Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 3: Open House
Marie actually takes center stage for the first half of the episode. We see her as she appears to go house hunting. Things are off as she takes a cue from her sister and concocts various back stories for herself as she converse with different sellers and agents.
At first, I figured that this was a result of Hank, more specifically, I figured she had had it and was looking for a place of her own. This turns out to be half right as, I presume, the stress of the situation results in her kleptomania kicking in again. It turns out Open Houses are easy targets. I'm glad this character trait wasn't completely forgotten.
On Hank's end, his mood hasn't improved. He busts Marie's chops over the kind of chips she buys and even complains about the sports magazine she bought him. He does seem to lighten up around other people, more specifically one of Hank's cop buddies who comes to visit . It was good to see him in better spirits, even if it was brief.
The visit actually does have some plot relevance as he is investigating Gale's murder and thinks that Hank will be useful in analyzing his notebook, that contains detailed descriptions of a meth superlab. While Hank initially poo poos the idea, by the episode's end, his curiosity is piqued and he does take a look at the notes.
There isn't a whole lot of progress on Jesse's front. His spiral continues. I actually feel bad for his house. It was a nice place that's been turned into a dump as a result of the non stop partying by various drug users. Even Jesse's wealth appears to be tarnished in his eyes as he throws a wad of cash in the air so that his "guests" can claim it for themselves.
While it seems like the only progression for Walt is the installation of surveillance cameras in the lab, he and Skyler do advance as they scheme to get the car wash.
Yes, it seems that even after showing that the owner holds a grudge, Skyler is still bent on getting it. Even Saul's offer to let them run the nail salon falls on deaf ears. Walt raises a good point by reminding her that they could just buy a different car wash, but even that doesn't cut it. Where before she was able to come up with justifications as to why the car wash was the best route to go, she admits here that, at this point, she's largely driven by spite. He was mean to her, insulted Walt, and she wants payback. I can appreciate that.
It's easier said than done, especially as Skyler still has some morals and most of Saul's go to tactics are questionable to say the least.
Skyler, as it turns out, is up to the challenge. She makes it look like the car wash is polluting and has an "environmental agent" come in and shut the place down. As a result, she is able to buy the car wash. Not only that, but she is able to buy it at a lower price. It was a good moment for her.
I do wonder how "broke" the Whites are. Skyler's right to point out that Walt is technically out of work, but they did have the gambling back story. Maybe he just used some of that money? I also wonder if Walt Jr's crowdfunding page is still up. I'm guessing not, as it hasn't been mentioned and it could have also been a reasonable explanation for where the money came from.
This episode didn't have the edge of your seat tension that a lot of the recent episodes had, but it was a nice breather. The episode didn't just spin its wheels as things did progress. I don't think it's going to go down as a stand out episode, but it worked for what it was.
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At first, I figured that this was a result of Hank, more specifically, I figured she had had it and was looking for a place of her own. This turns out to be half right as, I presume, the stress of the situation results in her kleptomania kicking in again. It turns out Open Houses are easy targets. I'm glad this character trait wasn't completely forgotten.
On Hank's end, his mood hasn't improved. He busts Marie's chops over the kind of chips she buys and even complains about the sports magazine she bought him. He does seem to lighten up around other people, more specifically one of Hank's cop buddies who comes to visit . It was good to see him in better spirits, even if it was brief.
The visit actually does have some plot relevance as he is investigating Gale's murder and thinks that Hank will be useful in analyzing his notebook, that contains detailed descriptions of a meth superlab. While Hank initially poo poos the idea, by the episode's end, his curiosity is piqued and he does take a look at the notes.
There isn't a whole lot of progress on Jesse's front. His spiral continues. I actually feel bad for his house. It was a nice place that's been turned into a dump as a result of the non stop partying by various drug users. Even Jesse's wealth appears to be tarnished in his eyes as he throws a wad of cash in the air so that his "guests" can claim it for themselves.
While it seems like the only progression for Walt is the installation of surveillance cameras in the lab, he and Skyler do advance as they scheme to get the car wash.
Yes, it seems that even after showing that the owner holds a grudge, Skyler is still bent on getting it. Even Saul's offer to let them run the nail salon falls on deaf ears. Walt raises a good point by reminding her that they could just buy a different car wash, but even that doesn't cut it. Where before she was able to come up with justifications as to why the car wash was the best route to go, she admits here that, at this point, she's largely driven by spite. He was mean to her, insulted Walt, and she wants payback. I can appreciate that.
