Breaking Bad Season 5 EP 13 & 14 Early/Uncut Access

shock? lololol

Parker Holmes

A lot of credit catching that walt was intentionally putting all the blame on himself ME ALONE NOBODY ELSE. Since, he knew police would be listening and to try and protect his family still most people that react are so mad at Walt they are enraged they can’t see what he’s doing. Also Cranston’s acting in that scene especially is insane the voice is anger and venom but he’s crying at the same time.

Anthony Lucido

Please note that Walt’s reaction when hank got killed was the same as Gus’s reaction in the flashback when his partner got shot by hector Salamanca.

Sam Aguilar

I found that hard to believe until seasons 5 and 6 and then the perfect ending.

LibGyps

So Walt is more complex than you gave him credit for, and that's a bad thing? Like James said, Walt's unbalanced morality is what makes him interesting. If Walt really cared only about power, he would've killed Jesse and Hank long ago, or at least allowed Gus to kill them. I think the most telling scene is 4x11 when Walt begged Saul to call out the "hit" on Hank and said emotionally, "Please, my brother-in-law doesn't deserve to die because of this." Also, Walt had already assumed the money was gone when he was arrested. Why else would he try to call off the Nazis and surrender to Hank? Idk, I feel like there is an abundance of scenes that show Walt cares in his own twisted way.

Munir

@Munir Well, yes, that's exactly what I meant. Killing Hank was quite a logical decision for everyone in the show, except Walt, including Saul. I mean, at the end of the day, what does Walt value the most - family? Didn't we kind of understand at that point that family was just a ruse to put on in the pursuit of power? Hank is the only person who actually stands between him and his close family, including the money. Why would he give everything away just for Hank? I guess, again, I just see things differently. I've never seen a single scene between Walter and Hank that would justify Walt giving up everything he has earned and killed many people over just to save the same man who is trying to destroy him. All I can agree on is that Walter is a very troubled man, and maybe that's why some of his decisions don't make any sense to me in the context of his recent character development.

Artem Sheverenov

@Jordan Alves, well, now you're just being plain rude. It's kind of hilarious that you equated reading your post to rewatching a great TV show. Sorry, not doing that. By the way, I never stated that my understanding of the show is somehow more valid than anyone else's. Not even once.

Artem Sheverenov

@Artem What about the scene where Saul suggested killing Hank and Walt was outraged? Or the scene in the previous episode where Walt finds out Hank is involved with Jesse and calls off the hit? And that's not counting the many other moments they share throughout the show... It's not that surprising to me, Walt managed to avoid serious consequences all this time so he genuinely started to believe he was in control.

Munir

Hey James. I appreciate your insight on movie-making. After having watched your reactions and commentary of movies and TV-shows, I‘d love to see something you have directed.

Underwater Sunlight (Eddy)

Jimmy and Chuck’s relationship is extremely well written and acted. I haven’t seen many shows handle the absolute abyssal pit of obsessive thinking the way BCS did with Chuck

Nathanael Hammett

Jimmy and Chuck's relationship is the best thing in the Breaking Bad universe.

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar

No one here is really even saying anything negative about BCS, unless someone wanting to rein in expectations or saying that there’s only one episode on the same level as Ozymendias qualifies them as a “hater”. The consensus on the show remains overwhelmingly positive.

Nathanael Hammett

Go fuck urself and ur backhanded comment saying I'm retelling the story. The show establishes Walt won't budge on family and that he cares about hank if ur not reading into scenes 1 dimensionally. Its almost like toxic masculinity is an underlying theme in the show that affects both Walt and Hank, might influence their interactions they have along with the general conflict of the show. But to say they "had no connection" is so funny. Your points about Jesse are trash. Go read my full reply. You clearly have enough time to watch BB 3 times over and pay for people's reactions to them

Jalves

As incredible as BB feels right now, just know that there are plenty of fans (Guillermo del Toro included!) who think Better Call Saul is an even better show

Michael Proch

Lmao haters in the comments. Sorry but Breaking Bad doesn’t do anything for me anymore. This rewatch series is the only way I can sit with it again because the characters are so hard to enjoy. BCS goes so much further.

Kaitlin

To Jordan Alves Man, I also have a lot of respect for people's time and feel the constraint of not making my comments span over 1,000+ words. That can lead to having some generalizations to pinpoint a few issues I have with the show. If you could condense your retelling of the entire show into a more compact and coherent post, I would gladly read it and respond to your criticism.

Artem Sheverenov

To Jordan Fellner (It seems that there are no direct replies in the reply tab) I can agree with you that there are two major themes that are intentionally obscured and left without flashbacks. First, it's quite apparent that Walt was a very bitter, probably depressed, and overall unpleasant person prior to the events of the show. There must have been something brewing in him for a long time for him to actually start cooking meth and blackmailing Jesse, a former student, to cook with him - all in one pilot episode. Second, there's a long-standing relationship between Hank and Walt. However, since it's also left open to interpretation, it has always seemed to me that there is no real connection between them, and that this relationship was held together entirely by Marie and Skyler, with the men being tagged along. I suppose the reaction to Hank's death would be believable if the show hadn't decided to turn Walt into an outright psychopath in the fifth season. Every example you gave about Walt showing concern for Hank could be the same facade of being a humane family man he used so many times before. The fact that every other character in the show considered killing Hank for always being in the way, except for Walt (because of family), felt like a blind spot to keep tension alive.

