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Breaking Bad

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  • I agree that the messed up US healthcare system is definitely a recurring theme, even if it's not being sold as Walt's primary motivation (which I think is up for debate.)
  • I agree that the messed up US healthcare system is definitely a recurring theme, even if it's not being sold as Walt's primary motivation (which I think is up for debate.)
    I thought a big part of it was ego, you see how he lost out on being part of the multi billion dollar company and ended up being a chemistry school teacher.
  • Yep, his ego/pride is a major factor (but then the US healthcare system robs him of a bit of that, not only financially but in his treatment as a patient in one or two scenes.)

    The US healthcare "system" first fucks Walt, and then it fucks Hank. It's definitely acknowledged in the writing as not great.

    Given the arc of the show and the progression of Walt's character, I think the intention is to show that hubris/ego/pride are the major culprits for Walt's problems. It's an interesting question, though, whether with socialized medicine, he'd have ever been pushed into this particular avenue. It definitely feeds his need to be important, at the head of something big and successful, etc, but for him to make that leap from school teacher to drug lord... how much did the bills contribute to that? I guess honestly it would seem as though his own mortality was probably a larger factor than the cost of treatment.
  • I agree that the messed up US healthcare system is definitely a recurring theme, even if it's not being sold as Walt's primary motivation (which I think is up for debate.)
    I wouldn't say it is a theme, but it is touched upon to show that Walt is going to need the money. They reflect on the issue just enough to show all of Walt's stages and how he can't pay with his teacher's salary. But he's had medical luck in a few ways by having Marie's connections AND people who have offered to pay the chemo.

    What I always get from watching the pilot again and again, is that you see how Walter was complacent and going-through-the-motions. And when Jesse questions him about Breaking Bad, he says "I'm awake." I almost wish the show could touch more on what made Walter disgruntled up to that point. But there's always been an underlying issue of him being prideful and he was very much suppressed until the Pilot. You could see it to how he went through life, how he interacted with Skylar and how he feels vindicated in his actions.
  • A show can have overtones of white exceptionalism, and reinforce sentiments, and maintain cultural inertia, without its writing staff being comprised of Nazis or even really consciously doing any of those things.

    At the same time: Walter White functional makes artisinal, locally sourced meth like you'd find a hand-crafted sausage at a cheese store in Williamsburg. The idea that 99% pure meth is just a Macguffin, nbd, ignores that there's a super-real, super-deadly drug game going on outside where people put rat poison or whatever shit's available into their product to cut it because weaker drugs = more product, but weaker drugs also = more sales. You are doubling your money twice. The article points that out pretty well. In that sense, a scene where the crime boss has to capitulate because Walter White makes 14% purer meth is patently absurd.

    It all completely ignores the fact that the drug game is disproportionately populated by losers, not winners, and that most of these people don't have a two bedroom house and pool to come back to. Where are the scabrous wretches of Breaking Bad? I guess they show up about once a season. The ability to ignore all of this in favor of artisinal super-meth (because omg, what a fun plot device!) I think, is the essence of argument about this show, and white exceptionalism, and how whatever sociology commentary it might have is generally overwritten by an overwhelming audience reaction, primarily of dudes, seemingly primarily of disenfranchised nerds, saying "Yeah! What a badass!"

    Don't worry about any of those things, forget about social commentary, don't say anything bad about my show where the main character finally hangs up his spurs after all the mean [largely, brown] people harassing him are dead, after his bitch of a wife finally gets off of his back and gets on board. I mean, this is textbook fantasy for middle aged white men. It is expertly acted fantasy, but the audience reaction often drowns out whatever nuance it might have.
  • A show can have overtones of white exceptionalism, and reinforce sentiments, and maintain cultural inertia, without its writing staff being comprised of Nazis or even really consciously doing any of those things.

    At the same time: Walter White functional makes artisinal, locally sourced meth like you'd find a hand-crafted sausage at a cheese store in Williamsburg. The idea that 99% pure meth is just a Macguffin, nbd, ignores that there's a super-real, super-deadly drug game going on outside where people put rat poison or whatever shit's available into their product to cut it because weaker drugs = more product, but weaker drugs also = more sales. You are doubling your money twice. The article points that out pretty well. In that sense, a scene where the crime boss has to capitulate because Walter White makes 14% purer meth is patently absurd.

    It all completely ignores the fact that the drug game is disproportionately populated by losers, not winners, and that most of these people don't have a two bedroom house and pool to come back to. Where are the scabrous wretches of Breaking Bad? I guess they show up about once a season. The ability to ignore all of this in favor of artisinal super-meth (because omg, what a fun plot device!) I think, is the essence of argument about this show, and white exceptionalism, and how whatever sociology commentary it might have is generally overwritten by an overwhelming audience reaction, primarily of dudes, seemingly primarily of disenfranchised nerds, saying "Yeah! What a badass!"

    Don't worry about any of those things, forget about social commentary, don't say anything bad about my show where the main character finally hangs up his spurs after all the mean [largely, brown] people harassing him are dead, after his bitch of a wife finally gets off of his back and gets on board. I mean, this is textbook fantasy for middle aged white men. It is expertly acted fantasy, but the audience reaction often drowns out whatever nuance it might have.
    I think you are reaching too far in believing that Breaking Bad is reaching that far to say these messages about white exceptionalism and drug-fueled fantasy. It probably has one of the most real depictions of the influence of drugs and the drug-dealing business and how it's centered around greedy, prideful people be them smart or stupid. But you have to reflect everything throughout the whole process of the show, season to season.

