Jake Posted September 30, 2013 It ended. I liked it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted September 30, 2013 I also liked it. Though I could see some people saying that maybe it was a bit too Reveal hidden contents clean . And I wouldn't blame them for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted September 30, 2013 Breaking Bad Reveal hidden contents has been 100% about crazy plotting, and plots end. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was hoping for an end in the vein of the end they chose. Going ambiguous, or diving suddenly into intense introspective characterization, or slingshotting a twisty new antagonist out of the show's past or something would have felt like it was happening for the sake of shock, but instead it just ended incredibly straight, and that in and of itself was nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted September 30, 2013 On 9/30/2013 at 7:09 AM, Twig said: I also liked it. Though I could see some people saying that maybe it was a bit too Reveal hidden contents clean . And I wouldn't blame them for it. Yeah, those were my thoughts, too. I don't have a problem with it myself, but I know some people (it seems like Chris was among them) were expecting/hoping/fearing Reveal hidden contents blood and fire. Which I'm glad it wasn't, personally. But I can understand dissenting opinions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted September 30, 2013 I was wrong about loads of stuff, and that was a better ending than I expected. Reveal hidden contents They made the stevia thing a lot more obvious than they needed to. Other than that, I really enjoyed the finale. In the scene where Walt and Skyler meet, they made really nice use of both the previous scene and the pillar to make his presence a surprise. Walt admitting he did it all primarily for himself was a good emotional peak, and pivotal in creepy Walt going some way toward redemption. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Argobot Posted September 30, 2013 I try to not get too worked up over endings because they are so incredibly difficult to pull off. They also rarely have an effective on how positively a show is remembered in the long term -- just look at The X-Files or BSG or Seinfeld. For me, the ending is separate from everything that came before it and as long as the end is too ludicrous, I'm fine with it. So I didn't hate the Breaking Bad finale, but I'm disappointed that Reveal hidden contents Walt died. Way back when the first part of the fifth season began, I was afraid that Walt would die in a way that turned him into a martyr. And that's kind of what happened. He's responsible for all these terrible crimes, but he's allowed to have this very clean death. I was hoping -- given where the show seemed to be heading -- that someone in Walt's family would die as a result of his actions. That would have been a more honest resolution to the story, instead of what we got: an ending that allows us to not only feel sorry for Walt, but to also say that he may have been right all along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted September 30, 2013 On 9/30/2013 at 2:45 PM, The Argobot said: I try to not get too worked up over endings because they are so incredibly difficult to pull off. They also rarely have an effective on how positively a show is remembered in the long term -- just look at The X-Files or BSG or Seinfeld. For me, the ending is separate from everything that came before it and as long as the end is too ludicrous, I'm fine with it. So I didn't hate the Breaking Bad finale, but I'm disappointed that Reveal hidden contents Walt died. Way back when the first part of the fifth season began, I was afraid that Walt would die in a way that turned him into a martyr. And that's kind of what happened. He's responsible for all these terrible crimes, but he's allowed to have this very clean death. I was hoping -- given where the show seemed to be heading -- that someone in Walt's family would die as a result of his actions. That would have been a more honest resolution to the story, instead of what we got: an ending that allows us to not only feel sorry for Walt, but to also say that he may have been right all along. Reveal hidden contents I was thinking more about just this. I don't think I'd call it martyrdom, but I do think it's redemption. The most uncharitable way to summarize the finale is "Walt helps everyone who ever did him right and kills everyone who ever did him wrong, then dies of a circumstantial bullet wound before the cops can come mess everything up." And yeah, that's pretty damn neat and tidy in a way that Walt really didn't deserve, but two moments made me feel a little bit better about it, at least: Walt admitting to Skyler that he did it for himself, and then not caring about the money Uncle Jack stole. Sure, they both result from a hard left turn in Walt's behavior over the last two episodes, but they show Walt compromising both physically and mentally, which softens for me the "true evil reigns triumphant" message that Walt's death seemed bound to send. I wish I could add "begging Jesse to kill him" to that list of compromises, but that was probably the scene that worked for me least. I didn't buy the implicit framing that Jesse alone can judge Walt, especially after all the times Walt's manipulated him in just this way, and of course Jesse backs down when he sees that Walt's already been shot, which guts the emotional core of that scene. But I don't know what I really wanted, because Jesse shooting Walt would have been dumb too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted September 30, 2013 On 9/30/2013 at 3:31 PM, Gormongous said: Reveal hidden contents I was thinking more about just this. I don't think I'd call it martyrdom, but I do think it's redemption.