Money Well Spent

A group of Breaking Bad fans in New Mexico paid to post this obituary in the Albuquerque Journal. The paper knew it was a joke and published the faux-bit on page A4.

Breaking Bad: "Felina"

This was not the ending I was hoping for.
Don't get wrong, I thought the ending was beautiful. Walt figured out an ingenious way to get at least some of his money to his family, a brilliant scheme, that made sense, and had a reasonable chance of working.
And that brings me to my problem with the episode, after 5 seasons of cleverness, of mental agility getting Walt out of every situation, they counted on ridiculous implausibilities too many times in the series finale.
1) The keys in the visor of the Volvo, oldest trick in the TV/movie book. Never happens in real life.
2) The ricin in the Stevia. Did she pour an open package into her tea, or did he somehow slip it in and reseal packet?
3) The button-operated machine gun. No way would that work, and no way those guys wouldn't check his trunk
4) Walt slipping into his own house and into Skyler's new one completely undetected by the cops who were stationed outside
5) No one anywhere recognizing him despite a nationwide manhunt.

But I don't want to dwell on the negative when so much great happened.

I love that Walt finally admitted he did it for him. I had always felt that his initial motivation was to provide for his family, but once he started he liked the power. He liked beating up the kid who made fun of Flynn, blowing up the obnoxious guy's car, "I am the danger," and "I'm in the empire business."

It was a very nice moment for him to admit what he did was for himself to feel powerful, not for the family, the family that he lost because of it. And he took one last look at Holly and Walt Jr.

"I liked it. I was good at it." That's what it was beautiful that he ended in the lab.

I guess it's open to interpretation whether he died that night on the floor in the lab from his injury, or whether the cops got him and he died shortly after from his cancer, but the implication is surely that his story ended.

As for Jesse, if we're in the speculating business, it was beautiful that he killed Todd and then drove off wild-eyed and crazed.

Why was he a carpenter in his dream? Is that a Jesus reference? Is he a Christ figure? Is Mrs. Iervese writing this show?

Note: Mrs. Iervese was our high school English teacher who thought every character in every book was a Christ figure, much to the chagrin of the Concierge who believed her overzealous interpretation of the literature made her an anti-Semite.

I guess my big takeaway is that Walt didn't regret it. He did the wrong thing for the right reasons, it went horribly wrong but it ended with him dying anyway (from the cancer, the gunshot wound, didn't matter) but providing for his family.

"Chemistry is the science of transformation," and some things when they change, can never change back.

10.3 million people watched the finale.

Breaking Bad: "Granite State"

So are we really supposed to believe that Walt was about to give himself up? That was clearly the implication, I think, from the phone call and the calm drink order. He realized that he had lost even his most loyal ally (they even call him Flynn in school), and it hit home that the things he had done to help his family, had actually cost him his family.

But then the Grey Matter Charlie Rose interview changed everything. The exact same thing that forced Walt to tell Hank that Gale couldn't be Heisenberg, seemingly forced him to escape the bar, flee New Hampshire, the Granite State, and head back to Albuquerque with heavy artillery in his trunk, in order to get the ricin out of his outlet cover.

And who knows what happens after that. But let me throw out a couple theories:
1) I have thought all along that Walt was going to die of cancer. Is it possible that he somehow does kill the Nazis, get his money back, give it to his family and save Jesse? And then die of cancer before the Feds can catch him?

In TV and movies we like to see the good guy win in the end, but this show has always gone against that type. The hero is an anti-hero, a bad guy, and he's gotten worse as the series has gone on.

2) Walt tries to kill the Nazis, they capture him too and put him and Jesse to work cooking meth. The show ends just like it started.

Is Carmen too young and pretty to be a high school principal?

Did Todd really have to kill Andrea? What happened to Brock? Did he just wake up and find his mother dead on the porch? Todd hates kids. First Drew Sharp, now this. And he likes it. He was proud when they were all watching Jesse talk about how he killed Drew Sharp.

Robert Forster was a great choice for the vacuum guy wasn't he? That black market chemo was awesome, though I didn't even know that was possible.