    Seasons 1 and 2 look at the bottom of the drug game. Jesse, Badger, Combo, Skinny Pete. Making only thousands. There's bigger players, but they can only work from the bottom. And you have the terrifying episodes like Peekaboo or how people are willing to kill for the meth. You can't say that it is fantasy with the grizzliness of the murders or severe mental reflection from episode to episode. When Walter talks to Crazy-8 and then has to strangle him to death with a bike lock?

    Seasons 3-6 go into the bigger overtones of the drug business, but it reflects on all of the consequences of everything Walter has done. From the plane crash, to his paranoia and anger, to how his relationship with his wife is pretty much destroyed. Walter probably is so invested in the drug business, because it's all he has left and it's what he is good at. He lives off that adrenaline and his pride being messaged. You see his human side in several points, but every season as it gets more dark shows how inhuman Walter has become. Thus his transition from Anti-Hero to Villain Protagonist.

    I would argue that there were lots of nerds cheering for Walter from Seasons 1 to 4 because you could understand his situation and be marveled how he pieced so many things together and was still able to get out of his situation. However, after poisoning Brock the show really took a shift to just accepting the show as an incredibly-compelling drama to everyone involved.

    Most people I know who still watch just want to see how the show ends. The only person who people still root for is Jesse, because his trauma and guilt from every step has clearly affected him, unlike Walter.
  • edited September 2013
    It's a MacGuffin, and you are an angry dude. Depicting social realities isn't the same as endorsing them, either, so that a bunch of Mexicans, Cubans, South Americans, etc are in the drug trade in New Mexico isn't exactly propaganda. The idea that super pure Meth is a magic key to success in the drug world is no more insidious than MacGyver making a bomb out of toothpaste and an aspirin.

    A country comprising mostly non-brown people is going to produce media featuring primarily non-brown protagonists, and that doesn't make anybody insensitive, it's just math. (And as Nuke said, Walter is no longer a sympathetic protagonist to a majority of fans.)
    Post edited by muppet on
  • I still want to know who/what Gus was before he joined up with the Cartel.
  • Better drugs sell better, and it's funny that the article guy's evidence to the contrary was a quote from another TV show.
  • edited September 2013
    They never touched that did they. His story started with his visit to the cartel to sell his new drug.

    Also side note, Walt is not really a badass at all. He's a sneaky, conniving, scheming motherfucker. He acts like a badass whenever he's got the upper hand, but is shitting bricks in his big baby diaper whenever he doesn't. See the scenes where he thinks Gus is going to snuff him, and the recent one where he's in his gas soaked house thinking Jesse is about to pop him. He's a panicky coward every time.
    Post edited by muppet on
  • It started there but after they killed his chemist the cartel leader implied that Gus had some level of notoriety in South America. There is also the fact that Gus made an extensive effort to hide his past.
  • edited September 2013
    Goddamn, Dave, I just ignore the sociopathic disenfranchised white nerd power fantasists. If their reaction drowns out nuance you're paying way too much attention their reaction.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • The absolute best scene in Breaking Bad is the Pollos Hermanos CEO opening.
  • edited September 2013
    We call it Franch.

    I think the best opening of the entire series is the television commercial for Pollos Hermanos.

    The cheesecake photo of Walter above is obviously the best still (even though it's not from aired content.)
    Post edited by muppet on
  • WELL FUCK
    Pretty much.

    How many eps left?
  • Yeah. I mean, I'll just ignore it and let the story be, cuz lol television but... that guy with the AA12 is unreasonably bad at shooting. That gun alone should have ended everything in about 2 seconds.
  • Yep, there's about 10 threads on /k/ saying this same thing.
  • I don't think this is spoilers because SWAT said there was a shooting. image
  • Aww look at that kid shoot his widdle pistol.
  • edited September 2013
    Aren't these the same guys who took out the rival gang in about five seconds a few episodes back?
    Post edited by HMTKSteve on
  • edited September 2013
    Yeah, I fully expected the good guys to die immediately. When they didn't, I expected that at least one of the good guy's bullets would hit what they're pointing their guns at. Neither happened. If they had cut the length of the gunfight half I think it would have felt less silly.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • edited September 2013
    Maybe EA designed those guns? The bullet drop is quote impressive at short range.

    There is also an incredible lack of 'impact dust' from all of the missed shots.
    Post edited by HMTKSteve on
  • A few of 'em should have hit Walt's car, too, just judging from that gif.
  • I think more bullets hit Walt's location than anywhere else. Also, one of the 'good guys' started the gun fight out in the open with NO cover at all.
  • I was so tense watching this episode. Even with the aim and the phone call, I can forgive that because I was so in the moment, I was thinking "Oh shit, maybe this is the real end for Walt..."

    Also, "Don't drink and drive, but if you do, call me."
  • edited September 2013
    The entire season has been tense but this is just getting crazy.

    The ramp up was amazing with the phonecall to Walt.

    The mistakes that Walt has made over the last 2 season have been in conjunction with him moving from an analytical chemistry teacher to an emotional super villain who is relatively sloppy when compared to the precise manoeuvres he made earlier.

    Edit: Have an A1 day.
    Post edited by sK0pe on
  • I love how Walt basically did the whole Super-Villian monolog of "Yeah I did it, and I'd do it again, muahahahaha!"
  • I was surprised how long it took Walter to figure out what was going on after his cell phone dropped the call. Yet it miraculously worked again?
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