Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 13: "ABQ"

For all he’s done, Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) gotten off relatively easily thus far, not getting caught by the law or killed by criminal rivals despite a few close calls. Things were arguably even looking up, between the cash he got for his load of meth, his cancer going into remission, and he and Skyler (Anna Gunn) seemingly back on good terms. But in this episode, Walt gets his just deserts. No, he doesn’t get caught or killed; that’d be too easy. Instead, punishment is mostly inflicted on his soul, while he’s still got one.

Like how he turned the charity website his son (RJ Mitte) created into a channel to launder his drug money. While his family is inspired by what they believe is other peoples’ charity, Walt has to live with the knowledge that it’s all a lie. It’s a little funny how he gets more and more irritated with each ding of the site’s counter, but he can’t outwardly express his stewing emotions without hurting his family and blowing his cover. Cathartic, too, that he brought this on himself.

Then there’s the big reveal of where the burnt teddy bear and other debris in this season's pre-credits scenes came from: a midair collision between two planes, caused by air traffic controller Donald Margolis (John de Lancie) drifting off on the job after his daughter Jane’s (Krysten Ritter) death. If Walt had only stopped her from asphyxiating last episode, this might have been avoided. It’s not just Walt’s family punishing Walt for his deeds, but the whole universe, it seems.

There’s no satisfaction in this, though, both because of the magnitude of the tragedy, but also because of de Lancie’s performance. It was clear last episode he’d tried everything to help his daughter get clean. This time, the stone-faced, burnt-out devastation on his face when he sees his daughter being taken away in a body bag is powerful; he’s a man too exhausted from his efforts to even mourn. When the airline disaster happened the first time I watched it, I was too stunned to really think about it because it came almost out of nowhere. Knowing it was coming this time made it more heartbreaking for Margolis. Not only did he fail to save his daughter, but his state of mind after his failure may have killed hundreds more.

Walt doesn’t get off with just guilt, though. At the end of the episode, Skyler leaves him, having found out he’s been lying (though not finding out the whole truth yet) due to an anesthesia-induced slip of the tongue before his surgery (the second cell phone conversation comes back to bite him). He ostensibly entered the drug business to provide for his family, but now that catalyst is gone.

This season began looking like it would be a crime caper, but it actually turned into more of a character study. Partially a study of Jesse, Skyler, and Hank (Dean Norris), as well, but mainly of Walt, as he took steps from morally dubious but well-intentioned to clearly on the side of bad. He’ll become even worse as Heisenberg takes over more and more, but right now he still has at least some of a conscience, and the weight of the events of this episode on that conscience is more burdensome than if he’d just gotten busted or killed. This season’s a bit slow at times, something I’d forgotten after the super compelling third and fourth seasons, but the payoff is just brilliant.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 12: "Phoenix"

I’ve always liked John de Lancie as Q, the godlike being with a prankster’s attitude in the Star Trek universe, so I enjoyed seeing him appear earlier this season, even in just a cameo. In this episode, however, that cameo grows into a crucial supporting character, one far removed from the all-powerful smartass toying with the crew of the Enterprise. And he’s good. Really good.

As Donald Margolis, the father of Jesse’s (Aaron Paul) landlady/girlfriend Jane (Krysten Ritter), de Lancie gives us a man running on empty, having tried anything and everything to save someone he loves from addiction but out of ideas and exasperated. It’s a short role (he only appears in four episodes, two of which amount to only fleeting appearances), but in a way, the brevity works in his favor: there’s not enough time to delve into clichés or melodrama, and only enough to convey a sense of exhausted desperation (and in next episode’s case, despair).

In addition to newfound growth for that seemingly onetime character, this episode delivers moments of truth for two who are already established. One is Jane, who’s relapsed back into heroin use and brought Jesse with her. Watching a second time, it seems like their relationship is more important to Jesse, as he has no one else in the way of human contact; for Jane, it’s just a fling of convenience with her new neighbor. In this one, the way she controls Jesse to blackmail Walt (Bryan Cranston) is not unlike how Walt manipulates his former student. Like Walt, Jane only cares about Jesse for what he can do for her.

But, in the other said moment, we find that Walt actually does care about Jesse. Maybe seeing his new baby daughter brought out what’s left of the good in him, or maybe it was the coincidental conversation with Jane’s father at the bar (a scene that’s bit hard to believe, but I’ll overlook this unlikely event because of the great character drama it was a part of). Whatever the case, despite the way he constantly disparages and controls Jesse, Walt feels kind of like a patriarchal figure to his former student. And he shows it by doing fatherly things like showing Jesse tough love by withholding his share of their earnings until he sobers up, or trying to convince him to reject Jane’s corrupting influence.

It’s in this same capacity, however, that Walt shows that he’s past another point from which he can’t go back. The scene where he watches Jane die, able to save her but choosing not to, is a painful and powerful one. Walt exhibits several emotions. One’s guilt, like the guilt he felt having to kill Krazy-8 in Jesse's basement. There’s sadness, as he’s a father, too. And also relief, as he knows her and Jesse’s blackmail plot won’t survive without her.

But the most telling thing is not Walt’s mix of emotions. It’s his instinctual reaction to Jane's death. A good person’s instinct when seeing someone choking on their own vomit would be to help them. Walt’s first reaction is to stop and think about it. He’s now at the point where he’s calculating whether a person should live or die. Even if he'd chosen to save Jane, the fact he had to weigh his options first shows his fundamental nature has changed, definitely for the worse.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 11: "Mandala"

Another bridge episode, this one mostly sets up new plot points, some of which will come more to fruition next season. And it all begins from one small event.

That event is Jesse’s (Aaron Paul) dealer friend Combo (Rodney Rush) being killed. It seems like a random killing at first, but it actually sets up a major plot point next season. Right now, it leads Jesse to turn to drugs, and with him Jane (Krysten Ritter) relapses, setting up her tragic end next episode. Walt (Bryan Cranston) decides to seek a new buyer and meets Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), which sets him up to be the main villain in season three (he barely makes an impression in this episode, but he’ll soon become a great villain). And maybe all this coming as a result of just one event, one death, is an oblique foreshadow of the events that indirectly cause the airline tragedy at season’s end.

