Breaking Bad Season 5 Thread

They've now killed off my favorite duo, Mike and Gus. I could see Jessie flipping on Walt and the DEA bringing him SAY MY NAME. Hank was stuck on the photo of Mike in the diner, was that a scene with Jessie? Maybe he'll see his reflection in the glass or something of that nature.

 

I don't think he was apologizing. Walt knew he could get the names from Lydia, he just wanted Mike out, IMO. Mike had influence over Jesse, something Walt lacked and destroyed. Plus, Mike's rant to Walt about not knowing his place really cut Heisenberg deep and he took offense. I don't know how Walt will pull Jesse back in, especially after he promised no more killing and Jesse called him out on it.
As for Mike, yes he was a badass but when the DEA found his loot, he really had no choice but to choose the path he did. He had to keep the nine associates quiet and dealing meth with Walt was the only way.
As for Skylar and Jesse, I think Jesse starts to see what Skylar sees in Walt. Maybe a IFJ episode is in the cards, but I doubt it.

 

To further what I've said about Mike, I think he was more guided by Gus than we realized. He was always the cleaner or the guy who kept shit in order, but he was probably being instructed by the Man Behind The Curtain - Fring. And with Fring gone, it forced Mike to think a lot more for himself, which he can do adequately, but not perfectly. Which is why he's laying dead next to a rock right now.

 

What reviews are you reading? IHateBreakingBad.com's? And if you're not watching, then why are you reading reviews? I know this seems snotty, but I just don't get how you can form an opinion without actually seeing the show. Every review I've read (and I read a lot at AV Club, EW, HitFix and sometimes random ones from the LA Times, Slate or Grantland) pegs this season as fully in motion with the overall story. You should definitely watch.

 

Uh ...

A) Can't watch. I have Dish (switched back in April) and it isn't carrying AMC at present. And I blame AMC more so than Dish for that. Prior to this season, I was as engaged in Breaking Bad as anyone here, if you need my bonafides.

B) For that reason, I've read some reviews to get an idea of what's going on. I've got too much shit to do in my life to waste my time with torrents, etc.

C) I haven't formed any opinions, but the vibe I get is that it's slipped a bit and that they're trying to force some situations into the show that had previously come more naturally.

Sepinwall said it best in his review of last night's episode ...

Maybe I'm wrong about my impresions. I'll find out when I get a chance to watch (and I will), but I don't like what I'm hearing/read.

 

Sepinwall has pointed out that the biggest flaw of this season is that it's just eight episodes. With the 13-episode seasons in 2, 3 and 4, they were able to stretch out some things and explore them.

Maybe with five extra episodes, the writers could have better shown why Mike was getting sloppy (although I agree with the poster who says it's because everything he had worked for, his and his granddaughter's money, had been seized, leaving him little choice but to get in with the ticking time bomb that is Walter) or explored some other backstories, as they did in previous seasons. Perhaps they could have done a "bottle" episode like the Fly one, only this time devote a whole hour to Walt and Mike the night Mike keeps him there so Walt can't steal the methylamine.

Also, as much as I love this show, I'm not completely sold on Gilligan's timeline, having the first four seasons take place in a year (that's a lot of shit for 365 days, plus they sure are able to get ahold of a lot of major equipment in a short amount of time), while the last one (the two eight-episode runs) covering another year.

 

All I can say is ... R.I.P. Mike E. Jonathan Banks owned that character like he owned Frank McPike on "Wiseguy." And that behind-the-scenes video of last night's episode with Banks in tears and his eyes bloodshot over leaving the show was heart-wrenching. It shows just how incredible the writing on this show has been and the direction, for someone like Banks, with 46 years in acting to his credit, to react like this.

 

Jonathan Banks' Half-Measures speech is my favorite dramatic moment in any TV show ever ... bar none.

 

It holds up OK (if not as well as stretching it over two years would've) if I just look at the story as Walt's arc, but really breaks down for me when I think too much about all the shit Jesse and Hank have gone through.

 

A couple pages back, someone suggested that Skyler and Jesse were going to start banging soon. I agree with that. Just a vibe I got during the scene in the car wash. Weird.

 

I thought the same thing.