Well let's see, he did end up the proud owner of an M-60. That's prob. not cheap.
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Well let's see, he did end up the proud owner of an M-60. That's prob. not cheap.
Come on, you're smarter than that. After calling the feds Walt left the bar, stole a car and returned to the cabin where he retrieved the barrel of cash. The feds traced the call to the bar and it would take awhile to find the cabin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Profane
Nice to see Todd choked out.
C'mon - you know Benny's not smarter than that.
Benny - have your nurse explains to you the difference between a bar with a Fed traced land line and a secret safe-house 8 miles away at the end of an unplowed road.
The Return Of Walter White. He put Hiesenberg's fucked up world about as right as he could. Loved the return of Skinny Pete and Badger as well as Lydia dosing herself with ricin. Could have done without the No Country and Jakal Remake stuff, but that's pretty minor. Todd's ringtone rules.
So he steals the car, therefore staying in the area a little while with probably a massive force of all form of cops trying to find him there (bitter cold and easily tracked footsteps in the snow, btw), drives back to the cabin, fills up the trunk with a barrel full of cash, drives all across the country in a stolen car with NH plates on it without getting caught?
Really?
The one character I wanted to die gets away in the end. Life isn't fair.
Someone please post what that ringtone song is....
Groucho Marx: Lydia the tattooed lady:Quote:
Originally Posted by Hott Butt Mud
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uVBBxpt...%3DuVBBxptpSY8
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Dylan's it's all over now baby blue would have been a good closing song too!
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Solid enough finale - Badger and skinny Pete as the hired assassins made the episode for me, especially when preaching a higher moral code to WW - that was some funny shit. And Walts way of getting Lydia was classic as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Profane
I'd just say there's more to literature than literalism. Breaking Bad's writers/directors have often chosen to communicate their story at a symbolic level too. The protagonist had two personas and each needed to die to get to a resolution. I saw "Granite State" as the gradual death of Heisenberg, to the point where the internal rage burns out and he"vanishes" in the final scene. When everything important to Heisenberg was stripped away, only an exhausted Walt was left. The Walt that remains in the finale is almost like a ghost. He slips past cops repeatedly. You notice, he starts the ep by bargaining with a higher power. He can't get the stolen car wired and then he mumbles "Just get me home, just get me home and I'll do the rest." Then the keys are there in the visor (as if in response) and the camera angle is through the car roof, keys dropping from above as if they are falling to him as deliverance. I don't think he was talking to the car. Sure, there's a couple of deus ex machina moments in the last ep...or should I say deus ex machine gun.
If you want to get picky about shit, there's what Roger Ebert referred to as "the fallacy of the predictable tree". All the time, TV/films show a hero jumping out of a tree in the woods and landing on a villain. But how the fuck does the hero know the bad guy will walk under that particular tree? How does he know the bad guy wont look up and see him standing on the branch. After all, climbing a tree is actually a terrible strategy anyhow; "getting treed" means to get trapped. So how did Walt know he'd be in a final scenario where a robot mounted M60 would be effective at all, etc..?
Words to watch by, sometimes I have difficulty suspending disbelief.Quote:
Originally Posted by up an down
I could have hacked up the finale plausibility but you're absolutely right....just sit back and enjoy the great story and dont get too wrapped up with this.
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^^^ thisQuote:
Originally Posted by stalefish3169
What about the last scene where Walt walks around the the lab and touches the equipment and smiles? Happy that his apprentice Jesse had learned from him and cooking in a clean lab? or just thinking of happy days gone by cooking in a big chemistry set.
Because that was what he chose...he chose to be a meth kingpin OVER the welfare of his family not BECAUSE of the welfare of his family. He admits that. To Skyler and himself. He was in control in the lab. The lab gave him power. He loved that lab and it destroyed him. As the life fades, we see Walt reflected in the big tank. The lab was a part of him. When he died, he was surrounded by the family he chose. As I said, Walt confessed but he also knew it was way too late to apologize.Quote:
Originally Posted by DougW
Well, yeah, I didn't even want to go near that swivel gun thing. Really?
They definitely forced some shit, understandably its TV show, but he would have never been able to see Skyler that easy, the ricin scene was pure bullshit, how how how, all they had to do was Let Walt contact her first and it would have all made sense.
I loved the fact that Walt finally realized that he just loved cooking. I wish he would have started a batch and just blew the whole fucking place.
The Future:
Skyler does 10 out of 20 years, out on good behavior. She discovers that she loves the touch of a woman.
Maria starts stealing shit again. An Asian liquor store owner smokes her ass.
