How has your opinons on characters changed?

SweepTheLeg

I've hated Skyler from the start. From smoking when pregnant, fúcking Ted, forcing herself into the laundering with Walt and then complaining about being a hostage, all up to saying she's just waiting for him to die. I'd feel a little sympathy if she wasn't a bítch for every season.

Jesse has been kind of mixed. In the earlier seasons I disliked him on how easy he was led by people and not standing by Walt. Jane is the perfect example. Starting to dislike how he's in another stint of depression now, I know he's had a tough time but i'm hoping he snaps out of goes on to redeem himself someway. If he didn't want all this stress and killing, He shouldn't have become a drug dealer in the first place.

Now Walt. I'm surprised so few people are on his side anymore. It wasn't his fault it all went to hell with Gus. He just wanted to keep that setup, but Gus kept ruining it by trying to kill Jesse and then trying to replace Walt. Also after 4 seasons of Sklyer/Mike/Saul talking down to him and telling him what to do i'm glad he's finally snapped and doesn't take any shít from them. Before I use to hate any scene with Sklyer because of how she would talk to him but now I know he doesn't give a crap.

The Brock thing was a bit extreme, He knew the plant wouldn't kill him but it was still bad. But that again was from Jesse not trusting him and sticking by him. Finally with the whole murdering 9 people in jail, That's the way it had to be. I mean Saul & especially Jesse disagreed but there was no other way. They would have talked and the DEA/FBI would track any more money being sent to them.

I was going to post thoughts on Saul/Hank etc.. but it would've been too long. So what are your opinions?

shrewdness

If you look back through all of Walt's actions from the very start, you could say there was always a reason for them. He has done some bad sh!t, but you can explain them away that it had to be done, or there was a danger the truth would come out etc. It's not like he's killing randomers on the street for no reason, but this doesn't make his actions any less deplorable. Letting Jane die, ordering Gale's death, poisoning Brock etc. Todd shot Drew Sharp pretty fast but I wouldn't doubt Walt doing the same if he had to. He killed Mike for no reason whatsoever only because he was angry and to satisfy his ego. His character has completely changed. Hell, at the end of the last season/half-season he was ordering gang prison hits.

Even at the end of the most recent episode, when he appeared to be apologetic when talking to Hank, you can hear the change in his voice to a more sinister tone when he says "Tread lightly". Up to now he has kept up this weak look to the likes of Hank, but elsewhere he is simply Heisenberg. He has become a monster, and doesn't care who he has to step on or kill to get what he wants. It's strange though, because at times I do still find myself rooting for him! I think there's bigger problems on the horizon than Hank, and between those two threats and the return of the cancer, the walls are closing in on him.

I wouldn't say I'm 100% against Walt, but my sympathies would certainly be more with Jesse. He has shown several times to have much more of a conscience than Walt and has changed to the point that he isn't cut out for the drug business, and just wants a normal life. But you can see the scars that those many traumatic events(Brock, Gale, Drew Sharp, Jane etc.) have left on him, and yet again he appears to be on the verge of a meltdown. He is very fragile as it stands right now and it will be very interesting to see what happens from here.

I could say alot more about those two alone never mind the rest, but that's the gist of it!

A Primal Nut

I stopped liking Walt towards the end of season 2 when he started getting greedy, extending into new territories, resulting in the death of Jesse's friend and the shutdown of the whole operation. It was no longer about providing for his family, it was suddenly about his ego to the point that he was taking stupid risks. Except he wasn't the one taking those risks, instead he forced them on Jesse and his friends.

I never hated Skylar. Yes she is annoying at times but I wouldn't expect her to roll over and accept the fact that her husband is a drug dealer/murderer. She has her family at heart much more so than Walt who has been all about ego since season 2.

The One Who Knocks

While some part of me still sympathises with Walt, it wont be for long. He's just going to get worse and worse. That was Vince's intentions all along. If my predictions are right, he's going to kill Skyler and let Holly die. I have absolutely no idea why, but I'm sure it will all make sense when it happens. My only guess would be that someone makes him choose between his family and his empire, and seeing as it was confirmed that he returns to the top of the drug empire, it kinda makes a little sense.

Mousewar

There's always reasons for doing bad things. No one does evil just for the sake of being evil. He had his reasons and he did them. They're still evil though and he deserves for them to be considered as such.

I didn't like Skyler in the first few seasons simply because her treatment of Walt didn't seem consistent with her actual awareness of what was going on. Surely, she could have cut him some slack over his odd behaviour - he was dying after all. I think the show invested her with some kind of preternatural awareness of the truth which ultimately justifies her behaviour. By the fifth series, her fear of Walt and attempts to protect her kids is admirable really.

I'm sad to see the happy-go-lucky Hank disappear to be replaced by this distraught angry older version.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Jamez735 wrote: »

While some part of me still sympathises with Walt, it wont be for long. He's just going to get worse and worse. That was Vince's intentions all along. If my predictions are right, he's going to kill Skyler and let Holly die. I have absolutely no idea why, but I'm sure it will all make sense when it happens. My only guess would be that someone makes him choose between his family and his empire, and seeing as it was confirmed that he returns to the top of the drug empire, it kinda makes a little sense.

