Breaking Bad: The Final 8

[MikeK]

There is a tradition in American fiction which holds that "bad guys" are always punished in the end. This tradition is the product of hypocritical observation of Christian ideology. Quentin Tarantino's very excellent movie, True Romance, was a notable exception and I'm hoping Breaking Bad will be another.

I don't think Pinkman should get away clean, mainly because he cold-bloodedly murdered Gayle Boettinger -- and because I don't like the whining, self-pitying little weasel. I would think Walt deserves to get away clean, which would include full remission of his cancer, because all of the people he killed had it coming. That includes Mike, who beat Walt up in the bar with no justifiable provocation and was fully prepared to kill him on Gus' orders. But Walt poisoned a little boy and he let Jesse's girl, Jane, choke to death on her vomit, two unpardonable sins which call for retribution.

Skyler deserves no punishment at all and I hope she ends up profitably operating her car wash, happily raising her children, and finally understanding that Walt was above all, and in spite of his obsessive and egotistical pathology, a devoted husband and father.

Based on what I've seen so far I'm afraid the final curtain will be as disappointing (to me) as the past two episodes have been.

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

It's starting to get stupid now and appears to be headed for a disappointing conclusion.

With a barrel full of money are those accomodations the best the disappearance maven can provide for Walt? What Walt needs is a few hundred dollars worth of theatrical makeup and a modestly comfortable apartment to hole up in right smack in the middle of a crowded working class neighborhood in New York City -- where nobody pays attention to strangers and where Osama bin Laden could have lived without being noticed. Seriously.

What the disappearance maven really should be able to provide is a conveniently immediate alternate identity, not just a barren, remote cabin with next to nothing to pass the time. Couldn't he provide some entertaining diversions to keep Walt occupied and reasonably comfortable for a few months? And are we expected to believe the idea of just disposing of Walt and walking away with that barrel of money hasn't occurred to him?

And what is Walt up to now? It's getting weak. The last few episodes have drifted between highly improbable and utterly fantastic. It could have been much better if the writers were not so preoccupied with presenting two opposing sides of Walt's personality. I can't come to terms with his concern for the killing of that evil bastard, Hank, who is the cause of all his misery and who was eagerly predisposed to destroying his family -- just so he could make a big arrest. That character is true to the model of Victor Hugo's Javert and his demise was far too merciful.

You are wrong again.

Money can not always buy connections. Walt has run out of connections. All he's got left is his money. How ironic.

The difference between good fiction and bad fiction is the factor of credibility, which has been the strength of this series -- until now. Beginning with the wholly incredible "gunfight" this long series of well crafted fiction is devolving into poorly conceived fantasy, acceptable only to hyper-romantic spinsters and men who simply don't get out much.

A far more realistic scenario would be the Disappearance Maven renting a suitable apartment in New York City under a fake name, paying three months rent in advance, and Walt moving in -- not with a barrel but with some strong cardboard boxes. That would be a much better place to hide than a remote New Hampshire cabin, which is vulnerable to hunters, hikers, and curious local police. Walt would have physical comfort, cable tv, and by using a wig and beard he could order in foods and an occasional outcall hooker if he chose to.

Wouldn't that be more credible and interesting fiction? Or don't you think the best place to hide is in a crowd?

Not everyone is a homicidal maniac. In fact, most people are not. It's not unrealistic that the guy hiding him would not kill him.

It's not unrealistic but it is extremely improbable. While this fellow might not be a homicidal maniac he is an outlaw who takes extreme risks for money. Here is an opportunity to walk away with a barrel full of money and all he has to do is dispose of an unpleasant guy who talks down to him and could turn out to be a problem. While he's not a homicidal maniac he also is not a model of Christian morality.

But I can accept that he's simply not inclined to dispose of Walt and let it go at that.

Walt doesn't view Hank the same way you do. It's his brother-in-law who he has known and cared about for 20 years.

Hank is an egomaniacal authoritarian brute who is likable only to slavishly masochistic freaks like his kleptomaniacal wife and his submissively Chauvinistic partner, Gomez. Walt is the diametic opposite of those personalities and there never has been the slightest indication that he especially likes Hank. All I've ever seen is Hank as the guy who is married to Walt's wife's sister and who Walt is dragged off to visit now and then.

