Just finished watching all four seasons (did so in about a week). Needless to say I have some readings for school to catch up on.
Anyway, a few thoughts
The transition of characters from good to evil, back to good, etc is incredibly well done. You can understand the choices they make, their logic, even if it's the right/wrong decision. This allows Walt to sometimes be the heel while Jesse is the good guy, and vice-versa.
The relationships seem real, when Jesse started dating Jane you couldn't help but pull for them. You felt awkward when Jane fell off the wagon, and when she died you're thinking "save her Walt" yet at the same time "this solves your blackmail problem"
I love the mutual respect that Jesse and Walt have for each other. No matter how much they may hate each other at any given time, the respect is always there.
The only quip I have is Jesse's relationship with Andrea seems a bit tacked on, while I can see Jesse caring for Brock the way he does, I don't feel like they really flushed that out in the show.
Great writing, great acting, I can't wait for season 5.
PS: Huell is hilarious
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
Wow, I kept seeing this thread bumping to the top, so I figured I'd check out what the show was all about.
Started watching from the pilot on Netflix about 2 weeks ago, just finished season 4 tonight. One of the best TV endings I have seen, now I can't wait till Season 5. I have no clue how they'll carry this on. I'd hate to say it though, but they have big shoes to fill. Favorite character has to be Saul (not sure why), least favorite is Skyler I can't stand her persona and her eyes just creep me out.
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Last edited by BlackArcher101; 01-22-2012 at 11:31 PM.
Wow, I kept seeing this thread bumping to the top, so I figured I'd check out what the show was all about.
Started watching from the pilot on Netflix about 2 weeks ago, just finished season 4 tonight. One of the best TV endings I have seen, now I can't wait till Season 5. I have no clue how they'll carry this on. I'd hate to say it though, but they have big shoes to fill. Favorite character has to be Saul (not sure why), least favorite is Skyler I can't stand her persona and her eyes just creep me out.
That's almost the best thing about the show though. Each season they have these HUGE shoes to fill from the previous season and they keep on out-doing themselves.
IMO, the show just gets better and better and I have no doubt that this fifth and final season will be better than what we have already seen.
a few thoughts reflecting the first four seasons, and how I would end season 5:
Walt
· want to take care of family
· self worth tied to ability to produce meth, make money
· has increased his power in the drug trade
· has ability to launder money without Saul
· conflict, taking care of family while being important and successful for the first time in his life
· thinks of Jesse as his son
Skyler
· loves the old Walt, but has changed to protect him to protect the family
· won’t go to the police
· discovers Ted’s tax evasion, doesn’t report it, IRS finds out, lies to get out of her being investigated, tries to get Ted to pay the back taxes to save herself, in the process Ted dies
· will do anything for Walt Jr and Holly
Hank
· DEA loathes Heisenberg but fiercely loyal to his family
· only one to connect Gus to drugs
· loyal to Steve (and vice-versa)
· carries a lot of weight and pull with both DEA and APD
· benefited from Walt’s drug money (medical bills, PT)
· treats Walt Jr like a son
Marie
· had a shoplifting problem
· loyal to Hank and Skyler
· will lie to protect herself (and her family)
· a proven con-artist but can be sloppy
Jesse
· loyal to Walt
· feels of current gf as his old one (I theorize if he can save her it will ease his pain over his ex)
· doesn’t want kids tied to drug trade (wants the relationship with Brock that he can’t have with his own brother)
· hates his parents, but respects, thinks of Walt as his dad
Walt Jr.
· hates his dad at the start, but comes around
· think of Hank more of his dad than Walt (calls Hank when busted for trying to buy beer)
· eventually becomes very loyal to his father, without losing his love for his uncle
· essentially Walt acts as if he has two dads
· Walt Jr has a best friend Lewis
So, we know that all these characters will tie together, but how? My theories:
· Hank figures out Walt is Heisenberg & tells Marie
· Marie tells Skyler, Skyler tells Marie the whole story and the fallout of Hank taking down Walt (drug money paid for medical bills, and who knows what else)
· Marie convinces Hank to leave Walt alone, but Hank already put the idea in Steve’s head
· Hank then spends the rest of the series throwing Steve off Walt’s trail
· Walt becomes a kingpin, with Jesse his right hand man, Mike becomes the enforcer and using Mike (and Mike’s loyalty to Jesse) they pick up where Gus left off
· The IRS while investigating Ted’s books after he’s killed, as the business started back up again, discovers the fraud
· The IRS investigate the fraud and the house of cards starts to tumble
· Marie because of her poker face unraveling once she’s found out about something, she spills everything she knows
I have come up with two possible endings, how accurate they are I have no idea, just two options I'd do if I were a writer of the show:
Ending 1:
Spoiler!
