BB Marathon goes on
I wish I had the time to rewatch all the episodes and write a true review but I don't.
Since my last post I finisehd season 1 and started season 2, I watched "Cancer Man", "Gray Matter", "Crazy handful of Nothing", "A No Rough Stuff Deal", "Seven Thirty Seven", "Grilled". The beautiful cinematography, the dark humour, the funny lines and the clever writing of the show never cease to amaze me.
"Cancer Man" is mostly a filler, but "Gray Matter" provides insights, interesting background info, a nice parallel between our two "heroes" (and the title is so significant) and the hilarious "talking pillow" scene; "A No Rough Stuff Deal" and "Seven Thirty Seven" are bridge episodes between season 1 and season 2; but "Crazy Handful of Nothing" and "Grilled" are among the best BB episodes. They would deserve my attention...Unfortuantely I have to choose between watching and writing!
Here are a few thoughts about the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2.
First of all, "Gray matter" is the episode in which Jesse shows that he is quite intelligent when clean and becomes a mini-Walt, and it's funny to see that Badger's antics annoy the hell out of him. You can see that Walt's influence is beginning to work...for the best or the worst. Also both Walt and Jesse are too proud to accept certain compromises which leads them to resume their partnership and dedicate themselves to cooking meth.
I find very interesting to see how manipulative Walt can be towards Jesse, alternately playing bully or motivating teacher, and I love that side of their relationship. It's so twisted. When Jesse is in the hospital you can tell that Walt is upset with the loss of the money, but there's also the fact that Jesse is HIS, and nobody messes with his people. It isn't really because Jesse is his partner, I think it's because Jesse is his former student, and in many scenes Walt keeps teaching him. He is not attached to Jesse yet, not the way he will be later, but Jesse is to him what a childe would be to a siring vampire...so "badass dad" shows up (little Walter Jr. knows about it)!
Heisenberg is showing more and more. Walt gets frisky, and the scene at the highschool, when walt starts touching his wife under the table while the board discusses the Hugo affair, was even more badass that the explosive ending of "Crazy handful". later in the car he tells Skyler that it is so good because it's illegal. Later Hank will talk about the forbidden fruit being the tastier...
The Hugo stuff and Jesse being beaten to a pulp by Tuco points out that Walt gets other people in trouble; he causes them to suffer. Poor Hugo who was so nice to him gets fired; Jesse ends up in the hospital. Does Walt feel guilty about it? Not quite, even though he is sorry. At least he doesn't acknowledge his reponsability which echoes Marie's kleptomania and her denying everything when Skyler demands an explanation. They won't admit it, no matter what. Marie understands Walt better than anyone else which makes her behaviour during the talking pillow scene even more relevant.
I remember not liking Tuco the first time around; I found the character too over-the-top but now I understand his value; in a way Tuco works like Wendy (although Wendy is just a damaged and harmless whore, not an insane killer) as it makes us see -- and it should make Walt see - the consequences of meth (btw in the conversation about crossing lines Hank said that meth used to be legal but meth is so damaging that he's glad it's illegal now), how it turns addicts into waste, or in Tuco's case, degenerate psychopath, barely human looking. But Walt doesn't see it. It will take bigger consequences to make him feel the guilt.
It's the big difference with Jesse who is a messed-up kid from middle-class suburb. He's an occasional user, and he deals because it's easy money, but he isn't as greedy as Wat, he isn't a gangster and he is not a meth addict either, hence his bright pearly whites. Tuco's grill hints at bad teeth under the thing and Hank made wendy show her teeth to Walter Jr. There's something about Jesse's teeth that says that it isn't too late for him.
By the way Aaron Paul is simply amazing in "Grilled". In many scenes he seems so genuinely scared and so young. The episode is terrific from the cold open to the tension building in tio's house, to Tuco's lunch to Hank's arrival. Tio and his bell are just unforgettable.
