Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 8: 'Gliding Over All'
Mike may be out of the picture, but the guys he was paying still need to be dealt with. After all, they aren't getting paid anymore and it's only a matter of time before one of them flips and endangers the operation.
As such, Walt meets with Lydia to get the names on the list. Lydia is reluctant, as she doesn't want to become a loose end, but she does give up the names. Walt scoffs at the idea that he would kill her, but her fears turn out to be legitimate as we see that Walt did have the Ricin with him. Fortunately, for her, she found a new purpose, distributing his product internationally. It'll allow for greater sales and it is what she does. It was good to see her more confident and in her element. It was a refreshing change of pace from the constantly panic-stricken person we usually saw.
With the names, Walt needs people to do the dirty work. As such, he calls in Todd's uncle and it is here where the Nazis come into play. Sadly, they don't live up to the hype. They're just thugs with swastika tattoos. There's no thick German accents, no Herr Doktor type character, and no one yells "schnell" or even goes "jawohl". It's like these people don't even know how to Nazi.
They do get the job done as we get a montage of shankings. They make it sound like some elaborate operation, but it seems like you could have just paid some inmates to do it. Oh well. It was pretty gruesome in any event and delivers one of the episode's more jaw dropping moments as one guy even gets set on fire. Where are the guards? Some of the attacks happen too quickly to stop, but you'd think that there would be some repercussions. They all just walk off and nothing is made of it; it was weird.
On other fronts, Marie tries to coax Skyler into taking the kids back. It's been 3 months and she says that she and Hank feel like they're being enablers. Marie does clarify that they love having the kids there, but one of the major selling points of being an aunt or uncle is that the kids eventually go back to the parents. You get all the perks without the downsides, though I guess you can't exactly tell her that.
This causes Skyler to take Walt out to a storage unit to show just how much money they've made. I noted before that I was amazed at how much money was moved around. To wit, this episode features another montage where we see large piles of cash move back and forth. That was all just build up to the money shot featured here. Get it?
Seriously, that pile of cash was freaking huge. That $600,000 loss wasn't really that big a setback all things considered. Skyler notes that she doesn't even know how much there is and that it's more than they could spend in their lifetime (I could spend it!) With this, she tells Walt that she wants her family back and asks how much is enough. It seems to work as Walt later says that he's out.
Considering Walt's desire for an empire, it's a pretty surprising turn. One might think he's lying (I do have the slightest suspicion that it's not going to stick) but at the same time, Skyler does appeal to Walt in the most effective way possible, so you never know.
From what we see here, Walt was on the up and up, as we get some nice scenes of the family together having a good time. It was reminiscent of scenes in early episodes and implies that things may finally be calming down.
In true 'Breaking Bad' fashion, the episode ends on a wham moment as Hank finds another clue about Heisenburg's identity. I wasn't expecting him to make the discovery until closer to the end of the series, but it makes for a great way to close out the first half of the season. It is especially surprising as the episode, by and large, is pretty calm. There isn't much in the way of tension or intensity, but it could just be the prelude to a storm.
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As such, Walt meets with Lydia to get the names on the list. Lydia is reluctant, as she doesn't want to become a loose end, but she does give up the names. Walt scoffs at the idea that he would kill her, but her fears turn out to be legitimate as we see that Walt did have the Ricin with him. Fortunately, for her, she found a new purpose, distributing his product internationally. It'll allow for greater sales and it is what she does. It was good to see her more confident and in her element. It was a refreshing change of pace from the constantly panic-stricken person we usually saw.
With the names, Walt needs people to do the dirty work. As such, he calls in Todd's uncle and it is here where the Nazis come into play. Sadly, they don't live up to the hype. They're just thugs with swastika tattoos. There's no thick German accents, no Herr Doktor type character, and no one yells "schnell" or even goes "jawohl". It's like these people don't even know how to Nazi.
They do get the job done as we get a montage of shankings. They make it sound like some elaborate operation, but it seems like you could have just paid some inmates to do it. Oh well. It was pretty gruesome in any event and delivers one of the episode's more jaw dropping moments as one guy even gets set on fire. Where are the guards? Some of the attacks happen too quickly to stop, but you'd think that there would be some repercussions. They all just walk off and nothing is made of it; it was weird.
On other fronts, Marie tries to coax Skyler into taking the kids back. It's been 3 months and she says that she and Hank feel like they're being enablers. Marie does clarify that they love having the kids there, but one of the major selling points of being an aunt or uncle is that the kids eventually go back to the parents. You get all the perks without the downsides, though I guess you can't exactly tell her that.
This causes Skyler to take Walt out to a storage unit to show just how much money they've made. I noted before that I was amazed at how much money was moved around. To wit, this episode features another montage where we see large piles of cash move back and forth. That was all just build up to the money shot featured here. Get it?
Seriously, that pile of cash was freaking huge. That $600,000 loss wasn't really that big a setback all things considered. Skyler notes that she doesn't even know how much there is and that it's more than they could spend in their lifetime (I could spend it!) With this, she tells Walt that she wants her family back and asks how much is enough. It seems to work as Walt later says that he's out.
Considering Walt's desire for an empire, it's a pretty surprising turn. One might think he's lying (I do have the slightest suspicion that it's not going to stick) but at the same time, Skyler does appeal to Walt in the most effective way possible, so you never know.
From what we see here, Walt was on the up and up, as we get some nice scenes of the family together having a good time. It was reminiscent of scenes in early episodes and implies that things may finally be calming down.
In true 'Breaking Bad' fashion, the episode ends on a wham moment as Hank finds another clue about Heisenburg's identity. I wasn't expecting him to make the discovery until closer to the end of the series, but it makes for a great way to close out the first half of the season. It is especially surprising as the episode, by and large, is pretty calm. There isn't much in the way of tension or intensity, but it could just be the prelude to a storm.
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Saturday, October 24, 2015
'Locke and Key' Audio Drama Review
You can read my review here.
Pros
- Fantastic voice acting across the board.
- Strong score that really added to the tension and atmosphere. It also succeeds in making the more emotional moments resonate.
Cons
- With no visual frame of reference and little to no narration, there are parts where it's hard to tell what is going on.
Overall
Even if you haven't read the comics themselves, this is very much worth a listen. The characters are great, brought to life by strong vocal performances. The story is intriguing and contains a nice balance of horror, heart, and humor. Some more narration might have helped the mind's eye create a better picture of certain scenes, but this still pulls you in rather effectively. The solid musical score also helps on that front. If you're a fan of the comic, Joe Hill's work, or audio dramas in general, I recommend checking this out, especially since it's free right now.
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Daily Dose of Awesome: Nightwish
I was planning on doing a write up of Nightwish for some time. Last night, I couldn't sleep and decided to listen to some of their stuff as I passed the time on my netbook. It had been a while since I heard them and it was a nice reminder of how freaking great this band is.
I discovered Nightwish a couple of years ago and have been amazed by them ever since. They're a symphonic power metal band from Finland. I know that the internet has overused the adjective to some extent, but their music easily qualifies as epic.
The first song I came across, "Ghost Love Score" is still probably my favorite song, but going through their discography, I found all of their songs enjoyable to some level. The former lead singer, Tarja Turunen, had an amazing voice and it elevated the enjoyable factor to all of the tracks.
Speaking of which, the fandom is currently divided. As I said, Tarja is a former member and the band decided to move forward with a new singer, Anette Olzon. A lot of people aren't fond of her, but to be honest, I like the stuff they did with her too. Yes, it's different, but you can't go wrong with songs like "Poet and the Pendulum" or "7 Days to the Wolves".
Can Anette pull off Nightwish's older stuff? I don't think so, but then again, I don't think having Tarja sing Anette's songs would work out either. They're different styles and both made the band's music work for them.
