Breaking Bad: The junkman cometh

Breaking Bad: A No Rough Stuff Type Deal

(S01E07) You know what, I’ve just watched the latest episode of AMC new series, Breaking Bad, and I realize that I should feel worried and/or sad. I know I should, and I’m sure many fans of the show do feel sad at this moment, because although nine episodes were actually ordered, due to the writers�?strike only seven of them were completed. As such, what we got this Sunday night was the last episode of the first season.

Truth is, AMC has yet to renew the show for a second season. So at this very moment, there are no guarantee that the show will have a second season, nothing else than the fact that this show is freaking great, one of the best thing on TV, and anyone who ever watched the show fall in love with it and is now addicted to it, and demands a second season !

Yeah, AMC better renew it for a second season, and it might be a good thing if that second season could have a little more episodes, like say 13 of them. This cannot be a series finale, I won’t accept that. And maybe I should be worried, for the future of the show, maybe I should be sad, that the show is gone for now, but so far I can’t, because I just watched this episode, and I’m still high on it.

This was another fantastic installment of a show that has proven without leaving any doubt that it was most certainly a great, refreshing, exciting new series. This is some TV as we all love to see, and writers have been able to nicely tweak this final episode so that it does work as a season finale. It does, it ends leaving Walt & Pinkman in a new situation they put themselves in, and that might easily go over their head. How the Hell are they going to handle this is only one of the many questions we have, this episode sure left us hanging and we have to have some more, and I have no doubt AMC will renew the show.

Last week we saw Walt evolving, we saw his transforming into a different person, a meth cook somewhat crazy on the side, we saw him letting himself go and enjoying those moments during which he truly feels alive : when he blows up some asshole car, or a crazy violent drug dealer. This week he continued to be seduced by the dark side, he’s completely embracing the move and trying to adjust to his love of everything illegal.

There was him playing with his wife right in the middle of some anti-drug meeting at his (and their kid’s) high-school, leading to having sex in their car, right there on the parking lot, something which both he and his wife enjoyed very much, and as Walt admitted, if it felt so good it was because it was�?illegal ! Walt is really getting used to, and maybe addicted as well, to those rush of adrenaline as he’s breaking the law, letting himself go and feel completely free.

He even tried to see how others felt on the topic, first his DEA agent of a brother-in-law, and later on his wife, who may not have reported her sister, but there’s a huge difference shoplifting and, you know, theft, destruction of property, production of methamphetamine, or murder, just to name a few. Walt still looks as this simple guy from the pilot, only a handful of episodes ago, but he’s already got himself a very long and impressive list of crimes. Don’t let appearances fool you, of the two Pinkman is definitely not the criminal one, not anymore.

In fact, this week and after his last encounter with Tuco, sending him unconscious to the hospital, Pinkman was ready to quit everything and move away. He was selling his house, he was out. But Walt wasn’t ready to let that happen, because he needs him. You had to love it when he was motivating Pinkman, ex-student of his, to become a man and believe in his self, to stand up and decide to do something with his life, to become someone, when this someone Walt was inspiring him to become was nothing else than a drug dealer ! 

Reluctant at first, Pinkman eventually listened to Walt and they started doing business again. But they were short and couldn’t be able to deliver what was promised to Tuco. Not that it was any crisis though, because Walt is becoming a real pro at this, he just went there and told him they ran into some problems, but still wanted the money, now. Not only that, but he upgraded things and made a deal for twice as much as originally planned ! Sometimes you wonder, of Walt and Tuco, who is the craziest ?

But Walt had a plan, and it eventually involved having them to go get some chemical themselves. Another crime to add the to list, and another really funny scene we got there. Seriously, the shot when the two of them are slowly walking out across the screen a barrel of methylamine, while in the back the security guard is trapped in the bathroom, had not you laughing, then there’s a problem with you !