Artem Sheverenov

The coldest take in history. Walt and Hank’s relationship was complicated, but they genuinely cared for each other. (All of this is ignoring S1E1, when Hank was more of a macho-man plot device) They’ve been family for almost 20 years, and there clearly some level of brotherly love between them. They’re complete opposites who bring out each other’s insecurities (Hank being threatened by Walt’s intelligence, Walt being emasculated by Hank). When shit went down, they were always in each other’s corners. When Walt revealed his diagnosis, Hank was there. Not to replace him as Jr.’s father, but to reach out. When Hank got ambushed, Walt was the one to motivate him to keep going, telling him to kick his demons in the teeth. Walt went to great lengths to protect Hank from Gus—in fact, he’s the main reason why he killed Gus. Gus let Walter go, and his threats towards him and his family were only if he interfered with his business. Hank was close to catching the chicken man, and Gus was surely going to kill him for it. That’s why Walt originally intended to call in an anonymous tip to protect Hank, and then skip town, that way he could safely report Gus to the DEA. When that failed, he took out Gus solely for the sake of saving Hank. Even when Hank discovers Walt’s true identity, he’s not just pissed off…he’s hurt. When he feigns stomach sickness as an excuse to leave, Walt shows genuine concern for Hank. Why would he do this is he didn’t care? He was out of the game. He had nothing left to prove. He just wanted to check on a friend.

In such it’s own unique way too !! Love BCS can’t wait!

Chris York

I mean I understand where your coming from about the slow start and all. But come on BCS got some heat. It’s special in its own unique way and that’s why we should love it. It’s just as beautiful and deep as BB. if you like breaking bad, for the reasons I feel like we all here do, I’m sure you can find something to appreciate in BCS hype or no

Chris York

Yep. I wish people would stop overhyping BCS. It's definitely a very good show, but to set expectations sky high - especially when it does start out a bit slow - doesn't do the show any favors.

Jeff M

I disagree. There’s maybe one and I think we all know the one

Toe

Watch S1 Ep1 one more time after you finish the show, it's so wild to see the walt transformation that starkly.

Ken North

Man wrote an entire essay… I respect that.

