Two Cents Worth

This is by far the best show I've ever seen on television. The only show that even comes CLOSE to this one would have been Vic Mackey and the Shield (Michael Chiklis). After seeing Hank, I knew that HE should have been Chiklis. He would have ROCKED that character.
I was so thrilled to see Hal again! To be honest, that was the initial draw. I first saw mention of Breaking Bad by accident, running through AMC at On Demand and seeing the brief Synopsis and picture of Bryan Cranston. Just envisioning what I read was thrilling. It was like destiny because I saw it only after the pilot had aired so I got in early.

You all ROCK!! I just signed up so I could finally comment and I'm excited. I wanted SO BADLY to do the video that I found out about last week. I saw that it was sponsored at least in part by Sony which was interesting because the instructions say that all you need is a camera. Well, I tried with my SONY Cybershot camera but it only will record 15 seconds at a time. Also I couldn't find my tripod but I could have worked around that.

I was SHOCKED as well as exhilarated to see there will be a third season. I know that you guys almost didn't have a second season so I just assumed this season would be the end. I only found out about the third season last week when I came to AMC online and read about the video competition to have a walk-on part during the next season. What I'd give to have that opportunity!

I read an article about Jesse last night - he was almost killed off in Season 1! His character has grown exponentially in personality and depth. If he wasn't 29 - and if he wasn't dating an "unnamed movie star".... well, even if he is 29... :-) I've really grown to like his character and Hank's as well. This is really due to finally seeing some weakness and some softness in them. To make that less sissy sounding, to see some vulnerability in both characters adds dimension and makes them much more endearing.
I really thought Tortuga would be the kingpin and would have a role on the show. Part of me wonders if perhaps ... it wasn't his head?? Like maybe he will be back? I know better, though. However, he's THE Hispanic actor it seems - I mean he's everywhere. He kind of showed that he can be a character actor in Breaking Bad which I had not seen much of with him. He was different and I liked it. He was a sleaze ball and really, he got what he deserved as a snitch.
I agree when Hank said that the show seems right on target with current issues such as what is going on in El Paso and the other border towns such as Laredo. I live in Texas and when he said, at one of the DEA morning meetings in ABQ that (to paraphrase) "we all know what's going on in El Paso and we don't want that going on here..." I was wondering at the time if that actually meant what is REALLY going on in the border towns - the war on law enforcement and the cartel attacks or retaliation. Namely, I'm referring to EXACTLY what happened on the show - the severed heads. That part told me that obviously the show really IS up on current events as Hank alluded to in the show. Regarding current issues, the show also refers to the economy. I cringed, though, when Walt tried to tell Skyler that Gray Matter is going under. It was so obvious that she didn't believe that. AND, that is something very easy for her to confirm the validity.
I announced out loud the other day when one of the episodes finished that this show is a perfect example of how one lie leads to another until there is just this complex web that is impossible with which to even keep up (for the liar). The lies are becoming more and more outrageous, though. Speaking of saying things out loud... I saw another person comment about Jesse at the house of Spooge and "Miss Skank", I did the same thing - say "GET OUT OF THERE!"
I read some of the comments regarding children caught in the middle of addiction. Unfortunately, it seems there are always children around whether they have any idea of what's going on or not. I know as an adult, to this day I find myself coming to grips with things I experienced as a child or teenager every single day. As an adult I remember a certain place where I hung out when I was a teen, for instance. The entire place smelled like menthol and every adult there had a cold and a Vick's Vapor nasal stick for clearing their sinuses (or so I thought). I learned much later in life that those Vick's nasal things USED to have a precursor to methamphetamine which by adding some things would quickly and with relative ease, actually make some form of speed. They no longer have that ingredient and for a long time were removed from the shelves of pharmacies. I NEVER could have known that's what was going on. Another place I hung around as a teenager with friends had adults there with children, including an infant. People often got up and went to the restroom and I never thought anything about it. On several occasions when I'd go to the restroom I'd see super thick broken rubber bands. I know now those were tie-offs used for injecting meth. I can name a million things I saw but being naive; I had no idea until I learned more as an adult exactly what was going on.

