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 Post subject: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:43 pm 
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I figured I'd make this a stand-alone topic in case DJ and I want to delve into it, or anyone else might want to weigh in.

If you haven't seen the series, we'll be openly discussing spoilers since the show is like ten years old at least at this point.

So I finished up the fifth and final season of Breaking Bad moments ago, and felt like it deserved a discussion.

DJ was right that the fifth season is by far the weakest. The second half of it really goes off the reals where Walt, who is a very smart and calculating person, has at least two breakdowns where he gives up valuable information for no reason in back-to-back episodes. One where he confesses to everything in a phone call to Jessie while driving to his money burial site, and the other where he for no reason tells a gang of mercenaries that there is 18 million buried right there (in order to save Hank's life). Both of those moments are colossally stupid. It's fine for Walt to make mistakes but these are some serious unforced errors.

However, I thought the series finale was VERY good. Felt satisfying and made up for some prior episode failures. I felt the show's writers had more and more trouble figuring out what to do about Flynn/WaltJr and even Jessie. Once Flynn finds out the truth, his character just becomes a disaster to deal with. Jessie only becomes interesting when he settles into the relationship with the girl and her son, which evaporates for NO reason other than convenient story writing. I thought Jessie having a redemption there was really interesting and was the first time I liked the character, then they went to hell with him.

Anyway, I loved the series and think it's worth watching. I'm pretty sure I'd put it in the top 5 TV series of all time. 4 seasons are fantastic and the final season is a mix of bad with good.

I don't understand how Aaron Paul won an Emmy (or whatever he won for the show). He seems very limited. In fact, when I saw him in Eye in the Sky (movie about drone attacks and, more importantly, the decisions behind them), I now remember his breakdown to be very very similar to what he does in Breaking Bad. Not a fan of this guy.

Bryan Cranston is genius of course. I loved Michael and Gus a ton as well. Both very fleshed out and believable. Todd was super interesting and a huge risk to write into the show. A clear psychopath I think. Hank was good, Skylar was only interesting once she became complicit, otherwise she's just angry all the time. I thought her psycho sister was pretty decent. Although that real estate open house episode sure was weird.

The two mexican brother psychos were great, as was Todd's uncle and their gang.

Great series.

I guess I just needed some closure and talk about it before I move onto something else. I think I will make a 2nd attempt to get through Walking Dead. My first attempt got me to that cannibal community and I gave up after that. I'll try again.


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:54 pm 
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Let me just start by saying the most important thing: Do NOT start watching the Walking Dead - it's great for maybe two season, and the rest is utter garbage. And unlike Breaking Bad, once it starts being garbage the show just keeps on going anyway. I'd rather you poke your own eyes out, tbh.

As for Breaking Bad itself. Walter White is easily a top 4/5 TV show character of all time, which is part of the reason I hate the show so much. They took one of the most interesting characters ever and surrounded him with so many useless plot lines, poorly written characters, and bad scenes as to make it doubly bad. IMO, they literally squandered one of the best ideas anyone has ever had in television. So while I might rate WW a 9/10 and Jessie Pinkman a 7 or better, all other characters that last throughout the show are 1s and 2s (basically everything else in the show was a chore to watch). His wife, terrible, his sone, awful, the list goes on.


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:59 pm 
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I don’t think I had a single moment where I ever thought Skyler loved or ever loved her husband. I think they intentionally made us need to think she was the boss of the house so that it would explain why he’d feel sap much enjoyment at growing his own meth business

Im surprised you liked Pinkman so much. I was not a fan.

I thought lots of the characters were pretty good but yeah they put Walt in some lame scenes


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:09 pm 
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Pinkman was great until they ruined him and made him into a total crybaby. They eviscerated his character early into the show, but he was a lot of fun before that point. Like I said, I'm not a fan of the show. Lots of terrible writing decisions throughout, IMO.

Anyway, while I'm in the minority re: Breaking Bad, I'm in the majority re: The Walking Dead. Trust me, it's not worth it. Knowing how the show progresses past the first few seasons, I can tell you it's worse (even though the show hasn't ended) than GoT is. Basically, you would never suggest GoT to anyone who hasn't watched it, given how it ends. I would never recommend TWD given how it gets in recent seasons. It's just boring fluff.


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:17 pm 
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But I would totally recommend Game of Thrones. It doesn’t have the perfect final act of Rectify or anything but the journey is well worth it.

