Open discussion for penultimate episode of Breaking Bad that aired on AMC on Sunday, September 22, 2013. The title is Granite State. Leave now if you want no spoilers.
Anyway, this episode couldn’t help paling in comparison to Ozymandius (I agree with Vince that that was the best episode the show will ever do). There were some nice moments and one real shock (Andrea’s death), but a lot of it was just moving the story forward.
I… don’t think Walt is so depraved as to poison Elliott and Gretchen. But I’ve underestimated him in the past.
Elliot’s the one who dismissed his contribution and his work, stole his girlfriend, and made millions. Unless Lydia ignores todd and goes through with killing Skyler, I don’t know who else it’d be for at this point. No point in being sly with jesse if he’s going to kill him.
Man they really try to make you feel bad for Walt a little bit this episode huh. Poor Andrea. Feel bad for Flynn and Holly. Fuck Todd in his opi depraved eye face
Anyway, this episode couldn’t help paling in comparison to Ozymandius (I agree with Vince that that was the best episode the show will ever do). There were some nice moments and one real shock (Andrea’s death), but a lot of it was just moving the story forward.
Yeah, on its own it was a very good episode, but there’s no way no way not to compare this to To’hajiilee and Ozymandias. Just not the same, but there’s a reason those are likely the two best episodes of the series.
Sepinwall was writing about how this grounded the show in reality (or as close to reality as this show can get at this point) more along the lines of the way it was in the first two seasons, and I really like that. I like the idea that Heisenberg’s fall, in reality, wasn’t all that dramatic because Walt never really stood as tall as he felt like he did or the show occasionally made it seem like he did (thinking of the season 4 finale, most prominently). Just a sad, petty, pathetic guy trying to rationalize his way out of his guilt, until he has to pay someone to spend an hour with him.
More than anything, I think it better contextualizes the past few seasons (really, everything since the superlab showed up and the show got a bit too popcorny to be realistic) as part of Walt’s delusion.
I’ve seen some good comparisons to Breaking Bad being similar to a Shakespeare tradgedy. I’m curious what people on this blog think. What is Walt’s fatal flaw? His pride?
If I see one more “What if the finale is Walt going to witness protection as the dad in Malcolm in the Middle (dying laughing)” joke on Twitter, I’m going to blow up a nursing home.
@ Edwin:
His pride is definitely his biggest flaw. Look at his response to when the Gray Matter folks were talking about Blue being back on the streets and him not having anything to do with Gray Matter except for the name. Look at his conversation with Hank when Hank thought it was Gale that was the mastermind. There are definitely more examples out there too.
@ Omar Little:
Ah I think it was a comment from Sepinwall’s blog then. I take back my comment about you being a fucking genius.
I don’t know if Gray Matter was there to say the blue meth is back or if it is there for Walt to take revenge on an easy target. It is a weird play though for that interview to take place that prevents Walt from being captured. If you wanted to say blue meth is back, why not be a news report or something?
I’d like to think we have a pretty good idea who the ricin is for at this point, but I wouldn’t wager a lot of money. It’s for Elliot and Gretchen, right?
I’m sticking with the ricin being for Jack, but I’m much less confident in that now.
Could be wrong, but here’s what I took from the interview with Elliot and Gretchen Faget:
Walt was ready to turn himself in to do what’s best for his family. He was overtaking Heisenberg and returning to the man that appeared in the first episode (all Walt, 0 Heisenberg). Watching the Fagets belittle him on TV sparked Heisenberg. They’re his main trigger, imo.
The two things that are important to him: Family and legacy. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the former, but the interview made him realize how unwilling he is to sacrifice the latter.
@ dmick89:
I like the Fe (Iron – found in blood) Li (Lithium – used as reducing agent to make Meth) Na (Sodium – Tears) thing they did with the anagram.
@ dmick89:
I don’t know. They know the element symbols (see opening credits) so they made an anagram for Finale since it is the final episode that includes elements. Possibly coincidence, but it isn’t like they are going to introduce another character named Felina. Maybe a restaurant will be called that where something happens, but I think the Fe-Li-Na thing was intential.
@ sitrick:
imo, The Wire’s seasons 3-4 were amazing. 1 was very good. 2 and 5 were only OK.
Breaking Bad has improved every season, imo, and the show as a whole has few flaws.
That said, though, they’re two very different shows. I’m not really even sure they’re comparable.
I think The Wire s2 is incredibly underrated. The balls of such a dramatic change in focus between your first and second seasons, while still building towards the larger narrative you have in mind, getting the audience to invest in an entire new cast of characters on the criminal side…I dunno. A big chunk of my favorite moments from the series come from season 2.
