Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 11: "Confessions"

The tension that these last three episodes have carried is an amazing feat.  Every moment is nerve wrecking, as the show finds a way to make every scene feel as if everything is on the line.  This recent episode somehow found a way to build on the tension and then gives us an ending that makes us disbelieve what we are seeing.

This episode was all about Walt, the master manipulator.  The first thing he does this episode is use his cancer as a mechanic to get Walt Jr. to stay in his house.  Next, he sends Hank and Marie a confession video that accuses Hank of being the mastermind behind his criminal life.  Finally, he meets up with Jesse and tries to convince him that starting a new identity will be the best thing for him.  The difference in the Jesse situation is that Jesse knows how manipulative Walt can be.  He calls him out on it.  Walt turns it up a dial and hugs him, the ultimate bluff.  When Jesse puts everything together about what happened to Brock, every moment where Walt could have been genuine with him turns sour.

This is definitely the end of Breaking Bad.  Jesse will never trust Walt again and there's nothing that can be done at this point to fix their relationship.  At the beginning of this series, I thought that Walt and Jesse were somehow going to benefit from each other and help each other through their struggles. This has not been the case.  Walt has manipulated Jesse to the point of mental breakdown.  All of the lies Walt has fed him has led to the last scene of this episode.  I hope Jesse lives, but its hard to see how now...

Observations:
- The intro never came into play during this episode. Todd's uncle is gonna play a big role soon, he seems like a nasty dude.
- It's funny and also somewhat creepy to see how polite and earnest Todd can be.
- Seriously, who picked that restaurant?  "How about that guacamole? We make it right here at the table!"
- Walt's money sponsoring Hank's rehabilitation came back into play to bite Hank in the ass.
- Will that guy who makes people disappear ever be used?  I'm guessing no.
- Jesse is fond of Alaska.
- "But seriously, Hello Kitty?"
- Speaking of Jesse, a part of me wanted to see him go and find a better life somewhere.
- Is Walt Jr. in the house at the end?

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 10: "Buried"

All gloves are off in the most quietly tense episode yet.  

We start off right where we left off, with Walt leaving Hank's garage.  The last shot between the two of them is a telling one.  It's framed exactly like the buildup to a western shootout, except for reaching for the gun, Hank is reaching for his garage door remote.  This is the start of Walt and Hank's game, their intellectual chess match.  Hank doesn't have enough evidence to convict Walt and Walt knows this.  Naturally, they both make their first move and try to call Skyler.  

Hank wins and reaches Skyler first.  Skyler shows up at the diner afraid and confused.  The shot of Hank sitting at a coffee table is a scary one as Skyler is unsure of what he knows and what he wants.   Hank is too naive and believes that she will automatically give her husband up right without hesitation, scaring her away with his eagerness to obtain her testimony.  After Marie is sent in and ends up smacking Skyler as well as trying to take away her baby, Skyler is clear on what side she's on.  So is Marie, she wants to get Walt.

This was a successful episode in the way it sets up the allegiances of the characters and well as making us question who we're rooting for.  A season ago, when Skyler walked suicidally into her pool, she definitely would have sided with Hank.  Now that Walt has quit the meth game, she wants to support him and suggests "Maybe our best move is to stay quiet".  As viewers, the first half of the episode has us rooting for Walt and Skyler not to incriminate themselves and get away with hiding their money. Then it has us question this, as it is hard not to feel sorry for Hank when he talks about how his career will be over when he turns in Walt.  

The most exciting and smart thing about the episode is how it sets up Jesse.  Right now, he seems like an emotional blank canvas.  What will he say?  How will he factor into Walt and Hank's game?  I cant wait until next week.

Observations:

- So much garage door action! Hank opens it to let Walt out, closes it while he's stares at him, then awkwardly opens it again while he's on the phone muhaha.

- Is Marie meant to be this irritating?  I think so.  I mean they had a scene where she literally tried to steal Skyler's baby away from her.

- Saul's henchman lying on the money was a nice moment of comedy.  It's this week's "Star Trek Pie Eating Contest".  #scroogemcducking

- Walt threatened to send Saul "to Belize".  You could see him shudder at the thought of it.