Gavin

Brah what? One of the biggest themes of this show is family and Walt def cares about family. Hell Walt is so torn in person about telling the White-power gang to kill Jesse because he is "Like Family". Hank is family. He was actually willing to give up the 80 million to save Hank if you actually have been paying attention the whole time. There is the family lunch scene that plays out right before Hank finds the Walt Witman book, Walt is being so kind to his brother-in-law and there's no reason to believe why he would genuinely be faking it at that moment. Walt was out of the game. I feel like Walt was being genuine there too no? And what about in season 2 when Walt gives Hank that pep talk after he is shell-shocked from El Paso? Or also in season 2 after the Hank vs Tuco shootout when he is apologizing to Hank clearly remorseful about endangering his family. Sure he is covering up some of the truth but he clearly cares. Or what about paying Hanks medical bills and getting Jesse to work in the Lab and not pursue legal action against Hank. Yeah, those last two Walt also had his own motivations for helping Hank but that is the whole point. Characters in this show constantly have multiple motivations and reasons for pursuing an action. And Walt's reaction to Hank being executed is like that because it means his life is over obviously, Hank's also being over( his brother-in-law was just executed are you fucking seriously saying Walt wouldn't react like that) It's never more over for Walt than it is the moment Hank is killed, or Walt at least feels that way given the situation. He is quite dumbstruck and is in terrible awe at the result of all his work (ties into the episode being called Ozymandias). Also, there's no way you can be remotely serious about your views of Jesse in season 5. The first half of season 5 is Jesse coming up with ideas to help the group out (building this up even in season 4). Most of the choices he makes in this season result in the fate he receives.In the second half of the season, he figures out about the ricin cigarette in a believable way that the show also was building up to in that episode and in episodes prior. All of his decisions after that are informed by a discovery he made himself resulting in him being where he is in the last few episodes of the show. They even foreshadow Jesse's fate in the finale of season 4 where he is briefly cuffed and forced to cook in Gus's lab for being a rat. Gus presumed he had something to do with Hector talking to the DEA (a similar thing the Nazi group was accusing Jesse of and eventually would find out to be true). I could simply just mention that El Camino exists and is partly about him making his own decisions LOL. Another major theme in this show is choice or lack thereof. The fact that you consider Jesse being stuck in his situation bad writing is insane to me. He has been going down a rabbit hole the entire show and has previously been in helpless situations. There are countless points throughout the series where the characters themselves see the position they're in as one with no options (the FLY episode being a key one). Also, Jesse was the one who changed Hank and Gomez's plan to meet Walt out in the plaza which would have worked by the way. Jesse's choice not to talk to Walt gets him, Hank, and Steve Gomez further into the rabbit hole. Walt had no intentions of harming Jesse till after Jesse pulled out of the Plaza meeting. You are seriously going to tell me Walt saying " I did all of that to save you and I's lives both, only you're too stupid to see it" and him telling Jesse about what really happened to Jane went over you're head too. Probably thought it was a shock factor too lol. He is justifying the control he has had over Jesse and all the manipulation. Then in admitting the truth about Jane, he is telling Jesse "You did this, I tried to look out for your best interest the entire time like with Jane and I could have saved her. Likewise you, Jesse brought Hank out here, and now he is dead". He calls him a coward because he thinks he has been acting in Jesse's best interest and that Jesse is stupid to see it. He is pissed Jesse CHOSE to rat. Like even Walt is aware of the consequences of Jesse's choices, and of his own, hence his reaction to Hank's death. The show also sets up subtly and then confirms after, that Hank left his office seemingly at random but the reason being to go find Jesse ("the partner"). It's not just shock factor either that Jesse is imprisoned and tortured. They visually set this dynamic up with the whole spider in a jar and Tod killing the child scene and then later keeping the spider. The white power gang made it clear their views on rats which they liken Jesse to when Walt is asking them to kill Jesse. Then later Todd thinks about Jesse being a rat, being out there with two DEA agents, and possibly ratting to them. Todd also seems like he views Jesse as a pet and wants to keep him to some extent. just another reason to suggest having him imprisoned. They also do find out that Jesse talked about everything in the videotapes and that he specifically talks about Todd. You're right it is sad to see Jesse in a position where he is completely boxed in, sometimes metaphorically or literally. But to say that it's poorly written or that Jesse was a passive character is asinine. The choices the characters make sometimes can deny them of other choices later down the road. Im not saying you have to make "Season 5 the best one" in you're ranking but your points for why it is the weakest one are equally weak. You seem to miss the multiple angles characters have when you say Walt doesn't care about Hank. You seem to think Jesse had no influence over where he ends up in season 5 when I have listed examples of that not being the case. On top of that sometimes the choices Walt makes affect others like Jesse and put them in shitty spots where they themselves then have little to no choice. Brah wtf does "all-powerful Nazi militia" actually mean to you??? like is that just how you describe them what does that even have to do with shock value man?? A group of White supremacists (who do really exist in places out west) find out the person they were supposed to kill is also ratting on them. Like yeah, they torture him these people are evil and have reason to hate this guy LOL. Todd is also just a psycho. All I'm saying is that if you think about what's going on a larger scale narratively and connect the dots to previous character beats and themes, it's so easy to just walk all over your entire post. Sorry if after reading all this you haven't been swayed at all on Season 5. But you have a weak ass argument for why you felt the need to be so contrarian about a critically acclaimed season of television.

Jalves

I’ll say it: there are several episodes at an Ozymandias level in Better Call Saul. I’m so hyped for you to start that show! 😂

Kaitlin

I was curious to see if you would catch Walt’s pants from the pilot episode laying on the desert floor in the foreground as Walt was rolling the barrel dung beetle style across the desert… fantastic Easter egg‼️

Fred Migliorini

I really appreciated you taking the time to preview the trailer. I remember watching that trailer the week before the episode was first aired and it had people talking about it for weeks after the series ended. Ozymandias is a 19th century sonnet by Percy Shelly that was inspired by the ancient Egyptian Ruler Ramses the Great. There's plenty of analysis and interpretation of this work online, but the main takeaway is that it is a parable about absolute power and how temporary it is. In other words - All empires will eventually fall and Walter White's was no exception. It is a perfect parallel to a perfectly written tragedy.

Jason Metcalf

Yeah, I discovered the all-time great status of this episode many years after it aired and never understood the hype. Now, after rewatching this series for the third time, I guess I'm less critical, especially seeing James's reaction to it. But still: I never bought Walt's reaction to Hank's death. It was never apparent that Walt even cared for Hank in any of the show's scenes. He manipulated him like everyone else, and both didn't like each other that much. Hank always represented that masculine force that demeaned Walt and thought of him as a pushover nerd. James's reaction was like, "I can't understand how his morals lie right here." I guess you guys think that this makes Walt's character complex, but I think it's just an example of forced writing. It still has moments of pure brilliance, like the final phone call and Hank being buried in the same hole where the money was. But still, after all those years and multiple rewatches, I think that this season is the weakest of them all. It's especially sad to see Jessie's character being used as a plot device, having almost no agency over his fate. First, he's conveniently picked up by the police for throwing money away, then attempting to burn Walt's house down, being picked up by Hank, and finally imprisoned and tortured by the all-powerful Nazi militia. That's precisely what I meant before by traumatizing him for the shock factor. Well, we still have my favorite episode of the season up next and a very satisfying finale.

Artem Sheverenov

Everything's been said about these eps so I won't even try, but wow, you're timing it just right with BARRY too. Not only is this weekend a treat, but you're finishing out the final 2 eps of BB with the final 2 eps of BARRY Season 3 next weekend? This is PEAK television, my friend.

Mike Minerals