Oh, and I almost forgot: Skyler (Anna Gunn) has the baby finally.

Actually, of all the new developments in this episode, Skyler’s is the most interesting. She’s been obviously getting closer to her boss Ted (Christopher Cousins) for several episodes now. In this one, before going into labor, she finds that Ted has been cooking the company’s books and confronts him about it. But despite the weight on her conscience, she doesn’t leave the company.

Interesting, because later she’ll find out about Walt’s illegal doings and want nothing to do with him, at least at first. Why does she overlook Ted’s crimes but shun Walt for his? Is she willing to look the other way to help Walt, which at this point is what she believes she’s doing? Has she come to the conclusion that she can’t go anywhere without some shady doings? Does she think tax fraud is more forgivable than drugs? Is it because she has feelings for Ted? That seems like a given.

Aside from that development, Combo’s killing is effective because the way it plays out is surprising and lamentable, and the ending where Walt rushes to deliver meth to Gus’ associates, causing him to miss his child’s birth, is exciting and painful. But this episode is more about planting seeds for farther down the line than the immediate. That turns out to be a good thing, though, because it allows the last two episodes to wrap up the immediate arcs terrifically.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 10: "Over"

After the good news he received last episode, Walt (Bryan Cranston) indicates to Jesse (Aaron Paul) that because he now has a chance to live, he’ll soon get out of the meth business. That’s at the very start of the episode, however. As it goes on, he’ll find that’s easier said than done.

Heisenberg won’t lay dormant, and Walt’s evil side makes an appearance during a house party celebrating his prognosis. His behavior—all but forcing the teenage Walter, Jr. (RJ Mitte) to pound down tequila until he pukes in the pool—almost leads him to blows with Hank (Dean Norris), ironically foreshadowing the cat-and-mouse storyline between the two coming after this season. In the closing scene, after seeing people buy supplies to make meth at the hardware story (he makes several trips here and spends most of the episode making long overdue home repairs now that he’s got the money and incentive to do so), Walt issues them a stern warning to stay out of his territory. Dropping that line, he looks every bit like a real, badass crime lord, not the meek high school teacher he used to be. Walt’s tasted criminal success, and he likes it.

While Walt plays handyman, Jesse’s landlady Jane (Krysten Ritter), with whom he’s been starting a relationship, shuns him when her father (John de Lancie) pays her a visit. Jesse is hurt and confronts her about it later, but she suggests their time together is little more than a fling, not a true relationship.

Poor Jesse. Seems like every time he gets some of the human contact he craves, it turns out to be fleeting. Jane has a change of heart at the end of the episode, but this is of little solace watching the show a second time, knowing what they have together is doomed. It’s not even very hopeful the first time you see it, because the pre-credits scene—panning away from the scorched teddy bear to show body bags on Walt’s front lawn—makes it clear something very bad’s not too far away.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 9: "4 Days Out"

The dynamic between Jesse (Aaron Paul) and Walt (Bryan Cranston) is a complicated one. Though the highs they experience may be good (in terms of the money they make if not morality), the lows seem much more frequent, and their relationship can be destructive. Sort of like a certain drug.

In this episode, Walt fears his disease will soon kill him, and he and Jesse take the RV out to the middle of nowhere to cook as much meth as they can over four days. They momentarily triumph by making enough for both of them to net over $600,000. But when their vehicle dies, thanks to Jesse’s carelessness, the two become stranded. What begins looking like a humorous “Pine Barrens”-esque story quickly takes a turn for the harrowing as the two run out of food, water, and ideas.

The whole ordeal captures the total essence of the two’s relationship. There’s a little camaraderie when they complete their cook, but this positivity is fleeting and the tension returns. Walt is in charge of the whole situation, both in the cook and finding a solution to their predicament (one of the last bits of Mr. White the science teacher comes out when they build a makeshift battery out of sponges, chemicals, and loose change), while Jesse just follows. After they finally make it out of the boondocks, Jesse assures Walt that if he dies, he’ll make sure his family gets his share of their earnings. Walt seems distant (and has the whole episode), barely mustering a small “thank you.”

That scene says it all: in spite of all their mishaps, Jesse’s still loyal to Walt. Maybe it's because his former teacher was one of the few people who saw anything in him, even if what he saw were skills in doing something very bad. Walt, on the other hand, is only loyal to Jesse because he knows that in his former student he's got someone who’ll do what he’s told, a person he can control.

The final moment with just Walt is also a great one. After finding out his cancer’s in remission, he punches a paper towel holder in the clinic’s bathroom. The scene is ambiguous. Is he angry that he committed so many evil deeds only to find out he’s not going to die, punching at his reflection in the metallic dispenser because he hates what he’s become? Or is it an adrenaline rush from another triumph, and he’s pumped because he’ll live to spend his dirty money?

Walt’s actions will soon answer that question.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 8: "Better Call Saul"

As the title suggests, this episode introduces the funniest character on the show: Bob Odenkirk’s uber-shady lawyer (or as Jesse puts it, not a criminal lawyer, but a “criminal lawyer”) Saul Goodman. After Jesse (Aaron Paul) learns his dealer Badger (Matt L. Jones) is busted, he and Walt (Bryan Cranston) enlist Goodman to get them out of the jam by legal or not-so-legal means.

The character seems like one that shouldn’t work in such a crime drama; the overly and comically sleazy scumbag looks like a better fit for a sitcom. But work he does. Chalk one up for the show’s writers for abandoning the mold and giving us something other than an archetype we’re used to, and for Odenkirk for making Saul sharp and funny but keeping him grounded enough to be believable amongst the darker characters. I’ll definitely be checking out the proposed spinoff (if Saul makes it out alive, that is; I’m not counting out the possibility that this is just a red herring and he gets it before the end, even with Vince Gilligan's assurance that he won't).

The episode harkens back to the first season, when the show was more darkly comical than just dark. The opening, where Badger completely figures out the buyer played by DJ Qualls is really a cop and then falls into his trap anyway, plays like a comedy sketch. The scene where Walt and Jesse kidnap and threaten Saul—who not only talks his way out of danger but completely usurps the upper hand from them with nothing but his mouth—is brilliant, both hilarious and insightful about the attorney’s character. There won’t be many more episodes with a humorous tone, but Saul and his cohorts pepper the series with comic relief, while also loading the DVDs with his hilariously bad commercials.