That said, I have a problem with that scene actually. First, when they “locked him up�?in there, I thought this was a bad idea because he would then be aware that something was up as soon as he was done, whereas waiting and letting him go away might have gotten them more time. Okay, maybe the latest explosion in date (Walt does seem to love to blow stuff up) might have been a giveaway, maybe he would have had heard that, but would he ? Cause it sure looked to me as if that was the original plan�?/P>

Which I also thought was a better one, because I thought that stupid guard had a freaking radio on him ? Don’t they have the radio on them, not in that mini-car ? When we see him inside, doesn’t he have it on him ? Why isn’t he reporting anything ?

But there was the alarm anyway, yet some no cop showed up, and they got home. And this is where they acted in what was without a doubt the stupidest way they ever did. I mean as soon as they thought of cooking in the basement, I wondered about the fact that the freaking house was for sale, and people visiting in. Yet they only even thought of that once everything was set up. They pretty much started cooking first, and then worried about whether or not people could find out !!

Not to mention that I was under the impression that not cooking at home was one of their first rules ! Because they did not want a fixed lab in some house like any other cook, which is why they used a van in the first place. And now they’re settling back to that old meth lab like any other drug dealer in town. Only in a much stupider way, because the house is registered in Pinkman’s name, and both he and Walt have been seen there. Even his wife knows he’s been coming here !

Another problem I had during this episode was the little party they did, and the fact that somehow former friend and partner Elliott and his wife, an ex-girlfriend of Walt, were not invited. That he doesn’t want them here I understand, I don’t know why exactly he refuses to take anything from them, job or money, is it just pride or is there something more that he’d be willing to take cooking meth over a check from them ?

Anyways, Walt still lied to his wife and told her that Elliott did send the check, a check that he cashed in so that they can afford the very expensive treatment. Sure, inviting them over could be like asking for another gift, but really not having them over is like saying what, we want your money but please stay out of our lives ?? She thinks they are giving them money so that Walt can fight cancer and live (longer), that’s not nothing, and I would have thought she would have had invited them over, and then thank them again for helping with the money, which obviously would have led to problems since Walt told them his insurance kicked in, and that may be why this didn’t happen, but the question remains : why would she not invite them over ??

Hopefully this will be addressed next season, with why Walt doesn’t want anything to do with them. That, and how the Hell they’re going to work out their new deal with Tuco and keep making that blue shit, since they don’t have a lab ! They can’t stay in Pinkman’s house forever, this had to be a one-time only situation, pressed by time, and since they will always have to deliver meth, every week, time will always be an issue so they have to act fast if they don’t want the temporary situation to turn somewhat permanent�?/P>

This episode ended things in a pretty good way for a season finale, and it only have us wishing that the second season could start next week, because this show is really amazing. If somehow you missed it, you have to watch it, because it’s one of the best thing on TV!

Breaking Bad is cool, but I didn't realize how cool it was until the season finale. I think one Tuco's bodyguards also played a redshirt in Crank. I don't know his name, but if the writers decide to kill him off, I hope he dispatched as creatively as he was in Crank. In that film, he was used to smother a live grenade.

Like Crank, the final episode had an almost cartoon like quality. From the get go, this episode had to be one of the funniest to date. It started off on a gentle note, with a quick shot of a bouncing Aztek as Walter and Skyler got it on after the PTA meeting.

Walter and Skyler aren't the only characters with chemistry on the show. Walter and Jesse are starting to play off each other very well, in no small part because of the actors who play them. Nobody does a more convincing uptight white male than Cranston (except possibly Scott Thompson), and Paul is able to straddle the fine line that exists between being a fuck-up and a bright kid with some potential.

Cranston and Paul kicked it up a notch as they bickered about Walter's choice of location for a drug deal. It took awhile to work up to that rhythm, but they can deliver their repartee with a little more subtlety than Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction. Every bright, underacheiving slacker in the audience who has ever had to listen to a clockpunching teacher chew them out will want to applaud when they hear Walter's perverse motivational speech to Jesse.

I was disappointed that the series was cut short by the writers strike. In a perverse way, ending the series on a bittersweet climactic note was brilliant move. Jesse and Walter earn a lot of money from their sale of crystal meth. However, after Jesse and Walter watch helplessly as Tuco turn on one of his henchman, well, let's just say Walter's choice of Heisenberg as an alias isn't just ironic, but an apt metaphor for the series itself.

woohoo!!!!!