I've seen many such situations. It's as if the children aren't even there except when they are in another room for instance, crying incessantly because they are hungry, need changing, are sick or just need some kind of attention - any kind. It's a very sad situation but one that occurs in all walks of life where addiction is involved. In college I went to visit some relatives who had three young children. The adults were gone and there was paraphernalia everywhere. The children told me horror stories of what they saw on a daily basis and the abuse they were enduring. I took all three of them with me back to college for lack of knowing what else to do. I took them to my apartment which was bigger than the place they lived and they thought I was rich. I fed them, cleaned them up, played games with them and the whole time tried to envision how I would take care of them. Ultimately I took them home but called CPS. I was told that I could not remain anonymous and may have to appear in court even. No one ever called and I later found that nothing at all ever happened. Where they lived had no food, no beds and was just one room. They lived on food stamps and were abused daily. Their parents were unemployed junkies who used needles right in front of them. If CPS cannot take children from a situation like that, in hindsight, the best thing I could have done would have been to keep them with me. How could I have known? I figured calling CPS would be the right thing to do. Someone mentioned here in the posts that they were glad to see Jesse called 911 but before that had hoped he would call CPS. From what I went through, seeing the bruises with my own eyes, seeing the squalor in which the children lived - they slept on the floor, had a dollar food stamp and asked me to walk them to the corner store so they could share a candy bar, hearing the things they told me they saw right in front of them when their parents were home - if CPS can do nothing in that situation, I don't have much faith in them.
I was sickened when the tables turned with Skyler withdrawing from Walt. I was sad that it happened because in a way I feel that Walt has a 'pass' so to speak. I know that Skyler is pregnant and as his wife she deserves more yet she is the one who early on when Walt said something like, 'what if you found out I was breaking the law', she said she would turn him in. She said it jokingly but by now the distance between them is a bottomless pit. The way she's acted with Marie, how she's the "ethical one", if I were Walt, I couldn't risk telling her. She's making it really difficult for him because he's doing all this - for better or worse, wrong or right - for her and Walt, Jr. To have her acting like such a bitch about it and Walt, Jr. changing his name to Flynn out of his embarrassment or whatever you want to call it?
Regarding Walt, Jr. going by Flynn, I'd like to know what the pseudonym or nickname means. Errol Flynn is just too far in the past for a teenager today or even back when I was a teenager for that matter. Hopefully we will find out why he is called Flynn or if he is the one who chose the moniker and why.
In the scene where both families are having the BBQ, Marie is chattering non-stop about moving to DC. When Skyler and Marie go inside to the kitchen and Skyler tells Marie to stop... that she WILL NOT listen to another word until Marie apologizes or really even acknowledges what she's done, it just makes me wonder why Skyler seemingly is the moral compass in the show. It even furthers the whole 'how can Walt tell his wife' conundrum. If Skyler DOES end up having an affair which is ILLEGAL (adultery no matter how prolific on television or in the world IS against the law), it will be totally out-of-character for her or at least the character she's becoming. She's played, to this point, "Miss High and Mighty", so much so that her own husband (of what 15 years or so?) cannot even CONSIDER confiding in her since right off the bat she made that joking comment that if he broke the law she'd turn him in.

I do wonder WHY Skyler doesn't know that Walt had a 'thing' with Gretchen. Was it not before he married Skyler? Was it a secret affair? That's the way it's being portrayed but I have assumed that this was before he married Skyler which is why I don't understand the secrecy and what the big deal is.
When Walt and Gretchen had dinner and she pitied Walt, I was NOT on her side. She felt SORRY for him for believing what he does about getting the short end of the stick? Unless his memory and what we've been shown is just completely skewed, it sounds right on target. Also, Gretchen apparently married the money and now plays better than everyone else. For God's Sake, she drives a Bentley which was pointed out when Walt throws out the idiotic lie that Gray Matter is going under as I mentioned above. If it wasn't obvious that Skyler did not believe that lie, it was obvious when Skyler quietly says... 'and she drives a Bentley?'
It's becoming increasingly difficult to like or love Walt. His weakness around Skyler - acting like a wuss about her 'game playing' and then him taking out his rage on Jesse? That just really griped me. It has been so obvious many times that granted, Jesse shows up or calls at the worst time but Walt takes out ALL of his frustration on Jesse which as a viewer, it's obvious that it's not Jesse he's angry with at all. The person that Walt has morphed into is not a likeable character. However, I love Bryan Cranston and he SO DESERVES kudos, awards - you name it - and do so many of the characters - the director and writers...You are all just wonderful.
I'm glad the story is branching out because at times I can't imagine where else the story can go. The basic plot is pretty simplistic since Walt has cancer and according to the story so far, has very little time left. The foreshadowing all says that he's going to die at the hands of the cartel. Jesse can't be what his character is trying to be. His idiot minions can't pull things off either. Badger is very likeable as are the other two but their characters are portrayed as extremely stupid. They just aren't big enough or feared enough to keep from getting rolled the way that Skinny Pete was. Badger, Combo, Skinny Pete and Jesse all are not scary enough to do what they are trying to do - none of them are Tuco's, none are scary enough despite the rumors that Jesse killed the guy.