In the episode’s only unfunny (and intentionally not funny) moment, Walt gives Hank (Dean Norris) a pep talk to get him out of his PTSD-triggered mental prison, unwittingly sending his own bother-in-law on his trail. Saul points out that having a conscience can be costly, and Walt proves him right. Though Saul was talking about a dollar amount, while the price of Walt’s familial council is a headache that will follow him for the rest of the show.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 7: "Negro y Azul"

The episode opens with a music video featuring a mariachi band singing in Spanish about the mysterious Heisenberg and his blue meth. The style of music is called narcocorrido, a real Mexican genre that mythologizes drug lords and gangsters, so directly that many such artists actually are targeted and killed by the criminals they sing about. This musical interlude might seem random and out of place to viewers not familiar with the finer points of the Mexican drug wars, but it’s actually a clever and authentic touch for those in the know. It lets us know that Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) legend has reached across the border, and reminds us the cartel still has him in their sights.

Another reminder is the fate of DEA informant Tortuga (Danny Trejo), part of whom is found strapped with explosives to the animal from where he got his name. Hank (Dean Norris), recently transferred to El Paso, is luckier than his new compadres wounded in the resulting blast, but seeing such brutality firsthand adds to the PTSD he’s been feeling since wasting Tuco. Just as Walt hardens into a full-blown criminal as he gets deeper into the drug underworld, Hank’s harrowing experiences (more will come later) also toughen him up. But in the other direction, into a better, smarter, more daring cop. Hank is a lost soul now, but he’ll soon find his footing as an integral piece of the storyline.

Back in Albuquerque, Jesse’s (Aaron Paul) street cred is at an all-time high after he’s credited with killing a junkie who robbed him (really, an act he witnessed another meth head commit). Walt takes this opportunity to look at expanding their operation, and it’s crystal clear he’s not doing so just to get more money for his cancer. He’s tasted the criminal lifestyle and liked it, even developing an ego after his unlikely success. Previously, you could argue that he was in a moral gray area, despite doing a few terrible things out of necessity. Now, that moral center is getting a bit darker.

Skyler (Anna Gunn) still doesn’t know of Walt's activities, however, and returns to her old job to help with her husband’s cancer bills. Upon meeting her former superior Ted Beneke (Christopher Cousins), we can already tell that the two have a history, and that he’ll fill some emptiness Skyler feels with Walt becoming more distant. Jesse, meanwhile, holes up in his new apartment, alone and distressed after witnessing the ATM killing last episode. With no one else in his life, he starts to bond with his landlady neighbor Jane (Krysten Ritter), who we’ll learn has demons of her own.

Both Skyler and Jesse are reaching out for some human contact that’s missing from their lives. Both of Walt’s partners, at home and in drugs, have something in common. Now that's unexpected.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 6: "Peekaboo"

Such a great episode. The storyline with Jesse (Aaron Paul) is what makes this one so memorable and resonant. But upon watching it over, I’d forgotten that Walt (Bryan Cranston) has a great moment, too.

I’ll get Walt’s out of the way first. As he returns to his teaching job, former colleague (and judging by the dialogue, possibly former flame) Gretchen Schwartz (Jessica Hecht) checks in on him, confused that Skyler (Anna Gunn) seems to think she and her husband are paying for Walt’s chemo.

It was clear when they last met that Walt still harbors some ill will toward the Schwartzes, which seemed to be why he refused their charity. But last time, Walt was still polite, and just lied his way out of accepting their help. Now, with Heisenberg having since emerged, he angrily airs his grievances and tells off Gretchen in a subdued but seething fury. The scene is more painful than triumphant, as this is one of the first times Walt looks like the bad guy. This will happen more often as he gets deeper into the drug underworld.

But the better part of this episode follows Jesse as he infiltrates the house of two junkies (David Ury and Dale Dickey) who robbed one of his dealers last time. Not only does this show that in spite of everything, Jesse isn’t a hardened criminal—the way he stalls before charging in, the way he sloppily brandishes the gun and less-than-convincingly spouts off threats, and how he lets his guard down enough to let the two turn the tables and attack him—but it's also probably the most frightening depiction of drug addiction ever seen on TV.

The two junkies aren’t sympathetic addict archetypes, good people with a weakness; they’re so far gone that they’re indifferent to anything except getting their next fix. They look like zombies, their flesh is so picked and scabbed. Their house is a picture of filth that looks like it’s been abandoned for years, or would if they weren’t living in it. They have a kid, who Jesse bonds with over pity, who’s basically left to wander the house and fend for himself as if it was abandoned. They even commit heinous act of violence (including on each other in the infamous ATM kill that horrifies Jesse) without much of a second thought.

Another clear sign that Jesse is not drug lord material is that he’s as disgusted as we are. Though it won’t be referred back to very long after this season, I think this episode is an important event in his development as a character.

The show, like many crime dramas from the criminals’ point of view, doesn’t spend a lot of time showing the effects their criminal enterprise have on the people they prey on. Walt barely sees anyone use his product, besides Jesse and Tuco. Jesse, however, starts as an addict himself, and also sees the effects of addiction on other people, in this episode and other times. These experiences, I believe, help him retain more of his humanity throughout the series, whereas Walt just becomes more and more evil.

World War Z

I’m not really a big fan of zombie films. It’s not because of zombie fatigue, even though they’ve become ubiquitous in entertainment and culture this past decade. Rather, the problem I have is one inherent in the genre: They’re not very good enemies. It’s a little hard to believe slow, ambling corpses could overrun armed humans and topple civilization. The zombie movie I found most plausible (and I use that term relatively) was the spoof Shaun of the Dead because (SPOILER!) humanity actually defeats the undead, and the world returns to normal.

