I have never watched breaking bad

Woofstuff

I have never watched breaking bad, there seems to be a lot of hype about it.

If I decide to watch it, Must I start at season one, or could I pick it up reasonably enough for the rest of the shows?

frozenfrozen

I've never seen an episode of it either although you should definitely start from s1e1. That way if you like it you can enjoy it the whole way through instead of back tracking after seeing latter series etc. etc.

GoldFour4

Get the one month trial of netflix and start on episode one of season one. You won't regret it, one of the best things I've ever seen on tv.

Celly Smunt

A lot of people I've recommended Breaking bad to have fallen off through season 1.Stick with it,for the love of god stuck with it.

snausages

Celly Smunt wrote: »

A lot of people I've recommended Breaking bad to have fallen off through season 1.Stick with it,for the love of god stuck with it.

That's weird, given that it's the best of the lot.

Jack Kyle

*Sticks head above the parapet

I find Breaking Bad tedious. Much prefer The Wire, The Sopranos, The West Wing, The Good Wife, Dexter, 24, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men to name but a few.

Bench Press

Start at the start

Captain Chaos

Yeah, I started watching it last year on Netflix over the space of a about 3 weeks. Got to s2e2 and just lost interest in making time to see more. Considering starting it again and trying to stick with it.

briany

snausages wrote: »

That's weird, given that it's the best of the lot.

It's easy to dismiss something in the early stages, before you become invested in the characters and situations. Few stories jump out and grab you from the outset, and if they do, they're often left with nowhere to go (see 'Lost'). You have to give something a full season before you can dismiss as not for you, otherwise you didn't give it a fair shake.

Passenger

If there's any show that is heavily serialised it's Breaking Bad. You have to start at the beginning.

Will I Amnt

Passenger wrote: »

If there's any show that is heavily serialised it's Breaking Bad. You have to start at the beginning.

Definitely. You won't ever see the charachter he has evolved from, the whole basis of the show, if you jump in at season 2 or 3.

snausages

briany wrote: »

It's easy to dismiss something in the early stages, before you become invested in the characters and situations. Few stories jump out and grab you from the outset, and if they do, they're often left with nowhere to go (see 'Lost'). You have to give something a full season before you can dismiss as not for you, otherwise you didn't give it a fair shake.

Yeah, but BB has one of the greatest pilots ever. I think if people have a hard time with season 1 it might not really be their kind of show. imo.

FloatingVoter

Breaking Bad is like a long novel. Pick a week or a weekend when you've nothing better to do and get seriously stuck in. It pays back. I only started watching it "live" for halfway through season three - the first two I caught on downloads.

stevenmu

Jack Kyle wrote: »

I find Breaking Bad tedious.

If that's true — if you find Breaking Bad tedious — then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.

ButtersSuki

For me, each series gets progressively better as you grow into it, with the leaps between 3 and 4 the most, memorable. 5 is excellent too, even if it's been draining waiting a year for it! Psychologically, I think if they named it 6 rather than 5 part 2 it wouldn't have felt so bad......but maybe that's just the marketeer in me! But to answer the original question - watch it from the start and stuck with it, you will be rewarded.

krudler

The evolution of Walt is the driving force behind it, you're doing the show, and yourself a huge disservice watching it out of context. Walt as he is now simply isn't the same person he was in the first episode of season 1. Start from the beginning, but watch it a few eps at a time, its not something you can drop in and out of on first viewing.

Jack Kyle

stevenmu wrote: »

If that's true — if you find Breaking Bad tedious — then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.

It's decent - Don't get me wrong.

I'm just underwhelmed.

The One Who Knocks

stevenmu wrote: »

If that's true — if you find Breaking Bad tedious — then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.

Thank you! Someone who remembers the quote correctly,..I've heard everything from "Tread lightly, or else" to "If I was you, I'd tread lightly"

No. Just No.

Easily the greatest words ever uttered by Heisenberg, do the man a favour and get it right!

</rant>

recylingbin

But what is it about?

trashcan

recylingbin wrote: »

But what is it about?