More recently, Hank is the guy who has immensely benefited from Walt and Skyler's generosity but wholly ignores that fact while diligently endeavoring to destroy Walt and Skyler's lives, not to mention those of their children. Yet Walt is shown to be grievously offended by seeing that miserable beast executed.

Meanwhile, Todd's uncle, the head Nazi, who logically was expected to put Walt in the same hole with Hank and Gomez, demonstrated what may be described as an amazingly good-natured gesture of spontaneous decency by allowing Walt to live and get away with a barrel of money. But Walt hates that fellow and is determined to kill him.

He loves the man who wanted to destroy his family but he hates the man who spared his life. Actually he has no logical reason for either emotional disposition, which are factors that serve to further complicate what already is a confusing approach to the conclusion of an otherwise entertaining and well crafted tale.

I hope they don't intend to spring a Sopranos-type ending on us.

Good fiction does not depend on credibility. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Elmore Leonard and many others made millions writing far fetched stories with ridiculous plots.

Breaking Bad has never been credible. A high school chemistry teacher wiping out organized criminals and becoming a drug kingpin himself? The whole premise is absurd.

I think it is realistic that his connection could not find a better place to live. It is hard to get a nice apartment in New York City without references. Just because he's an expert at making people disappear doesn't mean he can work miracles or chooses the best hideout.

The final episode of the Sopranos has been unfairly criticized. The actual climax of the series was in the next to last episode. We know what was going to happen to Tony Soprano. He was going to go to prison because he was about to be federally indicted. There was no need to show that.

 

[Nosmo King]

Credible, incredible. Probable, Improbable.

Breaking Bad is one of a handful of television series that never "jumped the shark". the writing has maintained a supremely high level of quality, the production has never failed in its quest for the spectacular. The arch of the characters has been meticulously built.

I'm wondering if Gretchen and Elliot made Walt's hit list. Pride goeth before the fall.

 

[Snookie]

It's starting to get stupid now and appears to be headed for a disappointing conclusion.

With a barrel full of money are those accomodations the best the disappearance maven can provide for Walt? What Walt needs is a few hundred dollars worth of theatrical makeup and a modestly comfortable apartment to hole up in right smack in the middle of a crowded working class neighborhood in New York City -- where nobody pays attention to strangers and where Osama bin Laden could have lived without being noticed. Seriously.

What the disappearance maven really should be able to provide is a conveniently immediate alternate identity, not just a barren, remote cabin with next to nothing to pass the time. Couldn't he provide some entertaining diversions to keep Walt occupied and reasonably comfortable for a few months? And are we expected to believe the idea of just disposing of Walt and walking away with that barrel of money hasn't occurred to him?

And what is Walt up to now? It's getting weak. The last few episodes have drifted between highly improbable and utterly fantastic. It could have been much better if the writers were not so preoccupied with presenting two opposing sides of Walt's personality. I can't come to terms with his concern for the killing of that evil bastard, Hank, who is the cause of all his misery and who was eagerly predisposed to destroying his family -- just so he could make a big arrest. That character is true to the model of Victor Hugo's Javert and his demise was far too merciful.

You are wrong again.

Money can not always buy connections. Walt has run out of connections. All he's got left is his money. How ironic.

The difference between good fiction and bad fiction is the factor of credibility, which has been the strength of this series -- until now. Beginning with the wholly incredible "gunfight" this long series of well crafted fiction is devolving into poorly conceived fantasy, acceptable only to hyper-romantic spinsters and men who simply don't get out much.

A far more realistic scenario would be the Disappearance Maven renting a suitable apartment in New York City under a fake name, paying three months rent in advance, and Walt moving in -- not with a barrel but with some strong cardboard boxes. That would be a much better place to hide than a remote New Hampshire cabin, which is vulnerable to hunters, hikers, and curious local police. Walt would have physical comfort, cable tv, and by using a wig and beard he could order in foods and an occasional outcall hooker if he chose to.

Wouldn't that be more credible and interesting fiction? Or don't you think the best place to hide is in a crowd?

Not everyone is a homicidal maniac. In fact, most people are not. It's not unrealistic that the guy hiding him would not kill him.

It's not unrealistic but it is extremely improbable. While this fellow might not be a homicidal maniac he is an outlaw who takes extreme risks for money. Here is an opportunity to walk away with a barrel full of money and all he has to do is dispose of an unpleasant guy who talks down to him and could turn out to be a problem. While he's not a homicidal maniac he also is not a model of Christian morality.