Also, before I forget, the colour coding is so interesting. Walter's colour is green, even though his first tones in the pilot were rather beige-ish. He mostly wears green during season 1, unless he is in Heisenberg mode then it's black, and there's a lot fo green in his house too. Jesse's colour is red (even though he is PINK man): his clothes or hats are reddish, his Monte-carlo car is red. Green and Red are complementary colours! And odd but perfect team in a way. Mr White's alter-ego is black, two other complementary colours. Jesse is also associated with a yellow palate at first...adds it to the blue that is their product (the incredibly pure blue meth), we've got green. Skyler's colour used to be blue too (remember her dress at Eliott's birthday in "Gray Matter" while Marie's is purple.
Both Walt and Jesse wears darker and darker colours in season 2...and of course there's the partly-burnt Pink teddy bear. it's vey consistent with the theme of change and Mr White's first lecture in the pilot when he made a point about showing how chemical change could be seen with the change of colours!
Between the fantastic shots, the refreshing angles and frames, and the colour themes, I just love the aesthetical side of the show!
I'm going to select my favourite S. 2 episodes from now on for I will never get it done before season 4 premieres!
ETA: I'm not the only one to think this is one of the best tv shows ever. Many articles on the return of the show tomorrow...
TV.com - Why Breaking Bad is better then everything else on TV
Newsday - Will Walter Profit on Breaking Bad?
Boston Globe - A Gripping Portrait of Change
AOL TV - Breaking Bad returns at the top of its game
Huffington Post - Breaking Bad: The best dramatic show on TV begins another season
Chuck Barney's review (via Kansas City Star) - Breaking Bad still unbroken
NY Daily News - Breaking Bad Review: Deep, dark story examines inner workings of good characters gone bad
Hollywood.com - Breaking Bad: Breaking the rules of television
Entertainment Weekly TV review - Breaking Bad
Washington Post - TV: On Breaking Bad, beautiful wounds in a land of disenchantment
The Hollywood Reporter - Breaking Bad: Dark side of the dream
City Weekly - Breaking Bad review
I Screen You Screen - Breaking Bad returns for fourth season: Thank the freaking Lord
NY Times - Shattering all vestiges of innocence
Time Mag - Elements of Style
Since my last post I finisehd season 1 and started season 2, I watched "Cancer Man", "Gray Matter", "Crazy handful of Nothing", "A No Rough Stuff Deal", "Seven Thirty Seven", "Grilled". The beautiful cinematography, the dark humour, the funny lines and the clever writing of the show never cease to amaze me.
"Cancer Man" is mostly a filler, but "Gray Matter" provides insights, interesting background info, a nice parallel between our two "heroes" (and the title is so significant) and the hilarious "talking pillow" scene; "A No Rough Stuff Deal" and "Seven Thirty Seven" are bridge episodes between season 1 and season 2; but "Crazy Handful of Nothing" and "Grilled" are among the best BB episodes. They would deserve my attention...Unfortuantely I have to choose between watching and writing!
Here are a few thoughts about the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2.
First of all, "Gray matter" is the episode in which Jesse shows that he is quite intelligent when clean and becomes a mini-Walt, and it's funny to see that Badger's antics annoy the hell out of him. You can see that Walt's influence is beginning to work...for the best or the worst. Also both Walt and Jesse are too proud to accept certain compromises which leads them to resume their partnership and dedicate themselves to cooking meth.
I find very interesting to see how manipulative Walt can be towards Jesse, alternately playing bully or motivating teacher, and I love that side of their relationship. It's so twisted. When Jesse is in the hospital you can tell that Walt is upset with the loss of the money, but there's also the fact that Jesse is HIS, and nobody messes with his people. It isn't really because Jesse is his partner, I think it's because Jesse is his former student, and in many scenes Walt keeps teaching him. He is not attached to Jesse yet, not the way he will be later, but Jesse is to him what a childe would be to a siring vampire...so "badass dad" shows up (little Walter Jr. knows about it)!
Heisenberg is showing more and more. Walt gets frisky, and the scene at the highschool, when walt starts touching his wife under the table while the board discusses the Hugo affair, was even more badass that the explosive ending of "Crazy handful". later in the car he tells Skyler that it is so good because it's illegal. Later Hank will talk about the forbidden fruit being the tastier...
