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Breaking Bad on AMC (1 Viewer)

I grew up with a lot of older cousins and aunts and uncles and such. I remember being real young, maybe 4 or so, and one of them was always picking me up and sort of putting me in fake danger -- dangling me over a staircase or throwing me up in the air and catching me at the last minute. I was little, so I was scared of hanging over the edge like that even though I knew they wouldn't actually let me get hurt. So there was sort of that initial endorphin rush from being put in a precarious position, and that was awesome. Then there was that feeling of relief because I remembered that I was actually safe so I would just kind of laugh and enjoy the ride, and that was awesome too.

This show makes my brain chemistry do the same thing.

 
Let's just all agree that despite this show being one of the best on television they have stretched the bounds of reality more than a few times.

If you want to go back and point out every sketchy detail they may flubbed we'd be here for days.

Why don't we just chalk it up to "dramatic license" and move on.
So I assume you'll be taking this stance in the Walking Dead thread from here on out?
LOST (see below)

I don't remember the one where he stockpiled a bunch of food. Season 2?
 
Raider Nation said:
I was thinking about this earlier: if someone asked you what is so addicting about this show, what's the answer in a sentence or two?

I can't put it into words. Maybe someone else can.
Teenage boy with Cerebral Palsy eats breakfast.

Never been done before.

 
Raider Nation said:
I was thinking about this earlier: if someone asked you what is so addicting about this show, what's the answer in a sentence or two?

I can't put it into words. Maybe someone else can.
I'll take a shot.

I loved watching the BBC's Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett. That series has something in common with Breaking Bad. Both shows are elevated by two primary features: the writing and the acting. Both shows have a central protagonist who's decisions are largely based on intelligence and reason. So we don't feel like we're being fed mental candy, we're in on something that requires the viewer to pay close attention and analyze the subtext.

 
DocGonzo said:
I grew up with a lot of older cousins and aunts and uncles and such. I remember being real young, maybe 4 or so, and one of them was always picking me up and sort of putting me in fake danger -- dangling me over a staircase or throwing me up in the air and catching me at the last minute. I was little, so I was scared of hanging over the edge like that even though I knew they wouldn't actually let me get hurt. So there was sort of that initial endorphin rush from being put in a precarious position, and that was awesome. Then there was that feeling of relief because I remembered that I was actually safe so I would just kind of laugh and enjoy the ride, and that was awesome too.

This show makes my brain chemistry do the same thing.
Now we're delving into mirror neurons. I like it :thumbup:

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season

 
Raider Nation said:
I was thinking about this earlier: if someone asked you what is so addicting about this show, what's the answer in a sentence or two?

I can't put it into words. Maybe someone else can.
It's just a constant basketball fast-break involving Jordan and Lebron for an hour every week.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
Think of Walt as an expert chef. Give him a recipe for a dish he's never made before and he'll probably make a great meal.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
I'm not well-versed in meth culture, but I think with drugs like that the concern is the non-pure stuff and how it affects your high. There's also the competition angle, which applies to all drugs, including weed. If one guy has ####ty weed and another guy a couple blocks away has great stuff, the guy dealing the crap stuff either has to lower his prices or he's gonna get pushed out of the market.

 
Also the writing, directing, cinematography and acting are fantastic. There's at least one scene every week that is fascinating from a visual standpoint, whether it's a camera angle, tracking decisions, lighting, etc. I don't normally notice that kind of thing in shows.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
I'm not well-versed in meth culture, but I think with drugs like that the concern is the non-pure stuff and how it affects your high. There's also the competition angle, which applies to all drugs, including weed. If one guy has ####ty weed and another guy a couple blocks away has great stuff, the guy dealing the crap stuff either has to lower his prices or he's gonna get pushed out of the market.
I think I'm gonna need to start using meth so I can understand the show better.

 
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
I'm not well-versed in meth culture, but I think with drugs like that the concern is the non-pure stuff and how it affects your high. There's also the competition angle, which applies to all drugs, including weed. If one guy has ####ty weed and another guy a couple blocks away has great stuff, the guy dealing the crap stuff either has to lower his prices or he's gonna get pushed out of the market.
I think I'm gonna need to start using meth so I can understand the show better.
Perhaps you can just visit several weed dealers over the weekend to get a feel for how the marketplace functions.