- I would not trust my memory to remember those GPS coordinates.

- Lydia and Todd! I had a feeling that would happen once that other gang told her they accepted mediocrity.

- Lydia participates in a mass killing and then has to close her eyes because she doesn't wanna see the bodies.  She's so quirky...

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 9: "Blood Money"

Finally, the beginning of the end of Breaking Bad is here.  The first episode of "The Final 8" makes its mark by telling us it's going to be a wild ride all the way the series finale.  Things happened in this episode that I did not think would happen until at least a couple of episodes in.  One of the qualities I always appreciated about the show is that it doesn't waste any time getting to certain plot developments.  Events transgress naturally and without the need to slow down.

The whole series has been leading up to Hank figuring out about Walt.  The end of "last season" ended with Hank stunned by his revelation that Walt might be Heisenberg.  From there, it only took one episode for Hank to confirm it and for Walt to figure out he knows.  In many other tv shows, a plot development like this would have dragged on for at least a couple of episodes (*cough Lost cough*).  But this is Breaking Bad and we only have 7 episodes to go.  The garage door closes and Hank punches Walt, something we've been waiting to see since we first started watching the show.

Before those tense last 10 minutes, the premiere episode succeeded in painting a bleak picture of life after "getting out" for Walt and Jesse.  Walt wants nothing to do with the business and now concerns himself with selling air fresheners.  Also, his cancer is back.  Jesse is morally suffering and has no idea what to do with himself, or his money.  Walter tries to talk to him and coldly lies to him about Mike.

What happens after this episode, I am unsure of.  Walt and Hank have entered an endgame with each other where both characters have everything to lose.  I don't know where this is headed, but am pretty damn excited to see what happens next.

Observations:
- Another flash forward scene.  This time, it becomes apparent that Walt's identity will somehow be revealed to the world (evidenced by the Heisenberg graffiti).  I'm not sure If I like how much information the show is giving us with these glimpses, almost seems like too much.
- Walt saying hello to his neighbor in the opening and again in the present story was a nice touch though.
- Walt's professional demeanor with Lydia at the car wash reminded me of the way Gus used to act at his restaurant.
- Speaking of Lydia, I found it funny she took her rental for a car wash.
- We get an awesome conversation about a Star Trek pie eating contest between Skinny Pete and Badger.  I could watch a show about these guys getting high and talking.
- It was hard for me to watch Jesse give away all that "blood money".  He's in self-destruct mode again.
- I doubt this will be the last we see of Lydia.
- Saul kept all those people waiting because he was getting a massage.
- "If you don't know who I am, maybe your best option is to tread lightly"- Walt threatening Hank.

My Baking Bread Hype Post

Breaking Bad returns this Sunday, airing the final 8 episodes of the series.  In terms of film/tv, this is my most anticipated event of the year.  How the series will end has been on my mind since the first half of Season 5 ended almost a year ago (Season 5, episode 8 aired 9/12/2012).  It's been a long wait, but knowing that these will be the last 8 episodes of the series ever makes it somewhat bittersweet.

Let's take a look back at my favorite episodes of each of the last 5 Seasons.

Season 1, Episode 6: "Crazy Handful of Nothing"

The episode where Walt shaves his head, confronts Tuco and throws the crystalline nugget to the floor, resulting in Tuco's admiration and business cooperation.  Walt would make a lot more crazy moves throughout the series, but this one stands out as the moment where Walt first solves one of his problems by doing something so bold and so dangerous, it just might work.

Season 2, Episode 12: "Phoenix"

When Jane dies.  A tragic episode, that shows Jesse and Jane having the opportunity for a better life, and then deciding to use their newly acquired money to get high.  Addiction was never more fatal in the series.  Many people see this as the turning point for Walt, as he accidentally flips Jane, then watches her die instead of saving her.

Season 3, Episode 7: "One Minute"

Hank's finest moment and maybe the show's best action sequence.  The showdown between the twins and Hank is the most tense I've felt watching the show, as I thought that the showrunners were actually willing to kill Hank off.