Where you getting that from?

The One Who Knocks

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Where you getting that from?

In a promotional email Netflix sent me yesterday, they said

"In the final episodes, being bad is no longer an act as Walt's downward spiral leads him to the top of a drug empire."

Vinz Mesrine

Walt : At the start i felt sympathy for him obviously, he got in over his head but has come through the other side and in my opinion, is one of the best characters to ever grace my television. I cannot fathom why people do not like him and aren't "supporting" him. Everything he has done from the very first episode has been necessary in his own mind, from Jane to Brock to Gus to the prisoners, it was all necessary to keep himself on top.

Jesse : He is right up there with Walt as one of my favorite every TV characters. I really hope he makes it out of this show alive. I have never pulled for someone on TV as hard as i have pulled for Jesse. Aaron Paul deserves an insane amount of credit and awards for his portrayal of Jesse.

Skyler : Hate her, always have, nothing has changed. I want her to burn before the series ends.

All the rest i can take them or leave them, i am not too bothered whether they live or die. Apart from Saul, he has to live

April O Neill

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

I've hated Skyler from the start. From smoking when pregnant, fúcking Ted, forcing herself into the laundering with Walt and then complaining about being a hostage, all up to saying she's just waiting for him to die. I'd feel a little sympathy if she wasn't a bítch for every season.

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

Now Walt. I'm surprised so few people are on his side anymore.

Really. You hate Skyler for her relatively* minor moral failings, but can't understand people not being on Walt's side. Seriously? That's terrifying.


* in comparison to Walt. Smoking while pregnant. Yeah, not great. Fúcking Ted? Yeah, it's technically adultery. But she wanted out of the marriage at that stage (and had expressed this to Walt), so not really. But hey, that's soooo much worse than killing 190 people, directly or indirectly, wha'?

Mousewar

April O Neill wrote: »

Really. You hate Skyler for her relatively* minor moral failings, but can't understand people not being on Walt's side. Seriously? That's terrifying.


* in comparison to Walt. Smoking while pregnant. Yeah, not great. Fúcking Ted? Yeah, it's technically adultery. But she wanted out of the marriage at that stage (and had expressed this to Walt), so not really. But hey, that's soooo much worse than killing 190 people, directly or indirectly, wha'?

Yeah but it's how you do it. He killed those 190 people with a bit of class. Do anything with a bit of class and you're grand. Skyler just isn't a classy broad.

KrazeeEyezKilla

In the early Episodes Hank was a loudmouth, Skyler a nag and Jessie a sleaze far more than later on probably because Walt was at his most sympathetic at the time. The programme was always about Walt changing but they seemed to emphasise the negative traits of the other main characters (even Walt Jnr and Marie were more bratty and obnoxious) to make Walt even more of a sympathetic character. Hank and Jessie are shown to be much better people than Walt and there was never really anything wrong with Skyler.

Letting Jane die was the first real bad guy thing he did but even after that there were occasions when he put others first like when he saved Jessie and looked to be in danger from Gus at the end of Season Three. Season Five was when he really became the villain. He was no longer in danger and had no reason to be still cooking but his ego was out of control. Convincing Jessie to break up with his girlfriend was possibly even worse than killing Mikes men. There was no real reason at all for it and he just manipulating Jessie for the sake of it.

A Primal Nut

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

I cannot fathom why people do not like him and aren't "supporting" him. Everything he has done from the very first episode has been necessary in his own mind, from Jane to Brock to Gus to the prisoners, it was all necessary to keep himself on top.

If this was a lad you were reading about in Limerick in real life, would you have the same opinion?

First of all he deals meth, one of the most destructive drugs there is (the impact of the drugs he makes on the end user is a story that is sadly lacking in Breaking Bad, and may have been the best story of all; he may as well be selling apples in terms of how it plays on his conscience); secondly he has numerous times turned down the easy option where he would make enough money to provide for his family, instead getting greedy and taking crazy risks to make even more money, which usually results in more innocent people dying. It wasn't necessary at all to move into more dangerous territories in season 2 or turn down the €5m in season 5.

The massacre at the end of season 5, part 1; I don't think it gets talked about enough; he ordered the murders of 10 people! And yet people still talk about Brock - he knew the poison wouldn't kill Brock so that was nothing in comparison.

I agree about one thing though; he is one of the best characters on tv!

April O Neill

Mousewar wrote: »

Yeah but it's how you do it. He killed those 190 people with a bit of class. Do anything with a bit of class and you're grand. Skyler just isn't a classy broad.

Hope this is sarcastic! :pac:

snausages

I think the 'say my name' scene is probably the most misunderstood scene in the series. You're not meant to be in awe at how 'badass' Walt is in that scene. You're supposed to be taking aback by his pretentious posturing. We already know that there are bad things in store for Walt. His denouement is coming and it's going to destroy any notions that Heisenberg is above his enemies.

muckisluck

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote: »

Letting Jane die was the first real bad guy thing he did sake of it.

