by Lee Padrick, September 30, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers
Don't make me put my watch down.
The series finale, written and directed by showrunner/creator Vince Gilligan, had the dubious task of tying up loose ends and providing a satisficing valediction to the world of television. And he had 75 minutes to accomplish this. He succeeded.
Breaking Bad is the story of a high school chemistry teacher. The teacher discovers he has lung cancer, so he decides to use his knowledge of chemistry and science to make methamphetamine to secure his family's finance. Only a strange thing happens along the way. He discovers he's very good at it. And that he enjoys it. But the cost to achieve success in this underworld is steep, and the price demands a complete transformation. In order to transform from Walter White, teacher-husband-father, to Heisenberg, drug lord-liar-murderer, he must shelve his moral compass. No half-measures allowed.
by Lee Padrick, September 24, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers
"Granite State" is the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad, and it is appropriately named. Because of the flashforward that kicked off the first episode of Season 5, we know that Walt is going to buy a M-60 machine gun on his 52nd birthday. He'll be going by the name of Lambert and driving a Volvo with New Hampshire tags. Until this latest episode, we could only speculate how he arrived in the Granite State.
The title also describes Walt's predicament in his New England hideout, a one room shack in the woods of New Hampshire. The vacuum cleaner repairman (we finally get to see him after speculating who he is, and he's veteran character actor Robert Forster), Ed, has to make Saul and Walt simultaneously disappear. Ed tells Saul that his new life will be in Nebraska. He later tells Walt that he's never had a client as "hot" as Walt before; we don't get to see much of it, but apparently Walt's downfall and subsequent run is a national story.
Skylar is in hot water with the Feds, as they are watching her around the clock because the cops suspect Skylar knows Walt's whereabouts. Ed, Walt's only contact to the outside world, tells him that Skylar is being charged and her case is proceeding through the court system while she works as a taxi dispatcher.
A great scene from our favorite sleazy lawyer when Saul tells Walt to not run, but instead stay in town and face what's coming, because by "hitting the ejector seat", Walt is leaving Skylar and his family "high and dry." As we saw last week, Walt/Heisenberg doesn't have the courage or moral compass necessary to make a stand in a difficult situation, so our anti-hero hightails it to the snow-covered hills of New England.
Walt arrives at his hideaway in a propane tanker (genius right there!) and Ed tells him that he cannot have any contact with the outside world or he will get caught. Walt defiantly decides to walk the 8 miles to town as soon as Ed leaves, but in his weakened state, he decides to make the trek "tomorrow." We don't know how long tomorrow is, as Walt appears to stay in the cabin for months, with Ed visiting every few weeks or so. Walt even sadly pays Ed $10,000 to stay an extra hour and play cards with him, just for the human contact. Also, Walt's cancer is back in full force and Ed is bringing him chemo. Walt is in a granite state.
Walt finally gets the energy and courage to walk into town and he stops at a bar. He calls Walter Jr. and tells him he's sending some money via Lewis for the family. Walter Jr. wants nothing to do with his father or the money. So Walt is devastated and decides to turn himself in by calling the DEA and leaving the phone off the hook so they can trace him. But while he's waiting, he sees the Gray Matter couple on TV, and they are doing everything they can to distance themselves from Walt, even suggesting that Walt's only contribution to their successful company was helping them come up with a a name for their enterprise. We see Walt bristle when he hears that, and when the cops show up, nothing but a glass is sitting at the bar. I'm guessing we'll resolve this snub in the final episode. How? I haven't a clue.
