General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAdvice for those who never watched Breaking Bad but want to in the future.
Do not watch the series finale tonight.
Trust me...it will ruin it for you.
Yo!
JeffHead
(1,186 posts)This thing is gonna go viral in about 3 hours. There will be no avoiding it.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)warrior1
(12,325 posts)ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)BronxBoy
(2,286 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)or what one needs to begin to operate one.
I've had horrible experience being stuck with having to handle the estate of an elderly man who died in our family...and he lived rural and had a nice house with seven acres he'd spent his whole life populating with wonderful Azalea's, Gardenias and Camelias in the Southern part of the US. He raised a couple of cows and had a horse and without garbage collection he buried or burned his waste and lived as close as one can to a "Self-Sustaining Lifestyle" where he turned off his water heater to conserve electricity and only used a Light in a room he was in in the night time. He didn't like TV and just listened to the radio. He fixed everything that broke himself...until he couldn't find parts because of of outsourcing to China and decline of American made parts for his old Appliances and fittings for his house.
He was the equivalent of a Mountain Man who lived in the South and Graduated from Georgia Tech with engineering degree during the Depression. Got his Masters and got job as engineer on the Polaris Submarine Project working for the Government.
He died...and his house and his rural property were invaded with jokers doing a Meth Lab. They destroyed his plumbing, trashed his house and dumped waste from it all on his property so that his house (now Prime Real Estate for a new Big Box Store) and property were considered "Contaminated and Not available for Re-Sale of the Estate until the whole 7 Acres and House and Well and out buildings were inspected and verified as CLEAN by authorities for the prospective buyer.
WHY would I want to see a show about METH LAB People? No matter how Gritty and Fun it is for folks.
WHY? Maybe I'm missing what this show is REALLY about...but, after having to deal with relatives and such trying to get their fair part of the estate ...it's been daunting trying to honor the memory of that Elder Relative who would have been so horrified and saddened as to what happened to the property and house he cared for so carefully for 65 years be taken over my Meth Labs and jokers who couldn't give a shit.
Just saying. I can see that this elderly man should have known better....working to get his degree on "Work Study Program" during the Great Depression to understand that "Times Change" and you could expect in your late 80's and 90's to have a change of culture where a METH LAB would set up in your home after you died...and where the hell were the Heirs that they didn't move in after your death and make sure they "Took Care of the Property!" SO .....it's THEIR FAULT.
Just a story for you.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Very little of it is about "how meth labs operate".
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)it's extremely compelling.
It's really chronicling the transformation of a seemingly ordinary dude, into a monster, although the question is how much of the monster was in there all along. The meth labs portion is part of the story, but the story is much bigger than the meth labs.
One thing is for sure, though, if you change your mind and decide to watch it, start at the beginning.
dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)My boyfriend watched the first 3 seasons alone; I kept declining his invitations to watch because, as I said to him, "why do I want to watch a show about drug dealers?". I started watching in Season 3 and from then on I was hooked. It's really compelling.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)depressing about why we shouldn't look at this character as some kind of Pathos Journey and have sympathy with him...
So...I hate Meth and Meth Labs...and I'm horrified that folks are reduced to making a living out of this that preys on people and rural houses and abandoned places to do their dirty deeds which hurts kids and those involved...while they make their lifestyle seem "exciting."
Just saying.... It's to me like "Gun Runners" or something. I don't want anything to do with promoting this to Adults or Children or the Unemployed as a way to dramatize what they do which is evil.
But, I appreciate your reasoned response to me...from your view point. Not going to convince me to give it my time...(as I pointed out the downfall of those who might be "turned on to the drama of this as a way to make a living in these "Unemployment Times" ...but, I can't get over what was done to that relatives house..because of the METH and that I think the folks who did that to that house are Criminals and Disgusting.
Still appreciate your reply, though.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)But this show does not make what Walter White does look appealing, or glamorous.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)and how he copes with it? I'm going at this from reviews I've read...Caveat.
Is it how to "Cope with Evil and the Turmoil Within?" that gets folks engaged.
See ...the way I feel is that it's folks who love this who seem to find his "travail..and angst" appealing...but, forget the damage to the overall society from what he chose to do?
But...that's from many reviews I've read because I felt "Left Behind" that I wasn't watching it...but the subject matter had turned me off. I though I might be one of the "Left Behinds" or something...but, there was enough from the reviews that I didn't think coming off that terrible Estate Thing that I had to Sort Out...I would want to watch it.
Again....thanks for the replies.
Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)Also, it's a metaphor for American business culture in general. How much money can we make RIGHT NOW? Consequences be damned. So long as I've got mine, why worry who else gets hurt or what kind of mess gets left behind for someone else to clean up?
demwing
(16,916 posts)1. The lead character's actions all result from his own fight against cancer
2. The lead character IS the cancer on the body of his family, his actions mimicking the effects of cancer as it eats through systems, goes into remission, recurs, etc...
3. The meth business is a cancer on the body of our society, like any blight, no one pays attention to it till it affects the affluent.
Nothing is shallow on Breaking Bad, and everything clicks. The show raises excellent questions and issues, and doesn't get preachy with its answers -- and by the time you progress from the first season to the last, you will find you've changed the way you feel about nearly every major character. The show and the characters grow in ways that cannot be accomplished with a situational, episodic format. This isn't the weekly misadventures of some wacky meth-heads. Breaking Bad is a 5 year long, 62 installment mini-series. It tells 1 story in 62 pieces, not 62 stories about 1 guy and his meth.
This is the best acting I've seen, the best writing, directing, casting, camera work, and scoring I can remember in the 40+ years Ive been parking my ass in front of this damned box.
It will go down in TV history as an example of the very best that medium can offer.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)as that isn't my norm with typically vapid TV shows (I just started watching around labor day and binged through it). This made a light bulb go off:
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)But folks watching the show to this point.. I guarantee you there's not a single one who would want to be where Walt is now. He's in hell, and he's lost everything, including his soul.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)and the consequences of choices he made earlier in his life. It presents a stark picture of the brutal reality of the nation we live in today and then goes on to take the audience down an all-to-believable set of circumstances and consequences to create a fascinating story.
You should just check out season 1 from your library and see what they/we're all talking about.
Just so you know, I loathe TV and generally don't watch any of it, but this is good entertainment and social commentary.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)The character straddles two worlds. Just when the normal world threatens to be overturned by all the daily horrors of life, the other world offers the chance to steal fire from the gods and make the bad things go away. It is a basic good vs. evil plot. A morality play. The flawed main character has paid dearly for every transgression. He is not living proof that crime pays. He is more like a tragic hero from Greek mythology destined to get exactly what is coming to him. In Greek mythology, the starving are always surrounded by banquets they can't eat, the thirsty tantalized by wine they can't drink. And like any good Greek story, the worst irony and tragedy in this story is that the main character has at the end even lost sight of the reasons that compelled him to action in the first place. The idea was very well developed. For TV, it was exceptional.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)get's involved with Drugs/Meth....then one has to expect the Angst, Downfall and Ultimate "Hope for Redemption."
But...I just can't see how this isn't glorifying this for some and forgetting the Tragedy it is for those sucked into that and how it eventually effects the broader society. Mostly the Meth People break into places that look "unoccupied" and then they do their thing. But, "Unoccupied" doesn't mean "Abandoned" and that there aren't others affected by what they do.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Basically, at the end of Season 2, for instance, they cause a massive plane crash.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)about halfway through the series. There is no redemption, only closure.
PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)I wish nothing but the worst for these scumbags May they rot...
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)NWHarkness
(3,290 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)acts of desperation and weakness, and breaches of personal integrity.
"Meth labs" are just a DEVICE to advance the plot. They aren't the story. Any illegal activity that has organized crime overseeing it, and requires a level of specified expertise, could substitute for "meth labs" in the tale.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)"Breakfast" was just code for... something.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)I never watched a single episode of the Sopranos, either.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)You just had to say something...which is completely wrong since it neither glorifies or makes one sympathetic to the characters.
You could have just stayed away from this thread since you know NOTHING about the show, but i guess you felt your non-knowledge was important for us to know.
Anything else you've never seen you can lecture us about?
Lots of folks talking shit not knowing shit.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)zappaman
(20,606 posts)But, I get that some people have to opine on EVERYTHING...even if they haven't a clue.
Jim Warren
(2,736 posts)Heh, typo I get it, but a slip a little too close to the truth when the grand subject is a TV show, lol.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)un·in·formed
ˌəninˈfôrmd/
adjective
adjective: uninformed
1.
not having or showing awareness or understanding of the facts.
"uninformed criticism of conservation projects"
synonyms: unenlightened, uneducated, unknowledgeable, untaught, unlearned, unread, ignorant More
demwing
(16,916 posts)But hey, some people are just better than other people, right?
Retrograde
(10,126 posts)It's a well-written, well-acted and stunningly filmed show about a dying man who makes a decision that he thinks will help his family, only to find that all his actions have consequences. As it stands now, he's in hiding, wanted by the Feds and local cops, his family is destitute, his son disowns him, and his only company is a big barrel of money he can't spend or even give to his family. In the process he's seen all ugliness of the drug trade - and even caused some of it.