I think in general The Wire is a ballsier show overall. Novelistic television is a huge risk, and the pilot does absolutely nothing to allow for easy access into the world. Making it about poor black people, especially on HBO where the audience is more well-to-do, increased the degree of difficulty imo. And aside from Hamsterdam and the serial killer plot, I think it stayed true to its realist ambitions.
Breaking Bad being about a middle class oppressed white guy ostensibly trying to care for his family gives it a much easier entry point for most of its audience, and it lost touch with the realism of the first couple of seasons along the way and became more of a pulpy western. I do agree that it got better with each season (with the exception of certain parts of 5.1, which I think were rushed and had some messy plotting, but that’s nitpicking). Breaking Bad has had quite a few moments that have left pits in the bottom of my stomach and had me feeling quite unsettled, but I don’t think I’ve been as invested in any of the characters as I was in, say, the kids from The Wire s4. That may be because they were innocents for the most part, and there’s nobody really innocent on BB at this point.
I agree that both shows have very few flaws, and that they aren’t terribly comparable. That’s what I was getting at mostly, is that I think Breaking Bad wins for most entertaining, but I think the degree of difficulty and the ambition of The Wire put it a notch above BB in terms of overall quality ranking.
Just my opinion, though, and I think you can make an argument for either show or neither being the best.
@ WaLi:
I guess it makes sense. I wasn’t thinking of a new character. I was thinking if it had to do with the El Paso song (if so, I’ll pretend forever that they use the Grateful Dead version) that Felina would represent someone or possibly something else.
FeLiNa is just something most people aren’t going to get. The episode titles usually don’t have the element symbols, do they? Even if they did, I’m not sure people would pick up on it except for people like us. (dying laughing)
@ dmick89:
Do they even show the episode titles during the opening credits? The only way I know them is if I read a review or downloaded the episode.
I forgot they say Felina in that song (I was wondering why you posted it). That’s awesome, I hope they include that song in there on a jukebox or something. That would be fantastic.
They’ll probably throw a cat in the episode, play El Paso, and show blood, meth, and tears during the finale, just to fuck with everyone.
I agree that some of the best moments came in Season 2. I hated the dock, Sobotka and Ziggy so much, though, that it was reduced to OK for me.
I agreed initially about the serial killer aspect of Season 5, but I now appreciate it a little more. It was a natural direction for a show about the increasing desperation in different corners of the city. It wasn’t until I rewatched Season 3 and the scene between Stringer and Bunny where Stringer said something to the effect of, “We’re just two people trying to make sense of this game.”
Also, I’m sure a lot of people didn’t like the newspaper portion of the season, but they nailed it. Very realistic portrayal.
I’ve said it before, but I liked the Hamsterdam storyline. The idea was very logical to me, and I could see a frustrated police giving it a try.
Regarding the ricin, what does Lydia order with her tea? Stevia. What is stevia? A white powdery substance, just like ricin.
So the next question is why would Walt want to kill Lydia? Because Lydia is trying to get Skyler killed.
Prediction: Skyler dies next episode from Todd, Walt somehow finds out Todd killed Skyler because of Lydia (Maybe Skyler tells Walt somehow that Todd threatened Holly saying don’t talk about that dark haired girl). Walt puts ricin in a stevia packet or something (she ordered it before in front of him). Lydia dies. Walt goes after nazi’s with big gun. Everyone dies.
Just my opinion, though, and I think you can make an argument for either show or neither being the best.
“Laverne and Shirley” or GTFO.
I personally prefer Breaking Bad at this point, but can’t get too bent out of shape with folks who disagree. I’m re-watching The Wire right now (halfway through s. 5) and it stands up. They’re two different animals, though.
I do completely agree that s. 2 of The Wire is often sold short. It’s either my second or third favorite of the seasons, behind s. 3 and tied with s. 4. I could have lived a complete life without seeing Ziggy’s dick, but other than that it was played pretty well.
Can’t wait to see Todd eat a bullet, which means it probably won’t happen.
I dunno. I mean, we all want to see the creep die and this show seems to be pointing us towards a very intentionally unsatisfying conclusion, which points to the worst of the bad guys getting away. On the other hand, the show has also picked up a “Friday the 13th” vibe in a sense, with its characters being mercilessly punished for their sins. Todd’s lust for Lydia has to catch up with him, doesn’t it?