Let's get to Todd, played by Jesse Plemmons. Todd's story is the only cylinder that's not firing in this shortened last season. I don't care about the Todd/Lydia relationship, because I'm not invested in it. I don't think the writers had enough time to develop his character fully. He is easily the most intriguing character in this last season, and that's saying something considering we have Uncle Jack. But Uncle Jack's psychopathy at least has some redeeming qualities; he can be talked out of extracting payback against his enemies. Todd, other than his mancrush on Walter White, cannot. Unless he sees some gain from it, because empathy is a tool to Todd. The scene where he's wearing the ski mask and threatening Skylar if she mentions Lydia to the Feds was incredible. The tension in that scene, plus his subdued delivery of the threat, was one of the highlights of these past few episodes. And his nonchalant execution of Andrea, just to send a message to his cook/slave Jesse Pinkman, really stands out as horrific in a show that is known for darkness. I don't know who the M-60 is reserved for, but I have to hope its for that "Opie dead-eyed piece of shit." Jesse Plemmons has brought his acting 'A' game this season.
Walt's hubris has been the crux of the show throughout his run, and I can't wait to see what happens in our last 75 minutes of this great show. Let's hope all the characters that deserve it get some comeuppance. And that some of our favorite more morally centered characters don't. But I don't see how anyone comes out of this mess in good shape.
Random Thoughts:
- Todd picking lint off of Lydia?
- I love good TV, but I'm not buying that Jesse can pull himself up out of that cage once it gets it unlocked, considering the average male can only do one pullup.
- How long has Walt been in New Hampshire?
What did you think?
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by Lee Padrick, September 16, 2013
WARNING - This review contains spoilers! - WARNING
Wow.
I say this at least a couple of times a year (usually during an episode of Game of Thrones), but that was the best hour of TV I've ever seen (yes, I'm looking at you, "The Constant", S4 E5 from Lost).
"Ozymandias" was directed by Rian Johnson ("Fly" S3 E10, "Fifty-One" S5 E 4) and written by Moira Walley-Beckett. The episode takes its name from a poem, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1818, about the decline of leaders and the empires they build. And what we just witnessed was the total disintegration of Walter White.
The flashback at the beginning was our first clue that something horribly wrong was going to happen. Here, you have a naive Walter White, clad in tighty whities, calling his wife after his first cook in the desert at this cursed spot. He and then-pregnant Skylar talk about potential baby names, and Skylar talks about a $9 Ebay profit. This is a Walt that has to practice his lies. This is a loving family that struggles with same challenges that we do every day: working late, pizza for dinner, paying the bills. Then this innocent scene fades away and is replaced by the aftermath of the shootout.
Gomez deserved a better final scene and death, but we knew he was going to be carried by 6 as soon as Uncle Jack, Todd, and crew arrived last episode. Hank is badly wounded and still fighting, as he reaches for the shotgun that Jack kicks away. Walt offers Jack the spoils of the Heisenberg empire, a buried $80 million if he will spare Hank's life, even stupidly giving Jack the coordinates of his buried treasure. And Hank's final scene is fitting, as he goes out the hero:
(Hank to Walt): "You want me to beg? You're the smartest guy I ever met, and you're too stupid to see he made up his mind ten minutes ago.
(Hank to Jack): "My name is ASAC Schrader, and you can go f--ck yourself."
Then Hank takes a bullet to the head and dies.
The difference between Hank and Walt was clearly made. Walt, even at his most menacing Heisenberg, never will possess the courage and moral center that Hank did. Hank would have never shaken hands with a threatening Uncle Jack. When Walt gets into his Chrysler, he glances at himself in the mirror, then turns it away. He can't stand what he sees.
And Gilligan and company did something that most shows are afraid to do. They killed off a major character. Most shows fall in love with their creations, and if Breaking Bad was any other show, a "major character death" would have been Lewis, Flynn Junior's friend.
Walt died with Hank. What we have left is a shell of a man. A cold corpse. He's breathing, his heart is beating, but he's dead inside. Both of them, Walt and Heisenberg. All of his deluded hopes and dreams will not happen now. He can't go back to being a chemistry teacher, working at a car wash, being a husband and father. Because its over. He is no longer The One Who Knocks.
Walt started this chain of events to leave his family some money after his death from cancer. But that noble gesture was pushed aside, as the broken man that's been disrespected by his former partners and Bogdan realized that he could become someone to be respected (and feared), and hubris took over. Heisenberg was born. The man nodding to Jack's questions is not alive. The man that tells Jesse "I watched Jane die" is not alive. The Walt you see rolling the barrel of money now is just a primitive animal, doing whatever he can to survive.