Anette might need a couple of more albums with the band so that fans can get used to it, but honestly, her stuff is good. I like Tarja as much as anyone, but the hate towards Anette is unwarranted if you ask me.
A lot of people are quick to dismiss modern music, saying that there's nothing good out there, well here's a band that's not only good, but freaking amazing. They have quite a few albums out so it might take some time to get through their entire library, but they are all great. If I had to give some recommendations to start, I would say Angels Fall First, Once, and Dark Passion Play. The latter features the new singer, and as I said, she's quite good too, so I suggest giving her a shot as well. I'm almost certain that you won't be disappointed.
I discovered Nightwish a couple of years ago and have been amazed by them ever since. They're a symphonic power metal band from Finland. I know that the internet has overused the adjective to some extent, but their music easily qualifies as epic.
The first song I came across, "Ghost Love Score" is still probably my favorite song, but going through their discography, I found all of their songs enjoyable to some level. The former lead singer, Tarja Turunen, had an amazing voice and it elevated the enjoyable factor to all of the tracks.
Speaking of which, the fandom is currently divided. As I said, Tarja is a former member and the band decided to move forward with a new singer, Anette Olzon. A lot of people aren't fond of her, but to be honest, I like the stuff they did with her too. Yes, it's different, but you can't go wrong with songs like "Poet and the Pendulum" or "7 Days to the Wolves".
Can Anette pull off Nightwish's older stuff? I don't think so, but then again, I don't think having Tarja sing Anette's songs would work out either. They're different styles and both made the band's music work for them.
Anette might need a couple of more albums with the band so that fans can get used to it, but honestly, her stuff is good. I like Tarja as much as anyone, but the hate towards Anette is unwarranted if you ask me.
A lot of people are quick to dismiss modern music, saying that there's nothing good out there, well here's a band that's not only good, but freaking amazing. They have quite a few albums out so it might take some time to get through their entire library, but they are all great. If I had to give some recommendations to start, I would say Angels Fall First, Once, and Dark Passion Play. The latter features the new singer, and as I said, she's quite good too, so I suggest giving her a shot as well. I'm almost certain that you won't be disappointed.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 7: 'Say My Name'
Walt's plan to keep the empire going is rather effective in its simplicity. Instead of selling the methylamine, Walt offers Mike's stake in the "company". It makes sense as Walt needs someone to distribute it. Even from DeClan's perspective it makes sense. They were losing to Walt anyway, and Walt does point out that they can make more money by working with him. While they are oddly reluctant, the deal does go through. Mike is still out and gets his $5 million. Jesse insists that he's out too, but Walt is oddly dismissive of the claims.
The scene where Jesse finally emphasizes the point is one of the highlights of the episode. It was rather odd how Walt's arguments jumped all over the place. One minute he'd talk about how great Jesse was, then he'd follow that up by talking about how he sucks at life and this is his only real purpose, then he talked about how no one else was going to die, and followed that by saying that they were already going to hell anyway, so whatever. It's jarring in hindsight, but it actually flowed surprisingly well. At the end of the day, though, Jesse walks, even forgoing his $5 million cut.
As such, Todd is brought in as Jesse's replacement. It's true, Todd doesn't know the chemistry, but Walt says he'll teach him, thus bringing the character full circle as he is doing what he was way back in the pilot. Credit where it's due, Todd seems to do fine. He seems to be off to a better start than Jesse was back in the day, so there's no reason he can't pick up on how all this stuff works. Both Todd and Walt do note that it'll take a few cooks for him to get it down, though.
On other fronts, Mike's exit isn't as smooth as he would probably like it. He's able to avoid the DEA as he knows they're tailing him, but the hazard pay ends up being his undoing as they are able to track the lawyer who delivered the funds to Fring's various underlings. Continuing the payments made sense as it kept them from flipping, so it was something of a Catch-22. The only thing that probably could have avoided it was if they hired more than one lawyer. Saul himself takes umbrage that they didn't involve him and doesn't speak highly of the lawyer that was used. I'm not sure that was a factor, but at the very least, using more than one lawyer would have covered their tracks a little better.
Speaking of covering tracks, Walt decides to store the methylamine in the car wash. Don't you generally want to keep the illicit activities away from your legitimate business front? That's the whole point of the thing. Walt says it's temporary, and it did have to go somewhere, but it was an odd tactic.
Another odd tactic was using the same distraught act that allowed Walt to plant the bug to remove it from Hank's office. It's probably tough to come up with reasons to just pop in to the DEA, but it was a bit of a stretch. Even Hank doesn't seem to be as sincere in his concern as he was the first time.
I felt bad for Mike's granddaughter. Sure, she has no idea that the money existed in the first place, so she's none the wiser, but she had nothing to do with it and you could only imagine the elation she'd feel waking up to find that she has a small fortune in her name. There's a sort of wish fulfillment there. Speaking of fortunes, it is still jaw dropping to see the amount of cash that is involved. Your mouth starts to water, it's nuts.
Oddly, Mike blames Walt for what's happening. He does give a good speech that calls Walt out on his pride and ego when Walt asks for the names of Fring's men. I do question how accurate his "you should have just kept cooking" claim is. It seemed like Gus was pressing things too. Walt was more than happy to keep cooking until he was backed into a corner.
In any event, Walt shoots Mike in revenge. Considering Mike's brutal beatdown of Walt a while back, I figured that Walt would milk this a bit more, but it's surprisingly abrupt. Heck, Walt even apologizes as he realizes that he could have gotten the information he needed from Lydia. He seems to show more remorse for Mike than the death of Drew, which lends credence to Jesse's earlier claim that Walt wasn't really all that torn up about it.
Thus we come to the mid-season finale. It looks like Walt's empire is starting to crumble before it even forms, but it's safe to say that Heisenburg won't go down without a fight. It should make for some good watching in the days to come.
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The scene where Jesse finally emphasizes the point is one of the highlights of the episode. It was rather odd how Walt's arguments jumped all over the place. One minute he'd talk about how great Jesse was, then he'd follow that up by talking about how he sucks at life and this is his only real purpose, then he talked about how no one else was going to die, and followed that by saying that they were already going to hell anyway, so whatever. It's jarring in hindsight, but it actually flowed surprisingly well. At the end of the day, though, Jesse walks, even forgoing his $5 million cut.
As such, Todd is brought in as Jesse's replacement. It's true, Todd doesn't know the chemistry, but Walt says he'll teach him, thus bringing the character full circle as he is doing what he was way back in the pilot. Credit where it's due, Todd seems to do fine. He seems to be off to a better start than Jesse was back in the day, so there's no reason he can't pick up on how all this stuff works. Both Todd and Walt do note that it'll take a few cooks for him to get it down, though.
On other fronts, Mike's exit isn't as smooth as he would probably like it. He's able to avoid the DEA as he knows they're tailing him, but the hazard pay ends up being his undoing as they are able to track the lawyer who delivered the funds to Fring's various underlings. Continuing the payments made sense as it kept them from flipping, so it was something of a Catch-22. The only thing that probably could have avoided it was if they hired more than one lawyer. Saul himself takes umbrage that they didn't involve him and doesn't speak highly of the lawyer that was used. I'm not sure that was a factor, but at the very least, using more than one lawyer would have covered their tracks a little better.
Speaking of covering tracks, Walt decides to store the methylamine in the car wash. Don't you generally want to keep the illicit activities away from your legitimate business front? That's the whole point of the thing. Walt says it's temporary, and it did have to go somewhere, but it was an odd tactic.
Another odd tactic was using the same distraught act that allowed Walt to plant the bug to remove it from Hank's office. It's probably tough to come up with reasons to just pop in to the DEA, but it was a bit of a stretch. Even Hank doesn't seem to be as sincere in his concern as he was the first time.