Walt Jr. goes trustafarian and becomes a huge stoner.
Jessie raises the Mexican kid all by himself on Cinnabon Manager's wage. Saul gets him the job.
The pool becomes a skate park.
the cops get the 80 mil :(
BEST SHOW MADE EVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIHRgisdbeY
Marty Robbins.
on the blue theme I would have gone with (the obvious) Dylan baby blue (or dead cover)
"I liked it. And I was good at it."Quote:
Originally Posted by DougW
The trunk full of cash at the desert gas station classic. "I gave $200k to the two finest hitmen west of the missisippi"
The looks that passed between Walt and Jesse as Jesse was about to get into the car and split were straight out of a classic western. No words needed.
To be honest, immediately after viewing I was a little underwhelmed but the more I reflect on it the more I like it. Yes, there were scenes that defied reality, but unless you're a tard like Benny Shitstain you know that if the show were 100% realistic Walt would have been dead by the third episode.
Also really digging nd's analysis. The reflection in the tank is dead on. Nd - are you a professional? You should be getting paid for that stuff.
I thought the ending was predictable but pretty good. Wrapped up most of the loose ends pretty neatly (maybe a bit too neat IMO). The fact that he ultimately gets killed by his own gun I thought was about right.
Loved the last episode. Trusted the writers to deliver, and they really did.
The only thing I had issue with was the keys being in the unlocked car, but then again it is rural New Hampshire so could definitely see that in places.
I love neckdeep's analysis too. Helps explain away minor flaws in seeing skyler easily, driving cross country in the stolen car, etc. I like it.
Great show. Breaking Bad and Lost are the only two shows that I've watched that I thought about outside of the time spent watching them. Pretty powerful stuff.
OMFG. How did I not see that? Baby Blue. The meth was baby blue and it was literally and figuratively Walt's baby. He stroked it goodbye one last time just like he did Holly a few scenes before. Fucking brilliant. Long after I think about anything in this series being contrived, I'm going to remember how it used the camera and carefully framed images to tell its story symbolically. I think the three greatest shows ever are The Wire, The Sopranos and, of course, Breaking Bad. Because they are different types of story, I don't bother to distinguish one as "the best." But, I've decided that BB is the one with the most imaginative cinematography, better than 99% of the films out there and probably every other tv show.Quote:
Originally Posted by MARSHALL TUCKER
The other two shows were great, but BB was a truly imaginative show that pays off at multiple levels in the end. Lost, as a show, was imaginative and entertaining but we really got cheated by the show in the end. The Wire ends with a sense of futility and the implied final message that the human condition overwhelms the individual. The characters were transitory, it was a story about a city and the human condition and, in the end, the city continued on unmoved. Realistic but still sort of an anti-conclusion because the ending is that the story never ends. The Sopranos was fundamentally an amoral perspective (Tony's perspective) and had a conclusion that asked the viewer to supply an ending and examine himself through how he responded to the character of Tony and his ambiguous end. Which is a very clever sort of a cheat...BB gave us the goods. And it doesn't fit in one genre; there was a drama, a black comedy/social satire, a thriller, and an Elizabethan tragedy/morality play all rolled into one hell of a big fatty.
The finale even encapsulated the show's entire premise in that wry exchange with Badger and Skinny Pete:
"I don't know how I feel about this"
"yeah, the whole thing was kinda...shady...morally..."
Walt holds out $20,000, "How do you feel now?"
"Better."
You're right and what's bad about it is I started my post "down in the west Texas town of El Paso" then deleted it and wrote Pancho and Lefty. Both are songs I play on my guitar on the reg, the start of my mind turning to mush I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by flatlander#2
I realize its not supposed to be 100% realistic, I'm just critical by nature. I just had way too much build up in my head. I had 20 different endings planned out.
I still maintain that Todd Killing Lydia after she tells him that she doesnt like him "that way" would have been truly a "Todd" type of killing and extra psycho with a touch of awesome.
Jessie choking out Todd was rad!!!!!!!
I don't have a problem with the M60. He knew that Lydia would talk Todd into killing him. He knew that by framing it as meeting for a deal with Jack would mean meeting at the compound. He had been there before, knew the layout. Had a good idea which building shit would go down in, the guy who guided him in made it all but certain. Knew Jack was a proud bastard, would talk to him in person. And Jack taking out the big guy, is something he'd want an audience for, which is why most of his guys were there. If you noticed, he had 2 boxes of ammo when he bought the car/ gun, he could have done a full "hot" test on the system beforehand and made sure the recoil didn't destroy it.