More recent movies have raised the stakes by making zombies move like sprinters on speed. World War Z ups the ante even more, throwing at us literally tidal waves of zombies that wash away vehicles like small objects, and pile on top of each other to reach over giant walls or scale tall buildings. Cool to see, but the tradeoff is ignoring things like the laws of physics. But hey, it’s a zombie movie. You’re already suspending your disbelief enough to believe the dead can come back to life, so what’s a little more suspension for entertainment’s sake?

The film is based on the 2006 book of the same name by Max Brooks. The book is presented as an oral account from the survivors of a zombie outbreak that nearly wiped out the human race, and the fight to reclaim the world from the living dead (think Studs Terkel with zombies). Such a narrative structure works very well. Not only do the first-person anecdotes put a real human spin on a purely horror-sci-fi scenario, but it also gives us many details of a fictional world history without getting very deep into technical descriptions. Also, the world events Brooks describes actually seem pretty plausible, like a manual of how real people and governments might really react to such an event.

However, this structure is dropped in the film, not even used as a framing device, and the movie instead presents a straight-forward linear story. In it, former U.N. agent Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is driving his family through Philadelphia when the streets suddenly fill with zombies, an epidemic that seems to be happening all over the world. Gerry and family barely escape the U.S. and arrive at a fleet of military ships in the Atlantic (apparently, zombies can’t swim). From there, Gerry must travel to different corners of the planet to try to discover what caused the outbreak and find a cure.

Most zombie movies never seem to show the apocalypse actually happen, always beginning sometime after the fact. In World War Z, we get to see it. The initial attack on the streets of Philly and a dramatic escape from a Newark skyscraper are impressive scenes, epic in scope like few zombie films ever were before (this one’s got the budget; some, maybe most, couldn’t afford to stage such sequences). But the scenes without zombies, as survivors pillage stores and hide or flee, have a doomsday dread that might be even more intense than the scenes with them. For the first half hour, the movie builds up quite a bit of tension.

Alas, the rest of it never lives up to the opening. There’s one more impressive action spectacle in a fortified, walled-off Jerusalem. The rest of the time, in more closed quarters, it’s pretty generic zombie fare, with the protagonists sneaking about and being chased, a few jumps here and there but nothing truly scary (the movie fits more in the action genre than horror).

What’s there is done well enough to be adequately entertaining, but there’s not a lot of meat to chew on. Most of the sociopolitical content of Brooks’ tome is just mentioned in passing or eliminated, and there’s none of the social commentary fans might expect from George A. Romero, the father of the modern zombie picture. Very little time spent fleshing out the characters, either. Pitt is a strong lead, evoking a battle-hardened stoicism and determination, but he moves too fast to really get know anyone, and those around him don’t really last too long.

There’s also very little gore (obviously toned down to get a more commercial PG-13), and in this respect it seems like something’s missing. I may not be a big fan, but I’m pretty sure part of the appeal of zombie pictures is the way they push the envelope for creative and vomit-inducing gore, and not feeling guilty about it because they’re already dead. Removing all blood changes the experience and also makes the action seem choppy, like watching a violent movie edited for television (though this could also be a result of the frantic pace of some scenes). I guess we’ll have to wait for an unrated home video version to see WWZ in all its glory.

This one’s pretty vanilla, but it’s vanilla done well, on a sometimes massive scale. Zombie fans will enjoy it, though it’s a diet zombie picture that’s might leave hungry hardcore fans for whom bloodier is better.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 5: "Breakage"

At only seven episodes, the first season packed in all the necessary plot points pretty tightly. With this and the next two seasons extended to 13, the show is now able to take its time a little more. This makes for more heightened tension in the next two seasons, as well as time for supporting roles to really develop. But after the saga with Tuco, the tension doesn’t really pick up for a while this season, making for some slower episodes, like this one.

In it, Jesse (Aaron Paul) moves into a new place and strikes a chord with his landlady Jane (Krysten Ritter), setting up their relationship that will be an integral element for the rest of the season. He also gathers his friends to form his own crew to deal meth, which goes smoothly, save for one of them getting robbed by a pair of junkies.

This episode introduces plot points that will come to fruition later, rather than diving in to them now. But in the meantime, certain characters get a little more developed.

Hank (Dean Norris) is promoted for taking down Tuco, but it becomes clear in his private moments that he’s haunted by his killing of the drug lord. Skyler (Anna Gunn) is fed up with Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) lies and secrecy, and has moved on from just not really speaking him to confronting him about it. The tension is still high between the two, and Skyler’s anger spills over to Marie (Betsy Brandt), who she sternly forces to apologize for the shoplifting incident last season.

For Walt, it spills over to his criminal dealings, as he angrily pushes Jesse to find and punish the junkies who robbed them (setting up the next episode, which is a very strong one). The way Walt so easily takes to the idea of killing people doesn’t seem like a mere business necessity; the tension he’s built up at home seems to be channeled into this course of action.

Maybe Heisenberg wasn’t just birthed out of the necessary brutality Walt needed to last in the drug underworld. Maybe, to some degree, he’s homegrown.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 4: "Down"

The fallout from the ordeal with Tuco won’t come around until next season, but Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) fallout at home is almost immediate.

It started with the awkward exchange with Skyler (Anna Gunn) about having two cell phones last episode, and Walt tries to curb the tension with obvious attempts to overcompensate by being a super-husband around the house. Doesn’t work. Skyler becomes just as vague and distant as Walt was to her, leaving for hours without telling where she’s going (revealed at episode’s end to be starting to smoke, despite being late in her pregnancy).

Meanwhile, Jesse (Aaron Paul) is evicted from his aunt’s house after his parents find the cooking equipment in the basement. He tries to shack up with an old friend—a friend whose married, stable, grownup life stands in sharp contrast to his—but is turned away. With nowhere to go, he messily breaks into the junkyard (through a porta-potty, no less) where the RV is being repaired to sleep among the chemicals and lab equipment. I said before how Jesse has nothing else besides cooking meth. In this episode, that’s literally the case. When Walt fixes Jesse breakfast after a little scuffle in the closing moments, it seems like Walt might feel the same way, having driven his wife away and feeling out of touch with his son (RJ Mitte).