 
DocGonzo said:
I grew up with a lot of older cousins and aunts and uncles and such. I remember being real young, maybe 4 or so, and one of them was always picking me up and sort of putting me in fake danger -- dangling me over a staircase or throwing me up in the air and catching me at the last minute. I was little, so I was scared of hanging over the edge like that even though I knew they wouldn't actually let me get hurt. So there was sort of that initial endorphin rush from being put in a precarious position, and that was awesome. Then there was that feeling of relief because I remembered that I was actually safe so I would just kind of laugh and enjoy the ride, and that was awesome too.

This show makes my brain chemistry do the same thing.
Now we're delving into mirror neurons. I like it :thumbup:
I love it when I accidentally say something smart.

To your point in your previous post: I think one of the reasons this show gives people such a visceral reaction is because it is so well done. It's like you said above about the writing and acting, but it goes to every other part of the production too -- the directing, staging, cinematography, casting, color choices, on and on and on. They've done such a good job of putting it all together that as a viewer I feel like when things are happening they are actually happening to me. I feel the tension in the scenes as if I'm actually in them. Then I feel that relief that it's just a show I'm watching. It's a pretty remarkable thing to pull off in just one episode, but it's real tribute to the people involved in the show that they can sustain it for 5 seasons.

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.
I will say this. They probably shouldn't have flash forwarded Walt on his 53rd birthday. Takes away some suspense.

I don't know if a show could do it....but if they were able to....they probably shouldn't tell the viewer exactly how many episodes are in a final season. How much more suspensful would this show be if Gilligan and AMC were like "yeah....there's something between 7 and 11 episodes. We forget".

 
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.
Might have been better just to end with that first breakfast. The bacon numbers, Walt Jr. before the "Flynn" phase, no Holly muddying the waters. Yeah...that might have been the perfect ending right there...

 
Everything led up to the end of season 4... Season 5 has really just been more of an extended epilogue IMO. A great one though.

 
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JZilla said:
Everything led up to the end of season 4... Season 5 has really just been more of an extended epilogue IMO. A great one though.
The pinnacle of the greatest show in television history was Hank taking a dump? These comments are only going to look even more absurd in retrospect after the finale airs.

 
JZilla said:
Everything led up to the end of season 4... Season 5 has really just been more of an extended epilogue IMO. A great one though.
The pinnacle of the greatest show in television history was Hank taking a dump? These comments are only going to look even more absurd in retrospect after the finale airs.
That was 5a. Season 4 end was *ding* *ding* *ding*

 
Buckfast 1 said:
BeTheMatch said:
Ghost Rider said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
jdoggydogg said:
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.
The internet would have had a seizure and self-combusted. All the people saying things like "it might have been better" now would be joining the mob declaring it the worst ending ever if that's what happened.

No matter what happens, people have expectations way too specific and way to diverse at this point. Anticipation for the ending of this show dwarfs any other show. The Sopranos and the The Wire didn't have suspense and speculation as manic as this. Lost had long since crapped all over itself by the time it was this close. When the final credits roll, there are going to be a ton of people who didn't get exactly they wanted, they'll piss on the ending, explain what they "should have done" and declare the show as good but not as good as some other shows that they list 1-5.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
JZilla said:
Everything led up to the end of season 4... Season 5 has really just been more of an extended epilogue IMO. A great one though.
The pinnacle of the greatest show in television history was Hank taking a dump? These comments are only going to look even more absurd in retrospect after the finale airs.
That was 5a. Season 4 end was *ding* *ding* *ding*
*ding*

 
BeTheMatch said:
Ghost Rider said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
jdoggydogg said:
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
The Internet and stupid people lost their ####ing minds when the sopranos ended this way.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
TobiasFunke said:
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
I would think the more pure it is, the more you could cut it.

 
Thunderlips said:
Buckfast 1 said:
BeTheMatch said:
Ghost Rider said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
jdoggydogg said:
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.
I will say this. They probably shouldn't have flash forwarded Walt on his 53rd birthday. Takes away some suspense.

