's snitch was Crazy 8, which means he was the one who gave up his cousin in the first episode. It really turns around the scene from that episode where he accuses Jesse of being the snitch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the DEA finding that gas mask could end very, very badly for Walt. Although I suppose there's no happy ending for Walt in this story.
I was already loving Cranston's performance, but this week's episode is the one that made me say "Don't nominate anyone else, just send him the Emmy." Cheers to Vince Gilligan to giving us that drawn out scene between Walt and Crazy 8, and to the half-assed scared straight lecture. Anyone else think the first season will end with Walt finding out his doctors made a mistake?
ReplyDeleteTom - No way do they get rid of the lung cancer. That was the catalyst for the show. If he isn't dying, he has no reason to keep cooking meth.
ReplyDeleteI have been really enjoying this show thus far. Cranston alsways struck me on Malcolm in the MIddle as being utterly fearless, and it continues here. Watching him playing with the plate shards and seeing him talking with Crazy 8 afterwards was phenomenal. I'm not sure if I bought the flashback scene as a justification for his ability to see a pile of ceramics in the trash and know that a piece was missing, but it was still a great scene, because until then, I was asking why they couldn't agree to let bygones be bygones and go ahead and sling some meth...
I am surprised that three episodes in they haven't really pushed the premise hard. Aside from the one batch he made in the pilot, the show hasn't been about a chemistry teacher taking hold of his life and cooking meth. It has been about the consequences of one impulsive act can ripple and reverberate. I am glad the show hasn't been about watching him become a kingpin like Weeds, but has kept it small in scale and intimate in it's breadth.
A year ago, who would have thought we'd be calling AMC a destination for high quality original programming? Although the muted swearing and commercials need to go...
The muted swearing AND the pixallated boobs have to go. What's the point of having cable if you don't get both?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you about the lung cancer. After episode three, I think Walther is in too deep to back out now. I like how things just get piled progressively higher and deeper with this series.
Although the lung cancer served as a catalyst, as the show progresses, it seems to be more and more about how much easier it is to sink than it is to swim. I think a lot of the drama in the series will focus on Walter trying to tread water in his new milieu and not get dragged down about it.
Cheers to Vince Gilligan to giving us that drawn out scene between Walt and Crazy 8
ReplyDeleteThat was an amazing piece of work.
Nothing in this series has gone how I've expected, which makes me love it even more.
After this episode (which if memoryserves is the last of the three that Alan got to watch ahead of time), I can see where his pacing concerns are coming from - if you look at these first three episodes, they really form one feature-length film, not three episodes of episodic television. One complete story (teacher gets bad news, decided to cook meth, deals with fall-out), as opposed to a series of shorter connected stories. Which I am fine with - I haven't been this entranced by a show since I sterted renting Deadwood. But I am curious to see how it becomes more like a TV show than a film over time (or, given how few episodes tihs season will comprise - didn't Alan say 7?, not).
ReplyDeleteFrom Jan: I love this show. I don't find it slow at all--it's riveting. Right now it's the show I'm looking forward to the most each week. Each episode is full of surprises--who the DEA snitch is, what happens during body disposal, etc--and I'm really drawn in by how truly messy Walt's life of crime, which he had thought would just be a nice little money maker, has become. I can't wait to see what happens next.
ReplyDeleteThe whole first season is OnDemand now for free if you have Comcast cable. The shows expire on Sunday, which is right in time for the season two premiere.
ReplyDeleteI have been wanted to check this show out since reading Alan's year end picks, and let me tell you, this show is great! It's so dark and sad, yet I still feel compelled to watch Walt every single week.
I really thought Walt would let Crazy 8 go, but that last second realization of the plate was just genius.
I'm only 3 years late on this show, but what the heck...
ReplyDeleteI was riveted during the extended scene between Walt and Krazy 8 - just terrific. I thought the "missing soul" discussion during the flashbacks had a lot to do with how Walt came to decide the fate of Krazy 8. What kind of person would he be if he killed him? Ultimately, the decision was made for him, but it was interesting the way it was setup.
I'm a few more years late catching up with BB, but I keep wondering when Jesse's eye is going to heal. I didn't care particularly for the extended playout of the crazy8 hostage situation, but outside of that its pretty gripping television!
ReplyDelete