About an hour most weeks. (Ba dum tish:P)

Woofstuff

Woofstuff wrote: »

I have never watched breaking bad, there seems to be a lot of hype about it.

If I decide to watch it, Must I start at season one, or could I pick it up reasonably enough for the rest of the shows?

I don`t have the time to spare really I`ve decided. With the football coming back on this weekend, mountains of college work, and the quest to find a job so I can finally escape the clutches of mammy and daddy.

Ricky91t

If you start now you'll be up to speed by Episode 10's release next Monday.

It has that tendency to pull you in, next thing you know it's 7am you've gotta go to work and you've watched a full season straight :pac:

The One Who Knocks

Ricky91t wrote: »

If you start now you'll be up to speed by Episode 10's release next Monday.

It has that tendency to pull you in, next thing you know it's 7am you've gotta go to work and you've watched a full season straight :pac:

He's not joking, I watched seasons 1 - 5 in less than 14 days!

..and when you think about it, even that's not hard

55 episodes (including s5e9) x 45 mins = about 40 hours viewing time.

Yes,...it's THAT good.

Yester

Start from the start...bitch!

(I'm not really calling you a bitch. Watch and you will understand)

Plus this guy seems really cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz2_xpF6Bow

stevenmu

Jamez735 wrote: »

Thank you! Someone who remembers the quote correctly,..I've heard everything from "Tread lightly, or else" to "If I was you, I'd tread lightly"

No. Just No.

Easily the greatest words ever uttered by Heisenberg, do the man a favour and get it right!

</rant>

Haha, awkward confession time: in the interests of making sure I got it right, I copied and pasted your post from the other thread and changed as needed

dave1982

Hype translation

Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material:

To publicize or promote, especially by extravagant, inflated, or misleading claims:

Breaking Bad is not hype :pac:

stevenmu

Jack Kyle wrote: »

It's decent - Don't get me wrong.

I'm just underwhelmed.

Ah, to be honest I was really just looking for an excuse to use that quote

FWIW, when I first started watching Breaking Bad, I watched the first 3 episodes and thought it was ok, but not great. I left it aside for over a year before coming back. Even then I thought the first half of season one was good, then the second half great, and it just got better and better from there.

I did have the advantage though of watching seasons 1-4 over a short time, I know some people thought a lot of seasons 3 and 4 dragged on, and I can see that it would when watched week by week.

ibarelycare

Last year, I decided to watch the pilot of Dexter, and the pilot of Breaking Bad to decide which one I wanted to watch. I started watching Dexter I did enjoy the BB pilot but I thought the story of Dexter seemed far more interesting.

Anyway I started watching BB recently and am about 2/3 of the way through Season 3. I have to say it's tough going, but not necessarily in a bad way. I'm the sort of person who loves to sit down and watch 2/3/4/5 episodes of something in a row (depending on how much time I have) but with Breaking Bad I have never watched more than 2 episodes in a row. I found Season 1 hard because of the cancer storyline. Having lost my dad to cancer, seeing the pain and suffering in such a raw way was difficult for me. After that, I found it difficult to watch the change in Walt.

Especially going from a bit of a badass to a complete asshole.

And I think the hardest thing of all for me is

that no one ever catches a break. There's rarely any comical relief (except for Saul Goodman of course). Bad things just keep happening to everyone!

In saying that, I'm still really enjoying it and dying to know how the story progresses. The characters, despite being flawed, are still likeable for the most part. The acting and writing are both phenomenal. I watched an episode last night called "The Fly"

(the episode with just Jesse, Walt and the fly stuck in the lab all day)

and was blown away by it.

I would recommend it and do think it's worth the slog. Some nights when I go to turn it on I'm not even looking forward to watching it but a few minutes in and I'm hooked.








(In case anyone's wondering, I gave up on Dexter during season 6 I loved the show and the concept but the writing was going steadily downhill and I just lost interest!)





Edit: It's so difficult for me seeing all the posts linked to this forum in the "most thanked" list for today!!!! I'm dying to have a look! That's how I found this thread

Tzardine

Woofstuff wrote: »

I have never watched breaking bad, there seems to be a lot of hype about it. ?