What draws people in, I think, is that the show depicts the gradual way a person can be corrupted even with good intentions, and how every action has a reaction - something a lot of shows don't seem to care about (yeah, I'm looking at you, Dexter). The protagonist and his family are normal, everyday, even boring people living on the edge of a middle class world and getting screwed by it, something viewers can relate to a little better than, say, your typical cop or superhero show. It starts off somewhat lightheartedly, and like Shakespeare there's a good deal of comic relief throughout, but it gets darker and darker as it progresses.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)texanwitch
(18,705 posts)I don't think it is for someone already stressed out or depressed.
I do like the show even if it is dark.
Makes my life seem like a bed of roses.
ismnotwasm
(41,952 posts)I know all I'll ever need to know and have seen all I need to see about meth, meth labs, drug dealing and complicated/complex characters. I assume I'd be a kind of purist (like I am with LOTR) and the show would just irritate me.
I take it I'm missing out yet another great show. You all enjoy.
CitizenLeft
(2,791 posts)...but I'm terrified I'm going to get hooked and have to wait 10 months for this final season to be added. I HATE that.
So I'm gonna wait until all the seasons are up before I start, and watch the whole thing without a break.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)DebJ
(7,699 posts)marathon rerun.
After seeing the first season and part of season two, we looked at each other and said
that this show really isn't meant for binge watching. The darkness of it all can be
quite overwhelming.
That said, we just finished season two and will start season 3 tomorrow...........
which is just Day Four of our viewing. In 3 days, we watched 20 episodes at about 45 minutes each......
it's like meth......killing us but we can't stop, LOL.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)Netflix only has 19 episodes of The Walking Dead, and only 13 for House of Cards. I wish they would catch up. At least BB has 54 episodes. Well 53 if you don't watch The Fly episode. What a waste of an hour.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)I said a couple of weeks ago that I think the ricin was for Elliot and Gretchen. Only storyline that hasn't truly been settled, and it would fit. A gun wouldn't be in the style of killing the chemists that Walt believes ruined his life...
We will see very soon!
I am SO going to miss this show.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)But honestly, who knows?
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)I think Lydia is shot in the face (drawback to season 4?) and Todd/Uncle Jack are killed, but I could be very wrong. For all the twists and turns, Walt might use the ricin on himself and I wouldn't be a bit surprised.
Good luck with your office pool though!
zappaman
(20,606 posts)VERY possible...
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Oh well.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)up a hella lot of lose strings in 55 minutes of air time.
It wouldn't have been BB's style, but I would have liked to see Jesse recover the $70+ million before taking off and the back story on Grey Matter - but I applaud them for how they ended it. Just watched it again and wouldn't have changed a thing.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I thought it was great. Very well done.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Except badger, who goes to Hollywood with skinny pete to write a science fiction tv show about a high school teacher on pluto who comes down with the venusian flu and starts cooking space meth to pay his robot doctor bills.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)And don't blather about it "glorifying meth" until you have seen the entire series.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)REDEMPTION?
I don't know if I'd want to watch the whole thing to get to that ...that he goes through this to be redeemed.
But, if it gives HOPE to those in his lifestyle or wanna be lifestyle...then perhaps it's important for a view.
But, what about the rest of us who don't live that lifestyle?
Whatever for those who find the redemption .... Look whrever one can find a "New Path" to life...it's a good thing for them.
Does this Series really cause some grand awakening...or is it just another MSM thing to do a "Greek Tragedy" in contemporary terms...that misses the message and overwhelming scope of the Original Greek Tragedies? IOWD's... Just PAP for trying to show Sensationalism/Redemption?
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)It is how brilliantly interwoven the character's stories were written and the plot twists where just as you think they have painted themselves into a corner, they resolve it in a way that makes you go "but of course!".
Small things like Walt taking on the habits of those who he didn't believe should have died (bread crusts, drinking whiskey on the rocks) - the entire show has been a brilliantly written and executed masterpiece.
If nothing else, it exploded the economy in rural New Mexico.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/business/breaking-up-with-breaking-bad-is-hard-for-albuquerque.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Very good for New Mexico. And, the several new series which will be shot there because of the "subsidy" passed to benefit the productions.