The whole situation which is supposed to make Jesse scarier, where he killed the guy who robbed Skinny Pete with the ATM, was a mess - figuratively and literally. When it was over, despite how he wiped off a couple of things - he didn't wipe off many other things he touched like the handle to the sledgehammer, the lock on the kids door, the kid's room door handle, probably many kitchen items since he made the mayonnaise sandwich (what it appeared to be). If there was ANY doubt about what occurred at that house, like if the child said a word about it and they began searching for fingerprints or anything else, Jesse would get busted and BECAUSE he was arrested already at least one time - the time the DEA released him there downtown that I know of, his fingerprints would be on file for comparison in the DEA database.
I wish personally that both Walt and Jesse can remain likeable. At this point the roles are almost reversed. Jesse has displayed intelligence, drive, motivation, emotion... his complete and total isolation and loneliness was a big part of understanding his character. He's not just an addict although I do wonder how his addiction will come into play. That's not a problem that will simply go away and with meth, it's a problem that will only grow rapidly. Meth is not a drug conducive to a manageable life. In Jesse's case, his life is already out-of-control. He's managed to finagle a place to live but that was due to luckily some cash at hand. Otherwise, his life is already truly unmanageable. Most addicts won't find themselves with a big wad of cash as he did. The mounting pressure, stress and growing fear SHOULD only drive him further into his addiction since he lacks any coping skills.

It's very easy for me to empathize with Jessie because of the rejection and lack of any kind of support network whatsoever. His so-called friends are just users or using buddies - also another issue since his dealers are users as well. This is really common with meth it seems. The golden rule that dealers can't be users, ("don't get high on your own supply") I'm not sure how this plays out with meth but I can guess it's the same rapid, downward spiral that you'd find with heroin or cocaine. Jesse is an addict as are all of his underlings ...AND they deal. One of these days when it comes time to turn over the cash they made, there won't be any. HOW will this be dealt with? Early in the show when Combo and Skinny Pete came over to Jesse's ... they did a painful yet typical addict move. Jesse needed some company - he needed some companionship as he was just so lonely. His "friends" asked him if he was holding and he said no, he was taking a break or whatever. They all stood up and said "later" and that he was uncool for not pulling out any dope or for "holding". That's SO typical of using friends but the end result of that scene in real life would have been getting rid of those guys after the amount of drugs he pulled out. The addict way is to use EVERY SINGLE BIT of what is there at any cost - whether it ends up 'missing' (i.e. stolen) or is willingly shared/used. Once dope is seen - it will ALL be used before people will leave and in that scene, the next day they were gone and Jesse was by himself. It would have taken days or a week-long binge for these guys to all use that huge bag of meth. Plus, they'd be at his house every SINGLE day begging for dope as that's all they are, addicts/users. To even imagine they are dealing - it's improbable if not ludicrous. The fact that they use needs to be expanded upon to make that part still believable.
Will Walt ever try meth? He IS dying of cancer. I can't help but feel he is almost getting greedy here lately. He's acting like a monster. He was so against splitting his funds with Jesse since Jesse had his bag in the car yet if the tables were turned - say when Walt went back to the diaper box - say he found it gone. Say he asked Skyler and she said the box had been opened and she worried about sanitary issues so she simply tossed it. Say he was left with absolutely nothing. Would Walt have asked for half of Jesse's haul? If he didn't he wouldn't have the means to continue cooking anyway, right? For Jesse to ask for funds to get the RV out of hock or to be reimbursed for the "list" of items they must have isn't too much. It's realistic.