How long do you think you could survive an existence like that? No TV, internet, phone, no contact with the outside world, can't leave the property. Looks like Walt did a few months. I think I could do a year before I turned into Jack Nicholson from "The Shining."

There's no way Jesse could have had the necessary upper-body strength to pull off that near escape after weeks in captivity.

Doesn't Walt have a little Marty McFly in him? His reaction to being doubted or diminished is the same way Marty reacted when anyone called him chicken. I guess it's a good plot device in both cases.

I really cannot wait to see the final episode, 75 minutes, just in case your DVR doesn't record automatically. I can't think about anything else. I wonder what happens, and how it happens. And I wonder what I will do with my time when it's over.

Breaking Bad: "Ozymandias"

Once again Vince Gilligan and the Breaking Bad team got the characters out of a situation in a logical reasonable way. Almost, I do think it was a little implausible that Jesse could have been hiding under the car and they would not have noticed him. But the fact that they did choose to let him live in order to cook makes a little sense. Though $68-$69 million dollars, even split 10 ways or so, is a pretty good reason not to cook meth.

Seems a little greedy, which by the way was very funny about Uncle Jack stealing the money basically from Walt, and then calling the other guys greedy for not wanting to leave him a barrel. And then him telling Walt he needs to know that they are "square" or else he will kill him. I guess he believes there is honor among thieves. But it remains to be seen if Walt has just written off that much money.

Hank and Gomey had to die. Once they took us down that road, that was the only viable off-ramp. I don't understand why Walt begged so hard for Hank to live, yet he turned on Jesse so quickly, even twisting the dagger with that Jane comment.

I guess because Hank is family. And the whole show is about the lengths Walt will go to in order to protect his family.

I think this episode was when he finally realized that as a direct result of the actions he took to protect his family, he lost his family.

That's why his final desperate act as Walter White, was to kidnap Holly, dump her at a fire station and make the call to Skylar. He knew the cops would be listening and he wanted to make it seem that he acted alone, and Skylar had nothing to do with it.

Now we have two episodes to find out if Walt really goes to New Hampshire (the next episode is entitled "The Granite State") or if he was just given a New Hampshire ID. We will see if Jesse teaches Todd to cook, or if he blows him up or does some other Walter-esque scheme to get himself out of there. And we may finally learn who the ricin is for, and Jesse is looking like a much more likely target.

Breaking Bad: "To'hajiilee"

Let's start with the obvious, To'hajiilee, is the Navajo Indian Reservation where the money is buried, the initial cook was, and the huge gunfight took place. I know that obscure reference is what everyone was talking about after that episode. And by the way, the next episode is called Ozymandias after a Percy Shelley poem.

I actually want to wait a second before I discuss the heart-pounding climax because there's another point I want to make. I touched on this briefly last week: everyone else is taking on Walt's traits, and he is losing them.

Last week everyone wanted to kill someone, except Walt who wanted to spare Jesse. Usually it is Walt who comes up with the genius schemes to get out of sticky situations (the gas in the very first episode, the Tuco explosion, the Hector bomb and many more) but this time it was Hank using the "brains" to manipulate Huell, and then using the info from Huell to concoct a scheme to get Walt to lead them to the money. And it is Walt who failed to consider all the options, acted rashly and got himself in trouble.

Now we know through 5 seasons that the hallmark of the show if for characters to get themselves into and out of trouble. And usually their escapes are organic and clever not cheesy, contrived or ridiculous. If that holds, Hank and Gomey have to die. There is just no way they could survive being as outgunned as they are. And I don't see any way the Aryans simply back off at Walt's urging. Jesse would likely have to die as well, were there any realism at play, but I can totally see him making a run for it and in the confusion, escaping into the desert.

And Walt will have three episodes to chase him, perhaps with the series ending on a final confrontation. Maybe Jesse kills Walt. He called him Walt for the first time all series, a clear sign he has lost all respect for his former mentor.

I have the feeling this is the episode where Walt finally goes on the run, answering those questions about the diner breakfast on his 52nd birthday, the New Hampshire ID, the defaced house and whether his cancer is really back (we do see him with a full head of hair and a beard).