The contrast between Walt and Jesse’s lives isn’t so stark this time. When tensions with Skyler boil over, Walt lashes out at his wife for being distant, even though he’s clearly in the wrong, still hiding things from her. Jesse blames his parents for his predicament, despite the fact that he’s the one doing illegal things and forced their hand. Both of them seem to have reached a mental point where they’ve convinced themselves they’re doing nothing wrong, and that any problems are someone else’s fault.

There are still some major differences between the two, and there will be more as the show goes on, but in this moment, Jesse and Walt aren’t so different after all.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 3: "Bit by a Dead Bee"

The episode opens in the aftermath of Jesse (Aaron Paul) and Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) ordeal with Tuco. The two are walking down a road back toward civilization, discussing their plan to explain where Walt was and why Jesse’s car was at the scene of Tuco’s death, and we the viewers are once again on edge. After two great entries to open thew season, what could possibly be in store next?

The answer: Walter strips off his clothes and walks into a mini-mart in the buff.

Not what we were expecting. The scene's pretty funny, but quite anticlimactic after what had just happened. From there, Walt spends the episode in the hospital concocting an alibi for his disappearance (a “fugue state” is what they call it), while Jesse covers his tracks by way of questioning from Hank (Dean Norris) and Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada).

This one’s more of a bridge episode, tying up plot points rather than introducing any major new ones. Still, there's a little bit of foreshadowing in it, as well. Like the last scene, where Walt, now home and seemingly in the clear, is awkwardly questioned by Skyler (Anna Gunn) about having a second cell phone. Walt denies it, but the scene ends on a tense note, hinting at further strain between the spouses.

Another great scene has Tio Salamanca (Mark Margolis) join Jesse in the interrogation room. Even though he’s silent and confined to a wheelchair, the character gives off a terrifying vibe with just an evil scowl and an old service bell. He reminds us that there’s one loose end that isn’t tied up, not by a long shot. Jesse and Walt will be off the hook the rest of the season, but Tuco’s death will come back to haunt them, to put it lightly.

The episode also gives us a little insight into Walt’s motivations. While being psychiatrically evaluated, he admits to his therapist that the fugue state was a lie, and says he just walked away from his home and family because he couldn’t take it. This story isn’t real, but the spite in his voice, if not at his family then at his bad breaks in life, certainly is. Such is a reminder as to why Walt made the choice he did, even with all the danger that comes with it.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 2: "Grilled"

Tuco, we hardly knew ye!

Raymond Cruz’s psycho, drug-fueled gangster meets his end. It’s probably for the best that the character checked out early. He was the perfect foil when the show was still classifiable as a dark comedy, letting Walt (Bran Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) know that they’re in a different world now. But now that they, and the show, have fully stepped into that world, such a villain archetype is something we’ve seen a million times. The series is above just giving us the formulaic, and will replace him with more interesting and original antagonists, such as Mark Margolis’ bell-ringing Hector “Tio” Salamanca who first appears in this episode.

While one villain run ends and a new one begins, a character on the right side of the law takes a major turn. Hank (Dean Norris) steps up to help search for his missing brother-in-law, abducted by Tuco last episode unbeknownst to him and the rest of Walt's family. This gives the character a little more to do than just provide comic relief, or at least groaningly try to provide it. But when his search leads him to Tuco’s hideout, Hank’s arc skids onto a different track in just a single scene. He dispatches the psycho dealer (already wounded by Jesse) in a shootout, and with Tuco the old Hank also dies. The episode ends there, but we’ll soon see Hank reborn as a crucial character. After watching the whole series, it was hard to remember he was anything but until I revisited season one.

Oh yeah, this episode has Walt and Jesse in it, too. Abducted last time, the two are now in a dilapidated shack with Tio and sobrino (that’s "nephew" in Spanish) Salamanca, waiting for a ride to take them across the border. The tension as they wait is pretty high as they never know what Tuco’s going to do. Not quite as high as the preceding episode, but that's because Jesse and Walt’s bickering about how to slip Tuco the ricin comically breaks the ice a bit.

Tuco predictably loses his cool, forcing Walt to let out Heisenberg in order to save himself and Jesse. The story arc of their abduction will be fully resolved rather anticlimactically (unless you like seeing Bryan Cranston get basic cable naked), but for now, they get out of danger and give a little hurt back to their abductor before Hank finishes the job.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 2, Episode 1: "Seven Thirty-Seven"

In one of the most brilliant uses of foreshadowing in television history, the episode opens with a shot of an eyeball floating in a swimming pool. Our momentary gross-out reflex is dashed when it’s revealed to be a plastic eye coming off of a half-burnt stuffed animal also in the pool, but our curiosity isn't.

There’s no explanation as to the doll’s nature, but it suggests something big, something bad, must have gone down. Was it burned in a meth lab explosion? Was it a toy for Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Skyer’s (Anna Gunn) coming baby, singed in an attack on the White household? The pre-credits scenes in each episode this season reveal a little more each time. The explanation, in the form of a devastating turn of events in the season finale, is a complete surprise.

Back in the present, last season’s beating Tuco (Raymond Cruz) laid down on his lackey for talking out of turn is replayed, and revealed to have been fatal. Having witnessed the brutal deed, Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul), still far from hardened drug lords, believe they’re next. As the two scramble to find a way to kill Tuco first, the tension is sky-high in every scene, even though the villain only appears briefly at the start and finish, and it’s never clear until the very end whether they’re just paranoid or if their fears are actually warranted. It also introduces the ricin, which will become a recurring card Walt has in his hand (but never actually uses, at least not yet) throughout the series, and which seems a little more poignant today than when the episode first aired.

The family drama in the episode has a more mixed execution. The tension between Skyler and Marie (Betsy Brandt) from the shoplifting debacle brings out some more in Hank (Dean Norris), though he’s still more of a goofball than strong character. Skyler comes out of these scenes with a little more depth as she reveals how her husband’s behavior is affecting her, and her role becomes more than just a hurdle for Walt to get past like season one. Too bad this development is torpedoed at the very start with the scene where Walt tries to aggressively mount Skyler in the kitchen (it seems more like a rape attempt, even though she reluctantly goes along at first). I doubt the show tried to glorify the act because it’s not at all depicted positively, but it just seems gratuitous instead of crucial to the story, like the writers were just trying to provoke viewers. Or they got lazy.

