AMC announced yesterday that it will renew Breaking Bad for a second season.
"From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television," said Charlie Collier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMC. "Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent and thought-provoking series that clearly resonated with viewers and critics alike. We're excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with new and provocative storylines that will delve deeper into the next chapter in the life of Walter White." The second season, unlike the first which ran a brief seven episodes due to the writer's strike, will consist of thirteen episodes, the same number as Mad Men's Season 1 and upcoming Season 2.
Fans this week reflected on the first season of Breaking Bad after the encore of the season finale. "I liked the way that they got the chemistry right," said BadFan. "Using a phenylacetone/methylamine reductive amination makes a LOT more sense than having a bunch of Smurfs looking for pseudo. Of course you need a decent chemist, which is the whole point of the series!" Mikeybug mourned the end of the first season and said he was, "jonesing for season two...Walt and Pinkman really are the Odd Couple for the new millennium."
DRKellogg, meanwhile, pondered the relationship between Walt and his son: "I really like those scenes at the motel," she said, referring to when Hank brings Walter, Jr. to the meth den. "I think the interaction between Hank and Walter, Jr. is great. There are hints that he and his dad were once close, but have grown apart for some reason, so I'm happy that he has someone who, however misguided, acts like a parent."
On the Breaking Bad blog, the final Win a Winnebago question asked fans to talk about their favorite moments from the first season. Carly said "One of my fav parts was where Walt blew up Ken's car at the gas station. I think it showed a change in his personality start to evolve," while rpm2004 "couldn't stop laughing when "the cap'n" was sizing up the plastic bins by trying to fit in them." Jpc, however, bucked at the question: "Dudes; Just one scene? How about 100! Like Bryan Cranston's famous middle-class angst, fist pumping frustration, after he had just tried to shoot himself and then accidentally discharges the gun. Or his anguish over if he should kill Krazy 8, only to learn how his family ran a business that he frequented."
Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, or to start a Breaking Bad topic of your own!
Call her Jesse's girl. "Pamala," a Michigan housewife who hosts an enthusiastic Breaking Bad blog, has a soft spot for Walt's meth partner Jesse, a boy she thinks a little maternal affection would turn right around. "I adore Jesse," she confesses. "I'd probably be his mother if I could. I'd get in there and take care of that boy."
A longtime Vince Gilligan fan who hosted live Internet chats about The X-Files in the 1990s, Pamala says she was "immediately floored by Breaking Bad. I just had to start a blog." As is her habit with her favorite TV dramas, Pamala has long conversations with Jesse and other characters. "They never listen," she admits, but that doesn't stop her from offering advice on her blog. "It's therapeutic. I enjoy it immensely."
In the season one finale of Breaking Bad, Walt becomes more comfortable with his criminal identity. Jesse, still reeling from the two grisly murders, decides to sell his house. Skyler's sister, Marie, throws Skyler a baby shower and gives a stolen gift.
In a show centered around serious life-turning events, series creator Vince Gilligan knows it is necessary to find the comedy that tempers it all. From handmade ski masks with extra-large pom poms to shooting an entire night at a sewage treatment plant, Gilligan's little touches make Walt's situation that much more bearable.
Put Inside Breaking Bad - Finding Comedy on your blog:
Here's your chance to be the proud owner of a toy-sized version of Walt's Winnebago. Tell us: What was your favorite moment of Breaking Bad's first season?
Once again, we'll randomly pick a winner from the answers and award a replica of the RV from the show.
This is the final week of the contest, so be sure to leave a comment to enter for your last chance to win.
UPDATE: A winner has been randomly selected -- PartyInMyMouth wrote, "When Jesse kept that guy from coming down to the basement and kicked everyone out during the open house." Thank you all for playing!
As the rebroadcasting of the first season finale nears, Breaking Bad fans are looking to the future. Pamala, who began a post asking fans to make wishes and speculations about the first season, joined in the game by wishing Walt "a few more quiet moments alone, like that powerful scene by the pool with the matches, to stop and ponder what he has become." She went on to say of Jesse, "Maybe its the mom in me but I'm dying for someone, anyone, to see Jesse's in trouble and want to save him."
DRKellogg, meanwhile, brought up the idea of "sainting," the posthumous removal of evidence to make someone appear better in death than they were in life. "I've said several times before that Walt seems to be just a little scared of Skyler," she said. "In the event that Walt is not found out before his death, do you think he would ask Jesse to clean up his effects so that his family didn't find out about the meth cooking? Would Jesse do it on his own, without being asked?"
Series Creator Vince Gilligan talks about walking the fine line between believability and making the Walt vs. Tuco story as spectacular as possible, yet still remaining faithful to the characters.
Put this sneak peek of Inside Breaking Bad: Turning the Tables on your blog:
Raymond Cruz talks about the inner workings of Breaking Bad's most volatile character then deconstructs a beat-down in AMC's exclusive interview.
Q: You're on this show called Breaking Bad, and you're definitely the baddest dude on it. How does that feel?
A: Yeah. I have to out-break Bryan Cranston. It's a big bad breaking contest. It's a challenging character, not easy at all. That's the reason I wanted to do it. I'm not going to make a judgment and say Tuco is out of his mind, but his parameters are definitely a lot further out there than other people's. To try to pull this character off, it's such a high energy level. It's not necessarily fun, it hurts, man. You get drained physically, emotionally and mentally. You get exhausted just doing one scene. There is no finesse. And I'm not that kind of person at all. I'm pretty quiet and easy-going.
In the latest episode of Breaking Bad, Walt and Jesse cook more meth, even though Walt is plagued by the side effects of chemotherapy. Jesse's accomplice, Skinny Pete, makes an important introduction and Walt strikes a surprising deal. The DEA's investigation intensifies.
AMC announced yesterday that it will renew Breaking Bad for a second season. "From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television," said Charlie Collier,...
Here's your chance to be the proud owner of a toy-sized version of Walt's Winnebago. Tell us: What was your favorite moment of Breaking Bad's first season?
