Breaking Bad: The Final 8

[Trajan]

...hopefully it will end better than the sopranos did

Could anything be worse?

That was a dirty trick, which I believe was done to leave the door open for another season.

tonys dead so, they're fugged


I will watch latest BB later tonight, I was out of town....

 

[MikeK]

I soooo wanted Walt to go down. I hope Hank and Jesse live. I am afraid that at least Hank is dead.

As for Skyler,. She is as bad as Walt

This series is a kind of morality play in which I regard Hank and Marie as far more villainous and fundamentally evil than Walt and Skyler.

If you've read Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Miserables, it seems clear the writers of this series have patterned Hank after Inspector Javert, a fixated, self-righteous policeman, who is best described in contemporary terms as an obsessive, egomaniacal, authoritarian personality. And Marie, a compulsive kleptomaniac, so slavishly subservient to her brutishly contemptuous, egomaniacal husband she has assimilated his perverse need to punish -- even though it will destroy the lives of her sister, Skyler, who generously aided Hank in his time of need, and Skyler's children, not to mention Walt who never harmed Marie or Hank in any way.

If you were Marie, would you behave as she is behaving?

One of the imbedded hooks in this developing plot is the fact that, while it hasn't even been hinted at yet, Hank would have gone to prison and been subjected to a ruinous lawsuit if Jesse hadn't decided to withdraw criminal and civil charges against him. I'm sure the writers haven't forgotten this, even though Hank along with everyone else apparently has.

More significant is the fact that Jesse would not have withdrawn those charges had Walt not gone well out of his way to encourage him to do it. And I'm not aware of any motivation for Walt's effort to do that other than unselfish familial concern. But Hank couldn't be happier now that he's about to put Walt in prison for life.

"I got him!"

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

Tonight's episode (9/8) was a major disappointment from beginning to end, mainly because I hate to see Hank outsmarting Walt so gracefully and Walt falling into the trap so clumsily. And the closing scene is as absurd as it would be if one of them took off and flew away like Superman: Eight supposedly experienced shooters, each holding a tight aim at less than a dozen yards with good quality weapons, about a hundred shots fired and nobody is hit? This is insultingly ridiculous. The first shots fired, even by mediocre shooters, would easily have taken out Hank and Gomez.

My loathing for Hank and Jesse is frustrating. I hope the writers have some relief planned for next Sunday, because today's episode inhabits the same category as zombie or vampire junk.

They could do a lot better.

You are wrong about this episode--it's the best of the season so far and very realistic.

DEA agents, as much as I hate them in real life, run brilliant reverse stings. Walt may be very smart, but he's human and nobody is invincible. He had no way of knowing Jesse was working for the DEA. It was realistic for the writers to show that Walt could be outsmarted.

The shootout left us with a stunning cliffhanger. You do realize they left us in the middle of the shootout...it's not over yet. The scenes from next week hinted that Hank may have bit the big one...you know, the audio of his wife's phone call that she hadn't heard from him in a while.

This sets up the dilemma for how Walt is going to explain Hank's death to Skyler. He is supposed to be telling her the truth now. She'll never believe that it was all an accident. Very interesting development.

 

[MikeK]

[You are wrong about this episode--it's the best of the season so far and very realistic.

DEA agents, as much as I hate them in real life, run brilliant reverse stings. Walt may be very smart, but he's human and nobody is invincible. He had no way of knowing Jesse was working for the DEA. It was realistic for the writers to show that Walt could be outsmarted.

The shootout left us with a stunning cliffhanger. You do realize they left us in the middle of the shootout...it's not over yet. The scenes from next week hinted that Hank may have bit the big one...you know, the audio of his wife's phone call that she hadn't heard from him in a while.

This sets up the dilemma for how Walt is going to explain Hank's death to Skyler. He is supposed to be telling her the truth now. She'll never believe that it was all an accident. Very interesting development.

I hope you are wrong about Hank because I don't want this despicable character terminated so quickly and easily. Walt's confession was a brilliant surprise which strongly suggested the possibility of poetic justice. But this episode (9/8) has rudely burst that happy bubble.

As for the shoot-out; if those guys are still standing after what we've already seen I expect to see all of them out of ammo, clubbing, kicking, and biting each other next week.

 

[Billo_Really]

Angles. Doesn't matter. Any gunfight like that wouldn't last more than 30 seconds in the real world.