But the stuff away from home is excellent. The tension never lets up, literally because the closing scene, with Walt and Jesse riding away with their foe to God knows where, resolves nothing. This one certainly covers its bases, leaving us guessing about what will happen in the immediate and the long run, and making us want to stick around for both.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 1, Episode 7: "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal"

This episode not only marks the end of the first season, but also a major change in direction for the show.

For one, Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) switch from making clear meth out of cold meds to the show’s iconic blue variety out of methylamine (you know your'e a fan of this series when you can spell that word without spell check or looking it up). But the plotline of the two comically stealing a drum of methylamine, then having to work cooking it in Jesse’s basement around a real estate open house on the same day, is the last time the show will play like a comedy of errors. There will still be some great comic moments sprinkled throughout the series, but with Walt’s Heisenberg persona emerging, and he and Jesse now in a business arrangement with hardcore criminal Tuco (Raymond Cruz), the show will now fully transition into a crime drama. And a very good crime drama.

The family drama will carry over into the later seasons, however, and we get a little bit more on that front, too. We learn about Marie’s (Betsy Brandt) shoplifting habit, which will come up again, with further development of her DEA husband Hank (Dean Norris) to come starting next season, as well. And after Skyler (Anna Gunn) is almost arrested for Marie’s thievery after a misunderstanding returning a baby shower gift, her conversation with Walt about breaking the law strongly hints she won’t take it well if she uncovers her husband’s criminal deeds. Later episodes will prove this to be accurate.

This season was a scant seven episodes because of the writer’s strike that was still in effect when and before the series premiered in early 2008, but this actually turned out to be the perfect length. I was hooked after three, but I’d say seven episodes are enough to give any show a real chance to capture your interest. If this season gets you hooked, you’re in for a series that just gets better and better. If not, then you’ve at least seen a full story that comes to a relatively standalone conclusion.

Personally, I can’t imagine anyone watching just this season and deciding not to continue. But that’s just me.

Man of Steel

1978’s Superman is basically the nucleus for the modern comic book movie, and also defined many elements of the character that persist in all portrayals to this day. The movie is still a joy to watch, as is its first sequel. But the movies are quite dated, and not just because of the old technology, fashion, and special effects on display. They’re very obviously the Gold and Silver Age Superman, with a lighter tone, a hero with no character flaws, and villains more dastardly than truly evil. In today’s comics climate, such works seem like relics. The 2006 quasi-sequel/reboot Superman Returns tried to be a love letter to this incarnation of the character, and it failed (though for other reasons, too). The Modern Age of comics started in the 1980s, so a complete overhaul of the character is long overdue.

Not as easy as it sounds, however. Many writers have had great difficulty bringing the Last Son of Krypton back to the screen (the myriad of cancelled projects leading up to Superman Returns can attest to that). The biggest hurdle seems to be making a nearly invincible being seem human. But moreover, how do you get such a moral, clean-cut character to fit in amongst the grittier, flawed heroes in this generation of comic book movies?

The Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer and Watchmen director Zack Snyder certainly try with Man of Steel. The result is a very mixed bag.

The picture retells the origin of the title character: born Kal-El on the doomed planet Krypton, sent to Earth by his parents Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) before the planet’s destruction, and raised  as Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas, by all-American parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane). The majority of time is spent in the present, as Clark (Henry Cavill) searches for some explanation of where he came from and why he has superpowers. He eventually finds out after finding a crashed Kryptonian ship containing the essence of his birth father, but activating the ship brings the attention of General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his crew of Kryptonian warriors, who were banished from their homeworld for attempting a coup shortly before its destruction. Zod not only wants Clark to join them, but also to remake Earth in Krypton’s image. Clark (he’s not referred to as “Superman” until late in the film) instead chooses to protect his adopted planet, and the film becomes a darker, steroid-pumped remake of Superman II.

The 20-or-so-minute prologue on Krypton has the look of an epic fantasy world, but is muddled in the incoherent CGI action of Michael Bay and acted with dialogue as stiff and silly as Snyder’s crap-epic 300. Things get a little better from there. Clark’s childhood in Smallville is shown in anecdotal flashbacks. Some of these work well (a scene of him in grade school struggling to cope with his heightened senses is an interesting touch). Others don’t. As a whole, these flashbacks are too piecemeal and inconsistent to be very compelling on either an excitement or emotional level. A regular linear narrative might have worked more effectively.

The present-day content is slightly better, but also falters. I can forgive the fact that Cavill is a more angsty Clark Kent than most interpretations, because even Superman must have been a young man trying to find his way in the world at one point. What I can’t overlook is constant CGI and relentless action trumping story and character. Yes, the individual fights between Superman and Zod and his minions in Smallville and Metropolis are pretty entertaining by themselves. But there are so many that at least one of them could have been taken out, and some more dramatic substance put back in. Putting them all at once for 45 minutes nonstop is also more than just headache-inducing like a typical summer blockbuster that goes on too long; by the time the credits rolled, I felt like my skull had cracked like an egg.

This unrelenting action assault makes for a grimmer experience unbecoming of the character. There’s no sign of the Superman who does amazing feats that admittedly flout science and the laws of physics but are awe-inspiring nonetheless (like, say turning back time by reversing Earth’s orbit), or the blue boy scout who drops in to save the day, or even just do a small good deed like saving a cat stuck in a tree. On the other hand, maybe this is just a sign of where movies are at now: So jaded by antiheros that there’s no place for a protagonist so noble and pure, and so overexposed to CGI that even things that sound amazing will seem like just another run-of-the-mill computer effect (another reason why Superman Returns failed). But they could have at least tried to wow us or feature something inspiring, instead of just reel-to-reel destruction for nearly a third of the movie.

Such action overload also leaves little time for any real acting, even from a cast of great names. Crowe brings a serious actor’s dignity to Jor-El, and Amy Adams makes a good, much more participatory Lois Lane (Lane has known Supes’ secret identity in the modern DC continuity for over 20 years, so instead of waiting and building up to a big reveal, the film has her know the truth from the start). Both, however, just seem to be working around the effects department, filling in the blanks when they need a real body to deliver lines convincingly. Other talents, like Laurence Fishburne as Daily Planet Editor-In-Chief Perry White and Lane and Costner as the Kents, seem wasted completely.