· Jesse teaches Walt Jr the trade (with or without the consent of Walt I’m not sure)
· there’s nothing that links Walt Jr to the trade
· there’s a DEA shootout to end, kills Walt, Skyler, Hank and Jesse
· Walt Jr takes over the “family business” with Lewis, like father like son, ends with Walt Jr saying “ya, ya, you wanna cook?”
Ending 2:
Spoiler!
· Walt takes over Gus’ spot as the kingpin, however there is a new meth on the street, which is just as potent or better than Walt’s
· a new faction rises to take on Heisenburg
· in the finale the new faction takes out Walt, Jesse, and kills Hank and Steve from the DEA
· after the family is taken down leaving Marie to take care of Walt Jr and Holly it’s discovered that Walt Jr was head of the other faction, like father like son, ends with Walt Jr saying “ya, ya, you wanna cook?”
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
Walt had 4 seasons to make the transformation and is the main character. They wouldn't have the screen time to do the same thing in one season for a secondary character without making it seem extremely forced.
Personally, I think the season is going to be about Walt's total descent into darkness where at some point circumstances will conspire against him and force him into a decision where we get to see if he's fallen too far down the rabbit hole or still holds on to some of the values he claims to have. I think this could take the form of having to chose between killing Hank or letting Hank arrest him after Hanks unravels the lies he's been spinning. Or perhaps he'll have to chose between his business or his family. There's lots of different scenarios that could arise, but ultimately I think we'll find out whether his transformation into Heisenburg is complete and irreversible or if its merely the means to and end as he's always said.
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Walt had 4 seasons to make the transformation and is the main character. They wouldn't have the screen time to do the same thing in one season for a secondary character without making it seem extremely forced.
Personally, I think the season is going to be about Walt's total descent into darkness where at some point circumstances will conspire against him and force him into a decision where we get to see if he's fallen too far down the rabbit hole or still holds on to some of the values he claims to have. I think this could take the form of having to chose between killing Hank or letting Hank arrest him after Hanks unravels the lies he's been spinning. Or perhaps he'll have to chose between his business or his family. There's lots of different scenarios that could arise, but ultimately I think we'll find out whether his transformation into Heisenburg is complete and irreversible or if its merely the means to and end as he's always said.
The decision to kill Hank seems like the most obvious one. Perhaps they won't go there just because it seems like the obvious one though.
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"Life of Russian hockey veterans is very hard," said Soviet hockey star Sergei Makarov. "Most of them don't have enough to eat these days. These old players are Russian legends."
Walt had 4 seasons to make the transformation and is the main character. They wouldn't have the screen time to do the same thing in one season for a secondary character without making it seem extremely forced.
Personally, I think the season is going to be about Walt's total descent into darkness where at some point circumstances will conspire against him and force him into a decision where we get to see if he's fallen too far down the rabbit hole or still holds on to some of the values he claims to have. I think this could take the form of having to chose between killing Hank or letting Hank arrest him after Hanks unravels the lies he's been spinning. Or perhaps he'll have to chose between his business or his family. There's lots of different scenarios that could arise, but ultimately I think we'll find out whether his transformation into Heisenburg is complete and irreversible or if its merely the means to and end as he's always said.
Perhaps, perhaps Walt Jr has been slowly making changes which will become more apparent in season 4. The shift from Walt Jr, to Flin back to Walt Jr. The shift from disliking his father to hating his mother and loving his dad.
I think that Lewis has an influence on Walt Jr that goes overlooked by the main characters, so I don't think it'd take a lot to show Walt Jr breaking bad.
Also Skyler's turn was fairly quick (mind you I watched seasons 3 & 4 in like two days so maybe it wasn't as quick as it is in my mind's eye).
I also don't see Hank arresting Walt because it'll be almost impossible for Hank to plead ignorance. You mean your egghead, nerdy, super genius chemist borderline bankrupt brother-in-law gets cancer pays for it with "gambling winnings" the same time that a super genius chemist meth cook rises to power. And then, you get shot and your medical bills and physical therapy are paid for by your brother-in-law's "gambling winnings". For a high ranking DEA agent, surely he would have picked up on that.