The Hugo stuff and Jesse being beaten to a pulp by Tuco points out that Walt gets other people in trouble; he causes them to suffer. Poor Hugo who was so nice to him gets fired; Jesse ends up in the hospital. Does Walt feel guilty about it? Not quite, even though he is sorry. At least he doesn't acknowledge his reponsability which echoes Marie's kleptomania and her denying everything when Skyler demands an explanation. They won't admit it, no matter what. Marie understands Walt better than anyone else which makes her behaviour during the talking pillow scene even more relevant.
I remember not liking Tuco the first time around; I found the character too over-the-top but now I understand his value; in a way Tuco works like Wendy (although Wendy is just a damaged and harmless whore, not an insane killer) as it makes us see -- and it should make Walt see - the consequences of meth (btw in the conversation about crossing lines Hank said that meth used to be legal but meth is so damaging that he's glad it's illegal now), how it turns addicts into waste, or in Tuco's case, degenerate psychopath, barely human looking. But Walt doesn't see it. It will take bigger consequences to make him feel the guilt.
It's the big difference with Jesse who is a messed-up kid from middle-class suburb. He's an occasional user, and he deals because it's easy money, but he isn't as greedy as Wat, he isn't a gangster and he is not a meth addict either, hence his bright pearly whites. Tuco's grill hints at bad teeth under the thing and Hank made wendy show her teeth to Walter Jr. There's something about Jesse's teeth that says that it isn't too late for him.
By the way Aaron Paul is simply amazing in "Grilled". In many scenes he seems so genuinely scared and so young. The episode is terrific from the cold open to the tension building in tio's house, to Tuco's lunch to Hank's arrival. Tio and his bell are just unforgettable.
Also, before I forget, the colour coding is so interesting. Walter's colour is green, even though his first tones in the pilot were rather beige-ish. He mostly wears green during season 1, unless he is in Heisenberg mode then it's black, and there's a lot fo green in his house too. Jesse's colour is red (even though he is PINK man): his clothes or hats are reddish, his Monte-carlo car is red. Green and Red are complementary colours! And odd but perfect team in a way. Mr White's alter-ego is black, two other complementary colours. Jesse is also associated with a yellow palate at first...adds it to the blue that is their product (the incredibly pure blue meth), we've got green. Skyler's colour used to be blue too (remember her dress at Eliott's birthday in "Gray Matter" while Marie's is purple.
Both Walt and Jesse wears darker and darker colours in season 2...and of course there's the partly-burnt Pink teddy bear. it's vey consistent with the theme of change and Mr White's first lecture in the pilot when he made a point about showing how chemical change could be seen with the change of colours!
Between the fantastic shots, the refreshing angles and frames, and the colour themes, I just love the aesthetical side of the show!
I'm going to select my favourite S. 2 episodes from now on for I will never get it done before season 4 premieres!
ETA: I'm not the only one to think this is one of the best tv shows ever. Many articles on the return of the show tomorrow...
TV.com - Why Breaking Bad is better then everything else on TV
Newsday - Will Walter Profit on Breaking Bad?
Boston Globe - A Gripping Portrait of Change
AOL TV - Breaking Bad returns at the top of its game
Huffington Post - Breaking Bad: The best dramatic show on TV begins another season
Chuck Barney's review (via Kansas City Star) - Breaking Bad still unbroken
NY Daily News - Breaking Bad Review: Deep, dark story examines inner workings of good characters gone bad
Hollywood.com - Breaking Bad: Breaking the rules of television
Entertainment Weekly TV review - Breaking Bad
Washington Post - TV: On Breaking Bad, beautiful wounds in a land of disenchantment
The Hollywood Reporter - Breaking Bad: Dark side of the dream
City Weekly - Breaking Bad review
I Screen You Screen - Breaking Bad returns for fourth season: Thank the freaking Lord
NY Times - Shattering all vestiges of innocence
Time Mag - Elements of Style