The only real standout supporting role is Shannon, whose Zod is the best Superman villain ever to hit the screen (not much of a contest considering the lightness of the predecessors, but still). He’s undeniably the bad guy, but we can at least understand his motivations and way of thinking, in contrast to the simple maniacal portrayal by Terrence Stamp in 1980. A little more backstory would have been nice, but his character is the only one in the film who reaches any depth, or at least comes close to it. Tragically, his arc concludes in a rather unsatisfying and lame fashion, which also has Supes crossing a line that’s always been a big no-no for the character.

As Clark Kent, Cavill is yet another sullen, stoic hero that we’ve seen too much of in comics, and movies in general. Give me the nerdy, laughably meek Clark Kent any day (in addition to being the definitive Superman, Christopher Reeve was also the consummate Clark Kent). But when he dons the cape and costume, and delivers lines with conviction and authority, I must admit he sells it very well. Not as well as Reeve, but he’s still a believable Superman.

In spite of everything, this gives me hope for the sequel already on the horizon. So does the fact that the film’s faults are aesthetic ones, not because of some inherent flaw in the character’s mythos. To the filmmakers’ credit, the movie does succeed in bringing the Man of Steel into the Modern Age, even with its failings as a work of cinema. Maybe, with less computer-generated mayhem, more plot and character development, and—for the love of  Zod!—some sense of fun, the next one could be the great Superman picture we’ve been waiting for.

Until then, I’m sticking with the Christopher Reeve classics.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 1, Episode 6: "Crazy Handful of Nothin'"

This episode marks a major milestone for Walter (Bryan Cranston): Goodbye hair, hello Heisenberg (a brilliant name for a character so well-learned in chemistry, though it still has a badass ring to it even if you don’t get the reference).

What birthed this new persona? Partially necessity, as Walt had to step in when Jesse (Aaron Paul) screwed up a drug sale with the psychotic dealer Tuco (Raymond Cruz). But the cancer killing him may have played a part, taking more than just a physical and follicular toll. The scenes during and between his treatments not only make it clear he’s suffering physical anguish; they’re shot and edited to convey a situation both hopeless and excruciating. It may have already killed part of him, namely the part that kept him from crossing a certain line.

Walt’s sense of caution sure took a hit from the shock of finding out about his disease (I mean, he did start making meth), but he still had some restraint during the whole Krazy-8 bungle in the first few episodes, only doing the dirty work when he absolutely had no other choice. Now, in Heisenberg mode, he’s fully entrenched in the role of a ruthless criminal, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Stuff like, say, tricking and threatening someone like Tuco with explosive fulminated mercury. What does Walt care if this gets him killed? He’ll be dead before too long anyway, it seems.

Heisenberg isn’t exactly an alter ego. The name is dropped as a pseudonym by the end of next season, and it never becomes a fully separate personality like Mr. Hyde. Rather, it represents the evil extreme of Walt’s personality, in contrast to the good extreme of Mr. White the high school teacher. As the show goes on, we’ll see Mr. White progressively shrivel away as Heisenberg takes over. 

A small sign of things to come: Hugo (Pierre Barrera), the kind janitor who assists a sick Walt at school, is arrested by Hank (Dean Norris) for stealing chemistry supplies from the school to make meth (in actuality Walt’s doing). Walt feels bad for about a scene, but the guilt passes quickly. Could just be the cancer taking up all his attention, but it could also be the start of Heisenberg rearing his ugly, bald head.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 1, Episode 5: “Gray Matter”

The last episode hinted at why Jesse (Aaron Paul) got involved in making meth, suggesting he drifted into the business naturally as a troubled young man. Coming from very different circumstances, Walt’s (Bryan Cranston) foray into the business makes a little less sense, but this episode reveals a lot about why he did.

The episode has Walt and Skyer (Anna Gunn) attending a party held by the wealthy Elliot (Adam Godley) and Gretchen Schwartz (Jessica Hecht), the owners of the company Gray Matter that Walt helped found (though he left before the company made it big, as he explains in season five). The exchange between the former colleagues is awkward, clearly indicating some sort of falling out previously. When Elliot offers to aid Walt in his cancer battle (with a twinge of condescension, at least in Walt’s eyes), the terminally ill chemistry teacher is insulted. Also suggested, here and in flashbacks the third episode, is some kind of past relationship between Walt and Gretchen, possibly the catalyst for said falling out.

The show only offers scraps of characters’ pasts, so we don’t yet know exactly what happened between Walt and the Schwartzes, but the way it motivates Walt suggested he still hasn’t let it go. He’d rather just let the cancer kill him than take their help. When his family talks him out of this option (the intervention scene is all at once laughably awkward, uncomfortable, mildly hostile, and highly emotional, which makes it seem more real), he chooses meth instead, even after the ordeal he and Jesse just went through.

When Walt clumsily entered the world of meth in the first episode, it seemed out of desperation, and without knowing what he was getting into. When he returns at the end of this one, he is fully and consciously aware and invested in his choice, even though he has a much easier choice available to him. This can’t just be Walt’s pride making him do this; there is clearly some sort of grudge that he harbors that impels him to take the criminal path. Understanding that makes Walt's actions from here on out a lot more plausible than before.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 1, Episode 4: “Cancer Man”

Despite the name of this episode, this one is less about Walt (Bryan Cranston) and finally gives Jesse (Aaron Paul) an episode.

After the ordeal with Krazy-8, Jesse seems to want to abandon the world of drugs, and attempts to reconcile with his family. Like all the references to the past on the show, we only get pieces, but what we do learn is that Jesse’s strict parents (I’m assuming that based on his overachieving younger brother) threw him out for using drugs. We also learn, through Jesse’s old school work, that Walt flunked him as a student, possibly fueling the fire of the tension between the two.