This may very well be one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, hopefully it ends better than "who shot JR?"

Breaking Bad: "Rabid Dog"

Now we're starting to get down to brass tacks, but I still don't see Walt killing Jesse. With all the old yeller, and what's one more talk, and Jesse flipping to Hank, it's way too obvious for Walt to kill Jesse, and it probably would be quite unsatisfying since Jesse is such a beloved character.

I do think that Walt will try to kill Jesse (why else would he contact Todd and his uncle?) but I just don't think it's going to happen.

I saw something interesting on "Talking Bad" Skyler is wearing more light bland colors this year to show she is on the same team was Walt, who dresses that way. I can also presume that is why Hank is wearing purple.

It also said that Lydia would be in next week's episode, and I still can't figure how her and Todd are going to play into things.

And I don't know when the diner and the "52" bacon and the New Hampshire ID and the neighbor who drops the groceries are going to happen either.

And of course, how and on whom does Walt use the ricin he got from behind the outlet cover.

Everything in this episode centered around Walt and Jesse and the will he won't aspect of it. But I think the main thrust of this episode was to introduce other possible killers, Saul, Skyler, Marie, and maybe Jesse. Maybe that was the goal, to open up new possibilities to keep us guessing for four more episodes.

Breaking Bad: "Confessions"

Finally, a real "Breaking Bad" type episode. If the first episode was a C+, and the previous one was a B+, this was definitely an A+.

Let's start at the end, with the most dramatic action yet this season. It was a little confusing and I needed a little refresher before I fully comprehended it, and even so it's a big leap of cognition for Jesse, but here's my understanding. Jesse had a joint in his cigarette pack and when it was missing he realized Saul had Huell (aka the huge black guy) picked his pocket. His mind immediately ran to the ricin which was in his cigarette pack and had been removed. If that was also done by Huell/Saul/Walt then it was done to frame Gus for poisoning Brock, which means it was actually done by Walt. Quite a revelation to make while standing on the street corner waiting to enter the Criminal Protection Program, but as best as I can figure, that's what happened.

After that Jessie barges into Walt's house with gasoline. Now the scene we've already seen, the flash-forward as it were, doesn't seem to show Walt's house being in charred ruins, so obviously something is going to happen before Jessie strikes the match. I have a hunch Walt will once again manipulate him. I don't think he will kill him with the frozen gun.

As for the other big twist in the episode, brilliant move by Walt making that DVD.

It does just enough to slow Hank down. Now if you really thought about it, there's too many holes in the story for people to seriously believe Hank was the mastermind. But, it's enough to give him pause. And the fact that Hank is and has already sat on evidence and not presented it, and that he (inadvertently) accepted drug money to pay his medical bills, would make him look even worse. This brings me back to my original suspicion that this season would be a cat-and-mouse game between Walt and Hank.

There's also this pesky storyline about Todd and Lydia that won't go away. Todd calls Walt to give him the latest. But he also speaks way too openly about the details and the real names of Walt and Jesse.

There was also a tarantula walking by at one point. What the hell could that mean? Another juvenile death?

Five episodes to go and I can't wait.

Send Him To Belize

The opportunists at the Belize tourism board took advantage of a clever euphemism in "Breaking Bad" ("send him to Belize" means kill him) and turned it into a funny promotion for their cause. The author of this ad's copy seems to be a shrewd and observant fan of the best show ever, making sly references to Marie's purple predilection and Flynn's love of real pork bacon.

Breaking Bad: "Buried"

So now we have a little more to sink our teeth into. Skylar stands by her man and Marie stands by hers.

This presents a very interesting conflict, because I kind of think this takes killing Hank off the table. It will be harder to get away with killing Hank if Walt would have to kill Marie too, and Skyler would have to go along with it.

I don't want to spend every second of every episode, and all the seconds in between obsessing about how it's going to end, especially because I have a strong suspicion that everything leading up to the finale will make us believe one thing, and the ending will be something completely different.