Except a bank robbery in Los Angeles.

 

[MikeK]

Angles. Doesn't matter. Any gunfight like that wouldn't last more than 30 seconds in the real world.

Except a bank robbery in Los Angeles.

That was one hell of an engagement, obviously inspired by the excellent movie, Heat, but it hardly compares in any way with the annoyingly incredible nonsense shown in last week's (9/8) closing scene.

At a distance of ten yards or less, six men armed with military-grade weapons, protected behind vehicle doors and demonstrating well-practiced point-blank aim at Hank and Gomez, both of whom are standing in the open, armed with a 9mm handgun and a shotgun, neither of which can fully penetrate a vehicle door. While I'm not surprised at Hank's stupidly authoritarian command to "Drop your weapons!" what happened next is about as credible as having Batman swoop down and save the day. Because if those six barricaded shooters had opened fire at those two exposed, close-range targets in any vaguely realistic scenario, Hank and Gomez might have gotten off one reflexive shot and that would have been it. Instead we were shown an O.K. Corral gunfight with, so far, no winners and no losers. Just a lot of noise and brass piling up.

 

[Snookie]

Angles. Doesn't matter. Any gunfight like that wouldn't last more than 30 seconds in the real world.

Except a bank robbery in Los Angeles.

That was one hell of an engagement, obviously inspired by the excellent movie, Heat, but it hardly compares in any way with the annoyingly incredible nonsense shown in last week's (9/8) closing scene.

At a distance of ten yards or less, six men armed with military-grade weapons, protected behind vehicle doors and demonstrating well-practiced point-blank aim at Hank and Gomez, both of whom are standing in the open, armed with a 9mm handgun and a shotgun, neither of which can fully penetrate a vehicle door. While I'm not surprised at Hank's stupidly authoritarian command to "Drop your weapons!" what happened next is about as credible as having Batman swoop down and save the day. Because if those six barricaded shooters had opened fire at those two exposed, close-range targets in any vaguely realistic scenario, Hank and Gomez might have gotten off one reflexive shot and that would have been it. Instead we were shown an O.K. Corral gunfight with, so far, no winners and no losers. Just a lot of noise and brass piling up.

I remember that. It was awesome.

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

 

[Nosmo King]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

So we know that you're NOT Vince Gilligan! With two episodes left, expect anything and everything!

 

[PixieStix]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

Hank was killed, not wounded. Jesse is gonna be the hero in the end.

 

[Nosmo King]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

Hank was killed, not wounded. Jesse is gonna be the hero in the end.

I sure hope so. Jesse is the last sympathetic character on the show.

 

[MikeK]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

Hank was killed, not wounded. Jesse is gonna be the hero in the end.

I sure hope so. Jesse is the last sympathetic character on the show.

I would say pathetic, not sympathetic.

Jesse is a self-pitying, self-absorbed little weasel who should have been put to sleep three episodes ago.

 

[MikeK]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

I suppose it's a matter of individual perception, probably influenced by one's familiarity with and interest in guns. My perception, based on the closing scene of last week's episode, is they missed. But in this week's opening scene the writers are saying, Okay, Gomez is dead and Hank is shot in the leg, so let's take it from there. Never mind the absurdity we left you with last week. Forget it. They really didn't miss.

I like good fiction, which this series has been. But I don't like fantasy, and what I saw last week is as fantastic as someone putting the muzzle of a pistol in his mouth, pulling the trigger six times -- and missing.

I don't like zombie movies, because there are no zombies. Same with vampires and werewolves.

But that's just me.

 

[Samson]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

Hank was killed, not wounded. Jesse is gonna be the hero in the end.

I sure hope so. Jesse is the last sympathetic character on the show.

While I wouldn't characterize Jesse as Sympathetic, he is at least, human, a line Walt crossed long ago (reminding us, that he let Jesse's GF choke on her own vomit). Jesse's humanity is haunted by the killing of the Boy. Now he suffer's (did anyone else see shades of a crown of thorns on his brow as he was chained, enslaved to produce high quality crack for White Supremists).

He will Rise Again.

The question is, what "stuff" does Walt still have to do? Why does he return home out of hiding....he thinks Jesse will be tortured and killed, so he's not on a rescue mission.... He does need the risen cigarette.

The only chain smoker among the characters is the Head of the White Supremist Gang.

