Topic: Rate the last TV show you've seen

[UncleBob]

Hank couldn't have just sat around and did nothing.  It's not the kind of man he is.  He wouldn't beg to save his own life, why the heck would he let the most notorious drug kingpin in the ABQ off?

[BlackNMild2k1]

He had no hard evidence and Walt has the video confession. His hardest evidence is a known drug offender's word which wouldn't stand a chance in court against Mr. White's squeaky clean record and sympathetic situation.

As long as Walt kept his nose clean by staying retired, and kept slipping Hank's family money when they needed it (and couldn't refuse/didn't know where it was coming from), eventually Hank would have to just let that one go. He was the head of the ABQ DEA and directly implicated in Walts video. Either he lets it go and stop spending valuable time invesitgating off the books, or he makes his move and risk going down with Walt.

[UncleBob]

That's a very logical explanation - but, again, just not the kind of man Hank is.

Remember, Hank turned down a pretty significant promotion because he wanted to catch Heisenberg.  Hank is the kind of guy that would (and did) go down in flames to get his man.

[Adrock]

Walt lucked out way too many times at the end there. If this wasn't fiction, he probably would have been caught or killed ages ago, but even if he got to this point, being in a plaza with an intimidating looking man just waiting for his daughter was perhaps too convenient. Hank and Jesse would have outsmarted and caught Walt right there.

I'm not sure I agree with the idea of other characters just living with Walt's sins and accepting their fate. That line of thinking is strikingly similar to "Oh, but deep down he really loves me" or some other flimsy reasoning for accepting abuse or settling for unfortunate circumstances. If Jesse is the moral center of the show, there's no way he puts his head down and simply lives with Walt's atrocities. If someone was that abusive despite a few niceties here and there, would you be okay with that? Same goes for Hank as a law enforcement official. If we as a society just lived with defeat, we should have stopped trying to catch thieves, kidnappers, murderers, rapists, pedophiles etc. long ago and chalked it up to "Meh, **** happens."

[BlackNMild2k1]

Jessie could have just taken off and dealt with his issue using a bottomless sack of blue meth.

Hank would never forget, but bide his time always looking for a way to catch Walt dead-to-rights.
The truth would burn in him till no end, but eventually he would have to just move on, even if he always left a candle burning throughout the nite for Heisenberg.

Walt would keep his nose clean and just keep laundering his massive fortune under the radar until eventually he passed from his cancer (assuming it came back at all that is).

It's not what I or anyone expected to happen, as that would be the happy ending that we knew was not coming, but it's a likely scenario that could have happened if Jessie hadn't knock down the first domino.

[ThePerm]

I gathered that much. They weren't subtle about it with Walt almost breaking down on the phone. Coupled with that disturbing shot of Walt looking down on a frightened Skyler and Walt Jr. after the fight, I felt it was pretty clear that Walt was finally seeing how much his actions have affected those he cares about so he takes full responsibility for it, knowing the police were listening. Skyler is presumably off the hook.

I read an opinion piece suggesting that this is another power play by Walt to assert his dominance. By exonerating Skyler, he's taunting the police by admitting guilt and getting away with it so really he wins again. I'm not sure I buy that. I thought the conclusion the audience was supposed to have was the most obvious one. Walt, in a very small and very late act of atonement (small only in the way that it was literally the least he could do), finally does something that's actually best for his family in that moment even though he's lost them at this point. Still, that leaves Jesse who Walt saw as family yet sucker punched right before giving him a death sentence. No longer in the heat of the moment, I'm curious if he actually feels bad about it. That said, I wonder if Walt is coming back to Albuquerque to deal with Jack's gang as retribution for his money, Hank, or Jesse. Maybe all three?

On a related note, Jack is played by Michael Bowen who I recognized, but couldn't immediately identify. He played Buck "[who's] here to ****" in Kill Bill. I'm going to be honest, knowing that takes a little bit away from Jack's character. It's kind of like when I found out Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was the voice of The Shredder. Every time I see The Shredder, I just imagine him literally throwing DJ Jazzy Jeff out the front door of a mansion.

the Michael Bowen thing...I was looking for him, but he's so into that character i didn't recognize him. I was just pointing him out on an old 80s movie Night of the Comet to a friend. What i hadn't realized was i saw him twice that day. It took me like 4 episodes to recognize him.

[Stogi]

Breaking Bad.

Adrock. I would admit that it seemed convenient to have someone with his daughter during the meet up, but in all actuality, Jesse was scared. He knows exactly how far Walt can go. Paranoia did the rest.

I'm not sure what is going to happen. I honestly don't care, in the sense that thinking about just makes the wait worse. Whatever happens I'm sure it'll be true to the character driven story line.

[Oblivion]

Poor Hank. He was my favorite character.

[UncleBob]

Breaking Bad.