I felt bad for Mike's granddaughter. Sure, she has no idea that the money existed in the first place, so she's none the wiser, but she had nothing to do with it and you could only imagine the elation she'd feel waking up to find that she has a small fortune in her name. There's a sort of wish fulfillment there. Speaking of fortunes, it is still jaw dropping to see the amount of cash that is involved. Your mouth starts to water, it's nuts.
Oddly, Mike blames Walt for what's happening. He does give a good speech that calls Walt out on his pride and ego when Walt asks for the names of Fring's men. I do question how accurate his "you should have just kept cooking" claim is. It seemed like Gus was pressing things too. Walt was more than happy to keep cooking until he was backed into a corner.
In any event, Walt shoots Mike in revenge. Considering Mike's brutal beatdown of Walt a while back, I figured that Walt would milk this a bit more, but it's surprisingly abrupt. Heck, Walt even apologizes as he realizes that he could have gotten the information he needed from Lydia. He seems to show more remorse for Mike than the death of Drew, which lends credence to Jesse's earlier claim that Walt wasn't really all that torn up about it.
Thus we come to the mid-season finale. It looks like Walt's empire is starting to crumble before it even forms, but it's safe to say that Heisenburg won't go down without a fight. It should make for some good watching in the days to come.
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Daily Dose of Awesome: Terps Band
A few years ago, the Terps were playing a tournament game out in Kansas City. My old roommate and I, both being from Maryland, decided to take advantage of the opportunity as we were living in Wichita at the time and bought ourselves some seats. Whenever the game stopped, whether it be due to someone calling timeout or going to commercial, the Maryland cheerleaders would come out and they would do a quick number. Other times the band would just play music with no dance number accompanying it.
One of these instances, they played the theme to the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Now, this makes some bit of sense as their mascot is a turtle, but it was still awesome seeing cheerleaders dancing to the Ninja Turtles theme.
They managed to top that in a more recent game when, for reasons beyond my understanding, they just decided to start playing the theme to Legend of Zelda. It's a great theme in its own right, but the fact that our state's school band was playing it for sporting events was glorious.
As I said, I don't really follow college sports so maybe this is a more common occurrence then I'm making it out to be, but as far as I know, the Terps band is the only one that indulges in playing the geekier tunes. So yeah, it gives them a leg up over the other school bands in my opinion. More bands need to do that because it's always a riot hearing a band bust out into a song that you heard on an old video game.
One of these instances, they played the theme to the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Now, this makes some bit of sense as their mascot is a turtle, but it was still awesome seeing cheerleaders dancing to the Ninja Turtles theme.
They managed to top that in a more recent game when, for reasons beyond my understanding, they just decided to start playing the theme to Legend of Zelda. It's a great theme in its own right, but the fact that our state's school band was playing it for sporting events was glorious.
As I said, I don't really follow college sports so maybe this is a more common occurrence then I'm making it out to be, but as far as I know, the Terps band is the only one that indulges in playing the geekier tunes. So yeah, it gives them a leg up over the other school bands in my opinion. More bands need to do that because it's always a riot hearing a band bust out into a song that you heard on an old video game.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Bad Religion
Punk rock isn't normally my thing, and while I don't necessarily buy into the group's politics, I do enjoy their music a good deal. In terms of songs, this is my personal favorite as its a fun little ditty and it also has "social commentary" for those who look for that sort of thing in their entertainment.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 6: Buyout
As they have before, Walt and Jesse dispose of the boy, now named Drew Sharp's, body using acid. They're even able to dismantle the moped he rode and dissolve that in acid too. It's amazing how many problems can be solved with acid.
Sadly, it doesn't solve all of their problems. Jesse is still miffed at the fact that the kid was killed with no real thought. Oddly, Todd makes a solid case. He's not a sadistic psychopath. He didn't want to do it, or enjoy it, but at the same time, he didn't want any witnesses. Even if the kid had no idea what he saw, it could still pose a problem for them down the line. As such, he made the tough call.
Jesse still isn't too happy, but he does get to clock Todd in the face and is adamant about forcing Todd out. It's an option, though Walt notes that they would have to buy his silence. Killing him is an option that's brought up, but quickly dismissed. As such, they decide to keep him on in his original role.
That doesn't stop Mike from accosting the guy later, though. I figured that, as a grandfather, what Todd did may have hit a nerve, but Mike is more annoyed that Todd brought a gun without telling him about it.
Keeping Todd on almost becomes a moot point as both Mike and Jesse voice interest in getting out. Jesse's reasons are obvious as he is torn up by guilt, but Mike reveals that the DEA has been tailing him.
Mike knows a guy who is interested in buying their supply of methylamine and is willing to pay enough for them to retire.
Not surprisingly, Walt isn't interested. This becomes a problem when the buyer makes it known that they want the whole supply so that they can wipe the competing product off the market. Suffice it to say, Walt doesn't budge.
Actually, the episode did a good job of showing us why Walt refuses to walk away. It isn't just that the plot demands it, or a one dimensional desire for unlimited powa! Walt points out that their supply can make them a lot more than what is being offered and even his backstory with Gray Matter is brought up as Walt relates to Jesse how he took what seemed like a reasonable buyout there and regretted it for years when the company skyrocketed.
It was a nice touch. I'm not sure if that was planned from the get-go or if it was just a happy coincidence. It initially seemed to just be to establish Walt's scientific prowess (as well as show Walt's pride as it allowed him to turn down multiple offers to have his cancer treatments covered), but it panned out very well in terms of Walt's overall arc.
Jesse does point out that this isn't exactly the same as no one else can produce Walt's product, but it doesn't matter.
I'm not sure about Walt's claim that his empire is all he has left. If Walt really did walk away, it would probably go a long way towards repairing his home life. Even Jesse says that it would put them out of danger and that he would have more money that he thought he would need to ensure his family's financial security. Of course, it falls on deaf ears.
One of the real highlights of the episode comes when Walt invites Jesse to stay for dinner after Skyler comes home. The show has often thrived on edge of your seat tension, but this scene deals with tension of the more awkward and uncomfortable kind. You really feel bad for Jesse as he futilely tries to fill the silence with small talk. You can see why Paul got an Emmy nomination for his performance here as he really sells it.
I also rather enjoyed Cranston here. He looks like he's having fun now that Walt is more of a villain. His escape from Mike's restraint was also a highlight. Granted, Mike catches him again and has a gun to his head, but Walt isn't too worried. Even a season ago, Walt would have stammered to some extent, but he doesn't even flinch as he reveals that he has a new plan so that they all come out ahead. Even Jesse seems willing to hear him out.
This episode was good, but not as great as many of the other episodes this season. There are highlights to be sure. It had a lot of character fodder and it does move the plot forward, but it didn't resonate as much as others have.
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Sadly, it doesn't solve all of their problems. Jesse is still miffed at the fact that the kid was killed with no real thought. Oddly, Todd makes a solid case. He's not a sadistic psychopath. He didn't want to do it, or enjoy it, but at the same time, he didn't want any witnesses. Even if the kid had no idea what he saw, it could still pose a problem for them down the line. As such, he made the tough call.
Jesse still isn't too happy, but he does get to clock Todd in the face and is adamant about forcing Todd out. It's an option, though Walt notes that they would have to buy his silence. Killing him is an option that's brought up, but quickly dismissed. As such, they decide to keep him on in his original role.
That doesn't stop Mike from accosting the guy later, though. I figured that, as a grandfather, what Todd did may have hit a nerve, but Mike is more annoyed that Todd brought a gun without telling him about it.
Keeping Todd on almost becomes a moot point as both Mike and Jesse voice interest in getting out. Jesse's reasons are obvious as he is torn up by guilt, but Mike reveals that the DEA has been tailing him.
Mike knows a guy who is interested in buying their supply of methylamine and is willing to pay enough for them to retire.
