I heart Breaking Bad

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by liquidsky, Mar 2, 2008.

  1. wing_clipper

    wing_clipper Post Pimp

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    beneke is a dead man. and i agree, a major character (probably gus) will die by the end of the season

    another awesome episode! i loved that final scene with jesse that took cues from earlier episodes (shooting the dude just like the video game intro, backing the car out just like the alley robbery setup, etc.) really appreciate little things like that

    and talk about justice for gus, having the don die in the same pool that his friend died on the side of

    can't wait to see where they take these last few episodes of the season. sure to be great!
     
  2. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    The thing about offing Ted ... it may make Skylar and Walt think that they're staving off the IRS, but wouldn't it potentially draw the attention of the FBI unless they come up with a perfect cover and alibi? Even then, IRS' eyebrows would be raised, potentially bringing them back to Ted's former secretary.

    More random thoughts for what they're worth: The promo art for the first season featured the image of Walt in his tighty whities, an image more pathetic than humorous. We see him in that state of undress for the first time since that season in "Salud," during the scene in which he breaks down with Walt Jr., says he's made a mistake, and accidentally calls his son "Jesse." Sort of a visual way of indicating that he's been stripped down to his essential Walt-ness again, shedding the thick criminal layer of Heisenbergery that had so slowly built up over the course of the series. (Has that name even been used this season?)

    I searched to find out if Zafiro añejo tequila actually exists. Apparently not, but in the late 1970s there was an Argentinian rock band called Tequila who were published by the Zafiro record label. "Zafiro" is Spanish for "Sapphire." The blue rocks are poison, get it? Gotta love the writers.

    I need to re-watch the episode to confirm this, but it seems like the cartel chemist didn't die during the big scene at Don Eladio's. If that's correct, um...

    Curious to know more about Giancarlo Esposito, I looked him up. I had no idea that he was the character "Buggin' Out" in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing." Remember him?

    [​IMG]

    He also played a character called Mickey on "Sesame Street."

    Los Pollos Hermanos:

    [​IMG]

    A couple of questions for speculation: Is it significant that Jesse's meth was 96% pure while Walt's is said to be 99% pure? Also, why did Mike take the necklace from Don Eladio's body and pocket it? Just victory booty or another hint from the writers? In case you couldn't see, the pendant hanging from it was a silver skull. You might remember that the twins wore boots that had silver skulls on the tips. Maybe I'm wrong but I see this as a way of saying that Gus/Mike/Jesse are seizing the reins from the cartel. Or at least that's what Mike was thinking. A final chinga tu madre.
     
  3. wing_clipper

    wing_clipper Post Pimp

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    i definitely see where your going with those potential problems, totally true. i don't know, just something clicked in me right at the moment skylar said "where exactly do you think that money came from ted?" (or something to that effect). i said to my wife, "he's dead." just seems like with ted knowing about all the money, something will happen to him. either by walt out of rage, or by mike/gus due to him knowing too much (depending on how far skylar goes when explaining the cash to ted next episode)

    awesome you dug up that little factoid on the tequila name!
     
  4. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    Dude, the deeper you dig, the more each episode seems to refer both backward and forward, with lots of clever brainteasers like that thrown in. But you knew that 'cause you've caught a lot of 'em too. It's amazing how subtle they are about it!

    And speaking of "booty," how about that bikini-cam? :lol:
     
  5. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Not sure if you guys listen to podcasts, but there is one called "breaking good" it's held by bald move.

    It's a great conversation and you guys would enjoy it. They usually catch a lot of stiff like what's talked about here. Weekly podcast breaking down the epp. And daily facts.

    Like you found about the bottle, there is some discussion about that now on the home page of bald move now.
     
  6. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Thanks for the tip, Rich. Subscribing now.
     
  7. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Holy mother fuck !!!

    Thats all ......
     
  8. meczilla

    meczilla Addicted

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    You got that right. Tense as hell. Rugs are evil. Creepiest ending I've seen in a while!
     
  9. wizeguy

    wizeguy Side Dealer

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    um... wow!
     
  10. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Just finished. I've got plenty on my mind but for now...
    Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk. I thought there was a law against TV being so effective.
    Had the tube on LOUD.
     
  11. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Just finished viewing "Crawlspace" and am even more blown away than the last few episodes left me feeling. I need some time to digest this episode. In lieu of being able to say something more solid about the actual events, for now here are some more "out there" random thoughts about potential references, metaphors, and symbols that ran through my head while viewing. You guys are going to think I'm nuts but what the heck...

