Breaking Bad Office Thread ***Spoiler Alert*** (Contains Explicit Language)

My colleague, G-Money, and I were talking about Breaking Bad and the finale until another colleague of ours barked at us for potentially spoiling it for her as she has not seen the finale. In fact, she is just finishing season 4. Thus, G-Money and I were relegated to lengthy email exchanges. I like to hear other people's thoughts, especially when it comes from the opposite sex or from people with different upbringings and perspectives. On a whim, I decided to throw this on the blog, as it may be two more interesting takes on the show...and other things.

Thread One

CD2: What were your thought's on the finale??? On the show???

G-Money: First, Walt’s last talk with Skylar was like WTF? Like, this is the LAST time that you guys will EVER see each other and there was just not much to say and that was pretty sad, but I guess that was the point. Skylar looked like shit and had been put through the ringer while Walt was hiding out in his cottage in the snow with drums of money and Skylar was the fall girl. Even though Walt set things up to make her look like just another victim so she wouldn’t do any hard time, Skylar still had it BAD.

CD2: Interesting. You are team Sympathy for Skylar. She is in a world of shit, but don’t you think she could have nip this in the bud, or did you think she was really scared of Walt as he refused to let her go? My only beef is that Gilligan (the creator/show runner) did not develop her character to garner enough support from people in the same way Carmela Soprano had support because that character was so rich and well-developed. I feel she’s culpable to a large degree and though it’s not all her fault, per se, she was part of the formula that sent Walt to the darkside. No excuse for Walt, but part of the forumula was him being emasculated by Skylar along with the Gray Matter fallout (the show never really told us what exactly went down with that), and pending death  via cancer…

G-Money: I do have some sympathy for Skylar though, but I wasn’t even thinking about how she did emasculate Walt in many ways, the affair with ol boy was just one of them, but then Walt had a lot to do with that too.  He knew on the surface level that he wasn’t happy with his life even before the cancer and instead of using his genius, he went the simple route of teaching high school chemistry – NO disrespect to high school Chem teachers, but Walt could and should have been more with his gift so he contributed to his own emasculation. I do have to agree with you though, Skylar had to grow on me  and she did in the later seasons and so did Marie’s crazy ass, but Gilligan, really did leave much to be desired with both Marie and Skylar in the characters department.  

CD2: That is a good point about Walter in the pre-cancer days and his unhappiness. It’s still up to him to upgrade his situation. The birthday handjob while Skylar was shopping online in itself would have caused me to break bad easily!

Thread Two

G-Money: And poor Finn, I thought it was the worst that he thinks his dad killed Hank and was just a hardcore drug lord. What I liked most about Breaking Bad was the relationship that Walt had with Finn and how his son would always take his side because he just couldn’t see his dad being a bad guy and he looked up to Hank too. I remember one episode when Walt and Jesse got into it bad and Walt was at home sitting in his undies and Finn came over to see him, this is when Walter had his small condo. And Walt was crying to Finn and told him that he had done something bad and he just broke down and Finn held Walt like a baby. There were many moments like that throughout the series that why it was just upsetting that his relationship with his son, if not anyone else, couldn't be saved.  I was happy that Walt gave Skylar the location of the bodies so that a proper funeral could he held for Hank L. And poor Marie is just not Marie anymore, wearing BLACK clothes now.

CD2: Yeah the father-son bond is super extraordinary. It’s a painful moment when seeing your dad’s, who is essentially a personal god for sons, impending mortality and on top of that learning his dad is this awful murderous drug lord…poor Flynn is going to need mad therapy for most of the rest of his life…lol. It’s weird because Hank’s pride, impatience, stubbornness, and ego led him to his death. What he was doing showed bad judgment as all that would not have been admissible in court and could have really messed things up. He made it too personal and wanted justice right away. Walt did not want Hank harmed in anyway, but no doubt his decisions led to him being killed so he is well beyond culpable…Marie is just like Skylar, her character wasn’t developed enough for me as I found myself annoyed when she was getting a lot of time in the first part of this final season lol…

G-Money: Hank pissed me off too because his character really grew on me and I loved Uncle Hank, but he just couldn’t let shit go. It’s like you have a promotion and survived a shootout, what else do you need and he dragged his loyal partner into the B.S. with him and when Hank did realize that Walt was Heisenberg, he should have also realized that Walt was behind the call that saved his life! And wouldn’t he be a “bit” worried that the guy the DEA was looking for all time, the guy that he had been looking for all this time was having Sunday fucking dinners at his house for the past few decades…that didn’t make him think that he should just let it go…..And when Jack has the gun on him and he still was talking mad shizz, I’m like Hank…there are only TWO options here, isn’t going back to your wife and living on more important than solving the case of the retired Heisenberg?