Not surprisingly, Walt isn't interested. This becomes a problem when the buyer makes it known that they want the whole supply so that they can wipe the competing product off the market. Suffice it to say, Walt doesn't budge.
Actually, the episode did a good job of showing us why Walt refuses to walk away. It isn't just that the plot demands it, or a one dimensional desire for unlimited powa! Walt points out that their supply can make them a lot more than what is being offered and even his backstory with Gray Matter is brought up as Walt relates to Jesse how he took what seemed like a reasonable buyout there and regretted it for years when the company skyrocketed.
It was a nice touch. I'm not sure if that was planned from the get-go or if it was just a happy coincidence. It initially seemed to just be to establish Walt's scientific prowess (as well as show Walt's pride as it allowed him to turn down multiple offers to have his cancer treatments covered), but it panned out very well in terms of Walt's overall arc.
Jesse does point out that this isn't exactly the same as no one else can produce Walt's product, but it doesn't matter.
I'm not sure about Walt's claim that his empire is all he has left. If Walt really did walk away, it would probably go a long way towards repairing his home life. Even Jesse says that it would put them out of danger and that he would have more money that he thought he would need to ensure his family's financial security. Of course, it falls on deaf ears.
One of the real highlights of the episode comes when Walt invites Jesse to stay for dinner after Skyler comes home. The show has often thrived on edge of your seat tension, but this scene deals with tension of the more awkward and uncomfortable kind. You really feel bad for Jesse as he futilely tries to fill the silence with small talk. You can see why Paul got an Emmy nomination for his performance here as he really sells it.
I also rather enjoyed Cranston here. He looks like he's having fun now that Walt is more of a villain. His escape from Mike's restraint was also a highlight. Granted, Mike catches him again and has a gun to his head, but Walt isn't too worried. Even a season ago, Walt would have stammered to some extent, but he doesn't even flinch as he reveals that he has a new plan so that they all come out ahead. Even Jesse seems willing to hear him out.
This episode was good, but not as great as many of the other episodes this season. There are highlights to be sure. It had a lot of character fodder and it does move the plot forward, but it didn't resonate as much as others have.
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Daily Dose of Awesome: 'Fame'
What? I like the song. It's upbeat and fun. Try and listen to this song without bobbing your head; it can't be done.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Rabbit Rampage
After the success of "Duck Amuck", it's no surprise that the writers tried to recreate the magic with another short with a similar premise. Enter "Rabbit Rampage" where the hapless victim is Bugs himself as opposed to Daffy.
While it's pretty much the same setup as Daffy's short, the gags are different enough and it's still rather funny. It may not be as memorable or highly regarded, but if you're looking for a laugh, this delivers that in spades.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 5: 'Dead Freight'
This show really likes the random cold opens, doesn't it? The scene showing a child finding a tarantula in the desert and putting it in a jar doesn't seem to have any bearing on the plot, but it does come into play at the episode's end and does make for a rather peculiar bookend. Truth be told, I was expecting the kid to get bitten, but he doesn't.
On more obviously relevant fronts, Walt goes to visit Hank and unload about his worries about his marriage. You'd think that this would be genuine remorse on Walt's part, but the instant Hank leaves the room to go get coffee, Walt uses the opportunity to plant a bug on Hank's phone.
The purpose is to determine whether or not Lydia planted the GPS unit on that barrel of Methylamine herself or not. They force Lydia to call Hank to make an innocent inquiry about it, with Mike emphasizing that any sort of mishap will result in her getting her head blown off. There's a nice misdirect as neither Hank nor Gomez know of any sort of devices being planted, but it turns out that a different branch did, in fact, plant the trackers.
One would think that this is good news, but Mike still thinks that Lydia needs to die. She does call him on it and it's clear that it's more vindictiveness over her putting a hit out on him, but when it's revealed that the DEA planted devices on all of the barrels at the warehouse, Lydia's worth once again gets called into question.
While those barrels are obviously not an option, Lydia does offer them access to "an ocean" of the stuff by giving them information about a transport freighter that ships the chemical through a "dead zone". No cell service, no security checks, and no surveillance.
Mike still isn't convinced (as it would be logistically challenging, not to mention the witnesses that would have to be dealt with) and proposes going back to the original cooking formula. He's not wrong in saying that making less money is better than making no money, but Walt is adamantly against it as they invested in lab equipment designed specifically for using Methylamine and he notes that Mike is likely more concerned about keeping Gus' men quiet.
Luckily, Jesse is there to, once again, mitigate a tense confrontation by presenting a third option. He suggests siphoning off some of the Methylamine and replacing it with water so that no one ever knew there was a heist in the first place. While the dilution will be noticed at some point, Walt later says that it would be chalked up to the Chinese trying to pass off an inferior product.
So, yes, this episode is a heist plot. At first, I was excited as heists can be fun to watch, but then my brain remembered that they have pulled heists a few times in this show. Now, granted, this is a more elaborate one. It's a huge step up from the early days when Walt and Jesse broke into a warehouse wearing ski masks and dragged the barrel out by hand. It makes for a very entertaining watch.
Given this show, you would expect something to go horribly awry, but all things considered, the heist goes rather well. The closest thing to a snag comes when a good samaritan comes along and offers to push the truck that they used to stop the train out of the way. It gives the episode a "down to the wire" feel as Walt wants to get as much as they can before the train leaves.
You almost think that the episode is going to break tradition and end on a high note for the group. They're all celebrating their big score when it suddenly comes to their attention that the kid from the opening scene is standing there. We don't know how long he was standing there, or if he even knew what they were doing, but it doesn't matter as one of the men they hired to help pulls out his gun and shoots the kid. Walt did emphatically say there weren't to be any witnesses, so yeah. It's the sort of "wham" moment you would expect an episode to end on, but I was kind of hoping it would have ended on a more triumphant note.
On the domestic front, Skyler compromises and says that she'll keep laundering money and keeping Walt's secret, but she still doesn't want the kids near him. She notes that he brought up the fact that a gun was held to his head rather casually and doesn't want anyone knocking on their door. Walt agrees, though given the fact that Hank was more than willing to let Walt stop by and visit the kids whenever he wanted, he probably didn't see it as much of a concession on his part.
Meanwhile, Walt Jr. throws another temper tantrum because he doesn't know what's going on. Again, this is a scenario where I should feel sorry for him, but I really don't. Even Hank refers to him as "emo" at one point in the episode. Skyler's scene with Walt was nothing noteworthy, but it was at least something that needed to be seen in terms of the show's plot. This, not so much.
Even the opening scene with Hank resonated more. Not just because we saw Walt being manipulative, but because Hank was being a good brother (in law). He was there for Walt and offered what help he could. Yeah, Walt didn't really need the help, but it was still heartwarming.
Really good episode overall. I enjoy elaborate heist plots, so this was a fun watch for me. Walt Jr. kind of dragged the episode down, but there was enough good to more than make up for that.
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On more obviously relevant fronts, Walt goes to visit Hank and unload about his worries about his marriage. You'd think that this would be genuine remorse on Walt's part, but the instant Hank leaves the room to go get coffee, Walt uses the opportunity to plant a bug on Hank's phone.
The purpose is to determine whether or not Lydia planted the GPS unit on that barrel of Methylamine herself or not. They force Lydia to call Hank to make an innocent inquiry about it, with Mike emphasizing that any sort of mishap will result in her getting her head blown off. There's a nice misdirect as neither Hank nor Gomez know of any sort of devices being planted, but it turns out that a different branch did, in fact, plant the trackers.
One would think that this is good news, but Mike still thinks that Lydia needs to die. She does call him on it and it's clear that it's more vindictiveness over her putting a hit out on him, but when it's revealed that the DEA planted devices on all of the barrels at the warehouse, Lydia's worth once again gets called into question.
