Breaking Bad

[Vandy Vol]

Anyone else think this first 8 of the final season is mainly setting up Walt's empire? 

He's being separated from his family.  The kids are out, and Skylar is becoming more like a zombie.

He's taking full control of the operation.  We see how they're going to cook.  They've gotten the Methlymine.  Mike wants out and Todd could be the hitman. 

If you watched the season 5 preview before the first episode, you probably noticed Jesse partying with Puff Daddy.  I doubt Jesse can party with Puff Daddy at this point right now.  Even if PDiddy isn't playing himself but just another rich drug dealer/millionaire, Jesse still isn't in position to party with anyone right now. 

So the season is definitely on point to put Walt and Jesse at the pinnacle of success.  There's only three episodes left.  I can't see them suddenly deviating from the current plot right before the mini-season finale. 

Further, we know that season 5 part 2 includes Walt's 52nd birthday.  I highly doubt - especially with the pace the show has had in its existence - that they suddenly jump ahead a year within three episodes.

So if I had to guess, I'd say that Walt and Jesse finish this mini-season by establishing themselves as the meth empire and episode 9 takes place after a long period of sustained success with Walt and Jesse. 

Then part ii of season 5 is Walt's undoing and it will probably be very similar to Gus's undoing.

They've only got three episodes remaining for this current "season," and they haven't really established anything close to an empire yet.  I think it might be a little rushed if they try to establish an empire in the remaining three episodes.

Additionally, the name of the next episode is "Buyout,"  which suggests that there will be someone wanting to buy Walt's business, or someone wanting to get out of Walt's business.  Or the episode title could be referring to a non-obvious form of a buyout, but on its face, it appears to suggest that the business will continue to undergo growing pains.

Don't forget that the kid being shot was the culmination of the last episode.  That is likely going to present problems that they will have to resolve during the next episode, if not the entirety of the remaining episodes for this season.

If they're going to have Walt creating an empire, then I could see them alluding to that for the very last episode of this season, and then have some time pass between that episode and the first episode of next season, but I don't see them showing the full growth of Walt's empire by the end of this season.  There's still too much that needs to be resolved in a short amount of time.

[Kaos]

Last night's episode meandered too long before arriving at a tight conclusion. 

Was good to see Walter finally arrive at the delayed motivation.  While things may have originally been about getting enough cash to help the family survive his demise, that motivation changed when he was subjected to the wealth and opulence of the folks at Gray Matter.

Jealousy.  Base emotion and the only thing that matters. But does it resonate?  Does it feel like the truth?  I don't know.

I liked the dinner scene.  it was horribly uncomfortable. 

I liked the final scene. 

I really felt like the rest was sort of slapdash.  It didn't really connect.  The death of the kid was just brushed over too quickly.   It seemed like a series of scenes as opposed to a cohesive story. 

I still wonder if they thought up the jealousy angle last week or if it was part of an overall master plan.  It felt a little forced. 

[War Eagle!!!]

Last night's episode meandered too long before arriving at a tight conclusion. 

Was good to see Walter finally arrive at the delayed motivation.  While things may have originally been about getting enough cash to help the family survive his demise, that motivation changed when he was subjected to the wealth and opulence of the folks at Gray Matter.

Jealousy.  Base emotion and the only thing that matters. But does it resonate?  Does it feel like the truth?  I don't know.

I liked the dinner scene.  it was horribly uncomfortable. 

I liked the final scene. 

I really felt like the rest was sort of slapdash.  It didn't really connect.  The death of the kid was just brushed over too quickly.   It seemed like a series of scenes as opposed to a cohesive story. 

I still wonder if they thought up the jealousy angle last week or if it was part of an overall master plan.  It felt a little forced.

He has talked about Grey Matter before and shown resentment. Also, everyone here has thought that he wants to build a huge empire, so I am not sure how much of a stretch that is either. It has been stated several times in this thread that it isn't the money, it's the power that Walt is after.

I liked the "Is a Meth empire really something to be proud of" line....

[Kaos]

He has talked about Grey Matter before and shown resentment. Also, everyone here has thought that he wants to build a huge empire, so I am not sure how much of a stretch that is either. It has been stated several times in this thread that it isn't the money, it's the power that Walt is after.

I liked the "Is a Meth empire really something to be proud of" line....

They've talked about Gray Matter before but he never explicitly expressed his resentment.  He'd always played it off like he had come to terms with it.

[GH2001]

Also, everyone here has thought that he wants to build a huge empire, so I am not sure how much of a stretch that is either.