Get out of here, go on, pack your bags and get moving !!

Seriously though start with Season 1 and stick with it. I found the first season really good but from there on its amazing.

Danger781

For me I personally feel Breaking Bad is arguably the best thing currently on television..

But - I will say that season one was quite slow and somewhat difficult to get into. Stick with it, and I can absolutely guarantee you will not regret it.

shrewdness

ibarelycare wrote: »

The acting and writing are both phenomenal. I watched an episode last night called "The Fly"

(the episode with just Jesse, Walt and the fly stuck in the lab all day)

and was blown away by it.

Interesting you say that, there was a debate here recently about that episode where some thought it was boring. When I watched it I was blown away too and couldn't understand this opinion when I seen it, great acting and character progression, Cranston in particular was fantastic. Some people expect shoot-outs and explosions every week, but Breaking Bad is so much more than that.

Just got into it recently and as luck would have it,TG4 started showing it from the start a couple of months ago. Coming towards the final eps of season 2 (TG4 pace) and my favourite episode so far is the one where Walt and Jesse are stuck in the desert after a mammoth meth production session.Just the two of them,classic!

the_monkey

zorro2566 wrote: »

Just got into it recently and as luck would have it,TG4 started showing it from the start a couple of months ago. Coming towards the final eps of season 2 (TG4 pace) and my favourite episode so far is the one where Walt and Jesse are stuck in the desert after a mammoth meth production session.Just the two of them,classic!

Absolutely, fantastic episode probably the best of season 2.

OP - please start from S01E01, I would not like to think anyone is getting any unnecessary spoilers!

My opinion of it was a bit slow at first, but by the end of S1, I was hooked, towards the end of S2 it becomes imo the greatest TV show ever, it passes the Sopranos

The Fly episode - interestingly enough when I first saw it I thought it was a bit of a drag, now I love it tho - Breaking Bad is a show you can watch again and again.


I have watched S1-S4 maybe 3 times, and S5 at least twice.

I never tire of it .

Apart from the writing, character development, pacing being top notch - to complement this we have stunning cinematography and a great soundtrack.

KrazeeEyezKilla

I though the first episode was one of the strongest of the series and set everything up perfectly. The next two weren't far off either. It only really drags a bit during the rest of the first Season. There are points in Seasons 3 & 4 where there isn't much happening but by then you're settled into it and you know it going somewhere. Not every episode is going to have something huge happen.

snausages

I actually think that season 1 doesn't have a bad episode in it. The first trio of eps are a fantastically bleak descent into darkness. The stark juxtaposition between Walt's home life and the increasingly seedy underworld he becomes immersed in is mesmerising.

Season 2-4

When they introduced Gus I think the series lost its edge a little bit. Fantastic performance by Giancarlo Esposito but his arc went on very long. I think it would have been a stronger series if Tuco was able to stay as the main antagonist a little longer and Gus only came in in season 3. They spent too long in that laundry.

Vinz Mesrine

snausages wrote: »

I actually think that season 1 doesn't have a bad episode in it. The first trio of eps are a fantastically bleak descent into darkness. The stark juxtaposition between Walt's home life and the increasingly seedy underworld he becomes immersed in is mesmerising.

Season 2-4

When they introduced Gus I think the series lost its edge a little bit. Fantastic performance by Giancarlo Esposito but his arc went on very long. I think it would have been a stronger series if Tuco was able to stay as the main antagonist a little longer and Gus only came in in season 3. They spent too long in that laundry.

I have to disagree with that. I don't know how to black out my text like that so i wont spoil anything by talking any further about it.

snausages

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

I have to disagree with that.

Which part?

edit: you spoiler text like this but without the asterisks [*SPOILER] [/SPOILER*]

Vinz Mesrine

How do i black out my text like you did?

ibarelycare

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

How do i black out my text like you did?

When you reply to a post, in the top right hand corner of the message box is a Spoiler image, like this. Click that, and then post between the spoiler tags.