Season 4, Episode 13: "Face Off"

Season 4 was my favorite season of Breaking Bad and had some of the best episodes of the series.  I could've easily chosen "Crawl Space" or "Hermanos", but I chose the season finale mostly because it was the end of Gus, one of the best and compelling villains in any television show/movie/book.

Season 5.1, Episode 5: "Say My Name"

An episode that stays in my memory for how sad and maddening it was.  Mike gets found out by the DEA, has to abandon his granddaughter and then while escaping, gets shot by Walt for no other reason than the fact that he insulted him.  Walt's lowest low.

The last 5 seasons have been a crazy ride, its time to savor and enjoy the last stretch of it.

Season 5.2 Trailer:  http://youtu.be/T3dpghfRBHE

Random thoughts about Season 5.2:
- I hope Jesse doesn't die. Between Walt, Jesse and Hank, I'm pretty confident in my prediction that only one of them survives.
- I wonder how Hank will confront Walt.
- Hoping for more breakfast scenes with Walt Jr., those were always funny to me.
- Will Walt's cancer make a return?
- I've been waiting forever for a flashback scene of Walt and Jesse when they were in school.
- Although I don't see how they can fit into the plot, hopefully more Skinny Pete and Badger, Jesse's friends always entertained me.
- More "yo"'s and "bitch"s from Jesse please.

Man of Steel

Man of Steel delivers everything a Superman movie should.  If anything, it tries to do too much, but more on that later.  The movie works like an apology for Superman Returns, where the main complaint was that nothing really interesting challenged Superman and he didnt even throw a punch.  In Man of Steel, both of those problems are fixed in impressive ways.  General Zod and his team are a menacing threat to a "still finding his way" Superman.  The fight scenes, especially the first big one, are probably the best Superman fight scenes to hit the screen.  You feel the speed and impact of each punch in flashy and stylized camera movements.  Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) gets the action and the spectacle right.

The structure of the film feels a lot like Batman Begins, you could almost feel producer Christopher Nolan's guiding hand on the project.  Like Batman, Superman is shown first as a traveleving wanderer, lost in the world and trying to find his way.  During his journey, the movie jumps back and forth between present time and key events in his childhood.  The tone is also similiar to Batman Begins.  Superman is morally confused and super serious.  I kind of missed the playfulness and joyful wonder of the old Superman movies, but I can see why they went with what they did.  We get a serious science fiction movie out of Man of Steel, about the potential identity crisis someone would have if they landed on Earth and didn't know why.

If I had a criticism about the movie, it would be that it tried to do too much.  There are developments in the film that happen pretty quickly and abruptly, leaving us to question some of the logic of the characters or the situation.  For instance, Lois Lane becomes an important character in about two or three scenes.   The film is overambitious, covering a lot of territory and feeling rushed in certain scenes, then feeling slower in others.  I appreciated that they tried to fit everything in they could, a fault that I can't really blame the movie for too much.  

Overall, a big, bold and technically impressive Superman film.  

Game of Thrones Season 3 Episode 10: "Mhysa"

So how does Game of Thrones follow up last week's episode? Apparently with a busy and somewhat entertaining wrap up episode.  As for season finales go, this is probably the most underwhelming of the three.  Can't fault the show runners though, this season of Game of Thrones only covers the first half of the third book in the series and ends somewhere in the middle of "A Storm of Swords".  This episode also had the burden of going on after last week's "Red Wedding", which was probably the most shocking moment of the show to date.  Naturally, this episode felt a little slower and uneventful, as it dealt mostly with the aftermath of last week's gamechanging deaths.

One of the responsilibilites of a Game of Thrones season finale is that we check in with all of the characters before the 9 month haitus.  Although the episode worked like efficient clockwork in the way we caught up with everyone, there was some pretty amazing scenes with particular characters.  Starting off, I was happy with the initial council meeting, which was basically Tyrion and Tywin putting Joffrey in his place and sending him to his room like a little boy.  Then we see how differently the two Stark sisters deal with the news of the loss of their brother and mother.  Sansa sits near a window and cries in her room.  Arya (in my favorite sequence of the night) plays pretend lost little girl and then proceeds to kill a Lannister bannerman by repeatedly stabbing him in the neck.  

