Breaking bad

[NineOneSeven]

The Skylar character is annoying on the show, she decided on her own to get into "bed" with what Walter was doing and she was like a wet blanket when she caused Ted's accident. Hank/Saul/Mike the Cleaner/Gus where the best things about the show. I hated how basically everyone was "barreled" by Walter. The first scene of last season's premiere showed the end of this season. I think Walter is going to use Saul's guy to get him out.

The sickest scene of the entire series is when Walter is trying to find the money he needs to buy his family new identities from Saul's "cleaner" and he asks Skylar where the money is and she tells him she gave it to Ted, and Marie calls on the answering machine telling Skylar the Cartel is coming after Hank and Walter starts laughing very sick like a hyena. That scene is totally memorizing and well done, and makes you feel sick.

BTW, I loved this from the DVD.

This scene seems to be the consensus favorite

 

[Alsacs]

This scene seems to be the consensus favorite

I found it on Youtube. The scene is so chilling

 

[MCC]

I could not disagree more. Her character drives the narrative in so many ways - her presence is the one thing that tethers Walt to the "square" world. without Skylar, Hank would not be hooked into Walt's meth money, which will be a major complication in the final 8 episodes. I think she is indispensable and her "slow burn" is a nice and necessary counterpoint to the acting fireworks that the more flashy characters are afforded.

Finally, Skylar's "IFT" is one of the three finest episodes in the series thus far. Her calm and defiant "I fcked Ted" declaration over the dinner table to smug Walter was the most brutal and effective blow that anyone has thrown his way.

Her character is utterly disposable.

I can think of multiple plot devices to hook Hank into Walt's meth operation sans Skylar. The Gale angle, the Gus angle, the Jesse angle, the Mike angle... any of these would've served up a logical and (IMO) more intriguing plot device. In fact, Hank's discovery of GB's ode to WW in the Whitman compendium renders Skylar's cash flow revelation irrelevant.

Her character is certainly not the only thing tethering WW to the square world. In fact, I'd argue Jesse is emerging as the more compelling counterweight now that he's divorced himself from the business. Further, I'd argue that WW's most captivating character development occurred while he was separated from Skylar. You may argue that this dynamic reinforces her importance, but this is an unprovable hypothesis and IMO easily debunked in lieu of the Gus storyline.

IFT one of the best three episodes? "Skylar's IFT", like she owned the episode or something? Pfft. Calm and defiant doesn't equal charisma. WW is the antihero and ultimate protagonist - one of the finest ever to grace the small screen. You identify with Skylar: we get it. But to suggest her character "drives the narrative" is ridiculous.

Ask yourself: get rid of her, and do the Gus, Jesse, Mike et al. storylines still work? Can you still craft Seasons 2, 3 and 4? Hank is the essential counterweight for Season 5. Skylar is - in my opinion - a distraction, and a table scrap thrown to the small minority of viewers so repulsed by WW that they can't enjoy his character - and the show - for what it is.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Her character is utterly disposable.

I can think of multiple plot devices to hook Hank into Walt's meth operation sans Skylar. The Gale angle, the Gus angle, the Jesse angle, the Mike angle... any of these would've served up a logical and (IMO) more intriguing plot device. In fact, Hank's discovery of GB's ode to WW in the Whitman compendium renders Skylar's cash flow revelation irrelevant.

Her character is certainly not the only thing tethering WW to the square world. In fact, I'd argue Jesse is emerging as the more compelling counterweight now that he's divorced himself from the business. Further, I'd argue that WW's most captivating character development occurred while he was separated from Skylar. You may argue that this dynamic reinforces her importance, but this is an unprovable hypothesis and IMO easily debunked in lieu of the Gus storyline.

IFT one of the best three episodes? "Skylar's IFT", like she owned the episode or something? Pfft. Calm and defiant doesn't equal charisma. WW is the antihero and ultimate protagonist - one of the finest ever to grace the small screen. You identify with Skylar: we get it. But to suggest her character "drives the narrative" is ridiculous.

Ask yourself: get rid of her, and do the Gus, Jesse, Mike et al. storylines still work? Can you still craft Seasons 2, 3 and 4? Hank is the essential counterweight for Season 5. Skylar is - in my opinion - a distraction, and a table scrap thrown to the small minority of viewers so repulsed by WW that they can't enjoy his character - and the show - for what it is.

I watched the last episode of season five months after the first 4+ seasons. What does gb stand for and where did that book come from?

 

[Alsacs]

I watched the last episode of season five months after the first 4+ seasons. What does gb stand for and where did that book come from?

