A little late, but... Breaking Bad???

[Dickie Dunn]

Its possible that Jesse would have a better future if the police found him malnourished, beaten, and chained to the ceiling of the meth lab.

Edit: Watching the episode again, the music playing over the final scene is just amazingly perfect. They've always done an excellent job with song selections, but that song is just perfect.

[PensFanInDC]

I think it's the same thing if they found him 10 miles down the road when the video evidence is discovered. He broke free and ran for it.

[shmenguin]

skyler was the abused, terrified wife and the feds still took a series of dumps on her. i don't think jesse would get that much leniency.

[tifosi77]

A question I'm genuinely curious about; what the hell kind of place did the Nazis live at? A fenced-in, barb wired location with 24 hour video surveillance. Also an on site meth lab and probably ~100 million dollars on hand. It looked like there was a main street and several houses/buildings, which makes sense since there was about 8 people living on the site. What did people driving by think this place was?

The most recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown was New Mexico (probably not coincidentally timed, btw). From what they showed, 98% of the state appears to be wasteland. What with all the nuclear test sites and government research facilities in the area, there could be hundreds of little facilities like that. Shoot, there are several of them along the I-15 corridor between here and Vegas.

now a "plot hole" happens when we see harry potter use a time machine to solve all his problems in the 3rd movie - and then NEVER USES IT AGAIN, even though it would solve his much larger problems later on.

That's not a plot hole, either. Maybe poor writing on JK Rowling's part, but it isn't a plot hole. A plot hole is more like.... how does the T-rex get inside the visitor's center in Jurassic Park? Or, how does Jeff Goldblum plug his Macbook into the alien spacecraft in Independence Day?

And what happens to characters beyond the scope of the narrative cannot be called a plot hole, either, because the show ended and there is - by definition - no more plot.

[shmenguin]

now a "plot hole" happens when we see harry potter use a time machine to solve all his problems in the 3rd movie - and then NEVER USES IT AGAIN, even though it would solve his much larger problems later on.

That's not a plot hole, either. Maybe poor writing on JK Rowling's part, but it isn't a plot hole. A plot hole is more like.... how does the T-rex get inside the visitor's center in Jurassic Park? Or, how does Jeff Goldblum plug his Macbook into the alien spacecraft in Independence Day?

And what happens to characters beyond the scope of the narrative cannot be called a plot hole, either, because the show ended and there is - by definition - no more plot.

congratulations on the technicality? i suppose more accurately, it comes down to abandoning realism as it exists in our world (which is fine) and abandoning realism as it exists in the fictional world (which is not fine).

[count2infinity]

lol, not gonna let it go.

[Idoit40fans]

lol, not gonna let it go.

Are you only able to view the most recent post in a thread, or are you able see the previous post and who brought the issue back up?

[shmenguin]

lol, not gonna let it go.

this is so much like the batman discussion in movie thread it's uncanny. complete with you not reading most of what you're responding to.

[count2infinity]

lolol... I'm reading them all and for the most part I thought the subject was dropped. Apparently I was wrong.

[count2infinity]

Jimmy Eat World just posted this on their facebook with the caption: "Albuquerque. Come to our show tonight or suffer the consequences."

[largegarlic]

I just watched it last night and didn't dig through all of the prior posts, so my thoughts might very well be covered already, but anyhow...

I still kind of maintain my interpretation of the last episode based on the song El Paso that I spelled out earlier in this thread. I was wrong that he'd go back for Skylar, though. The Felina that he goes back for isn't Skylar--it's Heisenberg. When Walt sees the Elliot/Gretchen interview, he sees them trying to minimize his legacy as far as Grey Matter goes, and when they mention the blue meth still being out there, he realizes his legacy as Heisenberg is being wiped out too. The Nazis took his money and his signature product. His family rejected any ill-gotten funds from him. Basically, Heisenberg was dead even, if Walt continued to survive a bit in that New Hampshire cabin.

Walt's love of himself as Heisenberg was too strong for him to bear seeing that legacy wiped away, so he goes back to cement Heisenberg's legend. It's only secondarily about his family. Threatening Gretchen and Elliot into giving Walt Jr. the money proves to them that he is the criminal mastermind he's rumored to be and forces his family to accept his gift (wanted or not). Taking out the Nazis and Lydia makes him the bad ass he always imagined himself to be, and the cops will realize it too when they get to the Nazi compound.

The final scene of him in the meth lab reminded of the final lines of El Paso:

From out of nowhere Felina has found me,
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side.
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,
One little kiss and Felina, good-bye

He made his way back to die "in the arms of" the meth that made his legend.

[DontToewsMeBro]

This "Walt and Heisenberg are two different entities" thing is really an injustice to the depth of Walter White's character and Cranston's acting.

[pens9192]

Great ending to a fantastic series. I don't think it had a bad episode or series. I am sad to see it go.

I remember seeing it on Netflix and decided to try it out one night and the next thing I knew, eight hours had gone by and I got only an hour of sleep before work. I just couldn't stop watching it.

[count2infinity]

Great ending to a fantastic series. I don't think it had a bad episode or series.

I hated the fly episode while watching it for the first time... I kept thinking, "Is this really what the entire episode is going to be about?" When I watched it again though it wasn't nearly as bad. Actually it became one of my favorites during the second viewing. It was a very nice change of pace in the middle of a crazy season (compared to the season before anyways).

[Gaucho]

o hai

[MWB]

This "Walt and Heisenberg are two different entities" thing is really an injustice to the depth of Walter White's character and Cranston's acting.