But I can accept that he's simply not inclined to dispose of Walt and let it go at that.

Walt doesn't view Hank the same way you do. It's his brother-in-law who he has known and cared about for 20 years.

Hank is an egomaniacal authoritarian brute who is likable only to slavishly masochistic freaks like his kleptomaniacal wife and his submissively Chauvinistic partner, Gomez. Walt is the diametic opposite of those personalities and there never has been the slightest indication that he especially likes Hank. All I've ever seen is Hank as the guy who is married to Walt's wife's sister and who Walt is dragged off to visit now and then.

More recently, Hank is the guy who has immensely benefited from Walt and Skyler's generosity but wholly ignores that fact while diligently endeavoring to destroy Walt and Skyler's lives, not to mention those of their children. Yet Walt is shown to be grievously offended by seeing that miserable beast executed.

Meanwhile, Todd's uncle, the head Nazi, who logically was expected to put Walt in the same hole with Hank and Gomez, demonstrated what may be described as an amazingly good-natured gesture of spontaneous decency by allowing Walt to live and get away with a barrel of money. But Walt hates that fellow and is determined to kill him.

He loves the man who wanted to destroy his family but he hates the man who spared his life. Actually he has no logical reason for either emotional disposition, which are factors that serve to further complicate what already is a confusing approach to the conclusion of an otherwise entertaining and well crafted tale.

I hope they don't intend to spring a Sopranos-type ending on us.

The way big brother is now Hank would get caught in a place like NY. There are tv cameras everywhere, stores elevators, etc, especially since 9-11.

 

[Snookie]

You are wrong again.

Money can not always buy connections. Walt has run out of connections. All he's got left is his money. How ironic.

The difference between good fiction and bad fiction is the factor of credibility, which has been the strength of this series -- until now. Beginning with the wholly incredible "gunfight" this long series of well crafted fiction is devolving into poorly conceived fantasy, acceptable only to hyper-romantic spinsters and men who simply don't get out much.

A far more realistic scenario would be the Disappearance Maven renting a suitable apartment in New York City under a fake name, paying three months rent in advance, and Walt moving in -- not with a barrel but with some strong cardboard boxes. That would be a much better place to hide than a remote New Hampshire cabin, which is vulnerable to hunters, hikers, and curious local police. Walt would have physical comfort, cable tv, and by using a wig and beard he could order in foods and an occasional outcall hooker if he chose to.

Wouldn't that be more credible and interesting fiction? Or don't you think the best place to hide is in a crowd?


It's not unrealistic but it is extremely improbable. While this fellow might not be a homicidal maniac he is an outlaw who takes extreme risks for money. Here is an opportunity to walk away with a barrel full of money and all he has to do is dispose of an unpleasant guy who talks down to him and could turn out to be a problem. While he's not a homicidal maniac he also is not a model of Christian morality.

But I can accept that he's simply not inclined to dispose of Walt and let it go at that.

Walt doesn't view Hank the same way you do. It's his brother-in-law who he has known and cared about for 20 years.

Hank is an egomaniacal authoritarian brute who is likable only to slavishly masochistic freaks like his kleptomaniacal wife and his submissively Chauvinistic partner, Gomez. Walt is the diametic opposite of those personalities and there never has been the slightest indication that he especially likes Hank. All I've ever seen is Hank as the guy who is married to Walt's wife's sister and who Walt is dragged off to visit now and then.

More recently, Hank is the guy who has immensely benefited from Walt and Skyler's generosity but wholly ignores that fact while diligently endeavoring to destroy Walt and Skyler's lives, not to mention those of their children. Yet Walt is shown to be grievously offended by seeing that miserable beast executed.

Meanwhile, Todd's uncle, the head Nazi, who logically was expected to put Walt in the same hole with Hank and Gomez, demonstrated what may be described as an amazingly good-natured gesture of spontaneous decency by allowing Walt to live and get away with a barrel of money. But Walt hates that fellow and is determined to kill him.

He loves the man who wanted to destroy his family but he hates the man who spared his life. Actually he has no logical reason for either emotional disposition, which are factors that serve to further complicate what already is a confusing approach to the conclusion of an otherwise entertaining and well crafted tale.

I hope they don't intend to spring a Sopranos-type ending on us.

Good fiction does not depend on credibility. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Elmore Leonard and many others made millions writing far fetched stories with ridiculous plots.

