Breaking Bad Season 5 Thread

Sepinwall said on his pod that the final two episodes will run over six minutes. DVRers take note.

 

"Peekaboo" was awesome, probably my favorite along with "Half-measures" and "One Minute."
"Peekaboo" was one of the first times BB really showed what it was capable of -- drama, pity, dark humor and sheer terror all rolled into one tidy package. Plus, like you said, it was a breakout episode for Aaron Paul and Jesse.

 

I ain't no scank.

 

The Breaking Bad Insider podcast popped up on my iTunes again. Not a huge amount which hasn't been spoken about on the web, but I'm always thinking that Vince Gilligan seems like such nice guy to create such dark material. Cranston was on to talk about directing the episode.

 

I may be different from others here in that I don't think of Breaking Bad — or any other of the so-called "prestige" dramas — in terms of individual episodes, but as one continuous narrative.

I have favorite individual scenes (Walter and Crazy 8 in the basement, "Go," Gus with the box cutter, Jesse saving the day in Mexico, Hank vs. the Cousins, pretty much anything with Mike), but very few plot points are both introduced and resolved within one episode.

I think the continuous narrative is what the creators are going for, and why these shows are so great to "binge-watch."

 

Perhap if he didn't have writing as a creative outlet, we'd have another Dahmer on our hands.

 

Breaking Bad is very episodic.

 

I can now say that I'm completely caught up on Breaking Bad.

I can now suffer between weeks for the next episode like the rest of you.

 

Breaking Bad has been extremely well-executed. I have to think having the creator Vince Gilligan heavily involved throughout is the key here. Many shows dump the creator or first show-runner and you don't get a consistent vision of the show. That Gilligan has been able to "call-back" to earlier episodes, make small things early on become big now is rare.
That said, other than the quality of it and it's achievement of maximizing its potential (indeed a rare thing) - I don't know how ground breaking BB is and I fear that hyping its greatness now seems like calling the last movie you seen as your "favorite."

 

I can agree with that sentiment.
While I believe BB is truly awesome, I don't know what long-term impact it will have if any.
Yes, the performances are outstanding but BB benefited from coming along at a time when serious drama shows, especially those on cable, are viewed with an increasing respect and admiration. That gave the show more room to grow and let the network sit back and wait for the payoff despite initially low numbers because the thinking was that the show would get better/gain a following and it did.
Unfortunately, though, this makes the show seem like the product of a TV culture that has already given birth to truly groundbreaking shows like the Sopranos and, long-term, I don't know how much it stands out in a sea of fantastic TV.
It's kind of like the long-term view of Friends. No matter how you felt about it at the time, it was truly a phenomenal and original show that put an emphasis on a strong ensemble cast and dealt with adult situations in a way few shows did before that. That's what a show like HIMYM, while good, will never really standout when the history books are written about this current crop of television.
I do believe, though, that if the final seven episodes go the way they look like they will, BB will be remembered as a very, very solid show. Perhaps not as influential as the Sopranos in the way that show changed the idea of who audiences root for or as culturally significant as a show like the Wire but still, easily, one of the best written/acted/executed dramas of all-time.

 

So if Cranston dies, A1 NYT?