Gale Boetticher aka the person singing Major Tom above is GB. Before Jessie killed Gale, Gus was going to kill Walter and Jessie because Gus couldn't trust Jessie. During season three Gale and Walter cooked together, and Gale was in awe of Walter's cooking and blue stuff. Gale gave that book to Walter during season three as a gift and obviously Walter cared so little for the gift he put it in his bathroom, where by coincidence his brother-in-law who is the one of the few smart people on the show accidentally found it and now knows Walter is Heisenberg.

 

[moqui]

I can think of multiple plot devices to hook Hank into Walt's meth operation sans Skylar

the point you are neglecting is that Hank is compromised because his care and rehab was paid for by Walt's meth money - done at Skylar's insistence. Hank is now compromised and conflicted in ways that are unthinkable without Skylar.

Without Skylar, Hank is just another cop and the show is just another TV police procedural.

Skylar is pivotal to the entire story. Walt wouldn't even be in the business but for Skylar, and would not have made half the decisions - good and bad - that have driven the narrative if he hadn't been thinking about her.

to each his own, but IMO, yours is a bizarre reading and a complete misunderstanding of the main theme of the show

 

[MCC]

the point you are neglecting is that Hank is compromised because his care and rehab was paid for by Walt's meth money - done at Skylar's insistence. Hank is now compromised and conflicted in ways that are unthinkable without Skylar.

Without Skylar, Hank is just another cop and the show is just another TV police procedural.

Skylar is pivotal to the entire story. Walt wouldn't even be in the business but for Skylar, and would not have made half the decisions - good and bad - that have driven the narrative if he hadn't been thinking about her.

to each his own, but IMO, yours is a bizarre reading and a complete misunderstanding of the main theme of the show

You're reaching - terribly - by trying to tether everything to Skylar. This isn't The Sopranos, where Carmella was central to the story, a terrific and charismatic character who truly drove events on the home front and had several storylines revolve around her.

Skylar's not pivotal to the story. She's peripheral. Walter White is the story, and the constellation of players revolves around him. Jesse's arc is easily more essential than Skylar's. Gus's role was critical to Walter's development. In the final 8 episodes Hank will be added to the list of characters whose centrality eclipses Skylar's.

The show didn't start with 3 seasons on the White family. It's about Walter's denouement.

 

[moqui]

and the strongest tether of Walter to a moral world is Skylar

I have never argued that she is the central character to the narrative, only that she is critical to the development of the story line so far and the approaching denouement.

to say that Skylar could have been dismissed in season 2 is the reach . . . frankly, I find it ludicrous

but to each his own.

 

[Upstate]

I thought the first season was a bit hard to get through; it was kind of slow. But man, once you get through season one, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen.

 

[omg_cuse_rules]

Awesome show. is anyone on this board a chemist?

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[NineOneSeven]

Awesome show. is anyone on this board a chemist?

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I graduated with a BS in chemical engineering last may. It's fun following some of the chemistry related stuff that's discussed, in the lab and when he's teaching in his classroom

 

[bozophobe]

You can get it on Youtube. $13.95 for the 8 episodes.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=ELxuqbRMWDkLw

Thanks for the correction.

 

[bozophobe]

And Jesse started becoming less significant all of a sudden; not more. And people aren't supposed to unfailingly identify with Walter all the way through. Kinda creepy, imo.

 

[bozophobe]

Also, what do you guys think about the proposed Saul Goodman spin-off? Nothing in the can yet, but Vince Gilligan and Bob Odenkirk are considering it. Could be as good as the X-Files spin-off The Lone Gunmen.

 

[MCC]

Awesome show. is anyone on this board a chemist?

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Yes. Biochemist by training (additional training in evolutionary genetics and physics). In the 3 - 4 weeks after the mercury (II) fulminate episode I was constantly fielding questions about the ease with which HG(CNO)2 could be synthesized and whether such a small amount could truly cause the explosion depicted on the show. FWIW, IMO you'd need quite a bit more and probably a higher velocity at impact for such an explosion. Now silver fulminate... that would've caused a real disaster. It's apparently so unstable that it's dangerous to synthesize in reasonable amonuts - it can blow under its own weight, so casual contact from a fingertip or any of the reaction vessels can detonate it.

 

[omg_cuse_rules]

Stupid people just keep asking me if I can make meth. Yes everyone with a bs or higher in chemistry makes meth as a side hobby.

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[MCC]

By the way, has anyone noticed that the electron count they have for Barium (Ba 56) in the show intro is wrong? They have it as 2-8-18-7, which is the right configuration for Bromium (35). Should be 2-8-18-18-8-2. LOL. I should make a chemistry cat meme for this.

 

[omg_cuse_rules]

I didn't notice that. I'll need to check that out.

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[Knicks411]

this show is so amazing.

Finally finished the last episode of season five. There was a two week stretch a few months back where I watched seasons 1-4 on Netflix after a recommendation at work, but season five I had to find online. Can't wait for the next episodes to start up.

Had to do the same thing. I'm kinda glad I caught up with it all at once.