Ill tell you what, if I get bored rewatching Walking Dead, ill just give up and find something else or play video games


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 4:01 pm 
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I watched Breaking Bad a few years ago I started I think when the final season was being released so I could catchup just in time. The first season I founded Meh... Second the same it catches up in S3 and then snows ball pretty amazingly. I would not have keep watching it if I didn't knew that had all this great reviews.

I think the series is very much over hyped tho, I would place it on top 20 of all times just for Cranston performance that guy is the best. But the series is very much contained in it self, like I never incidentally talk about it ever.

TWD I stopped watching in the season when appears a guy with a Tigger, the series went to **** like 3 seasons before that tho, I would never recommend anyone to watch past season 3.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 4:03 pm 
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Oh boy sounds like I’m in for some real crap

Ill pickup à mini bucket of KFC to match the meal to the show


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 4:54 pm 
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I watched TWD up until the first episode of the Negan season. I liked the prison season and the Terminus season though. After that it was ****. There are a bunch of bland and 1 dimensional characters in TWD.

We're on Season 2 of Lost right now. Still in the good parts.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 11:35 pm 
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I found Breaking Bad ok-ish, but as already mentioned, largely due to Bryan Cranston. Brilliant actor imho.

TWD - first seasons the best, then some mediocre stuff, then Sam and Dean Winchesters dad joined as Negan and I had to keep watching as I'm a fan. Another season in, and the flavour becomes bland and regurgitates the same recipe season after season. I watch now just for completeness, usually while doing dailies in arena or playing xcom chimaera squad. A few episodes short atm, just watch Suits the past month.

Which incidently is way better the first half.... seems like a thing.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 7:56 am 
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I also enjoyed TWD prequel that they did but I only watched the first season. I think it just so happens that's exactly when I stopped watching TWD. I really liked Colman Domingo and Ruben Blades in Fear. Not a fan of Kim Dickens. I think it filled the void that was left by TWD pilot. I mean, don't get me wrong, the whole thing of Rick waking up days later and having to figure out WTF happened and all was really cool, but we were robbed of the initial infection. Fear fills that void. And little else.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 7:57 am 
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watched the first episode of Walking Dead last night. I forgot how good it was and how much I disliked Lori (Rick's wife). I should just skip to the prison part.

The Atlanta scenes were really well done. Nice budget.

Joe Rogan thinks Fear the Walking Dead is a much better series. i tried watching the first two episodes or so and really didn't like it at all.


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 1:02 pm 
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I kinda liked teh first few seasons of TWD, but some of the idiotic choices I just could not get behind. Best example...first Episode they realized that they could get by the dead by covering themselves in gore...and then they completely forget about that for the rest of the season (Like when they were at the farm and need to go to the school...).

Loved the idea, some of the characters, episodes and themes, but some of the stupidity was hard to overlook. There were points that I WANTED the zombies to eat them just to put Darwin at ease.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 1:48 pm 
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Getting your bottom jaw cut off completely changes your zombie behavior LOL

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 2:08 pm 
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I stopped watching TWD after the 7th season. I’ve thought once or twice about watching subsequent seasons but I’m just not motivated. It got really repetitious - seek shelter, become comfortable, shelter overrun, rinse and repeat. That and the garbage people talking in that stupid style for no reason annoyed me.

I picked up fear the walking dead around the same time I lost interest in the main story and I liked that one more for at least the first couple seasons. Last one I watched was the one they holed up in a stadium. I’ve seen new episodes up on Netflix but I’m about where I was with TWD where it feels repetitious and I haven’t felt motivated to watch another season. One particular character dying in the stadium season killed my attachment a good deal.

On the whole I liked being into TWD and FTWD, but they went on longer than they should have.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 3:36 pm 
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watched the first episode of Walking Dead last night. I forgot how good it was and how much I disliked Lori (Rick's wife). I should just skip to the prison part.

The Atlanta scenes were really well done. Nice budget.

Joe Rogan thinks Fear the Walking Dead is a much better series. i tried watching the first two episodes or so and really didn't like it at all.

Talking about Atlanta... anyone saw Atlanta S01 is amazing!

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2020 2:22 am 
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Oh yeah, let's all discuss this show from 5 years ago.

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2020 3:41 pm 
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I don't read a comment on the show...

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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2020 3:51 pm 
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I don't read a comment on the show...




Vert must be a blast in History class. “Why are we even discussing this?!?! This stuff already happened!!”


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2020 8:05 am 
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Anyone watch El Camino? I thought it was pretty good and just felt great seeing all these guys. I can't get Todd's choice of music out of my head. What a wild choice they made there.


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 Post subject: Re: Breaking Bad
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2020 8:16 am 
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My first car was a brown 69' El Camino with 3 on the tree that cost $500

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