@ uncle dave:
I was thinking last week that the Nazis get away with it and survive, but I don’t think so. Not all of them anyway. WaLi convinced me the ricin is for Lydia and it makes sense. The “Holly sized gun” (thanks to Greenwald for that one) is for the Nazis. What happens with Jesse? His torture seems more than enough at this point. Death would almost be too much.
I personally prefer Breaking Bad at this point, but can’t get too bent out of shape with folks who disagree. I’m re-watching The Wire right now (halfway through s. 5) and it stands up. They’re two different animals, though.
This. I do think The Sopranos has gotten overlooked in recent years, but after re-watching The Wire last year I came away convinced it was far superior. I wasn’t before.
I also think Six Feet Under is underrated. It’s above Deadwood for me, but maybe because Deadwood was only 3 seasons.
If you’re into the Shakespearean tragedy interpretation, someone has to live to tell the story. I guess you could say that could be Saul, but Jesse seems more fitting to me.
@ dmick89:
Death would be too much, maybe. But don’t forget that it was Jesse who effectively kicked everything into motion. Walt would not have started to cook meth but for seeing Jesse getting away from the crime scene during his first ridealong with Hank. I think he lives, but with the blood of Jane/Andrea/Brock on his hands and without the satisfaction of closing the loop on Walt.
I get the sense that we’ve been duped into feeling sympathetic for him, just as we have been with a number of characters across the show’s story arc.
@ sitrick:
Todd lives to tell the story. And that story is very creepy.
Anyone else rooting for “Better Call Saul” to be about a Cinnabon store manager in Omaha? That shit needs to be a multi-camera sitcom shot in SD with the horrible laugh track used in “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” in the background.
Anyway, I’m still having problems with the theory that Walt will use the ricin on Elliott and Gretchen. It doesn’t resemble his previous killings, for one. And killing his former business associates seems like the wrong kind of revenge. They minimize his contributions as a scientist, and responds with… murder? It seems like proving them wrong (preferably in a humiliating way) would be the route to go.
In regards to the ‘Felina’ title – sometimes a tree is just a tree. I think it’s just an anagram.
I love s2 of the Wire too, mainly because I thought Frank Sobotka was fantastic. Ziggy was an annoying little fuck, but I thought his character made a lot of sense in context. Still not the best season by any means but definitely underrated.
@ uncle dave:
I mentioned that to someone today. Jesse is not a nice guy and I’ve gotten the sense that he’s basically washed his hands of his own responsibility in this and blamed it all on Walt. I think Jesse recognized his responsibility early on, but I don’t think he does anymore.
Does Jesse’s face intentionally resemble that of Gus after he was blown up? The left side of Pinkman’s face almost untouched. Maybe Todd is a southpaw.
So rewatchdd the episode since SWMBO was asleep last night. Before Todd shoots Andrea he says “this isn’t personal”. He always has something to say huh. Dude is fucked up. Also Walt definitely gets angry and the Breaking Bad music starts playing right when Gretchen and Elliot mention Walt wasn’t involved in Gray Matter. I have to think they are involved a tiny bit next episode. Walt gets extra angry when they say that the blue meth is back, and especially angry when Gretchen says Walt White is dead, all that’s left is Heisenberg.
Since Shakespeare was mentioned in this thread and there’s probably a reason that there were two Mr. Magnorium’s Woner Emporium copies at Walt’s getaway ranch…
Mr. Edward Magorium: [to Molly, about dying] When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written “He dies.” That’s all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is “He dies.” It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with “He dies.” And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it’s only natural to be sad, but not because of the words “He dies.” but because of the life we saw prior to the words.
[pause, walks over to Molly]
Mr. Edward Magorium: I’ve lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I’m only asking that you turn the page, continue reading… and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest “He died.”
@ WaLi:
The music also becomes more ominous when Gretchen answers Rose’s question about whether Walter was still alive and moments later she says Heisenberg is all that is left.
I’m confused about what happens next week so I’ll just forget about it I guess.
I don’t know where the phrase came from, but it’s something my wife and I always complained about with literature classes in high school and college. Symbolism/intent is often taken waaay too far by people.
I sat through that awful Talking Bad show, and one thing Gilligan mentioned, for the obsessive forecasters and hint parsers out there, was that “woodworking” was important to the finale. I have no idea what that means, but there you go.
I laughed so hard when they listed the lineup for the show during one of the commercials. Fucking Steve-Dave from Mallrats was one of the guest analysts! (dying laughing).
@ sitrick:
I laughed so hard when they listed the lineup for the show during one of the commercials. Fucking Steve-Dave from Mallrats was one of the guest analysts! (dying laughing).