It's easier said than done, especially as Skyler still has some morals and most of Saul's go to tactics are questionable to say the least.
Skyler, as it turns out, is up to the challenge. She makes it look like the car wash is polluting and has an "environmental agent" come in and shut the place down. As a result, she is able to buy the car wash. Not only that, but she is able to buy it at a lower price. It was a good moment for her.
I do wonder how "broke" the Whites are. Skyler's right to point out that Walt is technically out of work, but they did have the gambling back story. Maybe he just used some of that money? I also wonder if Walt Jr's crowdfunding page is still up. I'm guessing not, as it hasn't been mentioned and it could have also been a reasonable explanation for where the money came from.
This episode didn't have the edge of your seat tension that a lot of the recent episodes had, but it was a nice breather. The episode didn't just spin its wheels as things did progress. I don't think it's going to go down as a stand out episode, but it worked for what it was.
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Saturday, August 8, 2015
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 2: Thirty-Eight Snub
After the Gus' gruesome murder of Victor, both Walt and Jesse develop their own ways of dealing with it. Walt buys a gun from Bobby Singer; or a character played by the same actor, but still. It was a great scene and he was fun to watch.
While Walt is initially a bit clumsy on the draw, he does start to get the hang of it. He even starts to psyche himself into murder mode at two points in the episode, only for it to end differently. One was a red herring, but the later one was especially pathetic. After failing to arrange a meeting with Gus, Walt goes to his house. Walt dons the infamous Heisenburg hat, starts to make his move...and Gus calls him on his cell phone and tells him to go home.
Walt jumps to the conclusion that he has people watching him, but couldn't Gus have just seen him through the window? It also seems like an awkward moment as he seems to just turn around and get back in his car.
On the other hand, Mike does say later that if things did get drastic that Walt's gun wouldn't make a difference. I'd be skeptical, but it seems to be the case when Mike reacts to Walt's proposition to kill Gus to save their own skin. A part of me would have liked to see Walt at least try to put up a fight, but I guess that he's still not to that point yet. I do feel like Mike will be a target now too, but I could be wrong.
It's actually a surprising turn. Walt does make a legitimate point about how Mike could be disposed of as easily as Victor. Still, points for loyalty, I guess. Either that or he knows that going up against Gus won't work for whatever reason.
On other fronts, Jesse isn't doing so hot. Considering the drastic turnaround from where he seemed to be last episode, I figured the fear for his life was starting to kick in, but others say that it's guilt over Gale's death. I guess there's no reason why the two would be mutually exclusive, it could be both.
In any event, he throws a huge party. It was great to see Badger and Skinny Pete again. As was the case with Jane, I was disappointed to see them relapse after they were making so much progress. They don't seem too torn up over it, though, and it does lead to some amusing banter like debating which zombie video game world is the best in which to live. Also amusing, was Badger's theory as to why the local pizza place doesn't cut the pizza into slices (they pass the savings on to you!) Skinny Pete, on the other hand, thinks that it's a more "democratic" approach as people can decide how big a slice they want. Who knows? It was just entertaining to hear the debate.
Things seem to be going well for Hank, though you wouldn't know it by his attitude. He's able to celebrate his progress with his physical therapist, who even Marie admits has a way with him before offering him a full time position. For some reason, though, he seems to be pushing his frustrations on Marie.
I'm not sure why, she's been pretty good to him. She doesn't even seem all that bothered with his new hobby except for when it wakes her up at 2 in the morning.
It just makes you miss the crass jokester from season 1. I know, character development, but he was much easier to connect to back then. He doesn't come off as very sympathetic now, which he really should be given his condition.
Rounding out the episode's material, we see Skyler make her bid to buy the car wash. She's very thorough and does her research to figure out how much money the place pulls in. She looks into the market value of the property and even throws in an extra 50 G's as a show of good faith.
It proves to be moot as the guy holds a grudge and won't sell to Walt. On the one hand, I'm surprised this never occurred to her, but I don't think she knew the exact specifics of how Walt quit. Either way, that laser tag idea seems much more feasible now.