 

this is awesome news!!!!  yay!!! I love AMC.......

 

 

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Fire up the bunsen burners, Breaking Bad renewed

THANK YOU AMC!!!!

 

 

 

AMC is feeling good about Breaking Bad.  The network has just picked up another season of the dark comedy drama helmed by Vince Gilligan, giving fans 13 new episodes to look forward to.

The series, which stars Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) as dying chemistry teacher Walter White who goes from meek and mild family man to drug kingpin in order to secure his family's financial well-being, has been generally well received by critics since its premiere in January.  It has also earned good numbers during its Sunday night reign and has helped the network improve its overall ranking.

"From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television," AMC general manager Charlie Collier said in a statement.  "Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent and thought-provoking series that clearly resonated with viewers and critics alike.  We're excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with new and provocative storylines that will delve deeper into the next chapter in the life of Walter White."

Of course, producer Sony Pictures Television is also pleased with the pickup.

"Breaking Bad has been such a labor of love.  The pickup is validation in our belief that the viewers would embrace this show," Sony Pictures Television co-president Jamie Erlicht added.

Aside from Cranston, Breaking Bad also stars Anna Gunn as Walter's stay-at-home wife Skyler White, Aaron Paul as Walter meth business partner Jesse Pinkman, RJ Mitte as Walter and Skyler's teen-aged son Walter White, Jr., Dean Norris as drug enforcer agent Hank Schrader, Betsy Brandt as Walter's sister-in-law Marie Schrader, Jessica Hecht as Walter's old college chemistry assistant Gretchen Schwartz, Adam Godley as Walter's old college science partner Elliott Schwartz, and Raymond Cruz as Tuco, a sociopathic drug kingpin who becomes Walter and Jesse's meth distributor towards the end of season one.

Breaking Bad just started it's run over in ENGLAND on FX-UK and it looks like they love it as much as I did...

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TV Review: Breaking Bad, FX,

A pair of trousers flap down from out of the scorching New Mexico sky, and a one of those huge American RVs flies past. Inside a man wearing just a pair of pants is driving and he's in a panic. He's also wearing a gas mask. Soon the RV crashes into a ditch, and the driver stumbles out into the desert and rips off his mask. He makes a video recording with a camcorder, apologising to his wife and son for what he is about to do. I had no idea what was going on, but this was the opening scene from Emmy Award-winning Breaking Bad, another much talked-about US series on FX (taking over the Dexter timeslot) in the UK and AMC (home of Mad Men) in the US.

Three weeks earlier. Meet Walter White. He's a chemistry teacher who also works in the local car wash to keep the wolf from the door. His wife is sardonic and wrapped up in the day-to-day routines of running a family, while his son, suffering from cerebral palsy, is a smart-talking wise ass. Normal family life.

It's Walter's birthday. His gun-loving, testosterone-bubbling brother-in-law and the rest of his family hold a surprise birthday party for him, but they can't help looking down on him. Walter is timid, frustrated and fed up with life. That night, he and his wife have crushingly normal, loveless sex - she cracks him off under the covers while she plays online somethingorother on her laptop. Life is slow. Life is mundane, and the slow-burn narrative, washed-out colours and zero soundtrack reflect this.

Walter also has a cough, and when he collapses at his car wash job (after seeing a beautiful woman wearing an intensely bright, green dress... the first real colour of the episode... a visual signifier of what was to come perhaps?), he's taken to the hospital. It's revealed that he has inoperable lung cancer, even though he hasn't smoked a cigarette in his life. Dark humour is evident when Walter, after being told the bad news, points out that the doctor - the bearer of the terrible news - has a spot of mustard on his white coat.

Walter's in a daze, but snaps into life when he has an idea. His idiot cop brother-in-law had been boasting about taking down 700,000ks worth of crystal meth in a raid and had offered a ride-along to Walter on his next big bust.

Walter suddenly wanted to take him up on his offer, and during the next bust (and while the police were merrily shooting things up inside the kitchen) he spotted an ex-student, Pinkman, escaping from a bedroom window. He tracked him down and made him an offer - he will become a partner in his business or he will turn him in. The student could not believe his ears, but agreed to the crazy offer.