These events, among others later in the series, show that Jesse is sort of the anti-Walt. Walt had the opportunity to get cancer treatments without resorting to such drastic measures, as well as support from friends and family, but his sense of pride (and maybe a little craziness unleashed when he found out his days were numbered) made him ignore all offers for help. Jesse, meanwhile, had some troubles as a kid, and his family just threw him out. While Walt had support and rebuked it, Jesse’s lack of such support made him drift toward the drug underworld. After being thrown out again (this time for vouching for his brother’s weed, showing that, also in contrast to Walt later in the series, Jesse at least retains some sense of altruism despite his profession), he reaches out to Walt to cook and sell more meth. Even after their ordeal with Emilio and Krazy-8, he needs Walt because selling meth is all he’s got (Walt rejects the offer this time, but that’ll change).

Jesse at first seemed like a disposable character, a lame white gangster wannabe, but this episode really opens the character up and show there’s more than that. Thankfully, they didn’t go through with the plan to kill him off this very season, because his character arc just gets better from here.

While Jesse gets more time in this episode, there are also some developments with Walt. His DEA agent brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) revealed last episode in passing that Krazy-8 was an informant. That he came across the remains of Walt’s mess seemed like a funny coincidence an episode ago, but this one sets up the storyline of Hank unknowingly chasing his own brother-in-law that becomes ongoing throughout the series. Also, Walt reveals his cancer to the family. While the development doesn’t go much further from there, Hank’s assurances that he’ll look after Walt’s wife and kids if he dies elicits a sour reaction from the cancer-stricken chemistry teacher, subtly hinting at the aforementioned repressed pride that led him to meth cooking.

On the less subtle side of things, the closing scene where Walt destroys the car of the well-dressed, Bluetooth-wearing jerk he ran into at the credit union is great. Not only does he get to do what we’ve all wanted to do to rude people at some point, but it shows that despite moving on from his illegal doings (for now), he’s still got some punch.

This Is the End

Sometimes, when there’s a camaraderie between certain actors, they’ll get together and make a movie just as an excuse to work together. This Is the End is pretty obviously one of those. They didn’t even bother to create any fictional characters, and literally just threw themselves into an apocalyptic scenario. But while some films that are only made so the stars can hang out are only fun for the cast and don't result in much of a movie, this one actually is some fun to watch.

The film brings us to house party attended by several of Hollywood’s big names (here’s the full list), when an unexplained cataclysm suddenly hits, killing most of the attendees and leaving greater Los Angeles in ruins. Six survivors—Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride, all playing exaggerated incarnations of themselves—hole up inside the mansion while the outside world becomes a burning wasteland overrun by terrible creatures. As the time passes and strange things start to happen, it dawns on the group that the Biblical Rapture might be upon them.

The movie stays afloat because of the strength of its stars. For all the crazy circumstances and supernatural happenings, much of the humor comes from the hilarious, very dirty back-and-forth between the cast, as their camaraderie turns to combativeness as their situation gets worse and worse. The six main stars act out the personas fans will recognize from their previous work (if you’re not a fan of these actors, well then, this movie isn’t for you), while others who cameo have fun sending up their images. My pick for most surprising: poor, poor Channing Tatum.

That’s not to say, however, that the movie doesn’t take advantage of its supernatural storyline to offer some more outrageous gags. There is some surprising comedic gore, which even the biggest stars in the picture aren’t safe from, and the parodies of horror films, both general tropes and specific titles, are very funny. One scene spoofing Rosemary’s Baby is actually a little creepy, though still played out with humor. And, of course, the cast rather self-indulgently references their past movies, though they are at least self-aware enough to make fun of the bad ones.

The film keeps us laughing, at least for a while. By about the 90-minute mark, the profane banter becomes stale, and things get a little too creature-happy (the ending isn’t very satisfying, either, but this didn’t bother me because I was ready for the thing to be done by then). There’s also a bit of an overload of penis jokes; the first one or two are funny, but the movie has a slight obsession with phallic imagery that comes off as rather immature, even by its lowbrow standards.

It works best if you don’t think about it too much. This one's not nearly as good as some of the fully fictional comedies this cast has made, but everyone onscreen is clearly having a good time. Just go along with it, and so will you.

Breaking Bad re-watch: Season 1, Episode 3: “…And the Bag’s in the River”

The very first shot of this episode places the lens of the camera where the floor should be, as Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) wipe away the cocktail of chemicals and melted flesh that used to be a meth pusher. This stomach-churning, gory scene, brought upon by their miscommunication and ineptitude the previous episode, brings them both face-to-face with the realities of the drug business. It can be very messy.

The events of this episode not only tests Walt’s stomach, but also his soul, as there’s still the matter of drug dealer Krazy-8 (Maximino Arciniega) held captive in Jesse’s basement. Walt can’t bring himself to kill his prisoner, even though he knows he has no choice. He even strikes ups a conversation with his captive to avoid the issue in hopes that the two can reach some sort of truce. Krazy-8 tells Walt he doesn’t belong in this world, and who can argue?

The scene where Walter pieces together the broken plate, only to find a piece is missing, is one of the most powerful moments of the first season. Just as he thinks he’s reached some sort of agreement with no repercussions, his hopes are destroyed by reality. In the drug world, Walt learns, there is no reason, understanding, or forgiveness. The actual killing of Krazy-8 is more than a foregone conclusion; it’s almost secondary to the quiet devastation of Walt’s realization. This moment is the one that made me decide to stick with the show, so perfectly is it written and acted.

The beginning and the end feature flashbacks to Walt’s better days, as a young scientist alongside ex-lover Gretchen (Jessica Hecht). This fits this episode perfectly for three reasons. One, we get a little bit of info on Walt’s past (of which the show only gives us scraps). Two, young Walt’s discussion of the chemical makeup of the human body is an amusing contrast to current Walt and Jesse’s cleanup as they sift through what’s left of Emilio, finding pieces of bone and other not-quite-dissolved body parts. And three, most poignantly, the ending flashback, where the younger Walt and Gretchen contemplate where the soul fits within the makeup of the human body, so perfectly fits Walt’s moral standing at the episode’s end. He seemingly tries to put his mistake behind him, finally revealing to Skyler (Anna Gunn) that he’s got cancer, but his soul is irreparably stained. The damage is done, and there’s no going back for Walt.