I'm glad to see that Walt at LEAST realizes that he needs Jesse as that was really cold when he said something to the effect of "what do you contribute?" He made it appear that Jesse was unnecessary and useless. I was proud of Jesse taking some pride finally like the time he took Badger out in the RV and ended up throwing away tray after tray of meth that wasn't clear. However, Badger should have been GLAD he was left behind at the scene so he could go pick up all those 3" shards that Jesse threw out. Yes - it's dope and Badger is an addict. That was one unrealistic thing with Jesse. While it proved the point that he was aiming for perfection - an addict would try to use ANYTHING - just as they said Tuco would smash anything with the butt of his buck knife and snort it off the end of the blade. THAT is realistic - not throwing away pounds of product because it's not exactly PERFECT. Most drugs out there are cut to as low as 25% purity before they reach the end user since every single hand that touches the product generally will cut it. I'd assume it's a bit harder with meth but not necessarily because one thing that wasn't addressed was 'recon'. All that meth that was subpar - it could have been reconstituted, the impurities burned off. In the same way, that's how cut can be introduced with coke, heroin or meth - melt it down, add cut and allow to dry back to a rock form.
Red meth is usually (or pink) due to the process of 'getting the red out'. The pseudoepinephrine tablets have a red coating traditionally such as Sudafed. However, a new 'extra strength' pseudo has come out and is available that has a blue coating. Blue tinged meth IS now appearing on the streets. I would ASSUME this is due to the same reason that pink or red tinged meth has been around - due to poor process with the washing of the coating or 'getting the red out' or with the new blue coated product, 'getting the blue out'.
A couple of issues displayed were breached in the show which I think should be expounded upon. One was when Jesse was high and 'geeking'. The illusion of the motorcycle killers that he saw was extremely realistic. Illusions occur with heavy users of stimulants. They are misinterpretations of something real. In Jesse's case it was two bicyclists who came to spread the Good Word (probably the Church of Latter Day Saints). Instead of bicycles he saw motorcycles and instead of evangelists, he saw something far more sinister. Instead of the books they held in their hands, his brain misinterpreted that data as weapons all in the vein of using which creates a paranoid state. His interpretation was the worst case scenario but very believable and real. That was fantastic, the way this was shared with viewers as again, it's extremely real and very much like what a user would see. Hallucinations are rare and not normally a part of using. Hallucinations are creating something from complete nothingness. If Jesse had a hallucination, he probably would have pre-existing mental problems but in this case, there would have been no people approaching at all. He would have created the entire scenario in his mind which is more a part of biological psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia.
Another issue barely touched but addressed once was when Walt came home and Sklyer said, 'what's that smell?' Some people may not be aware of the incredible chemical smell of meth production. It involves extremely caustic, toxic, lethal and acrid chemicals. It includes chemicals that explode and have been known to demolish entire buildings. Meth is cooked way out in the country. It historically has been a drug easily found in rural areas but very difficult to find in the cities. Cities generally are saturated with coke rather than meth and in the past, meth used to be the most available hard drug found in more rural areas. The whole reason for this is due to the smell. Bikers used to and still do make crank out in the woods using 55 gallon barrels. Often, as Hank referred to it once, it's called "bathtub crank". People who try to cook meth in populated areas are quickly busted and this is due to odor complaints. People can't keep from smelling the acrid odor which is toxic by itself. They call the authorities who quickly zero in on the source of the smell. THAT is the whole reason they are cooking in the RV out in the desert. I'm not sure this was ever mentioned in the show. Also, RV's are easily moved creating a mobile meth lab. If someone where to call about the odor, chances are the RV will be moved to a new location before the source of the odor can be pinpointed. They've also found these RV's buried which would be interesting to bring up in the program.
When they were trying to cook in Jesse's basement there in the middle of a residential neighborhood - much less on a day when there was an open house - THAT wasn't very realistic. Sure the agent showing the house was spraying air freshener but that wouldn't do ANYTHING to cover such indescribably odiferous chemicals. Imagine ammonia and bleach in a closed bathroom times a million. It would burn people's eyes and nostrils. Meth is made with extremely caustic chemicals!
Jesse's old high school band, Twaughthammer - that's an excellent name. People aren't aware of how it's spelled, though. If you do a Google search on the alternate spelling of the first part of the band name, a WHOLE lot of pornographic sites come up but along with that there are a few people commenting on the ingenuity of the band name. That was a sad scene, though. Had Jesse perhaps not walked in with his belongings, he possibly could have stayed a day or two. Luckily, though, he was able to get money and with money, he should always be able to find a place to stay. Still, his lonely situation - completely shut out like the 'boy who cried wolf' by his parents, no girl, no friends unless you consider an angry, dying Walt who has given implicit instructions to NEVER CONTACT HIM, was really touching. I was amazed that he continued on at all because really, in this role, he doesn't have a whole lot for which to continue. The only driving force could have been just self-preservation and that was just sad. He loses his house; his car is gone, his bike stolen. He's dealing with so very much mentally and he's dealing with it alone. He has no one to even talk to about what he's seen, what he's been through and to be sure, Walt has shown him absolutely NO SYMPATHY whatsoever.
I'd like to see Walt become a more likeable character again. I'd like to see Jesse perhaps become the moral thermometer at least for awhile. I'd like to see him build some kind of life worth living, see him triumph over the adversity that his life has been, to be someone. If Jesse can grow beyond the situation we've shared with him and what he's portrayed as - a waste of space, he will give hope to other addicts and people who've lived the lonely life of someone on the outskirts of society. I'd like to see Jesse grow into someone of greater value and become a contributing member of society.
Thanks for letting me share my long-overdue two cents worth.
Teri