I watched because of Adam Scott. I could not give less of a fuck what Steve-Dave, Badger, and Chris Hardwick think about anything.
@ sitrick:
I had it on in the background once and it was Adam Scott that annoyed the piss out of me. I don’t remember what exactly he said, but it was mindbogglingly stupid.
@ dmick89:
I just assumed Todd purposely only whaled on one side of his face so that Jesse would have enough vision to cook blue, but that’s a good catch.
@ dmick89:
Huh. I liked most of what he had to say, but I stopped paying attention at the end. Badger said a couple of things that I thought were really, really dumb though.
@ GBTS:
Todd is right handed so this seems intentional to me. Everyone else in the Nazis that was present at the shootout was also right handed as far I could tell. Both observations are based on my extremely limited knowledge of firing guns (Todd shooting Drew Sharp and all the Nazis at the shootout). My limited knowledge of firing guns is based on tv, movies and one discussion I had with a friend who is an FBI agent.
I was going to put together a side by side for Gus and Jesse, but Jesse’s face is disgusting looking. Definitely looks the same to me and I can’t think of a single explanation. Unless the Nazis have a left-handed hitter that comes in just for beatings, it’s intentional.
@ sitrick:
He had a couple dumbass predictions for the endings in mind, along with completely missing something else that was fairly obvious. Can’t remember exactly what any of them were, but they stood out and I muted the tv. I may have paid attention more if there was a single cast member on there that I cared about. I don’t think they had anyone and it was just stupid as you said.
I sat through that awful Talking Bad show, and one thing Gilligan mentioned, for the obsessive forecasters and hint parsers out there, was that “woodworking” was important to the finale. I have no idea what that means, but there you go.
Maybe it’s about Lydia’s wood chipper for a coochie?
His ability to dissociate being pure evil from the rest of his personality is probably the most unsettling thing that this show has produced. It’s totally fucked.
I sometimes watch Conan and since Breaking Bad was on it last night, I watched it this evening. At the end of it Gilligan was throwing little bags of blue meth candy to the audience. He was left handed. Therefore he is the Nazi hitter and it’s not a coincidence that Jesse’s face is all fucked up on the right side.
Watched the premiere of the Michael J. Fox Show tonight and in Betsy Brandt’s first appearance she was wearing all purple. I got a good laugh out of them fucking with her like that. Here, wear purple one more time.
Comments
https://twitter.com/harrypav/status/381964233425956864
sitrickQuote Reply
I… don’t think Walt is so depraved as to poison Elliott and Gretchen. But I’ve underestimated him in the past.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Anyway, this episode couldn’t help paling in comparison to Ozymandius (I agree with Vince that that was the best episode the show will ever do). There were some nice moments and one real shock (Andrea’s death), but a lot of it was just moving the story forward.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat wrote:
Elliot’s the one who dismissed his contribution and his work, stole his girlfriend, and made millions. Unless Lydia ignores todd and goes through with killing Skyler, I don’t know who else it’d be for at this point. No point in being sly with jesse if he’s going to kill him.
sitrickQuote Reply
Can’t wait to see Todd eat a bullet, which means it probably won’t happen.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Man they really try to make you feel bad for Walt a little bit this episode huh. Poor Andrea. Feel bad for Flynn and Holly. Fuck Todd in his opi depraved eye face
WaLiQuote Reply
Also who called grey matter coming back in the picture, ryno? Fucking genius
WaLiQuote Reply
No more half measures. There will be no fucking around next week.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat wrote:
Yeah, on its own it was a very good episode, but there’s no way no way not to compare this to To’hajiilee and Ozymandias. Just not the same, but there’s a reason those are likely the two best episodes of the series.
dmick89Quote Reply
Sepinwall was writing about how this grounded the show in reality (or as close to reality as this show can get at this point) more along the lines of the way it was in the first two seasons, and I really like that. I like the idea that Heisenberg’s fall, in reality, wasn’t all that dramatic because Walt never really stood as tall as he felt like he did or the show occasionally made it seem like he did (thinking of the season 4 finale, most prominently). Just a sad, petty, pathetic guy trying to rationalize his way out of his guilt, until he has to pay someone to spend an hour with him.
More than anything, I think it better contextualizes the past few seasons (really, everything since the superlab showed up and the show got a bit too popcorny to be realistic) as part of Walt’s delusion.
sitrickQuote Reply
I’ve seen some good comparisons to Breaking Bad being similar to a Shakespeare tradgedy. I’m curious what people on this blog think. What is Walt’s fatal flaw? His pride?
EdwinQuote Reply
@ Edwin:
Definitely his pride.
BerseliusQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
I didn’t. I always thought of them as the reason Walt began to bottle up Heisenberg. I would have been OK with that story line being wrapped up.
It’ll be hard for them to fuck up the last episode. What a season. What a show.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
If I see one more “What if the finale is Walt going to witness protection as the dad in Malcolm in the Middle (dying laughing)” joke on Twitter, I’m going to blow up a nursing home.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ Edwin:
His pride is definitely his biggest flaw. Look at his response to when the Gray Matter folks were talking about Blue being back on the streets and him not having anything to do with Gray Matter except for the name. Look at his conversation with Hank when Hank thought it was Gale that was the mastermind. There are definitely more examples out there too.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I am the one who knocks.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Omar Little:
I don’t know where the show ranks among all the other greats, but this is easily the best final season I’ve watched.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Omar Little:
Ah I think it was a comment from Sepinwall’s blog then. I take back my comment about you being a fucking genius.
I don’t know if Gray Matter was there to say the blue meth is back or if it is there for Walt to take revenge on an easy target. It is a weird play though for that interview to take place that prevents Walt from being captured. If you wanted to say blue meth is back, why not be a news report or something?
WaLiQuote Reply
I’d like to think we have a pretty good idea who the ricin is for at this point, but I wouldn’t wager a lot of money. It’s for Elliot and Gretchen, right?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Beginning to end, I don’t think there’s been a better series.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
@ dmick89:
I’m sticking with the ricin being for Jack, but I’m much less confident in that now.
Could be wrong, but here’s what I took from the interview with Elliot and Gretchen Faget:
Walt was ready to turn himself in to do what’s best for his family. He was overtaking Heisenberg and returning to the man that appeared in the first episode (all Walt, 0 Heisenberg). Watching the Fagets belittle him on TV sparked Heisenberg. They’re his main trigger, imo.
The two things that are important to him: Family and legacy. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the former, but the interview made him realize how unwilling he is to sacrifice the latter.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
You were half right.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
I actually agree with you. I’d have a very hard time at this point putting any other show above it.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
GBTSQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
WaLiQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
WaLiQuote Reply
I’ll still take The Wire for best, but BB probably wins most entertaining.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
I just don’t see how the ricin can be slipped to Jack or Gretchen/Elliot. What is he going to do, send them a box of ricin laced cookies?
WaLiQuote Reply
What if he becomes a dentist and puts ricin in their toothpaste and that’s how Seinfeld starts (dying laughing)
GBTSQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
Granted I’m sure one of those three are the target and Gilligan will make it believable no matter how it happens.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
Damn right.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ sitrick:
imo, The Wire’s seasons 3-4 were amazing. 1 was very good. 2 and 5 were only OK.
Breaking Bad has improved every season, imo, and the show as a whole has few flaws.
That said, though, they’re two very different shows. I’m not really even sure they’re comparable.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
sitrick wrote:
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
What if he joins the Army, ascends through the ranks and then pushes to bring home a soldier whose brothers died at war?
Omar LittleQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
This was a great article I read yesterday about Breaking Bad’s flaws and how they’ve turned them into strengths. It’s a good read.
I agree that the two shows can’t really be compared, but if I was forced to write my top 5 it would have Breaking Bad at the top.
dmick89Quote Reply
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/robbins-marty/el-paso-11889.html
Or there’s this version I prefer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfI5Ep4GDK8
dmick89Quote Reply
So who is Felina? Or is Gilligan just fucking with us and Felina is nothing other than an anagram?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I like the Fe (Iron – found in blood) Li (Lithium – used as reducing agent to make Meth) Na (Sodium – Tears) thing they did with the anagram.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I liked that too, but it seems far fetched, doesn’t it? I don’t know. We’ll find out in 6 days.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I don’t know. They know the element symbols (see opening credits) so they made an anagram for Finale since it is the final episode that includes elements. Possibly coincidence, but it isn’t like they are going to introduce another character named Felina. Maybe a restaurant will be called that where something happens, but I think the Fe-Li-Na thing was intential.
WaLiQuote Reply
Omar Little wrote:
I think The Wire s2 is incredibly underrated. The balls of such a dramatic change in focus between your first and second seasons, while still building towards the larger narrative you have in mind, getting the audience to invest in an entire new cast of characters on the criminal side…I dunno. A big chunk of my favorite moments from the series come from season 2.
I think in general The Wire is a ballsier show overall. Novelistic television is a huge risk, and the pilot does absolutely nothing to allow for easy access into the world. Making it about poor black people, especially on HBO where the audience is more well-to-do, increased the degree of difficulty imo. And aside from Hamsterdam and the serial killer plot, I think it stayed true to its realist ambitions.