But I am speculating about what will happen to Jesse. Despite being two pivotal scenes, Jesse did not have a speaking part in this week's episode. I think all this boredom, apathy, and perhaps loss of millions will lead Jesse to start cooking again with Lydia.

Otherwise that scene with Todd doesn't make sense. Why would there even be a storyline involving Lydia and Todd if it didn't eventually bring back Walt and or Jesse?

I loved her red-soled shoes though. Was it foreshaowing the bloodshed? Were they trying to depict how much money she's making? Did the gay costume designers just want to buy fancy shoes?

Lots of unanswered questions remain. Like, in what lottery can you play number 106?

I read that those coordinates are the exact coordinates of the studio where the show is filmed. And apparently the spot where he buried the money is the original cooksite from episode 1 of the series.

And if he buried 6 huge barrels in the hole, wouldn't there be 6 barrelfuls of extra dirt to disperse somewhere?

I'm pretty sure these aren't the important questions, but I really have no idea when or how Walt is going to get outed as Heisenberg, or what he is going to do with that ricin, so I'll ponder these trivialities until next Sunday.

Breaking Bad: "Blood Money"

Since this is the final season of Breaking Bad and I love it so much, and after the episodes are over I’m still thinking about them, I will try to write a brief synopsis of each. I won’t post them right away, hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday each week, but if you’re a slowpoke, or haven’t started watching at all, but plan to catch up, please skip these posts.

This episode was like a first round draft pick, you can’t just judge it based on what it is, you have to wait until to see what it becomes. If we were just looking at it and judging it based on the entertainment value during those 60 minutes, it would grade poorly. It was slow and boring and only in the last 5 minutes did we get any serious action.

BUT…we have to wait to see what happens for the rest of the season to see what kind of groundwork was laid in this episode.

For instance, the opening scene where the neighbor sees him and drops the groceries (juxtaposed with the later/earlier scene when she says hi) foreshadows that the whole world knows about him, and he’s obviously on the lam (building on what we learned last year).

Also, the inane conversation between Badger and Skinny Pete about Star Trek might pay off, if it was meant to show Jesse’s boredom with his “good” life; and to portend him “breaking bad” again.

I clearly think that is what was going on with Walt. There is no way he can get the kind of rush and feeling of power from rearranging the air fresheners (how could pine be the best seller?), that he gets from cooking meth. And that is why Lydia came to the car wash, to appeal to the same side of Walt that had to speak up when Hank thought Gale was Heisenberg.

As for the dramatic final scene, I have long thought that the final season would be a cat and mouse game between Hank and Walt. Because it now seems so obvious, I’m starting to rethink it. I think Walt may kill Hank, and go back to cooking meth, before he has to go on the run.

But then who is the ricin for?

6 million people watched this episode, which I think is pretty great considering Big Brother on CBS is only doing slightly better than that. But then I see that Rizzoli & Isles on TNT was viewed by 5.5 million, so I don’t understand anything at all.

Have an A-1 day!

The Best Show Ever

"Breaking Bad" is the best show in the history of television. And the finale of Season 4 is the best hour of TV I've ever seen. If you have never watched the show, I'm going to make one more plea to get you to do so before Season 5 starts this week on July 15.
Everybody loved "The Sopranos" right? It was a great show. It was about a mobster, but it was about so much more than that, it was about his family, his personal relationships and how he grows and changes. But it also had great action, violence and conflict.
Breaking Bad has all of that (though not as much humor or sex) and much, much more. But Breaking Bad is written so well. It has incredible subtlety. The action (and there is plenty of action, the show never gets boring) is driven by tiny plot twists which explode into huge revelations.

I have never met anyone who watched the show and didn't love it.
So if I've finally convinced you to watch and find out how Walt went from feckless dweeb to badass, stop reading now.
If you've been watching all this time (Billy and Damino are the only Poopheads I know of) then keep reading.
If you still aren't going to watch, then you're a moron.




Here is why I love this show so much: it combines the visceral action and violence that so many people like with the subtle twists, plot advancements and character development that make it such a great show to think about and talk about afterwards.