    In the prior episode we didn't get a full view of Don Eladio's pendant. Unless I'm mistaken all we saw was the silver skull, which is evidently a symbol of "the cartel." We now know that hanging below that icon is an eye, the mal de ojo or evil eye, the pendant possibly having been given to Don Eladio by a Bruja or Curandero (witch/healer in Mexican culture.) The evil eye can be both protection and a curse. As you saw, Gustavo passes it to Tío Héctor Salamanca while telling him that his family line is at an end with his looming demise. Just before this we hear the exaggerated sound of a an antique train and its whistle coming from a TV in the senior home ... the train has reached the end of its line. "Salamanca" is a city in Guanajuato state (known among other things for the famous morbid "mummies" of the capitol city.) It's also a word which can mean "cave" or "dark place," but also "brujería" or witchcraft-magic. In Aztec magic caves hold a special significance as a place that exists between this world and the spirit world, which is thought of as being more real than "the real world." Red-light exit signs figure prominently in this scene ... floating between Gus and Tio Héctor in several shots, and also next to Jesse's head when Gus reminds Héctor that he's seen this young man before.

    Speaking of signs, did you catch the big sign that read "SIGNS" in the background across from the laundry? 8)

    Several internet commentators have noticed that the number 8 seems to have some significance and indeed in both this episode and the prior one, Jessie's facial bruise very clearly looks like an 8. Before trashing the original car that Walt bought for Junior, he spins it out in figure eight patterns. The significance is probably not the number but rather that this is an infinity symbol ... "the eternal return" being a constant theme in the latter seasons of the series. ∞ My feeling is that this relates to Vince Gilligan's belief that the drug scenario is endless. For every cartel that is diminished, several more pop up like Hydra's heads. This has been true in Mexico ever since the Tijuana-based Félix Arellano Cartel (called "the brothers" by the way) saw several arrests, giving rise to the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. But it's also a motif in general ... there is constant foreshadowing, iteration, repetition, variations on themes of the meaning of brothers, poison, loyalty/disloyalty, appearance/reality and even "chicken."

    There were also numerous American pop culture references in this episode including The A-Team, Kojack, The Hardy Boys, and "Three Days of the Condor," all of these having to do with intrigue, mystery, pursuit, crime and sleuthing, and perhaps a touch of comic absurdity. The latter reference piqued my interest the most as that great '70s movie was about a man who was paranoid and on the run for what seems to be good reason, but in the end is not the real target of his perceived enemy's pursuit.

    I liked how Skylar's imperative to Ted "Just ... Write ... It" may have been an echo of Gus' now twice-uttered "Look. At. Me." (In both cases, Héctor refused to look at him.) This is going out on a limb but Gus' directive reminded me of the moment in "The Dark Knight" when The Joker commands his victim "Bryan" to "Look ... At ... Me" just before killing him. ("I'm a man of my word.") Bryan Cranston's maniacal laughter at the end of the episode also reminded me of Ledger's Joker ... a character beyond good and evil, twisted by the tragedy of his circumstances into a place of moral anarchy.

    This season has very seductively led the audience to sympathize with Gus, perhaps even moreso than Walt. However with the advent of this episode, we're reminded of just how twisted "the life" can make a man. Gus is truly cruel, as threatening as a man can be.

    "No vale nada la vida /
    La vida no vale nada..."
    - Camino de Guanajuato - José Alfredo Jiménez
     
  12. Russblue11

    Russblue11 S7 Royalty

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    There's still the Mike factor...I predict that he will recover, and will intervene (possibly on Jesse's request) to save Walt and/or Hank...

    ...that is, if Walt didn't just die :shock:
     
  13. Rich

    Rich Die-Cast

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    I thought I was crazy when I started to get a joker vibe. Like you mentioned the "look at me" line and pacing of how it was said immediately read of the HL joker. And then the laugh at the end was what sealed it to me. Glad I'm not the only one who saw that.



     
  14. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    I think Jesse is purposely pushing Walt away because ultimately he hates Gus and wants to save Walt. The only way he can is by gaining complete trust with Gus. I really wish Walt would become his Heisenberg self again and man up but he has too much collateral damage to concern himself with because of his family. Can't wait to see the whole Skylar lending Ted the money argument with Walt next week BTW. Next week show is entitled "End Times" so I'm sure someone will meet their end next week. Followed by "Face Off" for the finale. One person I can't wait to see meet his demise is Tyrus.

    EDIT: Just thought of some more regarding Mike. Does anyone think Mike might be working deep undercover? It seems far fetched but it would tie up a lot of loose ends in wrapping up this season.
     
  15. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    Good thinking Lixx. I wondered if Jessie knew or at least suspected that Tyrus was watching, and made a great show of pushing Walt away for Walt's own protection. We know that he doesn't want Gus to harm "Mr. White." If he'd invited Walt in, things could have been a lot worse for everyone.