CD2: Oh! Good point! Walt did have Saul tip off the DEA. Otherwise, the Cartel/Gus would have had his head. By the way, “The Cousins” from season 3 were pretty creepy and for some reason let Hank live as killing him in that parking lot was “too easy.” Smh… Hank was one of those insecure folks that did not like being outsmarted or fooled. Once he learned Walt was Heisenberg all along, it sent him in a narrow-minded, irrational frenzy. Thus, there was no chance of him thinking it all through and sparing his life. And yeah, you would think his wife and family would make him see clearer. There was a great shift with him too. “Uncle Hank,” the shit-talking uncle we all have and adore, went by the wayside as the seasons progressed. Just wasn’t right once he came back from the Border Task Force in El Paso (but then again, he saw a man’s head on a turtle and saw nearly the whole task force wiped out before his eyes…)

Thread Three

G-Money: I was happiest with Jesse’s story ending. I was so overjoyed when he got away at the end. When Jack’s evil ass had his guys bring Jesse from the shed so he could prove to Walt that Jesse was not a partner, I almost cried!  He looked so bad, broken and beaten and we all know that Jesse was the broken soul to begin with. I was also happy that he and Walt had some acknowledgement of wrongs that they Both had done with just a look and a slight shake of heads before Jesse got the fudge out of dodge. I was SOOOO very pleased that he strangled Todd’s weird ass too, I wanted that dude to get it ever since he killed that little boy that sent Jesse into mentally ill territory. I was also happy that Walt did avenge Hank’s killing and his money being stolen by putting one right in his eye!

CD2: Most interesting about Jesse’s character is that he was supposed to be killed early in season 1, but they had a change of heart and kept his character along for the ride. He was essentially catatonic the whole time sans the “deposition” and his final scene. The lack of depth in the final episode made it clear he wasn’t a main character in mind as the show was being created. But the poor guy is just a broken soul, which is strange given he had a pretty privledged childhood and his parents and baby brother are well off high middle class folks…He’s missing for all that time and his parents or little brother don’t even wonder? I mean even if they essentially banished him…wouldn’t they like to know he’s at least alive? Lol…I was sad to see Jane go…I felt they could have done some things with that character (and she was weirdly cute to me lol)…

G-Money: WOW, I cannot even imagine Jesse NOT being on the show and I did love that Jesse came from a middle-class background because broken souls can come from money too! Drug addiction and mental illness does not discriminate! And yeah we seen Jesse’s folks in season one and those bastards did not show up again which made Jesse’s story even sadder because no one was checking for him but Mr. White! Mr. White who let the girl that he loved DIE in bed!!!! And Brock’s mom L

CD2: Two moments in the show that made me sick was seeing the kid killed by Todd and then followed up by them having to dissolve him…so chilling. The second being Andrea. That was super harsh and sickening. It’s hardest to see innocents killed. I hated to see Gus (the character) go, but all in the game have an impending doom coming anyway and it’s deserved. Yeah they made Jesse a pop-culture phenomenon. I worry about Aaron Paul though. Will he get over this character? I’m sure those that see him in the streets are yelling to him, “YEAHHHH BITCH!” I wonder if he will have much success after this…

Thread Four

G-Money: And when Lydia called Todd to confirm that Walt was dead…HAHAHAHAHAHA

CD2: Eesh…Lydia is a mess. She was a nervous wreck the WHOLE time. She should have just let Landry (I can’t help calling Todd “Landry” from his days at Friday Night Lights ) hit that to ease her nerves or something (though who knows what happened in the months between episodes 7 and 8 lol)

G-Money: But did you hear the phone ringer though lol. And Lydia’s evil ass was a mom remember? When Mike was trying to off this bitch for plotting to have his guys killed and some other shady shit, he was talked out of it by Jesse because she was a MOM! And Mike was like you cannot get away with something like that just because you have kids! But she did at that time anyway.

Thread Five

G-Money: And how about the surprise appearance by Jesse’s two goof-ball friends LOL, that was great I was happy that they made one more appearance before the show ended because they both were just funny as hell.