Adrock. I would admit that it seemed convenient to have someone with his daughter during the meet up, but in all actuality, Jesse was scared. He knows exactly how far Walt can go. Paranoia did the rest.

I'm not sure what is going to happen. I honestly don't care, in the sense that thinking about just makes the wait worse. Whatever happens I'm sure it'll be true to the character driven story line.

Yeah, I don't think Jessie would have made it to the phone.  *something* would have spooked him.

[Plugabugz]

Person of Interest begins on Tuesday. I am READY.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Brooklyn Nine Nine was actually entertaining and kinda funny, and I really expected it to be stupid and unfunny (like Dads - new Seth McFarlane show).

[Oblivion]

Another great episode of The Legend of Korra. Starting to doubt my theory that Unaloq is a good guy...

[oohhboy]

Not really liking Beware the Batman. Anarky is a terrible villain written by a 15 year old with a voice to match. CGI animation is never a good look and it doesn't change here. Batman sounds awful with dialogue making him come off as a prick all the time. The new Alfred is interesting, but lacks that classiness that old Alfred has.

If this is some sort of a year one Batman, he is way too cocky with far too many gadgets.

[azeke]

Another great episode of The Legend of Korra. Starting to doubt my theory that Unaloq is a good guy...

I liked it, but Tenzin and siblings squabbling was kinda annoying. All of them are in their fifties by now, how come they haven't settled down all arguments between them? Same with Bolin and Mako dialogue.

But i like water tribe Civil War story, it's becoming way more interesting than i expected.

[Oblivion]

Probably because they've been off doing their own thing. It looks like Tenzin hasn't even really interacted with his two other siblings that often due to the responsibility of being one of the last Airbenders.

What was wrong with Mako/Bolin? They didn't seem to be mad at each other to me.

[azeke]

I meant that Bolin stuff was equally annoying.

[Adrock]

I don't know why I keep forgetting that eating while watching Fringe is a bad idea. Two feet parasitic worms started emerging from people's mouths. Fantastic...

[UncleBob]

Breaking Bad: Neon/10

I've wanted to get into this series for awhile now, and Target had season one on sale for $20.  The down side is that season one is a whopping seven episodes.

Anyway, this series is something different.  There's a lot of "down time", but you're always waiting for the next thing to happen.  Highly recommended.

Where'd all that down time go?

[azeke]

Some of the shots from the latest episode:


It says all, really.

[Adrock]

So much for that phone call last week. And I definitely was not expecting Saul to get out of that van. A round of applause for Robert Forster by the way.

(Some Spoilers)

I liked "Granite State" quite a bit (in addition to New Hampshire's nickname, it signified to me Walt hit rock bottom and perhaps, at the end, Walter White and Heisenberg's black becoming more of a gray) though it feels like "Ozymandias" was the real finale. This episode was more like part one of an epilogue, played perfectly and calmly relative to all the oh-**** that happened last week. It's hard to imagine any true happy endings. Skyler may be absolved of Walt's crimes, Jesse may not be a meth-cooling slave anymore, and Marie may find out where Hank's body is buried. Those are consolation prizes at best comparatively to what they've lost. Each of them is irreparably worse and broken. I think most viewers would have been ready and willing to accept "Ozymandias" as an appropriate ending. Walt's phone call exonerating Skyler seemed like it worked until Saul explained why that was a total nope.

Instead, we get more Deus Ex Machina and Walt's extraordinary luck (seeing Elliot and Gretchen on TV and bailing before cops storm the bar) which, at this point, is a rather minor flaw for a show as strong as Breaking Bad. I suppose it works for dramatic tension. It seems like the writers "tried on" various endings in this last batch of episodes: Walt retiring, Hank catching Walt, Walt going into exile (after losing his family and keeping some of his money with no way to give them any). They all worked in one way or another. If it wasn't for the season premiere, we wouldn't know Walt was in New Hampshire (seemingly the opposite of New Mexico) for months and the show could have ended last week, shocking as it was.

I'm glad it didn't though. It's ingenious how the season and show is coming full circle. Walt returning with a vengeance to take care of unfinished business works better for his character arc even if being separated from his family with literally a barrel full of cash is more ironic. The writers just had to twist the knife into Jesse a little more, and more than anything else next week, I'm interested in what happens to him. Surely, meth-cooking slave isn't his ultimate fate, but he doesn't have much left in the tank, physically and emotionally. Adopting Brock has roughly a zero percent chance of happening and wouldn't work in the world of Breaking Bad. Jesse is still a wanted man, having assisted in most of Walt's crimes. Still, I want Jesse to get away because even though he hasn't paid his debt to society, it feels like he's paid for his crimes. It would be nice to see him find some peace somewhere. Maybe he can manage a Cinnabon with Saul.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Dexter - series finale

Is it possible to retcon a show back 4 seasons and start over?