While those barrels are obviously not an option, Lydia does offer them access to "an ocean" of the stuff by giving them information about a transport freighter that ships the chemical through a "dead zone". No cell service, no security checks, and no surveillance.
Mike still isn't convinced (as it would be logistically challenging, not to mention the witnesses that would have to be dealt with) and proposes going back to the original cooking formula. He's not wrong in saying that making less money is better than making no money, but Walt is adamantly against it as they invested in lab equipment designed specifically for using Methylamine and he notes that Mike is likely more concerned about keeping Gus' men quiet.
Luckily, Jesse is there to, once again, mitigate a tense confrontation by presenting a third option. He suggests siphoning off some of the Methylamine and replacing it with water so that no one ever knew there was a heist in the first place. While the dilution will be noticed at some point, Walt later says that it would be chalked up to the Chinese trying to pass off an inferior product.
So, yes, this episode is a heist plot. At first, I was excited as heists can be fun to watch, but then my brain remembered that they have pulled heists a few times in this show. Now, granted, this is a more elaborate one. It's a huge step up from the early days when Walt and Jesse broke into a warehouse wearing ski masks and dragged the barrel out by hand. It makes for a very entertaining watch.
Given this show, you would expect something to go horribly awry, but all things considered, the heist goes rather well. The closest thing to a snag comes when a good samaritan comes along and offers to push the truck that they used to stop the train out of the way. It gives the episode a "down to the wire" feel as Walt wants to get as much as they can before the train leaves.
You almost think that the episode is going to break tradition and end on a high note for the group. They're all celebrating their big score when it suddenly comes to their attention that the kid from the opening scene is standing there. We don't know how long he was standing there, or if he even knew what they were doing, but it doesn't matter as one of the men they hired to help pulls out his gun and shoots the kid. Walt did emphatically say there weren't to be any witnesses, so yeah. It's the sort of "wham" moment you would expect an episode to end on, but I was kind of hoping it would have ended on a more triumphant note.
On the domestic front, Skyler compromises and says that she'll keep laundering money and keeping Walt's secret, but she still doesn't want the kids near him. She notes that he brought up the fact that a gun was held to his head rather casually and doesn't want anyone knocking on their door. Walt agrees, though given the fact that Hank was more than willing to let Walt stop by and visit the kids whenever he wanted, he probably didn't see it as much of a concession on his part.
Meanwhile, Walt Jr. throws another temper tantrum because he doesn't know what's going on. Again, this is a scenario where I should feel sorry for him, but I really don't. Even Hank refers to him as "emo" at one point in the episode. Skyler's scene with Walt was nothing noteworthy, but it was at least something that needed to be seen in terms of the show's plot. This, not so much.
Even the opening scene with Hank resonated more. Not just because we saw Walt being manipulative, but because Hank was being a good brother (in law). He was there for Walt and offered what help he could. Yeah, Walt didn't really need the help, but it was still heartwarming.
Really good episode overall. I enjoy elaborate heist plots, so this was a fun watch for me. Walt Jr. kind of dragged the episode down, but there was enough good to more than make up for that.
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Friday, October 9, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Awareness Test
I stumbled upon this while wandering TVtropes. The link mentioned that if you concentrate on counting the number of passes, you won't notice the guy in a bear suit moonwalking across the court. Funny thing is, I watched it once, just to see the moonwalker; then, I went back and focused on counting the number of passes. With all of the commotion, you honestly don't notice it. As Johnny Carson used to say, this is some weird and wild stuff.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Ninja Rap
I know, "Ice Ice Baby" is brought up more frequently, but when I think of Vanilla Ice, I will always think of "Ninja Rap" first. I love this song. I have no idea why, but I do. It never gets old. They should have put this song on Dance Central or some video game of that ilk, learning that routine would be awesome times. You know that would make for an awesome party song.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 4: Fifty-One
It's Walt's birthday, marking a full year since the pilot and his cancer diagnosis (though Marie does amusingly point out that it seems like it's been a lot longer). He seems to be in good spirits about it. He treats himself by trading in his old car for a new sportier one (oddly the midlife crisis thing is never brought up) and even gives his son another Challenger to drive.
It's nice to see that even Heisenburg can lighten up and have some fun. Were it not for the final lines of the last episode, you would almost believe that Walt is starting to make a comeback. His lines to Skyler about how things are calmer and how everything is going to work out seems genuine, though this line of work isn't exactly predictable.
It doesn't seem to matter anyway as Skyler is intent on getting the kids out of the house. She suggests sending Junior to boarding school, which Walt scoffs at as the kid is a year away from college. Were the window of time smaller, that would have been a rather convenient work around, but given how much has happened this year alone, waiting another doesn't work.
With no other solution, Skyler tries to drown herself in the pool during Walt's party. While it's later implied that she knew she wasn't going to succeed with so many people around, the moment is no less dramatic and it still rattles both Hank and Marie.
Walt is rather calm about the whole thing. He's more concerned about whether or not he'll get to see the kids when Skyler voices her desire to keep him away. Whatever legitimacy Walt's claims about keeping his work persona at work goes out the window as he grills Skyler about what she plans to do. Another fake attempt would only get her committed and claiming abuse would be too hard on the kids.
There is the "pack up and go while he's at work" plan that never gets brought up. She does have that fat wad of cash that Walt gave her. It would be a way to start a new life. But Skyler's terrified and notes that even keeping the kids out of the house for a minute is a win for her and that she's just waiting for the cancer to come back.
On the business front, the DEA pays Lydia a visit, which spooks her. She really isn't cut out for this line of work, is she? People keep saying she's uptight, but I'd say skittish is the more appropriate description. Mike's demeanor makes sense given what he does, but it's a wonder that she's been in the game as long as she has been.
They seem to have procedures to evade the feds, so one wonders why she's so nervous. She even leads them right to her main supplier, hindering Walt's operation. Wouldn't it make more sense to lead them to someone else? A fall guy or just some low level person who isn't integral to things?
Her fear appears justified as the barrel of methylamine that she had set aside for the operation is revealed to have a GPS tracker attached to it.
I'd ask why they couldn't just move the device to another barrel, but Mike comes to the conclusion that Lydia put it there herself (based on how and where it was attached as well as the fact that she was the one who spotted it) as a way to get out of the arrangement.
Considering he had already cut her slack by bringing her in in the first place, he's intent on killing her. Jesse, on the other hand, notes that they need her to keep the operation going. Granted, the look on his face makes it clear that he just doesn't want anyone getting killed, but the more "pragmatic" argument is the best way to get through to Mike.
Walt ends up siding with Jesse when the issue is put to a vote, but the way he talks, he is clearly more focused on production rather than the preservation of life. Whether Jesse didn't notice this or didn't care as it worked in his favor isn't clear, but he rolls with it.
He even goes so far as to give Walt a birthday present. It was a small moment in the episode, but I found it rather heartwarming.
Walt ends up using this to his advantage, rightly pointing out to her that the person who gave him the gift wanted him dead not too long ago and even held a gun to his head.
This could have been a good way to ease Skyler's fears about where things are going, but the way Walt says it makes it sound more like he's ordering her to just suck it up.
This was another strong episode. The first half was more lighthearted, which was refreshing and added an element of fun to the episode. Appropriately, the suicide attempt marks a mood shift, where we get scenes featuring the sort of tension that we're used to. It made for a nice balance and allowed all of the characters to shine in their own ways.
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It's nice to see that even Heisenburg can lighten up and have some fun. Were it not for the final lines of the last episode, you would almost believe that Walt is starting to make a comeback. His lines to Skyler about how things are calmer and how everything is going to work out seems genuine, though this line of work isn't exactly predictable.
