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!
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:
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:
Watch exclusive never-before-seen footage of Bryan Cranston shaving his head on camera for the show. Also, series creator Vince Gilligan talks about solidarity on the set and how Bryan Cranston's wife felt about his choice to go bald.
Put Inside Breaking Bad: Walt Goes Bald on your blog:
Breaking Bad fans took time this week to discuss the dangers of drug abuse. In a post titled, "Am I the Only Recovering Meth Addict Out There?" moondreamer said, "I've really enjoyed the series because it shows me my 'bad old days' and I'm glad I'm not there anymore. A friend asked me if Breaking Bad is realistic. Pretty much...I think this series would be good for older kids to watch so they could see for real what they are getting themselves into, and not be pampered by some 'After School Special' version." Leslie agreed with the show's realism, but wondered whether it could truly serve as a deterrent: "Let's face it. If people are going to do meth, they will, and if they aren't, they won't. I also used meth in the past, and this show is just one more example of how things are never black and white at their core."
Meanwhile, the Talk forum is speculating and making wishes for the future while we wait for news on the second season. Pamala believes "Hank will find out about Walt but keep his mouth shut about in exchange for Walt staying quiet on his wife's lil habit," while she wishes that "Hank, seeing Walt and Jesse together, will start pressing Jesse on what Walt is up to." DRKellogg speculates that "Despite having dumped Walt 20 yrs. earlier, Gretchen now regrets her decision and is jealous of the fact that he has a family. (Wish) -- For every month that passes and she's not pregnant, she buys a new rooster for the kitchen."
In the latest episode of Breaking Bad, Walt and Skyler attend the birthday party of an affluent former colleague, Jesse attempts to go straight and Skyler organizes an intervention to convince Walt to seek treatment, but the financial burden weighs heavily on him.
The Talk forum this week is lumping praise onto Breaking Bad. ALFIESKEEP says "This is one of the best shows on TV and it always gives me and my friends something good to talk about at work (besides the work)." ALFIESKEEP is not alone, Billy from INLAND EMPIRE continued his assertion from last week that Vince Gilligan's show is the first thing since David Lynch's Twin Peaks to constitute "art." He writes, "Every main character is doing an incredible job. Walter Jr. really moves me, Dean Norris is fantastic. I love the careful way this show is presented -- the colors, the set design, the smart editing that doesn't pander to the lowest intelligence."
Meanwhile, the Win a Winnebago contest asked readers to devise a clever vanity license plate for Walt's Winnie, and the responses would challenge Jesse Pinkman's THE CAPN for cleverness. yeyoungpup thought the plate should say FIGHTF8, arguing it could serve as "a little motivation not to give up on things." Meanwhile dfowler argued for LVB4UDI, arguing "everyone could benefit from a little bit of Walt's Wisdom." kimisoo, on the other hand, voted, "DA KTCHN ...cook it up!" We've got more toy RVs to give away, so log onto the Breaking Bad blog every week to enter for your chance to win.
And as always, log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, or to start a Breaking Bad topic of your own!
In the latest episode of Breaking Bad, the DEA suspects there's a new drug kingpin operating in Albuquerque. Walt and Skyler reveal his diagnosis to the rest of the family. Jesse makes a surprise visit to his straight-laced family.
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,...