Yeah, but, but....we were all overthinking that. Remember?

I do agree that Walt has other things going on for motivation besides money as well. Its pretty apparent now. Its something for him to cling to with his cancer and all. And at the same time, it helps him finish something he started with Grey Matter. He has a couple of axes to grind here. If it were 100% about the money, he would have sold out his 1/3 of the Meth to the buyer.

[War Eagle!!!]

At this point, is anyone even routing for Walt? It's like watching a train wreck.

[Vandy Vol]

[Townhallsavoy]

At this point, is anyone even routing for Walt? It's like watching a train wreck.

Nope. 

And I think that may be the point.  He's the anti-hero, and the more we watch, the more we realize that every other character has a good heart or at least a positive quality we can admire.

Mike is in it for his granddaughter.

Skylar feels trapped and is terrified for her children.

Jesse's a troubled, lost young man who is trying the best he can to find a good role model and a way to earn a good living.  He also has a heart for children and was a good boyfriend to that latin chick.

Walt?  Walt's in it for himself.  He's willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to satisfy his pride. 

I'm to the point where I want Walt to die, and the happy ending will include him attempting to use an assault rifle to take out those that stopped him, but in the end, he is mowed down like Pacino in Scarface. 

Also, this mini-season is bullshit.  This is my favorite show of all time and I still love it, but what they're accomplishing in these eight episodes could have been done in four or five and left room for a big plot twist or something more interesting than what's happening.  I hate to say it, but the final season didn't need to be split into two mini-seasons; the people involved just wanted a way to make more money. 

[Kaos]

Nope. 

And I think that may be the point.  He's the anti-hero, and the more we watch, the more we realize that every other character has a good heart or at least a positive quality we can admire.

Mike is in it for his granddaughter.

Skylar feels trapped and is terrified for her children.

Jesse's a troubled, lost young man who is trying the best he can to find a good role model and a way to earn a good living.  He also has a heart for children and was a good boyfriend to that latin chick.

Walt?  Walt's in it for himself.  He's willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to satisfy his pride. 

I'm to the point where I want Walt to die, and the happy ending will include him attempting to use an assault rifle to take out those that stopped him, but in the end, he is mowed down like Pacino in Scarface. 

Also, this mini-season is bullshit.  This is my favorite show of all time and I still love it, but what they're accomplishing in these eight episodes could have been done in four or five and left room for a big plot twist or something more interesting than what's happening.  I hate to say it, but the final season didn't need to be split into two mini-seasons; the people involved just wanted a way to make more money.

^^

See: Sopranos Season 6, Parts I and II. 

Same fucking deal.  Tony sliding further and further into the pit, dragging Carm and the kids with him.  Lost his moral compass. 

Been there before. 

If Walt kills Jesse when he realizes he can't rely on him (or out of convenience) then I will stop watching because they really have copied too much. 

[Vandy Vol]

[GH2001]

^^

See: Sopranos Season 6, Parts I and II. 

Same fucking deal.  Tony sliding further and further into the pit, dragging Carm and the kids with him.  Lost his moral compass. 

Been there before. 

If Walt kills Jesse when he realizes he can't rely on him (or out of convenience) then I will stop watching because they really have copied too much.

Finally a parallel comparison I can agree with you on.

Although Season 6 of Sopranos is still better than most. It's good when a bad episode of a show is still better than others' best.

[Townhallsavoy]

I plan on watching The Sopranos after Breaking Bad's miniature season ends, so I wish you fuckers would quit spoiling it. 

[GH2001]

I plan on watching The Sopranos after Breaking Bad's miniature season ends, so I wish you fuckers would quit spoiling it.

Its not that Season 6 is bad, but they seem to cram a lot in and a lot of things felt forced, thats all. I won't give any plot info away to you. The series is well worth watching all the way through. Like BB, you have to pay close close attention to details and they will come back around later. Even in later seasons. K is right, it's very well done.

[War Eagle!!!]

Walt is digging himself quite the hole...

[GH2001]

Walt is digging himself quite the hole...

Yeah, I def wasn't expecting that to happen.

[Vandy Vol]

Walt is digging himself quite the hole...

In some ways he is digging a deeper hole, but he also doesn't appear to be leaving behind any evidence.

The gun he used wasn't his, and assuming he properly disposes of it, there won't be any evidence that it was his doing.  While the DEA found a way to get to Mike, there still aren't any obvious connections to Walt...yet.

I think ultimately that someone is going to have to turn on Walt in order for him to get caught by the DEA.  Or he slips up and gets caught.  But so far, I haven't see any major slip ups that have left evidence; Walt's been pretty careful about covering his tracks even when the shit hits the fan.