The season 4 finale was a perfect example. It had the explosive action scene, with the drama building beautifully through Hector's pained facial expressions. And the money shot with Gus's new face.



But it also had the beautiful reveal at the very end. The lilies whose berries had been used to poison Brock were growing in Walt's backyard.



That one little shot of the flowerpot changed the entire trajectory of the final season.

And there have been so many moments like that, brief moments, innocent comments, that completely changed the show.

For instance, Walt not wanting Hank to give the credit to Gail, casually commenting that he couldn't be the mastermind. That simple comment forced Hank to redouble his efforts, driving all the action last season. The search, Gus's effort to kill Walt, Walt's eventual plan to kill Gus. It was all set in motion because Walt wouldn't allow Hank to think Gail was responsible for the meth craze sweeping the Southwestern United States.

It's a far cry from the feckless dweeb who was washing cars in episode 1, embarrassed and belittled when his own students drove fancier cars than he did.

And that, to me, is the coolest thing about this whole show. It's how Walt's character has grown and developed. He may have started as a loser but the time when he stood up to the guys who were making fun of Walt Jr. something changed inside him.

I can't wait to see where they go with season 5 but I'm mostly happy they're going to end it now, one or two seasons too early, better than a season too late. Or four seasons too late in the case of Lost.
I can't wait to see what they do as a resolution. Will Walt immediately try to be the drug kingpin of the southwest, filling Gus's void? I don't think so immediately, but maybe eventually.
Will Jesse find out Walt poisoned the boy? Seems like this conflict will arise at some point, but not right away.
Will Hank apprehend Walt? This is how I think series will come to its end, with Hank closing in. Either he catches Walt or kills Walt, or Walt kills him, something like that is what I expect.
But here is what I would like to see: Walt tries to stop cooking, it's getting too dangerous. But Jesse is pressuring him and Skyler wants more money and he's getting bored and missing the excitement and danger of his old life. So he starts cooking again, and selling the meth, and the money is rolling and his cancer comes back. 3 months to live...

What Do You Give Me For? Dick Armitage and Dean Norris

What do you give me for Dick Armitage and Dean Norris who plays Hank, Walter White's brother-in-law on "Breaking Bad" which debuts its third season March 21st on AMC.

Breaking Bad's Genuis Extends to Marketing

Not only is "Breaking Bad" the best show on television, the show's producers are now extending their genius to marketing.
It all started when someone at WeatherProof noticed President Obama wearing one of the company's coats on a trip to China.
WeatherProof bought the rights to use the picture from the Associated Press and pasted it on two giant billboards in Times Square.
The ad attracted a lot of attention because it featured the President and used his image without his permission.
The White House asked the company to take it down but since Obama would almost never sue over this WeatherProof kept the ad up for at least a month even though legally had it been sued it almost certainly would have lost the case.
And that's where "Breaking Bad" comes in.
The show took advantage of this publicity stunt and put a billboard near the WeatherProof one featuring Walter White (Bryan Cranston) photoshopped into the same picture of the Great Wall of China, in the President's place.
It also doctored several other key elements of the WeatherProof billboard all of which will hopefully bring attention to the premiere of the show's third season on March 21.

Second Chance

Sometimes in life, you do get a second chance. A great new series called "Breaking Bad" started on AMC and now that the season is over I'm ready to recommend it to Poopheads.
Some of the episodes are available on line but they will also begin replaying it (only a 7 episode season) every Sunday night at 10 pm.
The show is not for everyone, those of you who prefer explosions and flying Chinese people to actual character development, this show is probably not for you.
But if you want to see a well-written well-acted show, you will definitely enjoy "Breaking Bad"
It's basically the story of how (and why) Walter White (played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston) goes from milquetoast chemistry teacher,



to badass drug dealer.



But like I said, this show doesn't have a lot of action or explosions, it just has good character development. And every episode doesn't end with a dramatic turn, in fact, this, is basically how the season ended:



If you want to see what shocked Walter and Jesse, starting watching, Sunday at 10 pm on AMC.