It's understandable how he didn't, but maybe he was throwing the DEA off of Hank. Why else would he turn down the promotions, citing Heisenburg as the reason no less?
Perhaps it'll end with a complete finale moment, everyone's dead for example. I just think the writers will put a spin on things.
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
Perhaps, perhaps Walt Jr has been slowly making changes which will become more apparent in season 4. The shift from Walt Jr, to Flin back to Walt Jr. The shift from disliking his father to hating his mother and loving his dad.
I think that Lewis has an influence on Walt Jr that goes overlooked by the main characters, so I don't think it'd take a lot to show Walt Jr breaking bad.
Also Skyler's turn was fairly quick (mind you I watched seasons 3 & 4 in like two days so maybe it wasn't as quick as it is in my mind's eye).
I also don't see Hank arresting Walt because it'll be almost impossible for Hank to plead ignorance. You mean your egghead, nerdy, super genius chemist borderline bankrupt brother-in-law gets cancer pays for it with "gambling winnings" the same time that a super genius chemist meth cook rises to power. And then, you get shot and your medical bills and physical therapy are paid for by your brother-in-law's "gambling winnings". For a high ranking DEA agent, surely he would have picked up on that.
It's understandable how he didn't, but maybe he was throwing the DEA off of Hank. Why else would he turn down the promotions, citing Heisenburg as the reason no less?
Perhaps it'll end with a complete finale moment, everyone's dead for example. I just think the writers will put a spin on things.
Does he know that Walt is paying for his bills?
I know they told him about the "gambling" so they could explain the Car wash.
I believe Hank still thinks insurance is covering it.
I know they told him about the "gambling" so they could explain the Car wash.
I believe Hank still thinks insurance is covering it.
You're correct, Hank thinks this... however, once the DEA finds out what actually happened, I believe they would expect an agent of Hanks experience and intelligence to have pieced things together. He's demonstrated to have done it with less.
I truly believe that Hank is under the illusion that everything is hunky-dorey. I also believe that once everything comes to light, the DEA can build a case strong enough to take Hank down.
There's the twist, not what Hank actually thinks/believes, but what the DEA could convince a jury to believe, which while may be incorrect, would be very strong.
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
Location: In a land without pants, or war, or want. But mostly we care about the pants.
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout
I could say the same thing for Walt.
Walt definitely has acquired the requisite ruthlessness and street smarts, and while he certainly isn't physically intimidating, he's murdered a few people now AND forced Jessie to do some killing for him. Remember how Jessie got respect on the street for a while when people thought he had killed the meth-heads that stole some product from him? Well, Mike knows that Walt will kill if necessary, and you can guarantee that word gets around about things like that.
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Better educated sadness than oblivious joy.
Walt definitely has acquired the requisite ruthlessness and street smarts, and while he certainly isn't physically intimidating, he's murdered a few people now AND forced Jessie to do some killing for him. Remember how Jessie got respect on the street for a while when people thought he had killed the meth-heads that stole some product from him? Well, Mike knows that Walt will kill if necessary, and you can guarantee that word gets around about things like that.
For the record, I'm not saying the endings will happen. Just options with a twist.
Ending 1
Spoiler!
Walt Jr starts cooking meth
Ending 2
Spoiler!
Walt Jr takes over Walt Sr's position
People seem to have an issue with ending two. All I'm saying is, if Jesse can get street cred from an incident in one episode, rightly or wrongly, then why can't Walt Jr? That's my only question.
The only reason I continue to argue this is because I like to hear others' analysis of characters and development, which is required to successfully refute my off the wall scenario.
Additionally, Peter, sorry. Am I that far off base with the character analysis? (as thought process for season 5 couldn't have ruined things for you, as there's no way a fan throwing thoughts at the wall could ruin the actual first four seasons)
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
I think the series will end showing that all of Walt's efforts were for naught. I know if doesn't sound very satisfying, but I don't know what would be a good ending for the series other than the irony of having done all that he did for nothing in the end. His wife hates him, he is alienated from his kids, living a lie for the last while, and likely being the reason for maybe some of his family's being put in jail. Maybe as Walt dies from his cancer, he'll watch as his family is on trial and they lose more than what they began with.
Speaking of characters though, the whole "Gray Matter" was never really resolved very well. I thought more would come from Walt's old flames. I know it was first season, but usually things will come up again later with some more relevance.