CD2: yeah Skinny Pete and Badger are fan favorites so I think they squeezed them in as an homage to their fans lol. An underrated scene? That moment when the lasers were pointed at the Schwartzs (I know it’s Gretchen, but forget the husband’s name…and it seems like Walt kinda still wants Gretchen…lol) was an “oh snap!” moment, but kinda let down when it was SP and Badger with laser pointers lol…The reveal of Walt behind the pillar after Skylar hung up with Marie…that was slick

G-Money: Skinny Pete was like, “This feels kindy shady you know, morality wise” LOLOLOLOLOL. That was one of the best scenes and by far Not underrated because that was one of the main highlights of the show when I was reading critic reviews. And did you notice the music change when Walt came up behind Gretchen and Elliot when the red beams were on them? I laughed so hard that scene was great! And Walt used to have “relations” with Gretchen before she started screwing Elliott which is why Walt left the company because he felt betrayed by their relationship!!!! Another bad decision by Walt and they even tried to give him a percentage of the company, but he didn’t want to accept anything from them- but it is not JUST theirs it was WALT’S too! But that pride of Walt did him in even before he became Heisenberg!

CD2: I know of the love triangle, but he rejected all of that over Gretchen? Who by the way isn’t even all that tight! Notice how none of the character were “hot” in a pop culture sense or even in general. The markings of a non-network show which is just mostly about compiling young hot mostly white people and sprinkling the occasional non-white/token hot person in…No female character was hot to me…well except Jane lol

Thread Six

G-Money: That brings me to my other favorite part, when Walt made a surprise visit to his old buddies at Gray Matter LOL. At first I was like what is he up to, but I’m very pleased the way his little visit went and laughed hysterically when Walt said, “If we’re going to go that way Elliot, you’ll need a bigger knife” LOLOLOLOL

CD2: (See 2 previous replies)

Thread Seven

G-Money: I guess overall I was pleased that Walt went out the way he wanted to and he finally admitted that the whole HEISENBERG alter ego was about HIM and not about his FAMILY…shocking right!

CD2: Early on, I at least felt he was really in it to stash a little cash for them and it was “kind hearted” if that’s even possible. But an unintended result was the fact that it really did make him “alive.” Remember at the end of season 1 (I think it was season 1...lol) when he learns he is in remission and he punches the paper towel dispenser? He knew this would be an on going thing he’d have to live with. Dying would have been easier… The dude is a straight genius and was wasting it away on snot-nosed bastards…I mean high schoolers lol…He started to feel himself and then “family” became a way for him to rationalize his actions…At times he would get out that zone and realize it wasn’t about family…and he was alllllllmost out (or maybe out…) when Hank decides to take a dump in his bedroom bathroom, which is kind of foul…Hank could have used the bathroom that’s outside their bedroom!

G-Money: I think in the very beginning he did have real intentions to take care of his family, but turned into a selfish monster. His time was limited so I think it was hard for him to Just work for his family which he should have admitted a long time ago because the risks that he took with everyone’s life around him clearly tells you that family was not number 1. I think he realized at the end too that he was responsible for Hank’s death even though he first blamed Jesse…then Jack. I’m sad it’s over. My favorite characters of the show were Gus, Mike, Hank, Walt and Flynn.

CD2: Ha! Yes! BB Power Rankings…
1. Walter H. White/Heisenberg (Cranston is too good) 
2. Gustavo Fring 
3. Michael Ehrmantraut  
4. ASAC Schrader (especially the early seasons) 
5. Tuco Salamanca 
6. Jesse Pinkman 
7. Todd Alquist 
8. Saul Goodman 
9. Walter H. “Flynn” White Jr. 
10. Badger and Skinny Pete (inseparable)
Honorable Mentions: Huell Babineaux, Jane Margolis, Marie’s Kleptomania, The Cousins

CD2: Now that this is over, I’m on to Boardwalk Empire (caught up, but 2 episodes behind in this season)…I quit Homeland as season 2 was aggregious… …

G-Money: What? That’s disappointing, I just started season 1 and it’s good so far.

CD2: Mad Men returns sometime next year (final season, but AMC unfortunately decided to break it up in the two parts like BB…smh)… I’m going to try Masters of Sex on Showtime as I heard it’s good…Parenthood and Revenge to fill my network/female programming quota lol…the GF is suuuuuper into Scandal and tries to get me to catch up on it…lol

G-Money: The GF? Who is the special lady? And you better watch her shows okay, she will need to talk with you about it lol And Scandal is supposed to be good, A.G. is all on it! I am waiting for the THE WALKING DEAD J. And when I get Netflix/internet back: Mad Men, Sopranos!!!!!!

CD2: Yuck…The Walking Dead lost me…soooo much potential and it goes squandered…and it rates like hell too lol…But she’s too late…I already fulfilled my quota with Revenge…lol...But it's on Netflix streaming so we'll see…Candace is on Scandal too. On Twitter, it was trending as of this morning at 11am PDT and the season premiere is later on tonight. My cousin started a countdown earlier this week too on FB    o_O