Breaking Bad has never been credible. A high school chemistry teacher wiping out organized criminals and becoming a drug kingpin himself? The whole premise is absurd.

I think it is realistic that his connection could not find a better place to live. It is hard to get a nice apartment in New York City without references. Just because he's an expert at making people disappear doesn't mean he can work miracles or chooses the best hideout.

The final episode of the Sopranos has been unfairly criticized. The actual climax of the series was in the next to last episode. We know what was going to happen to Tony Soprano. He was going to go to prison because he was about to be federally indicted. There was no need to show that.

In my opinion fact os pftem stramger than fiction. Today I saw in the news that a mother had killed her baby in a microwave oven, ugh.

Abraham Lincoln was raised in a log cabin and Davie Crockett killed himself a bear when he was only three.

 

[MikeK]

Good fiction does not depend on credibility. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Elmore Leonard and many others made millions writing far fetched stories with ridiculous plots.

If you wish to think of Stephen King's creations as fiction you are free to do that. But a rose is a rose and the supernatural is correctly catgegorized as fantasy. Not fiction.

Breaking Bad has never been credible. A high school chemistry teacher wiping out organized criminals and becoming a drug kingpin himself? The whole premise is absurd.

Improbable and unlikely, but certainly not fantastic. The fact that such an unlikely contingency is entirely possible makes it credible. And cleverly entertaining expansion on a credible concept is what makes for good fiction.

I think it is realistic that his connection could not find a better place to live.

Of course it's realistic. But it is disappointing in terms of conceptual continuity.

Saul Goodman introduced this Disappearance Maven as a high-priced expert -- who eventually transports Walt to a place where he is subject to visits by hunters, hikers, and curious local cops, and who provides no more than a wood stove and nothing in the way of basic comforts and pastimes. How much would a load of batteries and some electronic diversions, a few boxfuls of books, and some good food instead of a boxful of Ensure cost? This highly unusual plot segment interrupts the conceptual flow, much in the way of that ridiculous shootout at the burial site.

It is hard to get a nice apartment in New York City without references.

That's right. But an expert knows how to do it. And doing it could have vastly improved the continuity of this otherwise brilliant fiction.

The way to rent a decent apartment for the Maven's purposes is to rent a mail drop under the name of "Respectable Realty Associates" and run a classified ad in the New York Times: "3-1/2 rooms, renovated, quiet Brooklyn neighborhood, $750 month. Available in six weeks. Reply with references." Within a few days there will be dozens of useful identities, complete with genuine references, with which to rent a "nice" apartment in a suitable neighborhood for Walt to lay low in. And that process would make for a much more interesting, entertaining, and acceptable concept than this potential trap in remote New Hampshire.

Just because he's an expert at making people disappear doesn't mean he can work miracles or chooses the best hideout.

There is absolutely nothing about what he's done so far that qualifies as expertise. There is a way of doing it which is in line with the continuity of this otherwise supremely entertaining fiction. And it doesn't involve anything miraculous. Just a bit of expertise.

The final episode of the Sopranos has been unfairly criticized. The actual climax of the series was in the next to last episode. We know what was going to happen to Tony Soprano. He was going to go to prison because he was about to be federally indicted. There was no need to show that.

What do you mean, "We?"

I, and everyone I've ever read or heard comment on the ending of the Sopranos, was wholly disappointed with the ending of that otherwise superb series. The hypothesis you've chosen to believe is nothing but a presumption on your part. I had no such impression.

What I saw was Tony and Carmela enjoying a quiet meal in a favorite spot when a fellow whom the camera's focus suggests might be a button-man appears and . . . fade to black.

The fact is we were left hanging. Nobody knows for sure what happens next.

Not even you.

 

[Zona]

Credible, incredible. Probable, Improbable.

Breaking Bad is one of a handful of television series that never "jumped the shark". the writing has maintained a supremely high level of quality, the production has never failed in its quest for the spectacular. The arch of the characters has been meticulously built.

I'm wondering if Gretchen and Elliot made Walt's hit list. Pride goeth before the fall.

I think that is why they are going to end it this season. It went as far as it could and be plausible.

Just like The Shield.

 

[Zona]

Good fiction does not depend on credibility. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Elmore Leonard and many others made millions writing far fetched stories with ridiculous plots.