It doesn't seem to matter anyway as Skyler is intent on getting the kids out of the house. She suggests sending Junior to boarding school, which Walt scoffs at as the kid is a year away from college. Were the window of time smaller, that would have been a rather convenient work around, but given how much has happened this year alone, waiting another doesn't work.
With no other solution, Skyler tries to drown herself in the pool during Walt's party. While it's later implied that she knew she wasn't going to succeed with so many people around, the moment is no less dramatic and it still rattles both Hank and Marie.
Walt is rather calm about the whole thing. He's more concerned about whether or not he'll get to see the kids when Skyler voices her desire to keep him away. Whatever legitimacy Walt's claims about keeping his work persona at work goes out the window as he grills Skyler about what she plans to do. Another fake attempt would only get her committed and claiming abuse would be too hard on the kids.
There is the "pack up and go while he's at work" plan that never gets brought up. She does have that fat wad of cash that Walt gave her. It would be a way to start a new life. But Skyler's terrified and notes that even keeping the kids out of the house for a minute is a win for her and that she's just waiting for the cancer to come back.
On the business front, the DEA pays Lydia a visit, which spooks her. She really isn't cut out for this line of work, is she? People keep saying she's uptight, but I'd say skittish is the more appropriate description. Mike's demeanor makes sense given what he does, but it's a wonder that she's been in the game as long as she has been.
They seem to have procedures to evade the feds, so one wonders why she's so nervous. She even leads them right to her main supplier, hindering Walt's operation. Wouldn't it make more sense to lead them to someone else? A fall guy or just some low level person who isn't integral to things?
Her fear appears justified as the barrel of methylamine that she had set aside for the operation is revealed to have a GPS tracker attached to it.
I'd ask why they couldn't just move the device to another barrel, but Mike comes to the conclusion that Lydia put it there herself (based on how and where it was attached as well as the fact that she was the one who spotted it) as a way to get out of the arrangement.
Considering he had already cut her slack by bringing her in in the first place, he's intent on killing her. Jesse, on the other hand, notes that they need her to keep the operation going. Granted, the look on his face makes it clear that he just doesn't want anyone getting killed, but the more "pragmatic" argument is the best way to get through to Mike.
Walt ends up siding with Jesse when the issue is put to a vote, but the way he talks, he is clearly more focused on production rather than the preservation of life. Whether Jesse didn't notice this or didn't care as it worked in his favor isn't clear, but he rolls with it.
He even goes so far as to give Walt a birthday present. It was a small moment in the episode, but I found it rather heartwarming.
Walt ends up using this to his advantage, rightly pointing out to her that the person who gave him the gift wanted him dead not too long ago and even held a gun to his head.
This could have been a good way to ease Skyler's fears about where things are going, but the way Walt says it makes it sound more like he's ordering her to just suck it up.
This was another strong episode. The first half was more lighthearted, which was refreshing and added an element of fun to the episode. Appropriately, the suicide attempt marks a mood shift, where we get scenes featuring the sort of tension that we're used to. It made for a nice balance and allowed all of the characters to shine in their own ways.
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Daily Dose of Awesome: The Score to Noein
They need to release an official soundtrack for this series. Why they haven't is beyond me. These are only a couple of the pieces used throughout the show, but it's all fantastically done.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Dead Alive
I watched a review a while back that featured a clip from a movie where a priest declares that he "kicks ass for the Lord". Intrigued by this little sound byte, I went to YouTube. I figured I'd find a 3 second video that featured only said line, but instead, I found this.
Now you're probably thinking, "David, doesn't this offend your Christian sensibilities?". You'd think that, but no, it's just too glorious. It's irreverent to be sure, as it goes against the traditional sage-like and avuncular priests that you might be used to, but he's fighting off zombies with advanced kung-fu. I'm OK with that.
The clip comes from a movie called "Brain Dead" (directed by Peter Jackson interestingly enough), although in the US, they changed it to "Dead Alive". I guess people thought the previous title was offensive. It doesn't really matter. The point is that this clip alone sold me on the movie. Honestly, two seconds after I first saw this fight sequence in its entirety, I went to Amazon and put it on my Wish List.
I really can't wait to see the rest of this movie as it looks like a blast.
Now you're probably thinking, "David, doesn't this offend your Christian sensibilities?". You'd think that, but no, it's just too glorious. It's irreverent to be sure, as it goes against the traditional sage-like and avuncular priests that you might be used to, but he's fighting off zombies with advanced kung-fu. I'm OK with that.
The clip comes from a movie called "Brain Dead" (directed by Peter Jackson interestingly enough), although in the US, they changed it to "Dead Alive". I guess people thought the previous title was offensive. It doesn't really matter. The point is that this clip alone sold me on the movie. Honestly, two seconds after I first saw this fight sequence in its entirety, I went to Amazon and put it on my Wish List.
I really can't wait to see the rest of this movie as it looks like a blast.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 3: Hazard Pay
After Mike reassures Gus' men that their hazard pay will be reimbursed and that they need to keep their yaps shut, the group's focus moves towards finding a new base of operations.
Saul has a few possibilities lined up. It really seemed like that first factory would have been an ideal setup, but alas Walt points out that the atmosphere would taint the quality of the product. It goes downhill from there. It was amusing to see Saul bring up the laser tag center again. Granted, it would be in a different capacity this time, but it doesn't matter as it gets soundly rejected.
They do find something of a workable solution in a pest control company. Jesse notes that the place is too small, but Walt has something else in mind: using the tented houses as a temporary base. It takes the best of both worlds: the mobility of the RV and the space and quality of a more high end lab. It gives them cover as nobody really goes into bombed houses and the company has all the perks of a legitimate company while also having ties to more criminal enterprises. This means that they'll keep quiet about what's going on and won't have any moral compunctions about allowing them to do what they do. It's actually a really good setup.
Good, however, isn't cheap. While Walt knew about the various overhead costs back in the early days, it seems that working for Gus has spoiled him as he's dismayed at how much is taken away from the trio's initial cut. They're still left with fat wads of cash, but the number shrinks rather quickly when all the costs (that are before taxes, mind you) come into play.
Walt, especially, gets vexed when Mike takes the "hazard pay" to reimburse Gus' men. It's nice that Mike is so committed to keeping his guys happy, but you can see why Walt would not see this as his problem. Gus' operation is more or less done for and this new venture is completely independent.
I'm more puzzled by Mike's assertion that this is an ongoing expense. Wouldn't that just be a finite amount of dollars that needed to be replaced? I'd imagine the number is fairly large, but it's something that they could eventually take off their books at some point, right?. Unless the hazard pay was ongoing, I don't know.
One could argue it's moot anyway. Jesse's quick to note that the number is smaller, but so was the amount of product made. It may not be the $270,000 a week that they're used to, but they get a bigger cut of what comes in because they're in charge now.
At the very least, you'd think that Skyler would be happy as this makes her job a bit easier. It's clear in this episode that she could use the break, but we'll get to that.
Jesse actually gets several chances to shine here. Not only is he a good buffer between the conflicting Walt and Mike (quickly offering up his cut to cover the aforementioned hazard pay when Walt fights back), but he does offer helpful insight. Even his time in Mexico ends up being useful as he saw them use plastic tents that they could use to keep the smell from permeating the houses they use.
He also gets some development as Walt coaxes him into breaking things off with Andrea. It's an action that could be seen from a variety of angles. On the one hand, you could just say that "Heisenburg" doesn't want Jesse distracted. At the same time, it could honestly prove dangerous to Andrea and her son, being close to someone in Jesse's line of work. Or, maybe Walt doesn't want to see and hear about the kid that he poisoned. The scene he has with Brock is rather awkward, even though the kid has no idea who did it and I doubt Walt feels guilty about it. It's just awkward.
Manipulation aside, this scene between Walt and Jesse was a rather strong one. They were just hanging out, watching some "Three Stooges" and shooting the breeze after a long work day. It was a nice, quiet character moment.
