TV - Breaking Bad

[lulz]

This is a new show that I'd imagine many members of DF would enjoy watching. I read a review about it on slate.com and eagerly downloaded the first episode to check it out, and was not disappointed. If you smirk at the idea of the dad from Malcolm in the Middle playing a meth cook and enjoy dark humor, chances are you'll like the show.

No Country for Old Meth Dealers

Imagine the Coen brothers directing an episode of Weeds, and you have Breaking Bad.

By Troy Patterson




Having mastered the part of a prototypical suburban-dad-as-jolly-doofus on Malcolm in the Middle, actor Bryan Cranston gives it an energetic go as a suburban-dad-as-cringing-milksop on Breaking Bad (AMC, Sundays at 10 p.m. ET). His wrinkles seem baked into a face that's somehow both geekily ruddy and nerdily pale. His posture tells of his preparedness for a hundred defeats to come. His wears his scrub brush of a mustache as if he's resigned to it, with an upper lip that's unspeakably schlubby.


The character, Walt White, lives in Albuquerque, N.M., the burg from whence the Hoovers of Little Miss Sunshine set out on their sweet-sour road trip and where Bugs Bunny habitually made a wrong turn.* Walt teaches high-school chemistry—a far cry from the promise signaled by the plaque lauding his early work for a Nobel Prize-winning research team, particularly considering that he makes ends meet with a job at a car wash. Walter Jr., his teenage son, has cerebral palsy, and you get the sense that Walt feels disappointed in that fact and guilty about all his disappointment. Even though Mrs. White is more interested in eBay than in the pleasures of the marital bed, she has a baby on the way. Here we have all the markers of a generic midlife-crisis project, but the show's premise holds that, at age 50, Walt is way past the midpoint. The pilot episode saw him digest a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer and fling himself into a get-rich-quick scheme; the coming installments sludge through the fallout of his first misadventure in the manufacture and sale of crystal meth.


His colleague in the affair is one Jesse Pinkman, a former student Walt spied fleeing the scene of a drug bust. They're an attractively odd couple. Jesse, antic and quick and liquid, careers around in his baggy pants and gets high on his own supply. Walt remains a methodical dweeb even when struggling with the question of whether to kill a drug dealer—he hunts down a pad and writes up a pros-and-cons list. Reasons against offing the punk include "Judeo/Christian principles" and "post-traumatic stress" and "murder is wrong!" In the other column: "He'll kill your entire family if you let him go."


This is a comedy so dark that you see only half the laughs through the murk. The boldest pops of humor come from the direction of Walt's brother-in-law, a bulky and blustering DEA agent, a guy you can imagine braying that coined phrase "can of whoop-ass." The subtlest owe to Anna Gunn (of Deadwood), who, as Walt's wife, makes for a tickling mama bear. The rest is blood-and-guts slapstick and existential farce played out below desert mesas and along water-sprinkled lawns. It's no mere coincidence that a scene in this Sunday's episode—a vision of a dazed and bloodied outlaw marching through a pristine suburb—recalls a moment in No Country for Old Men. Breaking Bad often tries to make like a Coen brothers' edition of Weeds. Its achievement rarely matches its ambitions, but the effect is still pretty dope.

Reputation Comments on this post:

looks funny as fuck!

[dai_the_spy]

aye have downloaded the first 3 epidsodes. gr8 show

[experimenter]

Awesome show, even SWIMs dad who is anti drugs loves the show. Acting is excellent, good plot with lots of twists and turns. Hates the channel it's on, too many commercials, but a definite hit in SWIMs mind.

[dai_the_spy]

totally agree. i dont know what channel/time the show airs as i am in the uk and downloading em so no adverts guessed it was a pretty mainstream kinda show tho. Has there been 3 episodes so far with the 4th on sunday??

[Bajeda]

Have only seen one episode of this show so far, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Will need to check out more as they come out.

[dai_the_spy]

swim knows a link to the three episodes on rapidshare, although doesnt know if he can post it here?