That's when Breaking Bad picked up the pace. As soon as Walter made his decision, the soundtrack exploded with music and the flash editing shots became frequent.

Together they bought an RV to cook in, and the two's uneasy, odd-couple relationship took a turn for the comic when Walter insisted on stripping down to his baggy Y-fronts to cook up the drugs. But, after cooking some of the best crystal meth he'd ever seen, Pinkman suddenly saw Walter with new-found respect. New-found respect was also gained in his family life - as soon as he made the decision he started having filthy sex with his wife ("Walt... is that you?!" and faced up to a bunch of jocks who took the mick out of his son).

But with this liberation came fear. Suddenly Walter was thrust into a world of gangsters, nasty types with guns, and there was a thrilling climax that explained the billowing trousers.

Bryan Cranston won an Emmy last week, and even though the award was out of left field, he does put in an excellent, understated performance. It's a dark subject he's dealing with, and the main, underlying question running through Breaking Bad is how far would you go to safeguard your family's future when you know you don't have one? The answer provided by Breaking Bad is an extreme one and shouldn't really work, but it somehow does largely because of the slow, considered way it juxtaposes humdrum (and tough) family life with the madness of the drug underworld.

In the tradition of all good American dramas, Breaking Bad takes its time, lets its characters breathe and reels you in slowly but surely.

Cant wait for the new season!

here is this weeks British take of.......

 

TV Review: Breaking Bad (Cancer Man), FX,

Operation Ice Breaker. That was the operation Hank was initiating against the missing meth dealers that Walter and Penkman had taken care of in recent episodes. Hank's team had found some of Walter's meth - the purest they have ever seen - in one of the missing dealer's car. Hank rallied his team and said that Alberqurque had a new drug kingpin in town, and as he spoke his brother-in-law Walter stood in front of his bathroom mirror, brushing his team clumsily and his belly protruding over his underpants. He certainly didn't look like the kingpin in question.

It was a family barbeque. Walter was watching a piece of meat slowly char on the grill, fascinated by how one piece of meat, once living, could now be slowly burning around the edges and soon eaten.

Hank was in good spirits, and Marie and Skylar were chatting and laughing like sisters do. They started talking about relationships, and Walter recounted about how he had met his wife for the first time. He said that he saw her waitressing in a sandwich shop and had to keep going in, hoping he someday caught her eye. He said he even started doing the same crosswords as her as a way to grab her attention.

Skylar started crying and rushed inside. Marie, naturally, wanted to know what was wrong with her sister. Walter, solemnly, told everyone that he had cancer. Lung cancer. It wasn't looking good, he added.

The family then rallied. Marie sorted out one of the nation's top oncologists, Skylar was busying herself with trying to help her husband and Hank promised to do all he could. At the eye of this storm was Walter, already resigned to dying. It was fascinating to watch, and no doubt one of the reasons why Walter couldn't bring himself to tell them in the first place - to face the emotion, the

Elsewhere, it was panning out to be a family-based episode for Penkman too. He was doing more and more of the meth and was getting increasingly paranoid and unstable. For sanctuary, he went to his parents who were distressed to see their eldest son in such a drug-addled state. While there he tried to get back in touch with his childhood and his family, but the cleaner found a spliff in his bedroom. It was his little brother's but Penkman covered for him and, consequently, was thrown out and told never to come back again. His parents had tried and tried to help him, but now there was no going back.

Walter and Skylar, meanwhile, went to see the oncologist who told them that, while Walt's cancer was very serious, it was treatable. Suddenly Walter had a chance of life, but he wasn't exactly over the moon like his wife at this second opinion - he had entered the drug game and had murdered someone. In fact, he had used the drug money to pay for the costly consultation.

So after the high and sometimes excruciating farce of the previous two episodes, episode five of Breaking Bad was altogether more reflective. It was about family and how people deal with grief and potential loss. And, of course, the strength loved ones show in an extreme crisis.

Some of it was difficult to watch thanks to the show's usual unflinching, no-frills honesty yet there are rewarding elements to it. Breaking Bad is turning out to be that kind of series.