The two get another great scene at the end when Walt muses that Gus killing Victor was more about punishing someone who was acting out of line. The implication is, of course, that Walt is considering taking similar action against Mike.
I love the look on Jesse's face after Walt starts walking off. It's a mix of surprised, confused, and maybe even a bit unnerved. He doesn't say anything but that look speaks volumes. It was a great way to end the episode as it's a "wham moment" of sorts, but of the more understated variety.
I alluded to Skyler's state, so now seems as good a time to go into that. Yeah, she's not taking this new Walt too well. She kind of flips out on her sister for seemingly no reason. To be fair, Marie was kind of babbling, so you can see why Skyler would tell her to shut up. You can even see why she would start repeating it in an increasingly annoyed tone when Marie keeps talking despite being told to shut up, but it's clear that her mood is more about Walt than about Marie.
While Marie is naturally worried, Walt is able to allay her fears using Ted's condition and their affair as a cover story. It accomplishes its goal.
I was very happy to see Badger and Skinny Pete come back. They continue to be awesome minor characters. Skinny Pete, especially, gets to shine as he is revealed to be a very talented pianist. That came out of nowhere, but I dug it. It adds yet another layer to the character and it made for a nice musical interlude.
Sadly, when they express interest in getting in on the ground floor of Jesse's operation, Mike scares them off with a look. I'm not sure why, it's said that they use dealers and mules; so why couldn't they work in that capacity? Even if Mike hasn't vetted them, Jesse knows them and knows that they're reliable. You'd think that would count for something, but Mike did say that he runs the business, so maybe not.
This was a strong episode. A lot of things moved forward both in terms of plot and character arcs. It's also good to see Saul have a role in things after being sidelined as a result of the pair going to work for Gus. All in all, this is turning out to be a strong season. It's hard to believe that we're already at the quarter mark, but that's what happens. I'm looking forward to seeing where things progress from here.
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Saul has a few possibilities lined up. It really seemed like that first factory would have been an ideal setup, but alas Walt points out that the atmosphere would taint the quality of the product. It goes downhill from there. It was amusing to see Saul bring up the laser tag center again. Granted, it would be in a different capacity this time, but it doesn't matter as it gets soundly rejected.
They do find something of a workable solution in a pest control company. Jesse notes that the place is too small, but Walt has something else in mind: using the tented houses as a temporary base. It takes the best of both worlds: the mobility of the RV and the space and quality of a more high end lab. It gives them cover as nobody really goes into bombed houses and the company has all the perks of a legitimate company while also having ties to more criminal enterprises. This means that they'll keep quiet about what's going on and won't have any moral compunctions about allowing them to do what they do. It's actually a really good setup.
Good, however, isn't cheap. While Walt knew about the various overhead costs back in the early days, it seems that working for Gus has spoiled him as he's dismayed at how much is taken away from the trio's initial cut. They're still left with fat wads of cash, but the number shrinks rather quickly when all the costs (that are before taxes, mind you) come into play.
Walt, especially, gets vexed when Mike takes the "hazard pay" to reimburse Gus' men. It's nice that Mike is so committed to keeping his guys happy, but you can see why Walt would not see this as his problem. Gus' operation is more or less done for and this new venture is completely independent.
I'm more puzzled by Mike's assertion that this is an ongoing expense. Wouldn't that just be a finite amount of dollars that needed to be replaced? I'd imagine the number is fairly large, but it's something that they could eventually take off their books at some point, right?. Unless the hazard pay was ongoing, I don't know.
One could argue it's moot anyway. Jesse's quick to note that the number is smaller, but so was the amount of product made. It may not be the $270,000 a week that they're used to, but they get a bigger cut of what comes in because they're in charge now.
At the very least, you'd think that Skyler would be happy as this makes her job a bit easier. It's clear in this episode that she could use the break, but we'll get to that.
Jesse actually gets several chances to shine here. Not only is he a good buffer between the conflicting Walt and Mike (quickly offering up his cut to cover the aforementioned hazard pay when Walt fights back), but he does offer helpful insight. Even his time in Mexico ends up being useful as he saw them use plastic tents that they could use to keep the smell from permeating the houses they use.
He also gets some development as Walt coaxes him into breaking things off with Andrea. It's an action that could be seen from a variety of angles. On the one hand, you could just say that "Heisenburg" doesn't want Jesse distracted. At the same time, it could honestly prove dangerous to Andrea and her son, being close to someone in Jesse's line of work. Or, maybe Walt doesn't want to see and hear about the kid that he poisoned. The scene he has with Brock is rather awkward, even though the kid has no idea who did it and I doubt Walt feels guilty about it. It's just awkward.
Manipulation aside, this scene between Walt and Jesse was a rather strong one. They were just hanging out, watching some "Three Stooges" and shooting the breeze after a long work day. It was a nice, quiet character moment.
The two get another great scene at the end when Walt muses that Gus killing Victor was more about punishing someone who was acting out of line. The implication is, of course, that Walt is considering taking similar action against Mike.
I love the look on Jesse's face after Walt starts walking off. It's a mix of surprised, confused, and maybe even a bit unnerved. He doesn't say anything but that look speaks volumes. It was a great way to end the episode as it's a "wham moment" of sorts, but of the more understated variety.
I alluded to Skyler's state, so now seems as good a time to go into that. Yeah, she's not taking this new Walt too well. She kind of flips out on her sister for seemingly no reason. To be fair, Marie was kind of babbling, so you can see why Skyler would tell her to shut up. You can even see why she would start repeating it in an increasingly annoyed tone when Marie keeps talking despite being told to shut up, but it's clear that her mood is more about Walt than about Marie.
While Marie is naturally worried, Walt is able to allay her fears using Ted's condition and their affair as a cover story. It accomplishes its goal.
I was very happy to see Badger and Skinny Pete come back. They continue to be awesome minor characters. Skinny Pete, especially, gets to shine as he is revealed to be a very talented pianist. That came out of nowhere, but I dug it. It adds yet another layer to the character and it made for a nice musical interlude.
Sadly, when they express interest in getting in on the ground floor of Jesse's operation, Mike scares them off with a look. I'm not sure why, it's said that they use dealers and mules; so why couldn't they work in that capacity? Even if Mike hasn't vetted them, Jesse knows them and knows that they're reliable. You'd think that would count for something, but Mike did say that he runs the business, so maybe not.
This was a strong episode. A lot of things moved forward both in terms of plot and character arcs. It's also good to see Saul have a role in things after being sidelined as a result of the pair going to work for Gus. All in all, this is turning out to be a strong season. It's hard to believe that we're already at the quarter mark, but that's what happens. I'm looking forward to seeing where things progress from here.
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Friday, October 2, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Labrador and Kitten
Keep your friends close and your feline closer
Posted by Labradors - Semper Fidelis on Saturday, August 29, 2015
Adorable!!!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 2:Madrigal
As Gus didn't take the poison cigarette, Jesse starts to wonder where it went. He can't find it anywhere and worries that some kid might find it. Granted, this fear is unfounded as Walt still has it, but he doesn't know that.
Now, a normal person would simply replace the cigarette, but Walt decides to create a duplicate cigarette using a vial of salt and keeps the poison himself. Honestly, it makes sense. Given their line of work and the people they've worked with in the past, it's nice to have in their back pocket and Jesse would likely insist that they flush the stuff.
I said before that Walt was in a prime position to walk away from their current trade, but it turns out not to be the case. While Walt would certainly intend to restart the business even if money wasn't a problem, he does note that he's broke and owes Jesse money for the loan from last episode.
I did like that Walt immediately dismissed the idea of going back to an RV. It was a nice callback. Jesse sticks up for the idea, rightly pointing out that the first one served them pretty well, but Walt wants something bigger.