[…] I wish I could add "begging Jesse to kill him" to that list of compromises, but that was probably the scene that worked for me least. I didn't buy the implicit framing that Jesse alone can judge Walt, especially after all the times Walt's manipulated him in just this way, and of course Jesse backs down when he sees that Walt's already been shot, which guts the emotional core of that scene. But I don't know what I really wanted, because Jesse shooting Walt would have been dumb too. Reveal hidden contents Given that his venom on the phone to Skyler was to throw the cops off, I don't think his behaviour is that inconsistent. Walt's conflict was between doing it for himself and for his family, and when the end comes, he's still a murderer who destroyed his marriage and his relationship with his son. The violence didn't have to reach all the way into his family to irrevocably alter it. I actually really like this ending because it's only a partial redemption. The circumstances in the finale may be neat, but the consequences are not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted September 30, 2013 I'm ok with this ending. It's much better than Dexter's ending. But I think I would have liked the ending much better if Reveal hidden contents Walter did manage to land on the moon rather than float away in space Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted September 30, 2013 Reveal hidden contents I must be a stupid person as I didn't realise what was happening with Lydia until my girlfriend said "that's the ricin then" as the sweetener was poured into the tea... Reveal hidden contents So that was 6 excellent years of my tele watching life, let's hope agents of SHIELD will be as fruitful in the years to come Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ucantalas Posted September 30, 2013 So... that's it, then, Reveal hidden contents I was not surprised that Walt died at the end, despite shocked reactions from friends and family. The entire show started based on the idea that Walt only had a short amount of time left, and there was no way it was going to end with him surviving. It mostly became a question of death by cancer or death by violence. And violence won, which felt right to me, just another way to show how far Walt has gone down a dark path. I was so fucking happy when Jesse got away that I cried manly tears. The look of pure bliss when he drove off and broke through the fence, like nothing on earth could ever be so good... With this he's finally free, and I think the whole situation really made him a better person. I doubt he'll go back to selling meth or anything like that. If he can just not get arrested, I feel like his life will turn around. In my imagination he goes back to his family and they all reconcile and its a big happy ending... Not likely, but since we won't see anything about it one way or the other, I like to imagine that's how it will go. So yeah, I liked the way it ended. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dosed Posted October 1, 2013 Reveal hidden contents I'm generally super happy with the way the finale turned out. I'm so, so glad that Jesse didn't kill Walt. He finally got to make his own choice and his role in his relationship with Walt. I'm also kind of sad because I know Jesse will most likely be caught by the police straight away, and he'll probably end up in prison but that look of pure joy on his face was brilliant.I did however fully expect someone in Walt's immediate family to die and was very surprised when they all survived. I mean maybe it's enough that they have to live out these meager existences and Walt's infamy will just loom over them forever. Not that out come is really punishing Walter, because he's dead, but it's not like Walt finally saved his family.What would have happened if Walt wasn't struck by a stray bullet? Do you think he would have killed himself other way? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thestalkinghead Posted October 1, 2013 i agree with most of the things that have been said but one detail Reveal hidden contents I'm not a doctor but didn't Walt tell Lydia how to cure herself from ricin? now she knows what it is can't she be cured? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joewintergreen Posted October 1, 2013 No, he just told her what he'd done. P sure nothing can be done about it. She's fucked Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted October 1, 2013 On 10/1/2013 at 7:24 AM, thestalkinghead said: i agree with most of the things that have been said but one detail Reveal hidden contents I'm not a doctor but didn't Walt tell Lydia how to cure herself from ricin? now she knows what it is can't she be cured? Can we talk about Lydia? Reveal hidden contents I was talking with my friend today and one of the main reasons she wasn't on board with Walt's perfectly-timed-sequence-of-executions-as-closure was that we've seen Lydia's family. She has a daughter she loves enough to beg for her life earlier this season. However good we might feel about a bunch of neo-Nazis getting shot up with 7.62mm bullets, Lydia's murder seems like a different shade of gray altogether, but looking back, I didn't get much in the texture of the final phone call to tell us that Walt or the writers of the show felt there was a distinction. I don't know, I don't even think I have a point here, it just felt odd in hindsight