If you wish to think of Stephen King's creations as fiction you are free to do that. But a rose is a rose and the supernatural is correctly catgegorized as fantasy. Not fiction.

Breaking Bad has never been credible. A high school chemistry teacher wiping out organized criminals and becoming a drug kingpin himself? The whole premise is absurd.

Improbable and unlikely, but certainly not fantastic. The fact that such an unlikely contingency is entirely possible makes it credible. And cleverly entertaining expansion on a credible concept is what makes for good fiction.


Of course it's realistic. But it is disappointing in terms of conceptual continuity.

Saul Goodman introduced this Disappearance Maven as a high-priced expert -- who eventually transports Walt to a place where he is subject to visits by hunters, hikers, and curious local cops, and who provides no more than a wood stove and nothing in the way of basic comforts and pastimes. How much would a load of batteries and some electronic diversions, a few boxfuls of books, and some good food instead of a boxful of Ensure cost? This highly unusual plot segment interrupts the conceptual flow, much in the way of that ridiculous shootout at the burial site.


That's right. But an expert knows how to do it. And doing it could have vastly improved the continuity of this otherwise brilliant fiction.

The way to rent a decent apartment for the Maven's purposes is to rent a mail drop under the name of "Respectable Realty Associates" and run a classified ad in the New York Times: "3-1/2 rooms, renovated, quiet Brooklyn neighborhood, $750 month. Available in six weeks. Reply with references." Within a few days there will be dozens of useful identities, complete with genuine references, with which to rent a "nice" apartment in a suitable neighborhood for Walt to lay low in. And that process would make for a much more interesting, entertaining, and acceptable concept than this potential trap in remote New Hampshire.

Just because he's an expert at making people disappear doesn't mean he can work miracles or chooses the best hideout.

There is absolutely nothing about what he's done so far that qualifies as expertise. There is a way of doing it which is in line with the continuity of this otherwise supremely entertaining fiction. And it doesn't involve anything miraculous. Just a bit of expertise.

The final episode of the Sopranos has been unfairly criticized. The actual climax of the series was in the next to last episode. We know what was going to happen to Tony Soprano. He was going to go to prison because he was about to be federally indicted. There was no need to show that.

What do you mean, "We?"

I, and everyone I've ever read or heard comment on the ending of the Sopranos was wholly disappointed with the ending of that otherwise superb series. The hypothesis you've chosen to believe is nothing but a presumption on your part. I had no such impression.

What I saw was Tony and Carmela enjoying a quiet meal in a favorite spot when a fellow whom the camera's focus suggests might be a button-man appears and . . . fade to black.

The fact is we were left hanging. Nobody knows for sure what happens next.

Not even you.

Tony's life ended. He faded to black and so did the show. At least that is how I took it. Personally, I liked the way it ended. Just like that. Dead. No drama, no light..nothing..just black.

 

[Samson]

If I were to write an article about Breaking Bad, I would entitle it "Walt's Hat."

I'd need to do more research, but there seems to be a strong connection to when Walt puts on the hat, and how the plot develops. I'm sorry to have only recently noticed this foreshadowing tool.

The Bollman 1940's Pork Pie Hat is part of Walt's Hiesenberg, alter-ego costume. When he wears it, you know that Evil Walt is preparing to appear. Some may have noted that special attention to the scene was paid in the latest episode, The Granite State, where Walt finds the hat, and puts it on.

I'm predicting an extrememly bloody finale; the shock value will exceed that which the show achieved when Gustavo Fring walked out of the nusing home room after the bomb went off....and calmly straightened his tie.

 

[Trajan]

well, first todd offing andrea was, just brutal, , it was gratuitous violence and in my opinion and something I think they did a good job of stating away from , till now. ............. the shock effect they wished to invoke, well, they got it......I am not sure why they had to do it ( the writers, I know why they had to do it to keep jesse in line) that is why they had to write it that way.

Its a piece of senseless brutality that, well, for me at least jumped the shark, I am glad it ends next week.

Walt has now got to get himself from the middle of no where to...? with what? he hot wires a car?

I have to say, I have loved every season of BB, but the last couple of episodes remind me of The Wire, the writers were told they only had 9 episodes for their last season and they had to accelerate the story..... and they had to add some semi fantastic moves to get the story where they wanted to end it......