It was also nice to see some of the characters meeting and reuniting with each other after spending the whole season apart.   Even though I do not like Cersei at all, I still felt happy for her and Jaime when he showed up like a dirty creeper out of nowhere in her bedroom.  I don't think we've seen them together since season 1 and almost forgot they where a couple/siblings.  Jon Snow writhing in pain and smiling to see Sam was also another nice moment.  In the offseason, I'd like to imagine that the characters are spending a lot of time with each other exchanging stories of their adventures.

Overall, a good episode that has the burden of wrapping  up this half season.  It does its job as a season finale by resolving certain storylines as well as setting up new ones.

Observations:

- That half Robb/half wolf thing was stuff nightmares are made of.  Poor Arya, you could even tell the Hound thought that was too much.

- Speaking of the Hound, it was pretty funny to see him start eating food in the background after Arya killed that Lannister soldier.

- Arya uses her coin to summon Jaqen :D

- I like Theon's sister. Her quest to rescue her little brother looks like it'll be pretty exciting.  

- Hopefully Theon wont have to spend another season just repeatedly getting tortured. Seriously, thats all his storyline was this season.

- A lot of Davos this episode, but he had some good scenes.  "Do you know how to swim?" "No." "Don't fall out." Haha.

- I was happy to see Brienne again and with Jamie at King's Landing.  I wonder if she knows about Catelyn yet and whats to become of her.  

- Daenerys popped up out of nowhere at the end to look cool and epic for the last scene.

So that does it for Season 3 folks!  It's been a wild ride.  Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up, it warms my heart to know people are reading these :D  

Game of Thrones Season 3 Episode 9: "The Rains of Castamere"

The best episode of the season and maybe the show's best episode yet.  As I'm writing this, I'm getting emotionally exhausted thinking about what happened.  I haven't fully processed my thoughts yet.  I feel like I was gut punched in a way only Game of Thrones could do.  I had a feeling something bad was about to happen, but not at this level.  

They're all dead.  Two of the major players of the series, Catelyn and Robb, dead.  Talisa and her unborn child, dead.   Talisa repeatedly getting stabbed in the stomach was horrific in a way most horror movies never even come close too.  For me, that was the most brutal killing I've seen in a tv show or movie in a long time.   Catelyn slitting the the throat of Frey's wife and then screaming as she spews blood from her own throat getting cut, is something that'll be etched into my memory for probably as long as tv show goes on.

And everything seemed to be going so well.  Poor Arya was about to reunite with her family only to have them die when she was literally at their doorstep.  That sense of fear she talked about with to the Hound was confirmed.  Good foreshadowing by the showrunners.  There were even moments of joy and comedy at the wedding ceremony.  Turns out the Frey girl to be married is actually pretty, you could see Edmure's face lighten up.  Things were going too right...  

So some other stuff happened this episode right?  Pretty significant things actually, but are ultimately overshadowed by that ending.  Jon Snow kills some of the wildlings and rides off on a horse, leaving Ygritte behind looking like she had a broken heart.  Bran and his group get surrounded by wildlings, then goes full Jedi and helps Jon win his battle.  Jorah, Daario and Grey Worm sack and win a city for Daenerys.

Overall, a masterful episode of TV I will never forget.  I'm still in shock.

Observations:

-“A man can’t make love to property”, you could almost see Daenerys swoon.

“Someday, I’m going to put a sword through your eye and out the back of your skull”, badass Arya line of the day.

- Speaking of Arya, I'm kind of glad the Hound knocked her out.  She's going to be in a dark place now.

- Hodor is afraid of lightning, it appears. Hodor, Hodor, Hodor.

- Grey Worm fights with efficiency and badassery.

- The Lannisters have won.  

- I usually watch episodes twice before I write my review.  I couldn't bring myself to watch this again so soon...