Breaking Bad being about a middle class oppressed white guy ostensibly trying to care for his family gives it a much easier entry point for most of its audience, and it lost touch with the realism of the first couple of seasons along the way and became more of a pulpy western. I do agree that it got better with each season (with the exception of certain parts of 5.1, which I think were rushed and had some messy plotting, but that’s nitpicking). Breaking Bad has had quite a few moments that have left pits in the bottom of my stomach and had me feeling quite unsettled, but I don’t think I’ve been as invested in any of the characters as I was in, say, the kids from The Wire s4. That may be because they were innocents for the most part, and there’s nobody really innocent on BB at this point.
I agree that both shows have very few flaws, and that they aren’t terribly comparable. That’s what I was getting at mostly, is that I think Breaking Bad wins for most entertaining, but I think the degree of difficulty and the ambition of The Wire put it a notch above BB in terms of overall quality ranking.
Just my opinion, though, and I think you can make an argument for either show or neither being the best.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I guess it makes sense. I wasn’t thinking of a new character. I was thinking if it had to do with the El Paso song (if so, I’ll pretend forever that they use the Grateful Dead version) that Felina would represent someone or possibly something else.
FeLiNa is just something most people aren’t going to get. The episode titles usually don’t have the element symbols, do they? Even if they did, I’m not sure people would pick up on it except for people like us. (dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Do they even show the episode titles during the opening credits? The only way I know them is if I read a review or downloaded the episode.
I forgot they say Felina in that song (I was wondering why you posted it). That’s awesome, I hope they include that song in there on a jukebox or something. That would be fantastic.
They’ll probably throw a cat in the episode, play El Paso, and show blood, meth, and tears during the finale, just to fuck with everyone.
WaLiQuote Reply
sitrick wrote:
I’d like to see someone try to explain that CSI Miami is better than either one. That would be fun.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
Fuck yeah, but it’s gotta be the Dead version.
dmick89Quote Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryzIX09s2o4
dmick89Quote Reply
@ sitrick:
I agree that some of the best moments came in Season 2. I hated the dock, Sobotka and Ziggy so much, though, that it was reduced to OK for me.
I agreed initially about the serial killer aspect of Season 5, but I now appreciate it a little more. It was a natural direction for a show about the increasing desperation in different corners of the city. It wasn’t until I rewatched Season 3 and the scene between Stringer and Bunny where Stringer said something to the effect of, “We’re just two people trying to make sense of this game.”
Also, I’m sure a lot of people didn’t like the newspaper portion of the season, but they nailed it. Very realistic portrayal.
I’ve said it before, but I liked the Hamsterdam storyline. The idea was very logical to me, and I could see a frustrated police giving it a try.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Of course.
Regarding the ricin, what does Lydia order with her tea? Stevia. What is stevia? A white powdery substance, just like ricin.
So the next question is why would Walt want to kill Lydia? Because Lydia is trying to get Skyler killed.
Prediction: Skyler dies next episode from Todd, Walt somehow finds out Todd killed Skyler because of Lydia (Maybe Skyler tells Walt somehow that Todd threatened Holly saying don’t talk about that dark haired girl). Walt puts ricin in a stevia packet or something (she ordered it before in front of him). Lydia dies. Walt goes after nazi’s with big gun. Everyone dies.
WaLiQuote Reply
sitrick wrote:
“Laverne and Shirley” or GTFO.
I personally prefer Breaking Bad at this point, but can’t get too bent out of shape with folks who disagree. I’m re-watching The Wire right now (halfway through s. 5) and it stands up. They’re two different animals, though.
I do completely agree that s. 2 of The Wire is often sold short. It’s either my second or third favorite of the seasons, behind s. 3 and tied with s. 4. I could have lived a complete life without seeing Ziggy’s dick, but other than that it was played pretty well.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
I dunno. I mean, we all want to see the creep die and this show seems to be pointing us towards a very intentionally unsatisfying conclusion, which points to the worst of the bad guys getting away. On the other hand, the show has also picked up a “Friday the 13th” vibe in a sense, with its characters being mercilessly punished for their sins. Todd’s lust for Lydia has to catch up with him, doesn’t it?
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ WaLi:
I’m in. You convinced me.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ uncle dave:
I was thinking last week that the Nazis get away with it and survive, but I don’t think so. Not all of them anyway. WaLi convinced me the ricin is for Lydia and it makes sense. The “Holly sized gun” (thanks to Greenwald for that one) is for the Nazis. What happens with Jesse? His torture seems more than enough at this point. Death would almost be too much.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Ricin is Hebrew for “kills Nazis.”