We know from fore views- a) walt gets back to New Mexcio,b) gets the ricin, c) the house is torched d) someone scrawls Heisenberg in spray-paint on the living room wall, e) hes got an M-60 machine gun.....

I will stick with my original thoughts- he goes back with the MG to get all his cash from the nazis, the ricin? god knows, maybe hes going to take it himself just before OR in case he is losing a final wild bunch shootout, he dies happy knowing he got his cash even if he cannot give it away, something of a last grab for glory Heisenberg moment .......... he gives it to jesse ( who he finds there) , as he cannot give it to his family, his last act of atonement(?).Fade to black.....

 

[MikeK]

Credible, incredible. Probable, Improbable.

Breaking Bad is one of a handful of television series that never "jumped the shark". the writing has maintained a supremely high level of quality, the production has never failed in its quest for the spectacular. The arch of the characters has been meticulously built.

I don't know what "jumped the shark" means. But I will agree that the Breakinbg Bad script has been first class -- until last episode (my opinion). It appears to me the writers have gotten tired and are reaching. Things are not nearly as cleverly done as they could be.

I was disappointed that Walt's confession disc didn't end up putting Hank in federal prison, which would have been a brilliantly poetic stroke. As it is he was mercifully disposed of. And I'm hoping that miserable little rodent, Marie, isn't spared some appropriate pain. As it is she'll get Hank's insurance and survivor's pension and will go on happily shoplifting.

I'm wondering if Gretchen and Elliot made Walt's hit list. Pride goeth before the fall.

I'd forgotten about them.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

I have to say, I have loved every season of BB, but the last couple of episodes remind me of The Wire, the writers were told they only had 9 episodes for their last season and they had to accelerate the story..... and they had to add some semi fantastic moves to get the story where they wanted to end it......

[...]

I agree completely with that. The quality of these final episodes is analogous to a painter running out of paint near the end of a job and thinning it out. Considering the excellence of the previous episodes it all seems to be weakening. Nothing unique, surprising, or especially clever about it.

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

The way big brother is now Hank would get caught in a place like NY. There are tv cameras everywhere, stores elevators, etc, especially since 9-11.[/QUOTE]

You are getting the names of the characters mixed up.

You are referring to Walt as Hank.

 

[Smilodonfatalis]

[If you wish to think of Stephen King's creations as fiction you are free to do that. But a rose is a rose and the supernatural is correctly catgegorized as fantasy. Not fiction.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Fantasy is a category of fiction. I never heard anyone classify fantasy as anything other than fiction. Elmore Leonard is a writer who had great success telling stories that were less than credible. All film noire plots are less than credible but for a time was very popular.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Improbable and unlikely, but certainly not fantastic. The fact that such an unlikely contingency is entirely possible makes it credible. And cleverly entertaining expansion on a credible concept is what makes for good fiction. "
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes, it's fantastic.


"There is absolutely nothing about what he's done so far that qualifies as expertise. There is a way of doing it which is in line with the continuity of this otherwise supremely entertaining fiction. And it doesn't involve anything miraculous. Just a bit of expertise. "

He just wasn't that good an expert. I like that because that is definitely like real life."What do you mean, "We?"

I, and everyone I've ever read or heard comment on the ending of the Sopranos, was wholly disappointed with the ending of that otherwise superb series. The hypothesis you've chosen to believe is nothing but a presumption on your part. I had no such impression.

What I saw was Tony and Carmela enjoying a quiet meal in a favorite spot when a fellow whom the camera's focus suggests might be a button-man appears and . . . fade to black.

The fact is we were left hanging. Nobody knows for sure what happens next.

Not even you."

Watch the final episode again. In the next to the last scene, Tony's lawyer tells him he's about to be federally indicted. The federal government has a 90% conviction rate. The audience can assume Tony would soon be sent to prison (where he would die of a heart attack).
People who were disappointed with that episode just wanted a bloody final shootout that wiped Tony and his family out. David Chase probably tested that scene and didn't like it. I'm sure he chose the best final scene because he shot several endings. He wanted to show that the Sopranos were like a normal family, despite their father's criminality. The scene that people wanted to see was just too cheap and shallow and predictable.

 

[Nosmo King]

Credible, incredible. Probable, Improbable.

Breaking Bad is one of a handful of television series that never "jumped the shark". the writing has maintained a supremely high level of quality, the production has never failed in its quest for the spectacular. The arch of the characters has been meticulously built.