    As always I like it when Andrea and her kid turn up. They bring out the good guy in Jessie and offer hope that he hasn't turned totally bent. He and Walt have been on opposite trajectories in Season 4; Walt has been reduced to a totally unravelled man while Jesse has gained Heisenberg-like confidence and started caring about himself again.

    I assume that Jessie still has the ricin ... if Gus and Tyrus are taken out, maybe Hank doesn't have to die? And yeah ... what's next for Mike? There's likely to be a surprise there ... maybe his loyalties are gravitating more toward Jessie?

    This episode would have made a spectacular season-end cliffhanger. It's hard to imagine what the final two episodes will bring, not to mention an entire 16 more episodes after that. There will be blood.
     
  16. wizeguy

    wizeguy Side Dealer

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    I agree that last night's ending could have easily been a conclusion to this season. When the camera panned out with Walt laying in the crawlspace under the house, I immediately thought of the Season finale of LOST when the hatch was discovered and the camera panned down from the top into the hatch.

    Seeing that the three finales thus far have been real shocker endings, I too am super excited to see what Gilligan has up his sleeve for the end of this season.

    the show is just so damn good!
     
  17. toybotstudios

    toybotstudios Die-Cast

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Dean, you're insane and awesome.
     
  18. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    :lol: Same back atcha man. Well the awesome part at least. Sorry I missed 'ya on Saturday.

    Good catch! I was trying to figure out what that shot reminded me of, and that's probably it. Also the slow pan backwards as Jack was dying, smiling as the dog lay down next to him. Who knows? BB is so jam-packed with references, it should come with Cliff's Notes.

    I read somewhere that Hector was watching "The Bridge on the River Kwai" with speculation that this might be foreshadowing of a bombing. In the preview for the next episode "End Times" Walt tells Skylar "no more prolonging the inevitable." Boom! :?:
     
  19. m3kcomp

    m3kcomp Side Dealer

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    THIS SHOW BLOWS!!!
     
  20. IamMordecai

    IamMordecai Addicted

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    im on episode 2... its ridiculous. Really liking it.
     
  21. RudeBeast

    RudeBeast Line of Credit

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    Glad to see how this is developing, as with every other season when the pace builds up BB really shines. There's only one moment I personally felt as a lazy way out being Ted Beneke's death, I think it could've been a bit more convincing and less casual.
    Having said that am I the only one thinking that Walt could possibly kill Jessie?
     
  22. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    kaboomus interruptus
     
  23. toybotstudios

    toybotstudios Die-Cast

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    Gus has the third eye.
     
  24. Dean

    Dean Prototype

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    Really, dude doesn't just have "cameras everywhere," he's got horse sense for days.

    He definitely "read" Jesse when he said that the doctors didn't know how Brock got poisoned. Why he suspected something in the garage, I'm not sure. Did he see Walt across the way? Possibly but that wasn't clearly indicated. Then again nobody knows how to play it cool better than Gus, and nobody is worse at playing it cool than Walter.

    I tried not to focus on symbolism and such in this episode but it was hard not to notice several cues anyway. For example in one of the first shots in the garage a red "Exit" sign once again hovered next to Gus' head, however this time it was in the distance and out of focus, a foreshadowing of an exit deferred? Turns out the speculations about "Bridge on the River Kwai" implying a forthcoming bomb plot were correct.

    Loved the music in this episode, especially the Ennio Morricone-like music in the final sequence, which reminded me of his soundtrack for "Once Upon a Time in the West" (in which Hollywood good guy Henry Fonda plays the bad guy.) Vince Gilligan directed "End Times," he's a big lover of Westerns ... I assume that the musical cue was intentional, even if the big showdown didn't happen. Yet.

    Loved the bit with Skylar needing a cigarette, hah.

    Off topic, but last night I saw "Drive" in which Bryan Cranston is excellent in a supporting role as a garage mechanic. Very different character from Walter White, you'd hardly know it was the same actor.

    By the way, there's no known antidote for Ricin.
     
  25. wizeguy

    wizeguy Side Dealer

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    I heart Breaking Bad
    i saw drive. Hated it and know im in the minority of people who feel this way.

    As for this weeks BB, I liked the episode but was expecting more from it. I really thought someone would meet their maker tonight. I have a feeling about someone on the DEA being in bed with Gus but we'll have to wait and see if that is true. I have no doubt that the season ender will be fantastic I was just hoping this episode would have been a much more exciting lead in. The scene with Walt and Jesse was real good and intense and the stuff with Brock is exciting and all but I was just expecting Gus to throw down the hammer a bit more than this.

    I am super pumped to see how this will end next weekend!
     

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