I don't know if a show could do it....but if they were able to....they probably shouldn't tell the viewer exactly how many episodes are in a final season. How much more suspensful would this show be if Gilligan and AMC were like "yeah....there's something between 7 and 11 episodes. We forget".
As to your first point, I don't know know if that's true. I'm sure they debated that a lot. But by showing you what will happen, you are continually wondering how all the pieces will fit together. You have an idea of where the end is and everyone is trying to figure out how it happens. By knowing those pieces about the end, you can actually increase the suspense. Otherwise, you are just kind of along for the ride.

I do like the second idea a lot. And/or not knowing the length of each episode.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
TobiasFunke said:
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
I would think the more pure it is, the more you could cut it.
And it's possible that you would get "as high", I guess, by simply increasing quantity, but I assume that the quality of the high is much greater with a higher purity.

Unless you were fishing like Peyton (which was nicely done).

 
Raider Nation said:
I was thinking about this earlier: if someone asked you what is so addicting about this show, what's the answer in a sentence or two?

I can't put it into words. Maybe someone else can.
Man has been called a rational being, but rationality is a matter of choice.

The concept of “good or evil” is an arbitrary human invention and is, of course, a matter of choice.

 
Raider Nation said:
I was thinking about this earlier: if someone asked you what is so addicting about this show, what's the answer in a sentence or two?

I can't put it into words. Maybe someone else can.
I couldn't do it, but I think one thing that sets it apart from other shows is the intense focus of the plot.

The show has always only been about one thing, and they zeroed in on an endgame relatively early (not the specifics, but always knowing train was going to crash and weren't going to drag it out unnecessarily). It's what makes it feel like such an intense "ride".

Also, I think it helped keep the show from ever being formulaic. They can have episodes that feel so different from one another, and sometimes slow the action down to a screeching halt, but everything always felt like it was moving forward.

So many other shows get scattered or worse, drag it out.

Mix that together with great writing, acting, and cinematography and it's a true classic.

 
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Buckfast 1 said:
BeTheMatch said:
Ghost Rider said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
jdoggydogg said:
This season is remarkable. It's like every single episode has been so dramatic, they all feel like the final episode. Brilliant.
Having watched them all recently this is my least favorite season. Part of it is because I know it's coming to an end but I liked the cooking/selling/Gus drama much better then this season
Agreed. This season has been fantastic, but the entire run from the beginning till the end of Season 4 is just impossible to beat. Really, it is unfair to Season 5 to have expected it to live up to the previous seasons, given that it felt like the entire series was building to the crescendo at the end of Season 4.
It might've been better to just have last season's finale be the end of the series. Hank finds out it's Walt, and then we just have to imagine what happens next and how it all ends. I haven't been that impressed with this season as I thought I'd be.
I hope you're joking.
The internet would have had a seizure and self-combusted. All the people saying things like "it might have been better" now would be joining the mob declaring it the worst ending ever if that's what happened.

No matter what happens, people have expectations way too specific and way to diverse at this point. Anticipation for the ending of this show dwarfs any other show. The Sopranos and the The Wire didn't have suspense and speculation as manic as this. Lost had long since crapped all over itself by the time it was this close. When the final credits roll, there are going to be a ton of people who didn't get exactly they wanted, they'll piss on the ending, explain what they "should have done" and declare the show as good but not as good as some other shows that they list 1-5.
Agreed. Battlestar Galactica is the only one that has come close that I've seen. Although at its height, I don't think BB gets to the same nail biting level of suspense as that show did at times, it sustains the suspense and brings consistency way beyond BSG.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
TobiasFunke said:
is it even realistic that a dude who knows chemistry would automatically know how to cook meth?
He didn't need to know, Jesse taught him what the ingredients and basic process was, Walt just improvised and improved upon the conditions and quality.
Plus he wasn't just a "dude who knew chemistry." He's portrayed as a very bright and innovative scientific mind. His work as a younger man eventually turned into a hugely successful company.

Of all the logical holes to try to poke in the show's narrative, this is a pretty weak one IMO.
I do sometimes wonder about the whole "meth purity" angle though. If you have meth that's 50% pure, can't you just take twice as much of it? When I have ####ty weed, I just smoke more and it works out fine.
Pretty sure there is this nasty thing called an overdose when you take too much of the hard stuff. Better to take the least amount you can for the high you want to get.

 

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