Flynn Jr. finding out the truth about his father is heartbreaking. He loves and respects his father so much, he just can't believe what he's hearing from Skylar and Marie. And he gets his hero turn when he tackles Walt following the incredibly tense knife fight, steps between Walt and Skylar, then calls 911. Flynn's eyes are open now. He may even start skipping breakfast.
Skylar sees the situation more clearly also. She knows Hank is dead, and that there will be no happy ending. So she does what she must to protect her children. That's why Walt's abduction of baby Holly is even more heartbreaking. At least he came to his senses and left Holly where she can find her way back to her mother.
And Walt's last human act before he gets in the vacuum cleaner repair guy's van is to call Skylar, knowing that the police are probably there and listening, and letting her off the hook for her crimes.
Yes, Breaking Bad is over. Only two episodes to go, but its all resolution at this point. Walter White, father-husband-teacher-lapdog, is dead. Heisenberg, liar-drug lord-murderer, is dead. RIP. In his place is a walking corpse that goes by the name of Mr. Lambert.
We know that Walt is coming back on his 52nd birthday, thanks to the flash forwards. We know he's bringing a M60 machine gun. We don't know who its intended victims are. We want to believe that he's coming home to save Jesse, but that's not it. He just called for Jesse's death. No, Jesse is now the property of and head cook at White Trash Inc., so there's going to be high quality blue meth on the market again. And the great Heisenberg can't have impostors knocking off his product.
We are witnessing TV greatness. Let's enjoy the final 90 minutes. There will be no half-measures.
What did you think?
Random Thoughts:
- What the heck did Jesse say in the flashback? It caught Walt off-guard.
- Poor Marie. She's the show's most tragic character, the Buddy Garrity (Friday Night Lights) of Breaking Bad.
- Last week I thought Uncle Jack was the scariest character ever. Now I'm convinced Todd is. "I'm sorry for your loss."
- Loved the scene where Skylar briefly considered her options: the knife or the phone. Good choice!
- "Lambert" is Skylar and Marie's maiden names.
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by Lee Padrick, Friday, September 13, 2013
The mornings and nights are getting cooler, the leaves are turning brown, and football season has started. What does that mean? The fish are feasting for the winter ahead and TV shows are premiering. Its a beautiful time of the year.
Fall, just a few years ago, meant the broadcast and cable networks kick-started stalwarts and unveiled new scripted fare. That "new show/fall" mentality has been upended somewhat over the past ten years, but this is still the time of year that most networks refresh themselves.
Between now and the Christmas break, I'll be reviewing some select shows. Those on my list include:
- Homeland (Season 3)
- Masters of Sex (Season 1, new on Showtime)
- Walking Dead (Season 4)
- Boardwalk Empire (Season 4)
TV shows often are at their peak in seasons three and four. Many theories abound, but I believe that networks, producers, writers, actors, and fans have sufficiently built a world with well developed characters within the show by 24 - 36 episodes, and all are at their creative peak. We'll test this theory over the next 3 months together.
I'll also be talking about shows that are finishing up their seasons, like Dexter, Ray Donovan, The Bridge, and The Newsroom. I have a few Tivos full of stuff I've been trying to find some time to watch, like Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun, Broadchurch, and the History Channel's Vikings (which has been sitting in a folder on a Tivo, only gotten through 4 episodes thus far). Plus, I'll be watching random stuff on Netflix and I'm sure I'll feel compelled to write about it.
So keep checking back regularly and enjoy some of the best TV that we may ever see. The Golden Age of TV is here!
Random Thoughts:
- Had to edit Broadchurch because I spelled it "Broadchuck." Did I mention I'm going to miss Yvonne Strahovski when Dexter ends?
- Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) deserves a spin-off.
- Jesse "Todd Landry" Plemons is cast in a potential HBO project called The Missionary.
- Scandal is going to be my guilty pleasure this fall.
What will you be watching?
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