If I understand what you're saying, I agree with you. It's not like Walt is the good family man and Heisenberg is his evil twin. Walter White is the combination of the good and bad. I don't think there's ever a "transformation" of Walt to Heisenberg in any kind of black and white way.

[MWB]

I also think it's safe to assume he doesn't have a stash of money hidden somewhere since he threw 5mil out the window already. He's broke and he's tide to one of the largest meth rings in the world. Unfortunately I don't think there is a happy ending for him as far as his freedom is concerned. Maybe a decent lawyer and a sympathetic jury get him off. I think the important thing is that Jesse has begun to heal emotionally. It will be a long road for him but I think we are given hope that he can live the rest of his life. Before his release I think he would have taken suicide as his best option.

So the two ties of Jesse to the meth, in terms of what the DEA would know, are his prints at the lab and any obtained surveillance. If the DEA comes in, finds that scene, finds Walt (known blue meth maker) dead, would they be fingerprinting the lab? Maybe. But they see the surveillance, and see Jesse being forced to cook. In my mind, Jesse's freedom would come down to how hard the DEA would try to find a person who was in his situation based on what they know and what evidence they have. They have Walt, and the case is solved.

[tifosi77]

congratulations on the technicality? i suppose more accurately, it comes down to abandoning realism as it exists in our world (which is fine) and abandoning realism as it exists in the fictional world (which is not fine).

I've argued my case, but I just don't get how you can see the ending of that episode and characterize it as an abandonment of realism simply because Jesse drives away in an el Camino.

You want a plot hole? Ricin is mostly a protein that would have largely been denatured in hot water, and even at that the amount needed to ensure lethality would be more than a single Stevia packet could contain. So there.

[pressure=9Pa]

Great ending to a fantastic series. I don't think it had a bad episode or series.

I hated the fly episode while watching it for the first time... I kept thinking, "Is this really what the entire episode is going to be about?" When I watched it again though it wasn't nearly as bad. Actually it became one of my favorites during the second viewing. It was a very nice change of pace in the middle of a crazy season (compared to the season before anyways).

You bring up a point I found interesting as well. I'll preface this by saying I watch practically zero tv outside of sports and news, so Breaking Bad was an anomaly for me. In fact, Breaking Bad and the Simpsons are probably the only two fictional shows that I have seen more than 4 episodes of in the last 5 years. Thus, maybe this is common in such drama shows.

However, I've noticed watching BB a second time is COMPLETELY different than the first time through. Without anxiously wondering what's going to happen next, it's easier to notice details, forshadowing, music lyrics, etc. Because of this, episodes that were average or worse the first time can be great the second time, and vice-versa.

[shmenguin]

However, I've noticed watching BB a second time is COMPLETELY different than the first time through. Without anxiously wondering what's going to happen next, it's easier to notice details, forshadowing, music lyrics, etc. Because of this, episodes that were average or worse the first time can be great the second time, and vice-versa.

in the pilot, "good" walt is shown awkwardly fumbling around with an industrial barrel while working at the car wash. the same type of barrel which "bad" walt so comfortably melts dead bodies in later episodes. it's probably coincidence, but if it's an intentional reference, that's pretty amazing.

[Pitt87]

The only thing I really thought would be a part of the finale was some sort of final flash forward. Junior getting a certified letter from the Schwartz's lawyer, Brock getting a hand made box in the mail... some sort of final wink to a completely dialed in audience. Feels very much resolved, as is, but thought for sure that there would be some sort of finish like that.

Once Walt went into hiding we were forced into his isolation. The only things we knew, the only events we saw, were experienced by Walt.

?

There was a lot that happened that Walt didn't know about. I don't think he knew about the hit that Lydia put on his wife or the entire Jesse vs. Todd storyline. I don't think he knew Jessie was alive until Charlie Rose told him that there was still blue meth on the streets, and in Prague, which is probably how he knew it was Todd & Lydia.

I'm speaking more from the time jump. We see what is going on with everyone until we get to Walt in the cabin paying Robert Forster 10 grand to spend an hour with him. Jesse the cook-slave, the threat on Skyler and the kids, etc. are the last things we experience independent of Walt. After that, we have newspaper clippings on the cabin wall and family info provided to us (Walt) from Forster. His phone call to Junior, the Charlie Rose interview (where he learns some info that we know but he doesn't), and the long trek back to ABQ are the re-introduction into the world after the months Walt spent in the cabin. The entire final episode is 100% Walt dependent. Even Marie's last scene only occurs because Walt is in the room with Skyler during the phone call. I think some kind of montage or epilogue would have been nice, but they chose to go another way. The story of Breaking Bad dies with Walter White.

What about Jesse cooking meth, and his daydream? That was independent from Walt's experience.

[Dickie Dunn]

Good news, we'll all soon be able to rewatch the show in Spanish.

[youtube][/youtube]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/3/47976 ... eaking-bad

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Funny Internet rumors that it was all a dream sequence based on some unrealistic scenes (not plot holes just things like "he really got to park perfectly at the nazi compound"). I think it's funny people pick apart shows for these details. It's a freaking tv show.

Also good point was made about the scene at Elliot's house. Walt closing the double doors and his line about the knife was Cranston acting like Mike. Pretty cool scene when you go back and watch it and picture mike closing the doors and saying the line.

[count2infinity]

did you notice while driving the car, the nazi guy was trying to direct him where to park. He just went and parked where he wanted anyways trying to get the gun in the right spot. My fiance asked me, "why did the trunk have to open if the gun was just going to shoot through the side of the car anyways? That one I dont' have an answer for... maybe the bullet casings?

[MWB]

String or something attached to the trunk so that when the trunk went up the device was activated?