Omar LittleQuote Reply
uncle dave wrote:
This. I do think The Sopranos has gotten overlooked in recent years, but after re-watching The Wire last year I came away convinced it was far superior. I wasn’t before.
I also think Six Feet Under is underrated. It’s above Deadwood for me, but maybe because Deadwood was only 3 seasons.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Omar Little:
How does Walt get it to them and if he’s got the huge gun, why not just use that?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
I agree. I think Jesse kills himself or lives in misery.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Tough to tell at this point. Could be Lydia –> Todd –> Jack. Could be Jesse –> Todd –> Jack.
Walt has to realize this could be a suicide mission. No half measures.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
If you’re into the Shakespearean tragedy interpretation, someone has to live to tell the story. I guess you could say that could be Saul, but Jesse seems more fitting to me.
Starting to think that Jesse kills Walt.
sitrickQuote Reply
I think Jack kills Walt and then returns to the island.
Omar LittleQuote Reply
@ sitrick:
I think Jesse lives. It seems more likely to me at this point than death.
Walt has a big gun, but I don’t know if it’s big enough to kill all of the Nazis.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
Death would be too much, maybe. But don’t forget that it was Jesse who effectively kicked everything into motion. Walt would not have started to cook meth but for seeing Jesse getting away from the crime scene during his first ridealong with Hank. I think he lives, but with the blood of Jane/Andrea/Brock on his hands and without the satisfaction of closing the loop on Walt.
I get the sense that we’ve been duped into feeling sympathetic for him, just as we have been with a number of characters across the show’s story arc.
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ sitrick:
Todd lives to tell the story. And that story is very creepy.
Anyone else rooting for “Better Call Saul” to be about a Cinnabon store manager in Omaha? That shit needs to be a multi-camera sitcom shot in SD with the horrible laugh track used in “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” in the background.
uncle daveQuote Reply
“Better Call Saul” is going to be a prequel. It’s supposed to be about how he became Saul Goodman.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Anyway, I’m still having problems with the theory that Walt will use the ricin on Elliott and Gretchen. It doesn’t resemble his previous killings, for one. And killing his former business associates seems like the wrong kind of revenge. They minimize his contributions as a scientist, and responds with… murder? It seems like proving them wrong (preferably in a humiliating way) would be the route to go.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Oh, and another thing, Walt might be extremely unhappy about the reappearance of blue meth. That’s like copyright infringement.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
In regards to the ‘Felina’ title – sometimes a tree is just a tree. I think it’s just an anagram.
I love s2 of the Wire too, mainly because I thought Frank Sobotka was fantastic. Ziggy was an annoying little fuck, but I thought his character made a lot of sense in context. Still not the best season by any means but definitely underrated.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
I mentioned that to someone today. Jesse is not a nice guy and I’ve gotten the sense that he’s basically washed his hands of his own responsibility in this and blamed it all on Walt. I think Jesse recognized his responsibility early on, but I don’t think he does anymore.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Rizzo the Rat:
I don’t think he goes after them, but I’m not sure how much Walt cares about proving people wrong anymore.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
Are there times when a tree isn’t a tree?
I used to think it was just an anagram and I think it’s still possible, but I also think there is something else there.
dmick89Quote Reply
Does Jesse’s face intentionally resemble that of Gus after he was blown up? The left side of Pinkman’s face almost untouched. Maybe Todd is a southpaw.
dmick89Quote Reply
So rewatchdd the episode since SWMBO was asleep last night. Before Todd shoots Andrea he says “this isn’t personal”. He always has something to say huh. Dude is fucked up. Also Walt definitely gets angry and the Breaking Bad music starts playing right when Gretchen and Elliot mention Walt wasn’t involved in Gray Matter. I have to think they are involved a tiny bit next episode. Walt gets extra angry when they say that the blue meth is back, and especially angry when Gretchen says Walt White is dead, all that’s left is Heisenberg.
WaLiQuote Reply
Since Shakespeare was mentioned in this thread and there’s probably a reason that there were two Mr. Magnorium’s Woner Emporium copies at Walt’s getaway ranch…
dmick89Quote Reply
@ WaLi:
The music also becomes more ominous when Gretchen answers Rose’s question about whether Walter was still alive and moments later she says Heisenberg is all that is left.
I’m confused about what happens next week so I’ll just forget about it I guess.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
I don’t know where the phrase came from, but it’s something my wife and I always complained about with literature classes in high school and college. Symbolism/intent is often taken waaay too far by people.