If you have never watched this show before and wanted to get into it, just stop after the excellent season 4 and then pay a game of make believe till you get to q.v. ending that makes sense for you.
Seriously, just turn the series off and walk away. Preserve every positive thought you have about the show because that was as good as it got.

The final season... seasons are absolutely horrible and the final episode is stupid beyond belief.


Dexter murders a man in the police station interrogation room, to which he no longer worked, on camera in "self defense" when even on camera it doesn't look like self defense. They address this kinda, but shrug it off...
Dexter pulls his sister's life support, to which no nurse responded, and then proceeded to wheel her lifeless corpse out of the hospital, unnoticed and onto his boat, that was docked at the hospital (!?), and gave her a burial at sea... in the middle of a hurricane BTW
AND somehow made it back to shore, after wrecking his boat at sea (to be presumed dead) and joining the lumberjack trade somewhere in middle America (or wherever he was at).
In doing this, he ditched his young son in the hands of a serial murderess that he had literally known for months and had previously sent to prison (because she threatened to kill his sister). Had her take him away from his family (grandparents, sister and brother) to live with this lady in Argentina as if she had always wanted a son.


I could seriously go on and on and on, but I'm typing on my phone and it's really not worth the effort.

Season 5 should have been Dexter fucking up and getting caught by no other than Deb. Final season should have been him living like a boss murdering fools in prison.
That would have been much more satisfying that the garbage that we got.

Showtime needs to grow some balls and tell the story, not pander to ratings and demographics.

Dexter s8 - 2/10
It would have scored less if it wasn't for Masuka's hot daughter showing the goods

[Caliban]

I'm not too happy about Dexter's finale either. It seems like it was rushed.

[Stogi]

So much for that phone call last week. And I definitely was not expecting Saul to get out of that van. A round of applause for Robert Forster by the way.

(Some Spoilers)

I liked "Granite State" quite a bit (in addition to New Hampshire's nickname, it signified to me Walt hit rock bottom and perhaps, at the end, Walter White and Heisenberg's black becoming more of a gray) though it feels like "Ozymandias" was the real finale. This episode was more like part one of an epilogue, played perfectly and calmly relative to all the oh-**** that happened last week. It's hard to imagine any true happy endings. Skyler may be absolved of Walt's crimes, Jesse may not be a meth-cooling slave anymore, and Marie may find out where Hank's body is buried. Those are consolation prizes at best comparatively to what they've lost. Each of them is irreparably worse and broken. I think most viewers would have been ready and willing to accept "Ozymandias" as an appropriate ending. Walt's phone call exonerating Skyler seemed like it worked until Saul explained why that was a total nope.

Instead, we get more Deus Ex Machina and Walt's extraordinary luck (seeing Elliot and Gretchen on TV and bailing before cops storm the bar) which, at this point, is a rather minor flaw for a show as strong as Breaking Bad. I suppose it works for dramatic tension. It seems like the writers "tried on" various endings in this last batch of episodes: Walt retiring, Hank catching Walt, Walt going into exile (after losing his family and keeping some of his money with no way to give them any). They all worked in one way or another. If it wasn't for the season premiere, we wouldn't know Walt was in New Hampshire (seemingly the opposite of New Mexico) for months and the show could have ended last week, shocking as it was.

I'm glad it didn't though. It's ingenious how the season and show is coming full circle. Walt returning with a vengeance to take care of unfinished business works better for his character arc even if being separated from his family with literally a barrel full of cash is more ironic. The writers just had to twist the knife into Jesse a little more, and more than anything else next week, I'm interested in what happens to him. Surely, meth-cooking slave isn't his ultimate fate, but he doesn't have much left in the tank, physically and emotionally. Adopting Brock has roughly a zero percent chance of happening and wouldn't work in the world of Breaking Bad. Jesse is still a wanted man, having assisted in most of Walt's crimes. Still, I want Jesse to get away because even though he hasn't paid his debt to society, it feels like he's paid for his crimes. It would be nice to see him find some peace somewhere. Maybe he can manage a Cinnabon with Saul.

I have my theories but I just couldn't careless what happens. If he goes back and kills everyone, awesome. If he goes back and gets caught, awesome. If he goes back and gets killed, awesome. No matter what happens, it's going to be interesting.

[UncleBob]

What if he wakes up and it's all been one long chemo-induced coma?

[lolmonade]

What if he wakes up and it's all been one long chemo-induced coma?

I also thought of this.  I would gladly accept a ridiculous conclusion like this if just to see the fallout and millions of obsessed fans cry out in rage towards Vince Gilligan.


I'm with Stogi on this one: The writers of Breaking Bad have done much better at crafting this funnel to strain the characters of this show through to direct them towards their unfortunate conclusion. 


Only comment I'll add about Granite state: When the theme music played in the background as Walt begins seething in the bar hearing Gretchen & Elliot downplay his role in Grey Matter, my hair stood on edge.  Such a satisfying way to see him decide to go out on his own terms.