From the article:
Others have doubts. Debbie Ball, who owns the Candy Lady, believes that the boom will fade in a years time. She has been churning out blue rock candy meant to resemble the special blue meth manufactured by Walter White in the show. The candy was used as a prop in the first two seasons of Breaking Bad, and she now sells it to tourists in what she calls dollar dime bags. She estimates she has sold 35,000 bags since August 2012.
Ms. Ball also leads limo tours, booking one or two Breaking Bad circuits a day since January. Among her other tie-in products are hand-painted Pez dispensers depicting some of the shows characters. All told, she says, she has seen a 25 percent increase in sales of her Breaking Bad products and a 10 percent bump in sales over all in the past year.
For now, anyway, its like Christmas every day, she says. Its basically another business thats been spawned out of this.
Carrie Mettling, co-owner of the local chain Rebel Donut, expects that most viewers who havent finished watching the series will be caught up within a year, at which point enthusiasm may wane.
Rebel Donut makes the Blue Sky doughnut, which is slathered in blue frosting and dusted with blue rock candy. As it turns out, one of Rebels three branches is inside the building that doubled as the Drug Enforcement Administration office on Breaking Bad. I thought it would be pretty funny to sell blue-meth doughnuts in the D.E.A. building, Ms. Mettling says. It was an ironic coincidence.
She created the first batch of Blue Sky doughnuts in June 2012 as a gift to the Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul. After she posted a picture of him with the doughnuts to her stores Facebook page, sales spiked. She typically sells six dozen a day and 40 dozen on Sundays, when the show is broadcast. For the current seasons premiere, fans hosting viewing parties across the country bought 1,500 dozen.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)The set decorator Michael Flowers says he patronized antique stores when designing sets, recalling that he spent $20,000 on scrap metal at a local salvage yard while building the shows meth-lab set. Mr. Flowers described his philosophy as: Dont shop at chains. Go to ma-and-pa stores; keep the money in Albuquerque.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)even though I don't feel it's something I'd want to view...I can understand the accolades from those who felt it was Quality TV...and agree that's been so lacking that many feel it was a "step in good direction" to put together this series.
So ...for those who loved it....Okay. Even though I don't want to know anything about Meth Labs after my experience with how relatives house was trashed and the aftermath...there are those who found it a "Modern Day" kind of Greek Tragedy and if they found it taught them something...then it must have been something worthwhile.
Retrograde
(10,126 posts)unlike a lot of television drama, everyone is not perfectly coiffed, exquisitely dressed, driving new cars, and between 22 and 35. The people cast in supporting roles and bit parts look like people you would find in Albuquerque - including middle-aged women and Native Americans (who aren't there to impart Words of Wisdom to the hero - they're just around acting like anyone else).
Tikki
(14,549 posts)though people in other parts of the World knew months before we did here.
I hated that most movie reviewers gave away the identity of Kirk's and Star Fleets nemesis in Star Trek Into Darkness.
Please don't spoil the ending for us new to Breaking Bad.
Tikki
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)are talking about it every where I go online, and it's on Netflix, I don't see how I can ignore it much longer.
Tell me this - did it suck at the beginning and get good, or was it good from the start?
Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)at least it did for me
MADem
(135,425 posts)It will hold your attention.
As it progresses, it gets better and better. The characters are brilliant and believable. Some, like the lawyer (Better Call Saul!) are hilarious.
It's smart television.
trumad
(41,692 posts)By the 3rd you will be hopelessly addicted.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)was asked in an interview why he took the part. His response was that upon reading the opening script (Man in nothing but tidey whitey underwear, wearing a gas mask, is driving an RV like a mad man through the New Mexico desert...) he was hooked.
kentauros
(29,414 posts)to bother with this one (House, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated Series, Soap, Twin Peaks, the Trinity movies.) I also have no interest in BB; the subject matter (and yes, I've read about what it's "really" about) stirs nothing in me.
As far as I'm concerned, Babylon 5 had the best writing I've ever seen aired on a television show, without resorting to the EXTREME/edgy stuff that gets the most notice (and funding) these days. B5 probably wouldn't last on what passes for prime-time TV currently.
Atman
(31,464 posts)I'm already hooked on "Shameless," and I think both of them would be too much for me to take.
Being one who has never watched BB, I have no other comment. It seems to have generated one hell of a following, so I'll probably check it out at some point. Trouble is, now that it's over it will be tough to avoid the spoilers. I'm guessing that like "Citizen Kane," no matter how great everyone tells you the movie is, once you know the meaning of Rosebud it is ruined.
Myrina
(12,296 posts)I'm too impatient to watch an entire series. I also read the first & last chapter of books, skipping the middle.
Always been one of my failings that I never learned to 'enjoy the journey'.