BerseliusQuote Reply
I sat through that awful Talking Bad show, and one thing Gilligan mentioned, for the obsessive forecasters and hint parsers out there, was that “woodworking” was important to the finale. I have no idea what that means, but there you go.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ sitrick:
I laughed so hard when they listed the lineup for the show during one of the commercials. Fucking Steve-Dave from Mallrats was one of the guest analysts! (dying laughing).
BerseliusQuote Reply
sitrick wrote:
Walt finds Jesus and starts a cult in Gus’s former desert compound.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
The attention to detail is disturbing.
uncle dave on the goQuote Reply
Also, I look forward to seeing Jesse on the next season of “American Ninja Warrior.”
uncle dave on the goQuote Reply
@ uncle dave on the go:
(Dying laughing)
WaLiQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
I watched because of Adam Scott. I could not give less of a fuck what Steve-Dave, Badger, and Chris Hardwick think about anything.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ sitrick:
I had it on in the background once and it was Adam Scott that annoyed the piss out of me. I don’t remember what exactly he said, but it was mindbogglingly stupid.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
I just assumed Todd purposely only whaled on one side of his face so that Jesse would have enough vision to cook blue, but that’s a good catch.
GBTSQuote Reply
@ dmick89:
Huh. I liked most of what he had to say, but I stopped paying attention at the end. Badger said a couple of things that I thought were really, really dumb though.
sitrickQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
Todd is right handed so this seems intentional to me. Everyone else in the Nazis that was present at the shootout was also right handed as far I could tell. Both observations are based on my extremely limited knowledge of firing guns (Todd shooting Drew Sharp and all the Nazis at the shootout). My limited knowledge of firing guns is based on tv, movies and one discussion I had with a friend who is an FBI agent.
I was going to put together a side by side for Gus and Jesse, but Jesse’s face is disgusting looking. Definitely looks the same to me and I can’t think of a single explanation. Unless the Nazis have a left-handed hitter that comes in just for beatings, it’s intentional.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ sitrick:
He had a couple dumbass predictions for the endings in mind, along with completely missing something else that was fairly obvious. Can’t remember exactly what any of them were, but they stood out and I muted the tv. I may have paid attention more if there was a single cast member on there that I cared about. I don’t think they had anyone and it was just stupid as you said.
dmick89Quote Reply
Can Robert Forster please please please have a recurring role on Better Call Saul?
dmick89Quote Reply
sitrick wrote:
Maybe it’s about Lydia’s wood chipper for a coochie?
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
lmao I hope so, that would confirm my theory!
WaLiQuote Reply
http://gbtshumor.com/2013/09/24/al-qaeda-offers-tentative-truce-until-conclusion-of-breaking-bad/
GBTSQuote Reply
@ GBTS:
(dying laughing) well done
dmick89Quote Reply
http://mydogsaretiredofhearingthis.blogspot.com/2013/09/getsomegetsomegetsome-guns-of-breaking.html
Probably the most I’ve ever read about guns. Has to be. Good read.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
What would that be, a LOOBGY?
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
Left-handed One Ouch Beating GuY?
WaLiQuote Reply
WaLi wrote:
Fixes
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
@ WaLi:
Sounds like something Todd would say. (“I’m sorry about the ouchie, Jesse. Want a pudding pop?”)
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
I got you some Ben and Jerry’s. Cherry Garcia. Keep up the good work.
WaLiQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
For a second there I thought Todd was going to hang around and talk to Jesse. “Did you catch the game last night?”
dmick89Quote Reply
His ability to dissociate being pure evil from the rest of his personality is probably the most unsettling thing that this show has produced. It’s totally fucked.
uncle daveQuote Reply
@ uncle dave:
Yeah and I’d never have guessed Jesse Plemons could play the hell out of that character after his portrayal of Landry Clarke in FNL.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
Somebody clearly didn’t see Battleship*.
*I did not see Battleship.
sitrickQuote Reply
I sometimes watch Conan and since Breaking Bad was on it last night, I watched it this evening. At the end of it Gilligan was throwing little bags of blue meth candy to the audience. He was left handed. Therefore he is the Nazi hitter and it’s not a coincidence that Jesse’s face is all fucked up on the right side.
Well, that mystery is solved.
dmick89Quote Reply
Watched the premiere of the Michael J. Fox Show tonight and in Betsy Brandt’s first appearance she was wearing all purple. I got a good laugh out of them fucking with her like that. Here, wear purple one more time.
dmick89Quote Reply