I also liked the "new policy" about re-weighing the product that Walt and Jesse deliver. I guess it was only a matter of time before that came back to bite them and it seems like Jesse's side operation could be finished. Where as Gus may not have cared before, given how thin the ice is now, I'm guessing he won't put up with it anymore.
All in all, this was another strong episode. It had a good balance of dark tension and humor. There's solid character progression on several fronts. This season looks like it's shaping up to be a good one and we're only two episodes in. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here.
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While Walt is initially a bit clumsy on the draw, he does start to get the hang of it. He even starts to psyche himself into murder mode at two points in the episode, only for it to end differently. One was a red herring, but the later one was especially pathetic. After failing to arrange a meeting with Gus, Walt goes to his house. Walt dons the infamous Heisenburg hat, starts to make his move...and Gus calls him on his cell phone and tells him to go home.
Walt jumps to the conclusion that he has people watching him, but couldn't Gus have just seen him through the window? It also seems like an awkward moment as he seems to just turn around and get back in his car.
On the other hand, Mike does say later that if things did get drastic that Walt's gun wouldn't make a difference. I'd be skeptical, but it seems to be the case when Mike reacts to Walt's proposition to kill Gus to save their own skin. A part of me would have liked to see Walt at least try to put up a fight, but I guess that he's still not to that point yet. I do feel like Mike will be a target now too, but I could be wrong.
It's actually a surprising turn. Walt does make a legitimate point about how Mike could be disposed of as easily as Victor. Still, points for loyalty, I guess. Either that or he knows that going up against Gus won't work for whatever reason.
On other fronts, Jesse isn't doing so hot. Considering the drastic turnaround from where he seemed to be last episode, I figured the fear for his life was starting to kick in, but others say that it's guilt over Gale's death. I guess there's no reason why the two would be mutually exclusive, it could be both.
In any event, he throws a huge party. It was great to see Badger and Skinny Pete again. As was the case with Jane, I was disappointed to see them relapse after they were making so much progress. They don't seem too torn up over it, though, and it does lead to some amusing banter like debating which zombie video game world is the best in which to live. Also amusing, was Badger's theory as to why the local pizza place doesn't cut the pizza into slices (they pass the savings on to you!) Skinny Pete, on the other hand, thinks that it's a more "democratic" approach as people can decide how big a slice they want. Who knows? It was just entertaining to hear the debate.
Things seem to be going well for Hank, though you wouldn't know it by his attitude. He's able to celebrate his progress with his physical therapist, who even Marie admits has a way with him before offering him a full time position. For some reason, though, he seems to be pushing his frustrations on Marie.
I'm not sure why, she's been pretty good to him. She doesn't even seem all that bothered with his new hobby except for when it wakes her up at 2 in the morning.
It just makes you miss the crass jokester from season 1. I know, character development, but he was much easier to connect to back then. He doesn't come off as very sympathetic now, which he really should be given his condition.
Rounding out the episode's material, we see Skyler make her bid to buy the car wash. She's very thorough and does her research to figure out how much money the place pulls in. She looks into the market value of the property and even throws in an extra 50 G's as a show of good faith.
It proves to be moot as the guy holds a grudge and won't sell to Walt. On the one hand, I'm surprised this never occurred to her, but I don't think she knew the exact specifics of how Walt quit. Either way, that laser tag idea seems much more feasible now.
I also liked the "new policy" about re-weighing the product that Walt and Jesse deliver. I guess it was only a matter of time before that came back to bite them and it seems like Jesse's side operation could be finished. Where as Gus may not have cared before, given how thin the ice is now, I'm guessing he won't put up with it anymore.
All in all, this was another strong episode. It had a good balance of dark tension and humor. There's solid character progression on several fronts. This season looks like it's shaping up to be a good one and we're only two episodes in. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
Daily Dose of Awesome: Ways to Screw up the Avengers Movie
Not surprisingly, some of the gags here are funnier than others, but the ones that work are hilarious. Personally, I think a Howard the Duck cameo in the movie would be awesome, but maybe that's just me. That animated Mjolnir bit was the highlight for me. Not only is it a doofy idea, but it gives us a double dose of puns, glorious.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Daily Dose of Awesome: Alderaan Shot First
I found this link via my twitter feed and found it rather amusing. I love how the Death Star just moves to the side to avoid the blast. I know, it's riffing on Han's head moving, but it's a lot funnier when you try to apply that principle to a space station as opposed to a human head.
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