to set up and kill both a racist redneck gang and a somewhat bitchy, somewhat unpleasant businesswoman in the same fell swoop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toblix Posted October 1, 2013 I still feel bad they Reveal hidden contents killed Andrea. I hate it weirdly much when innocent people are hurt like that. My reaction to stuff like that is so much stronger than my experience with the rest, so now, the day after watching the finale, what sticks with me is not the fates of Walt or Jesse or Skyler or Holly or Marie, but when they execute Jesse's girlfriend outside her home. I guess I'm oversensitive to fictional cruelty or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thestalkinghead Posted October 1, 2013 On 10/1/2013 at 10:39 AM, Gormongous said: Can we talk about Lydia? Reveal hidden contents I was talking with my friend today and one of the main reasons she wasn't on board with Walt's perfectly-timed-sequence-of-executions-as-closure was that we've seen Lydia's family. She has a daughter she loves enough to beg for her life earlier this season. However good we might feel about a bunch of neo-Nazis getting shot up with 7.62mm bullets, Lydia's murder seems like a different shade of gray altogether, but looking back, I didn't get much in the texture of the final phone call to tell us that Walt or the writers of the show felt there was a distinction. I don't know, I don't even think I have a point here, it just felt odd in hindsight to set up and kill both a racist redneck gang and a somewhat bitchy, somewhat unpleasant businesswoman in the same fell swoop. i can see where you are coming from Reveal hidden contents but although she was a businesswoman her business was at that point the meth empire business, she had money and connections and could have easily become the next gus fring or heisenberg, so i think Walt's intention was to end the mass production of meth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted October 1, 2013 After Walt, she's pretty much the most murder-happy person in the series. And she threatened Skyler and Walt was told about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thestalkinghead Posted October 1, 2013 On 10/1/2013 at 2:58 PM, brkl said: After Walt, she's pretty much the most murder-happy person in the series. And she threatened Skyler and Walt was told about it. yeah she was like what cutthroat business people would be like if there was no law Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 29, 2014 So I've finally started watching Breaking Bad. I just finished the first season (didn't realize it was so short). I'm liking it so far, but the pace feels really slow. I'm not sure if that's because I'm just used to shit happening all the time in a tv show and have forgotten what things like character development and plot actually are. It may also be that I'm not binge watching it like I normally would and am sticking to one episode a day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted July 29, 2014 On 7/29/2014 at 5:25 PM, SecretAsianMan said: So I've finally started watching Breaking Bad. I just finished the first season (didn't realize it was so short). I'm liking it so far, but the pace feels really slow. I'm not sure if that's because I'm just used to shit happening all the time in a tv show and have forgotten what things like character development and plot actually are. It may also be that I'm not binge watching it like I normally would and am sticking to one episode a day. It's not like the ADHD series/movies of these days. I think the progression and pacing is really good. It doesn't start out very strong, but it gets strong with every episode. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperBiasedMan Posted July 29, 2014 On 7/29/2014 at 5:25 PM, SecretAsianMan said: So I've finally started watching Breaking Bad. I just finished the first season (didn't realize it was so short). I'm liking it so far, but the pace feels really slow. I'm not sure if that's because I'm just used to shit happening all the time in a tv show and have forgotten what things like character development and plot actually are. It may also be that I'm not binge watching it like I normally would and am sticking to one episode a day. Pretty much the whole show will feel like this to be honest, apart from some particularly fast points. If it's possible I recommend watching in blocks more, even if it means watching only every few days or something. It seems like Breaking Bad was a precursor to the Netflix format of binge shows. I did also start rewatching it recently, coincidentally enough. It's my first rewatch, and I didn't realise from my first viewing how immediately a big element of the shows portrayal of characters' flaws is a criticism (whether intentionally or not) of the stereotypical male gender role. I wont go into detail because spoilers but it's interesting to realise how early this was an element of the show and think about where everyone develops later down the line. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 29, 2014 I should say that the slow pace isn't necessarily a problem (there have been a few scenes I felt went on longer than they should have but that's a minor gripe). The premise, potential, and insane amount of praise are what's currently keeping me going. It's comforting to hear that it will pick up more though. Incidentally, Walter drives the same car I drove until about 2 years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted July 29, 2014 You drove that weird dad car?!?! Amazing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