Speaking of bigger, Walt offers Mike a role in the operation. Not just a role, but a promotion. Walt specifically notes that he'd be a partner, making him an owner as opposed to just an employee. Granted, Walt wants to put Mike's connections to use, but it was still a solid pitch and given their history, it was something vaguely resembling an olive branch. Mike declines, but the effort was made.
He has his reasons, but he also has his hands full as Gus' death has opened up a whole new can of worms. Not only did the DEA immediately jump to the conclusion that the magnets were gunning for Gus' laptop, but they now have financial records linking to several members of the operation.
Hank brings up the fact that the laptop was encrypted, implying that Walt could have left well enough alone and been fine (or even better off), but don't they have tech guys who could work around that? Yeah, Gus probably had it set up pretty well, but I doubt it would be impenetrable. Even if the DEA didn't have anyone on staff, I'm sure they could find some whitehat hacker who would do it as a sort of "independent contractor" deal. On top of that, they probably would have found the bank information anyway, but oh well. It is what it is.
As a result of this, a new character, Lydia, jumps into the fray. She's spooked and asks Mike to kill the people on the list so that she can right her father's wrongs and save the city...wait no, that was something different.
Oddly enough, Mike isn't too keen on this plan. You'd think that being the cleanup guy, that this would fall in his wheelhouse, but he actually chastises the idea saying that they don't just go around killing people en masse. More than that, he notes that they're people he's personally vetted and people who are paid good money not to squeal. Mike recognizes squealers and these guys aren't them.
It's not enough, and Lydia decides to go through with the plan anyway. She even goes after Mike himself, which was a questionable decision to say the least.
It isn't like Mike didn't have a chance to rat people out. Hank and Gomez do interrogate him. It was a rather enjoyable scene as the dynamics changed as the scene played out. At first it seems like Mike has the advantage as he has his stories covered, but then the duo reveal that they have some solid incriminating evidence and suddenly they have Mike backed into a corner. He still doesn't break, but you can tell that they're closing in.
In any event, Mike isn't too pleased and decides to go after Lydia in her own home. She's spooked, but does seem to take her fate with grace. Her only request it not to get shot in the face as she thinks it would be too gruesome for her young daughter.
Oddly enough, she's more afraid of "being disappeared". She wants her daughter to find her. Mike questions her logic, but you can see where she's coming from.
Honestly, I'm not sure which is the better way to go. Having her corpse there gives her daughter closure and certainty, sure, but it would also be highly traumatic, especially given how young the girl is. Of course, having no body means that she'd think her mother abandoned her, or worse, harbor hope of a reunion.
I suppose it's moot as Mike finds a reason to keep her alive anyway. It turns out that she is able to get them a vital cooking component; as such, Mike not only agrees to join Walt, but brings another player into the fold.
The last scene is...weird. We see Walt try to be tender with Skyler while she's visibly spooked by the whole thing. It's uncomfortable, which was the point, but it was an odd way to end the episode. You'd think that Mike's call letting Walt know that he's in would be the stronger note on which to end. Maybe they set it up that way go against the curve? I don't know.
The episode isn't quite as strong as the one that came before it, but there was a lot to like. The interrogation scene was fun and Aaron Paul got a chance to shine as Jesse breaks down in his remorse over accusing Walt. The brief scene where Mike plays "Hungry Hungry Hippos" with his granddaughter was also rather heartwarming. The episode also moved the plot forward on several fronts and expanded the scope as the larger corporate workings seem to be coming to the forefront.
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Now, a normal person would simply replace the cigarette, but Walt decides to create a duplicate cigarette using a vial of salt and keeps the poison himself. Honestly, it makes sense. Given their line of work and the people they've worked with in the past, it's nice to have in their back pocket and Jesse would likely insist that they flush the stuff.
I said before that Walt was in a prime position to walk away from their current trade, but it turns out not to be the case. While Walt would certainly intend to restart the business even if money wasn't a problem, he does note that he's broke and owes Jesse money for the loan from last episode.
I did like that Walt immediately dismissed the idea of going back to an RV. It was a nice callback. Jesse sticks up for the idea, rightly pointing out that the first one served them pretty well, but Walt wants something bigger.
Speaking of bigger, Walt offers Mike a role in the operation. Not just a role, but a promotion. Walt specifically notes that he'd be a partner, making him an owner as opposed to just an employee. Granted, Walt wants to put Mike's connections to use, but it was still a solid pitch and given their history, it was something vaguely resembling an olive branch. Mike declines, but the effort was made.
He has his reasons, but he also has his hands full as Gus' death has opened up a whole new can of worms. Not only did the DEA immediately jump to the conclusion that the magnets were gunning for Gus' laptop, but they now have financial records linking to several members of the operation.
Hank brings up the fact that the laptop was encrypted, implying that Walt could have left well enough alone and been fine (or even better off), but don't they have tech guys who could work around that? Yeah, Gus probably had it set up pretty well, but I doubt it would be impenetrable. Even if the DEA didn't have anyone on staff, I'm sure they could find some whitehat hacker who would do it as a sort of "independent contractor" deal. On top of that, they probably would have found the bank information anyway, but oh well. It is what it is.
As a result of this, a new character, Lydia, jumps into the fray. She's spooked and asks Mike to kill the people on the list so that she can right her father's wrongs and save the city...wait no, that was something different.
Oddly enough, Mike isn't too keen on this plan. You'd think that being the cleanup guy, that this would fall in his wheelhouse, but he actually chastises the idea saying that they don't just go around killing people en masse. More than that, he notes that they're people he's personally vetted and people who are paid good money not to squeal. Mike recognizes squealers and these guys aren't them.
It's not enough, and Lydia decides to go through with the plan anyway. She even goes after Mike himself, which was a questionable decision to say the least.
It isn't like Mike didn't have a chance to rat people out. Hank and Gomez do interrogate him. It was a rather enjoyable scene as the dynamics changed as the scene played out. At first it seems like Mike has the advantage as he has his stories covered, but then the duo reveal that they have some solid incriminating evidence and suddenly they have Mike backed into a corner. He still doesn't break, but you can tell that they're closing in.
In any event, Mike isn't too pleased and decides to go after Lydia in her own home. She's spooked, but does seem to take her fate with grace. Her only request it not to get shot in the face as she thinks it would be too gruesome for her young daughter.
Oddly enough, she's more afraid of "being disappeared". She wants her daughter to find her. Mike questions her logic, but you can see where she's coming from.
Honestly, I'm not sure which is the better way to go. Having her corpse there gives her daughter closure and certainty, sure, but it would also be highly traumatic, especially given how young the girl is. Of course, having no body means that she'd think her mother abandoned her, or worse, harbor hope of a reunion.
I suppose it's moot as Mike finds a reason to keep her alive anyway. It turns out that she is able to get them a vital cooking component; as such, Mike not only agrees to join Walt, but brings another player into the fold.
The last scene is...weird. We see Walt try to be tender with Skyler while she's visibly spooked by the whole thing. It's uncomfortable, which was the point, but it was an odd way to end the episode. You'd think that Mike's call letting Walt know that he's in would be the stronger note on which to end. Maybe they set it up that way go against the curve? I don't know.
The episode isn't quite as strong as the one that came before it, but there was a lot to like. The interrogation scene was fun and Aaron Paul got a chance to shine as Jesse breaks down in his remorse over accusing Walt. The brief scene where Mike plays "Hungry Hungry Hippos" with his granddaughter was also rather heartwarming. The episode also moved the plot forward on several fronts and expanded the scope as the larger corporate workings seem to be coming to the forefront.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
Daily Dose of Awesome: It's Raining Men
Yes, I do, in fact like this song. It's upbeat and fun to listen to. The video is rather silly looking, but the song is quite enjoyable.
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