I don't know what "jumped the shark" means. But I will agree that the Breakinbg Bad script has been first class -- until last episode (my opinion). It appears to me the writers have gotten tired and are reaching. Things are not nearly as cleverly done as they could be.

I was disappointed that Walt's confession disc didn't end up putting Hank in federal prison, which would have been a brilliantly poetic stroke. As it is he was mercifully disposed of. And I'm hoping that miserable little rodent, Marie, isn't spared some appropriate pain. As it is she'll get Hank's insurance and survivor's pension and will go on happily shoplifting.

I'm wondering if Gretchen and Elliot made Walt's hit list. Pride goeth before the fall.

I'd forgotten about them.

"Jumped the shark" is a cliché that originated with the show Happy Days. It seems the viewing public was entirely satisfied with the writing, premise and arc of the show until the episode in which Fonzi jumped a tank of sharks with his motorcycle. The audience and critics alike agreed that after that episode, the show went downhill fast. Since then, "jumping the shark" refers to the point at which a television program loses it's panache.

And I figure Marie still has a card up her sleeve that will backfire and ruin her. I also look for some redemptive action from Flynn. It would not be surprising to see Walt and Jesse unite to kill off the Aryans.

 

[Samson]

"Jumped the shark" is a cliché that originated with the show Happy Days. It seems the viewing public was entirely satisfied with the writing, premise and arc of the show until the episode in which Fonzi jumped a tank of sharks with his motorcycle.

The audience and critics alike agreed that after that episode, the show went downhill fast. Since then, "jumping the shark" refers to the point at which a television program loses it's panache.

Whether the decline had anything to do with the episode that is now referenced and coined the phrase, I have no clue.

However I do have a strong opinion regarding the change in tone contributing to what appears to be the natural decline of every series: The gradual elimination of humor.

This happens not just with comedy sitcoms (M.A.S.H., All In The Family, Happy Days, etc.), but also with drama, e.g. Breaking Bad (hell, even a show as dark as American Horror Story has some humor infused).

Everyone can recall the humorous scenes between bumbling Jesse and Walt in the show's beginnings, and even the dark humor of Gus straightening his tie after half his face was blown off: But when was the last time we laughed while watching BB?

Answer: We laugh at Saul and his huge "Body Guard" (laying on the pile of money).

It is no coincidence that the spinoff to BB will be about Saul: He amuses us.

 

[MikeK]

The way big brother is now Hank would get caught in a place like NY. There are tv cameras everywhere, stores elevators, etc, especially since 9-11.

Rest assured if Walt were hiding in an apartment in New York he would not be going out, and if he did he would be wearing a disguise. I would recommend he disguise himself as an Hassidic Jew because they all look the same and walk fast while looking down -- and no one ever suspects them of anything.

You are getting the names of the characters mixed up.

You are referring to Walt as Hank.

So are you (as above). But it's easy to do and as long as it is obvious and we all know it it's not a problem.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

"Jumped the shark" is a cliché that originated with the show Happy Days. It seems the viewing public was entirely satisfied with the writing, premise and arc of the show until the episode in which Fonzi jumped a tank of sharks with his motorcycle. The audience and critics alike agreed that after that episode, the show went downhill fast. Since then, "jumping the shark" refers to the point at which a television program loses it's panache.

Thanks.

And I figure Marie still has a card up her sleeve that will backfire and ruin her. I also look for some redemptive action from Flynn. It would not be surprising to see Walt and Jesse unite to kill off the Aryans.

I hope you're right. Because Marie's clearly malicious eagerness to see her sister's family tossed into hell reveals her to be just as evil as her perversely egomaniacal husband. Worse in fact because Skyler's unnecessary (and risky) generosity in Hank's time of need isn't even vaguely mentioned and Marie is carrying on as if Skyler and Walt had done something selfishly hurtful to her and Hank.

This is a significant moral issue and If Marie is allowed to slide away untouched it will be obvious to me the writing was somehow compromised during the final episodes.

 

[Snookie]

Skyler could wash my car any time day or night 24/7 [oh my, my, I would love to see her washing my hub caps].

 

[Snookie]

The way big brother is now Hank would get caught in a place like NY. There are tv cameras everywhere, stores elevators, etc, especially since 9-11.

You are getting the names of the characters mixed up.

You are referring to Walt as Hank.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I picked the wrong week to give up drugs.