Anyone into 'BREAKING BAD'? (part 3)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by MilesSmiles, Aug 12, 2013.

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  1. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac

    Location:
    Highland Park, USA
    Exactly. Thank you for the clarification.
     
  2. bopdd

    bopdd Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    While Breaking Bad does have its share of tedious scenes filled with under-developed characters (under-developed compared to other shows the writer draws upon at least), that's never what made the show compelling to begin with. The essence of the show, to me, was the endless stream of high-stakes situations that pit Walt (and Jesse) against insane odds and often against one another, and the transformation Walt undergoes (in one year) as a result of overcoming those odds.

    I've read somewhere that the show itself is a sort of allegory for success in America (in addition to being a "morality" tale). Seen through that lens, every aspect of Walt's ascent to power becomes somewhat captivating, from his nifty problem-solving skills worthy of Macgyver to the darkness that swells over him like a growing storm-cloud. To hang the show's legacy on its character development is like critiquing The Wire for its lack of pacing. There are two characters who get developed in Breaking Bad: Walt and Jesse. Anything more than that would probably take away from the show's core appeal.
     
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  3. hutlock

    hutlock Forever Breathing

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    Oh I disagree that only two characters get developed. I think Hank and Skyler did too. Less so than Walt and Jesse, obviously.
     
  4. rburly

    rburly Sitting comfortably with Item 9

    Location:
    Orlando
    I agree. I'm not sure how many people are aware of the "aftershow" half-hour talk show with Chris Hardwick and this past Sunday it was Vince Gilligan (who I suspect will be there every week until the last show) and a "superfan", this week it was Julie Bowen (Modern Family). Next week the superfan is Bill Hader which should be very interesting and funny. The show is on after Low Winter Sun.

    I agree that Hank and Skyler developed during the series, along with Jesse and even Saul. The gist of last Sunday was that the show was conceived by Gilligan to show the transformation of Walt, this high school teacher who finds that he has lung cancer and how he transforms after the life changing event of finding out that he has inoperable lung cancer. When asked if he likes Walt right now, Gilligan said "Not so much right now. He's done some pretty bad things." He made it clear when he was originally pitching the show that it was about transformation.
     
  5. Bryan

    Bryan Starman Jr.

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    I think Hank has developed as a character a lot. At the start of the series he was kind of just an annoying, macho, ********* cop. He's become a much more likable character in the last couple seasons.
     
  6. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I think Walt probably went directly from picking up the gun to his house. He's wearing the same clothes. I would guess both scenes take place on, if not the last day of his life, then the last day we are going to see of it.
     
  7. Bryan

    Bryan Starman Jr.

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    One character who I think has sort of failed to be developed is Marie. I think they tried to develop her in earlier seasons with the whole shoplifting addiction side story, but that ultimately ended and went nowhere. After that she has been pretty static as a character.
     
  8. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    It could be that she is aware of Walt's heinous crimes. It could be that she thought he was dead. It could be some combination of both or neither. It will be fun finding out over the next seven weeks. :)
     
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  9. bopdd

    bopdd Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I'm speaking in terms of story arc, not whether these characters are three dimensional. Skyler and Hank are "developed" characters, but in terms of their arcs they stay within a respective zone which they rarely leave--Hank especially. By contrast, Walter White in season one only shows hints of the Walter White we see now. Same goes for Jesse, who's come a long way in a very short time. Perhaps I should've used a different word. With Hank and Skyler, you pretty much know what you're getting. With Walt and Jesse, they continue to change, meaning you're never 100% sure what they will do next. If the same principle of "change" applied to every character, the show would get too broad.
     
  10. hutlock

    hutlock Forever Breathing

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    Again, I disagree. Especially with Skyler.

    Would the happy Skyler we see in the first few episodes agree to launder drug money?
    ...have an affair with her boss?

    I could go on, but I am sure you see my point. She has definitely changed too.
     
  11. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Great point.
     
  12. bopdd

    bopdd Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Actually, she was forced into a lot of those situations after the alternatives seemed fruitless. And based on the way she did her job with Ted, I'd say the Skyler that runs the car wash isn't really a drastic change from the Skyler we see previously. She's dealing with a hard situation and making sacrifices as a result, but I would not say she undergoes a major change in character the way Walt does. If anything, she's pretty much consistently morose (and sometimes crafty) from season two onward, begrudgingly going along every step of the way, but never fully adapting (or willing) most of the changes that occur around her, her affair withstanding. And is her affair a major change for her? Who knows? She's merely reacting to a husband she no longer trusts, not changing who she is fundamentally.
     
  13. hutlock

    hutlock Forever Breathing

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    I guess we will just have to agree to disagree then!
     
  14. mikeyt

    mikeyt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    I agree with this. She's changed, but really she's a person put between a rock and a hard place. Walt is a completely different person at this point. No longer the meek chem teacher he was at the beginning.
     
  15. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    They did develop that she has skills that would make her a good masseuse, if she ever needs another job.
     
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  16. dunkrag

    dunkrag Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    rontoon and throbbin tower like this.
  17. jriems

    jriems Audio Ojiisan

  18. Bender Rodriguez

    Bender Rodriguez RIP Exene, best dog ever. 2005-2016

    I think I'll just get a Vamanos Pest Control t-shirt to go with my Los Pollos Hermanos t.
     
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  19. nbakid2000

    nbakid2000 On Indie's Cutting Edge

    Location:
    Springfield, MO
    "I've gotta say, I don't like the way you're looking at me right now."
     
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  20. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Oh, I'd say Skyler changed quite dramatically from an ex-CPA bookkeeper/housewife to helping launder money and advise on a criminal empire. And Hank went from a blustery, loud-mouth lower-echelon DEA agent to a very thoughtful, calculating guy who's managed to rise to the head of the local DEA office.

    I agree that the article is totally off-base, and I think it's both the characters and the situations that draw me in to Breaking Bad week after week.
     
  21. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I'd say that Combo's transformation from direction-less street hustler to to a scholar and philosophical pacifist before he tragically lost his life also qualifies for tremendous development.
     
  22. Standoffish

    Standoffish Smarter than a turkey

    Location:
    North Carolina
    How about Badger's transformation from roadside sign-waver to science fiction author?

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac

    Location:
    Highland Park, USA
  24. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I think it has $195.00 on the ad.
     
  25. D Schnozzman

    D Schnozzman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Getting back to Lydia, I am wondering whether she remembers (in case she doesn't think that leaning on Walt will work) that there is another meth cook in town who is almost as good.
     
    ssmith3046 likes this.
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