Little disappointed at Todd the sociopath. That would be the type of situation I think he'd excel in. I would've expected him to take control of the situation right away, instead he's shell shocked and can't think clearly.
Sorry for going completely off topic, but neck deep - have you ever seen Andrei Tarkovski's film Stalker?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jer
holy bejesus! i never expected you to have a tv much less watch a regular series. missing desperate housewives?
Nope. I'll put it on my Solarmovie list. Nope, I'm no critic. Just got that useless B.A. in English Lit. I recently read that English lit has become the endangered species of modern academia. But, if you want to know why BB works, the answer is in Aristotle's "Poetica". And much of what made Walt interesting...well, there's a reason Richard III and Macbeth are still frequently staged 400 years after their initial writing, are still assigned reading for Lit. majors and still continue to inspire tales of amoral ambition run amok. Basically, when I come across good writing, I just assume the writers were also english majors and when they write they make conscious choices. I don't take a piece of dialogue, an image or the framing of a shot for granted. It's there for a deliberate reason. That's what distinguishes good writing from mediocrity, imho. Then you just work backwards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jer
Walt's a bit like Richard III. Richard starts the play by addressing the audience and he wants them on his side. He comes out and says, "I'm morally and psychologically bent just like my hunched back. I'll probably do bad things. But I've been cheated by life and that justifies my grab for power. I will take control of my destiny." The audience begins the play by seeing things from Richard's perspective. But he keeps on doing ruthless things. In the end, his own mother curses him, his allies desert him and he dies.
At the risk of getting bounced to PolyAss but if we work backwards none of this would have happened under Obamacare. Walter would have had health coverage ... and enough saved to survive the series without cooking. Do we really want to shut down the government so that we can create more Walter Whites ?Quote:
Originally Posted by neckdeep
So the more I think about this the more convinced I am that Granite State was supposed to be the series finale. Gilligan said he knew exactly how he wanted the show to end but he's never said the actually ending was what he wanted. I'm convinced Granite State was the finale.
It tells you what Skylar is doing. It lets you know Walt is hopelessly dying and alone and his great empire is dead (Gretchen's comments on the TV). After Granite state there would have been NO need for anything else but for Jesse. Which could have been tied in easily.
Not that last night wasn't good...but I just think that Granite State was the real finale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lionelhutz
I have Dish dvr. I've been recording all the shows and a while ago I noticed that episode 52 was missing. Last week was episode 64 but last night showed up as 52.
Just another BB thing (Walt's 52nd birthday) or support for your thesis?
So what was with Walt leaving the watch on top of the payphone? That was the watch Jesse gave him, right?
yeah, same watch. they gave some excuse about they shot that scene after the shoot out (where he didn't have a watch) and needed it for continuity.... not sure I buy it, but could be. supposed to have been a (deleted) scene with one of his students recognizing him at the station as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by powder fiend
greatness was it told it's story and ended it when it was done.
He had been there before and he knew they'd have him bring the car in. They also made a point of him parking it strangely sideways instead of pulling straight in like the guy told him to.Quote:
Originally Posted by neckdeep
Even if they'd met outside somewhere, the gun still would have been effective.
After watching again last night, I noticed most how there were 3 distinct parts/acts - first one ended when he drives away with badger and SP, the second when he watches Jr for last time, then the finale. Each was right around 19 minutes, and although a lot of the previous episodes might have done this - it seemed quite striking in this episode. Like watching a play.Quote:
Originally Posted by neckdeep
Neckdeep - would be interested in your thoughts on that aspect
I noticed this too. In each he was closing out a chapter of his life. The past with him getting screwed out of his business, the middle with his family life, and finally his meth cooking / Jesse Pinkman era.Quote:
Originally Posted by NoPostholio
Yes - nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by TahoeJ
Can't argue that point but the badfinger tune was stroke of genius and now I can't get it out of my head.Quote:
Originally Posted by stalefish3169
But the bottom line is prolly that badfinger (or who ever owns the rights) wanted the dough more than Dylan did.
On the keys over the visor issue -- That far up in NH, a beater Volvo? The only stretch there is that the keys weren't hanging in the ignition. The bigger credibility issue is that there was enough gas in the thing to make a get away.
I thought Tangled up in Blue the JGB version would have been swell too. How that song opens on the guitar....But, yeah Badfinger version was probably more willing to be associated with meth.
Damn fine song big guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv7DY27aPyk
Best alternate ending I have heard:
- Walter White gives up Jesse and the Nazi's to go into witness protection...
- Next scene, he is the dad in Malcolm in the Middle...