It's possible that Walt will slip up and that no one will have to turn on him in order for him to be found out or killed.  I noticed that, for the first time I can recall, Walt admitted to missing a detail in this last episode.  While Mike sat in the grass, Walt stated that he forgot that he could have just gotten the names from Lydia.  Maybe this brief, small lapse in judgment is a sign that he will continue to overlook details and make larger mistakes in the remaining episodes.

But, if someone is going to turn on him and cause his downfall, Todd is a new possible rat or murderer.  Notice how he didn't want to be paid until he learned the cooking process?  He may be planning on turning Walt in or killing him once he figures out how to do the cook, and then turn the secrets over to the highest bidder.  I doubt Todd is already working for someone in the meth business, as he was simply a thief with Vamanos Pest before.  However, since working with Walt, maybe he's sought out connections?  Who knows...Todd's still a pretty big mystery, which means that he could turn out to not be trustworthy for any number of reasons.

Then there's Jesse, of course.  He wants out of the business, but Walt won't hand over his share.  Aside from Skyler, Jesse is now the character with the most incentive to get rid of Walt.  But I don't think he'll simply turn him in to the DEA, as that implicates him.  He'd have to get a sweetheart deal from the DEA to consider ratting Walt out, and even then, that would not get him his money.  Jesse would have to devise a smart plan to kill Walt and get his money.  Given the fact that Jesse has become more and more of an "idea guy" in recent episodes, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities.

They've got a lot of directions they can go with this, and they've left enough clues so that any of those directions are plausible.

[Townhallsavoy]

It's possible that Walt will slip up

His slip up is that, as Mike said in episode 2 or 3, Walt is a ticking time bomb. 

He shot Mike out of anger.  There was absolutely no reason to shoot Mike at that moment.  You could tell Walt realized his mistake when he ran to Mike's car with a shocked look on his face. 

He needed the names, and Mike wouldn't give them up.  So Walt threw a temper tantrum and killed Mike.  How big of a temper tantrum will he throw when Todd proves to make dumbass, irrational mistakes and he realizes his family truly hates him and he discovers that being pushy with drug cartels isn't going to earn him billions? 

[War Eagle!!!]

9 guys are still out there that now won't get their money. At least one of those guys knows about Walt. Walt is going to have a lot of work to do to keep those guys from talking. Or he is going to have to keep paying them off.

[Vandy Vol]

His slip up is that, as Mike said in episode 2 or 3, Walt is a ticking time bomb. 

He shot Mike out of anger.  There was absolutely no reason to shoot Mike at that moment.  You could tell Walt realized his mistake when he ran to Mike's car with a shocked look on his face. 

He needed the names, and Mike wouldn't give them up.  So Walt threw a temper tantrum and killed Mike.  How big of a temper tantrum will he throw when Todd proves to make dumbass, irrational mistakes and he realizes his family truly hates him and he discovers that being pushy with drug cartels isn't going to earn him billions?

Sure, Walt is showing signs that he may eventually slip up.  As I mentioned, when he realized that he could have gotten the names from Lydia, that was the first time that I can recall Walt realizing that he made a mistake.

But, he's covered that mistake up so far as we can tell.  The gun wasn't his, and assuming it is disposed of properly, no police department or agency would have any reason to implicate Walt.

I definitely agree that Walt is starting to show flaws in his judgment, but as of right now he's also covered his ass when it comes to any mistakes that he or others have made.

They're definitely foreshadowing that he might make bigger mistakes in the future, but who's to say that someone else won't take him out prior to him making a mistake that causes him to be discovered?  Maybe they end the show with Walt being killed prior to being discovered, and so he gets to die an innocent man in the public's eye.  Maybe Hank figures it out just as Walt gets killed, but decides to keep it to himself so as to not disgrace a father and former school teacher.

I definitely see where Walt is starting to lose control, but I don't think that necessarily means that he will do something to get caught.  There are plenty of characters who have the motive to cause Walt's demise before he does so himself.

[Vandy Vol]

9 guys are still out there that now won't get their money. At least one of those guys knows about Walt. Walt is going to have a lot of work to do to keep those guys from talking. Or he is going to have to keep paying them off.

Now that you mention that, I recall Todd saying that he has prison connections.  Any chance that Walt tries to get Todd's connections to take out those guys?  It could explain the introduction of Todd.  But then again, so many things about him have not been explained that I still have no clue what his ultimate purpose in the show is going to be.