[fnord]

Grandma has had some problems with meth in the past so she doesn't want to watch this show due to the fact she would probably start cooking again...

Originally Posted by dai_the_spy

swim knows a link to the three episodes on rapidshare, although doesn't know if he can post it here?

Linking to it would be legal,but I'm not sure of this sites stance on this.

[~lostgurl~]

Originally Posted by dai_the_spy

swim knows a link to the three episodes on rapidshare, although doesnt know if he can post it here?

Please go to Quick Links in the navigation bar and select "add video" from the drop down box then paste the rapid share link in the URL box. Cheers

[SmokeNmirrors]

Love that show watch it every Sunday

[radiometer]

This show kicks ass.

[nEone]

Anyone else here caught this show? It's got the dad from Malcom in the Middle playing a highschool science teacher who starts cooking meth. The episodes so far have been CRAZY hardcore - this ain't "Weeds" - it goes wrong pretty much right away.

Anyway, it's on Sunday nights - I have no idea what it has to do with AMC or American Movie Classics - Mad Men at least felt like it fit the AMC brand. That said - I can't wait to watch more, so I hope it doesn't get pulled.

[ncsponger]

Yea, swim has watched every episode so far. Pretty good show. Just as you think it might be getting kinda slow, something crazy happens. Swim wonders why Walter keeps mentioning "hydroflouric acid" when generally hydrochloric acid is used in methamphetamine synths. Maybe they don't want to reveal too much.

The best scene so far was on the last episode when Walter's "lab partner" had been smoking for a while and looked out the window and saw the two bikers coming up to his door tossing grenades in the air when he was really tweaked, and in reality they were two young Morman missionaries coming to knock on his door!!! LMFAO!!!

[ncsponger]

I found a clip of the scene I talked about in the previous post.....check it out.

BREAKING BAD ep,4 BUG OUT SCENE

[~lostgurl~]

A new entry has been added to Drugs Archive

Description:
2 mins

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit BREAKING BAD ep,4 BUG OUT SCENE
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[E-Danarchy]

Hm, sounds like the perfect reason to not study tonight. Thanks!

Reputation Comments on this post:

lol

[zera]

Ha funny, was just going to post a thread about this show when I saw this one. The last episode (4th episode) really stood out in my opinion, the writing, plot and acting were excellent. Bryan Cranston really has an amazing range (if anyone has seen both this show and Malcolm in the Middle, you know what I'm talking about).

[izzy31]

It's pretty over-dramatic but it's an OK show.

Reputation Comments on this post:

agreed it is over dramatic

[Shampoo]

Yes, it is an entertaining, and occasionally socially enlightening television series.

[RaverHippie]

Love this show, I really look forward to next season if it will exist.

[kaczynski]

Just have to say, this is the best fucking show on television. I can't wait for the next season

Reputation Comments on this post:

ok

[Bajeda]

The season is over now, but I can't wait for the next one. Breaking Bad is my favourite new show of the year (Fall 07 - Winter 08). Check it out if you haven't already.

Reputation Comments on this post:

agreed

[[éS]Infinite]

SWIM watched the first season yesterday after seeing this topic. It reminded him greatly of a methamphetamine version of the show "Weeds", many goofy (but serious) plot twists, similar characters, and overall similar storyline. Just as he was getting into the show, however, the seventh episode concluded and he was left wanting more!
SWIM doesn't quite enjoy the programs on television anymore, but he still finds such shows amusing. Definitely worth checking out!

Reputation Comments on this post:

agreed

[kaczynski]

I love how he starts becoming such a badass anti-hero by the end. the acting is awesome, the writing is frickin great...i tell everyone about this show, and alot of people love it. turns alot of retards off though because of it's themes

[x cynic x]

I enjoy this show as well, but I heard that they exaggerated with the mercury fulminate, and that it would be impossible to set off only one of the crystals. Can anyone verify this?

[cra$h]

of course it's going to be over dramatic, that's just to make it good, but swim's wondering how accurate it is to real life? of course the whole teacher gone bad isn't very realistic, but when it comes to the cooking, dealing, prices, etc.