Vinz Mesrine

I just think that Tuco had run his course, his character would have gotten stale within a few more episodes. Gus was just perfect, he was the perfect character to counter Walt and to be honest i loved the laundry scenes.

TherapyBoy

If you put spoiler tags around the text you want blacked out, like this:

[*SPOILER]How do i black out my text like you did?[*/SPOILER]

But leave out the two * you get this:

How do i black out my text like you did?

snausages

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

I just think that Tuco had run his course, his character would have gotten stale within a few more episodes. Gus was just perfect, he was the perfect character to counter Walt and to be honest i loved the laundry scenes.

I agree that Tuco is the kind of character that could have very easily descended into comic-book farce, but I think his exit was very rushed and could have been prolonged a little bit to the middle of the season at least. Much worse I think were his cousins in season 3. They were like something out of the Matrix.

Gus was great and the kind of powerful opposite force that the series needed to counter Heisenberg. But I was glad to see the end of him and the laundry. I felt like that plot really stultified the series for a while. It felt stuck in a repetitive rut especially in season 4

And just because :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPfxMIhEUrQ

Vinz Mesrine

snausages wrote: »

I agree that Tuco is the kind of character that could have very easily descended into comic-book farce, but I think his exit was very rushed and could have been prolonged a little bit to the middle of the season at least. Much worse I think were his cousins in season 3. They were like something out of the Matrix.

Gus was great and the kind of powerful opposite force that the series needed to counter Heisenberg. But I was glad to see the end of him and the laundry. I felt like that plot really stultified the series for a while. It felt stuck in a repetitive rut especially in season 4

And just because :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPfxMIhEUrQ

I loved the cousins. Genuine, fearless, psychopaths, not like Tuco who, as you said, was bordering on comic-book farce.

tommy2bad

One of the things I love about this show is the way they show the lifestyle changes the characters go through. From having large groups over to their house to only family, from being out in the daytime to only going out at night and from having lots of contacts to becoming isolated in their own smaller and smaller world of themselves. It really shows how criminals become all about themselves without even thinking about it or how it happened.
Everything is gradual and when you watch the show you can see both how evil they are becoming and also understand how they cant see it.

Gmail

Breaking Bad is the type of show that you need to start from the start with. You need to see the characters evole, the history to the relationships and how those relationships change from episode to episode. It's a superbly written, cast and executed show. By far the best I've ever seen.

As far as I'm concerned if your not hooked at the send of Season 1 then you can give up (if that's what you want). A friend of mine did that - I literally made her promise to watch all of the episodes in SE01. She did but decided to drop out. Too bad for her I think! I was foaming at the mouth for more after only 2 or 3 episodes of the first season. If your not feeling it then your not feeling it so may aswell move onto something that grips you.

Glad I found this thread - didn't know it existed until about half an hour ago!

KrazeeEyezKilla

Tuco was the first person Walt & Jessie had to deal with so it made sense to have an entertaining over the top character at that early stage. They made a lot of their early mistakes with a fairly small time character. They wouldn't have been able to handle a Gus yet.

Tomfla

Is this the place to ask questions or discuss the latest episode.

I have some questions I want to throw around but obviously not spoil it for anyone else.

tommy2bad

Tomfla wrote: »

Is this the place to ask questions or discuss the latest episode.

I have some questions I want to throw around but obviously not spoil it for anyone else.

That would be here;
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057012907

herisson

I just started watching it today. I spent most of the day on my ass watching it. Im addicted to it.


I regret nothing.

The Black Oil

Welcome to our support group. :pac:

Sinfonia

Don't watch the first episode on Netflix.

There are two versions of the pilot, one is c.58 mins, one is c.45 mins; Netflix has the latter.
In my opinion, the missing scenes are important, although I do love things being as detailed as possible (big Wire fan :P ). Some might not miss those scenes, but I really think they help solidify the reasoning for Walt's actions, and in convincing the viewer that he could/would do those things.

As far as I'm aware, all of the other episodes should be fine on Netflix (although possibly with profanity & nudity censorship?)