Of course, the plot has made it clear that Skylar enjoys a puff now and then.....

So my guess is that Walt has returned to murder Skylar, but learns Jesse is alive, and recues him instead to find salvation.

 

[MikeK]

The personality they've assigned to Walt is about as bizarre as it gets. While logically he should be wishing to see Hank die the death of a thousand cuts he is tearfully begging for his life to be spared because, ". . . He's family!" And now he's gone completely off the deep end in a tirade of hatred for Skyler, who is the best thing ever happened to him.

He has become a fully manifest Jekyll and Hyde, so I won't even venture a guess on what's coming.

I wish to say I'm completely disappointed that Walt's confession disc didn't end up putting Hank in prison. That would have been a brilliantly poetic element. Too bad things are going in the opposite direction. Poor Skyler can't avoid doing time and her bitch of a sister will end up with a sweet little girl to raise as her own.

Sad.

 

[dblack]

The personality they've assigned to Walt is about as bizarre as it gets. While logically he should be wishing to see Hank die the death of a thousand cuts he is tearfully begging for his life to be spared -- because, ". . . He's family!" And now he's gone completely off the deep end in a tirade of hatred for Skyler, who is the best thing ever happened to him.

He has become a fully manifest Jekyll and Hyde, so I won't even venture a guess on what's coming.

I wish to say I'm completely disappointed that Walt's confession disc didn't end up putting Hank in prison. That would have been a brilliantly poetic element. Too bad things are going in the opposite direction. Poor Skyler can't avoid doing time and her bitch of a sister will end up with a sweet little girl to raise as her own.

Sad.

Nah, you should watch again. Walt's tirade on Skyler was more of his scheming - all in the name of family. He knew the phone would be bugged, and deliberately made himself out to be the bully and "mastermind" to cover up her complicity.

And his personality has changed, but his core motivations have remained utterly consistent. His sin is pride, his insatiable ego. But his justification is always family. It's what he uses to rationalize everything he does. I think it's some pretty remarkable screenwriting myself.

 

[Samson]

The personality they've assigned to Walt is about as bizarre as it gets. While logically he should be wishing to see Hank die the death of a thousand cuts he is tearfully begging for his life to be spared -- because, ". . . He's family!" And now he's gone completely off the deep end in a tirade of hatred for Skyler, who is the best thing ever happened to him.

He has become a fully manifest Jekyll and Hyde, so I won't even venture a guess on what's coming.

I wish to say I'm completely disappointed that Walt's confession disc didn't end up putting Hank in prison. That would have been a brilliantly poetic element. Too bad things are going in the opposite direction. Poor Skyler can't avoid doing time and her bitch of a sister will end up with a sweet little girl to raise as her own.

Sad.

Walt snapped after Jesse sent him the fake photo of the drum-o-money. He continues to babble away over the phone to Skylar, even though he implicated himself exactly the same way on the phone with Jesse less than 24 hours before.

 

[MikeK]

Nah, you should watch again. Walt's tirade on Skyler was more of his scheming - all in the name of family. He knew the phone would be bugged, and deliberately made himself out to be the bully and "mastermind" to cover up her complicity.

And his personality has changed, but his core motivations have remained utterly consistent. His sin is pride, his insatiable ego. But his justification is always family. It's what he uses to rationalize everything he does. I think it's some pretty remarkable screenwriting myself.

Ya know, I think you're right. He did say a several things which plainly take a lot of weight off her. That hadn't occurred to me. I thought Walt's demon had taken control, but what you've said makes perfect sense and rescues my positive impression of Walt. I should have looked more closely, but didn't.

Compliments on your sharp insight.

 

[Nosmo King]

Jesse will remember the effects of red phosphorous and hot liquid and kill anyone who is not masked up in the Aryan meth lab. Todd, of course will be masked.

Walt will use the ricin against Todd and Jesse. Then he and Skylar and Flynn will ride off into the sunset.

Saul will get his own spin off show.

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

Turns out they didn't miss. Hank wounded, his partner killed.

Another excellent episode last night, but I believe it was the climax of the series.

I don't see how the final 2 episodes can be anything other than an aftermath epilogue.

Hank was killed, not wounded. Jesse is gonna be the hero in the end.

I was referring to the shootout, you idiot.

He wasn't killed til after the shootout was over.