Did he not kill someone in series one and put him in hydrochloric acid which led to the bathroom ceiling falling through in Jesses house. I remember being shocked by that at the time or did I just dream it!

Wacker The Attacker

No Walter White is still the man.

He still has massive grapes and I hope he comes out on top

Suryavarman

muckisluck wrote: »

Did he not kill someone in series one and put him in hydrochloric acid which led to the bathroom ceiling falling through in Jesses house. I remember being shocked by that at the time or did I just dream it!

He was planning on releasing Crazy-8 until he realised that Crazy-8 planned to stab him and possibly kill him upon release. When pretending to unlock the bike lock Crazy-8 stabs him in the leg. Walt then chokes him to death in self-defence.

From then he had to dispose of the body somehow.

What was he supposed to do, leave Crazy-8 kill him? Or leave him starve to death in the basement? Or maybe he kills Crazy-8 but decides to hand himself in at the police station? Thereby leaving his family without a breadwinner thinking their father/husband was a cold blooded murderer.

His murder of Crazy-8 is surely one of his most understandable actions in the entire series. It was hardly an evil act considering he really only did it out of self-defence.

Flimbos

One big change I've noticed about Walt (apart from the obvious good guy to bad guy transition), is that he's changed from being a sensible, careful, clever person, to a deluded egomaniac, who is skating on very thin ice.

We saw from the start how he is an incredibly talented chemist, and also very resourceful, coming up with some ingenious ideas to get himself and Jesse out of trouble - making the battery when they were stuck in the desert springs to mind.

As the seasons went on, and especially after he killed Gus and had a sniff at power, he has become increasingly narcissistic and very reckless.

We've seen his ego grow ("Say my name!"), but he's also being very careless with his safety and that of his family's. He thinks he can just retire now and run the car wash, and leave others to continue producing a much weaker product..

To quote poor Mike, "We had a good thing, you stupid son of a b!tch!… But no! You just had to blow it up! You! And your pride, and your ego! You just had to be the man! If you'd done your job, known your place, we'd all be fine right now!"

SweepTheLeg

A Primal Nut wrote: »

If this was a lad you were reading about in Limerick in real life, would you have the same opinion? !

It's a tv show, not real life. You're suppose to root for the "bad guys". In the Sopranos, you root for Tony Soprano. In Scarface you root for Tony Montana. In Dexter you root for Dexter the serial killer. I could list off examples all night.

In Breaking Bad you root for Walter White. If the show was called DEA Files and Hank was the main character chasing down meth lords then yeah, You'd root for the "good guys".

FouxDaFaFa

Marie: I didn't really like her at the start. She would make snide comments towards Skyler. I still don't *love* her but I find her interesting (the pathological lying, compulsive stealing) and I think she's a good sister when it comes down to it (taking the kids when needed, etc). She loves Hank and she's a good wife.

Hank: I thought he was so obnoxious and offensive and didn't really like him. My opinion of him changed when he went to El Paso and we saw that he suffers from panic attacks. It made him more relatable. He is much better at his job than I would have guessed from his jokey demeanour. I like him a lot now and hope he comes out on top.

Skyler: opinion has stayed pretty much the same. I don't like or dislike her.

Jesse: I've always liked Jesse. There is something almost childlike about him. He feels things much more deeply than Walt. He is the moral compass of the show. I really hope he survives.

Walt: Started out liking him, rooting for him. I started to change my mind when Jane died and it's been steadily downhill ever since. Some of his actions have been despicable. I hope he gets his comeuppance because it will be of his own arrogant doing.

Da Shins Kelly

snausages wrote: »

I think the 'say my name' scene is probably the most misunderstood scene in the series. You're not meant to be in awe at how 'badass' Walt is in that scene. You're supposed to be taking aback by his pretentious posturing. We already know that there are bad things in store for Walt. His denouement is coming and it's going to destroy any notions that Heisenberg is above his enemies.

Yeah, I've never understood the "that's so awesome!" reaction to that scene. It shows once and for all how arrogant he has become. He believes his own hype. There's nothing awesome about it, it's kind of laughable really.

April O Neill

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

Marie: I didn't really like her at the start. She would make snide comments towards Skyler. I still don't *love* her but I find her interesting (the pathological lying, compulsive stealing) and I think she's a good sister when it comes down to it (taking the kids when needed, etc). She loves Hank and she's a good wife..

I've always liked Marie, she's a great character to watch! And she is very caring.

Bit shocked that Betsy Brandt was only 32 when the series began. She has an older face. :-/

Love Hank too.

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

Yeah, I've never understood the "that's so awesome!" reaction to that scene.

I've always found that scene quite homoerotic.

Lovely Bloke

April O Neill wrote: »

Really. You hate Skyler for her relatively* minor moral failings, but can't understand people not being on Walt's side. Seriously? That's terrifying.

You are way too caught up in this, it's not the first time you've written like this on here either.

Walter White is the main character of the show. Plenty of "bad men" have been portrayed on screen who the audience roots for.

Walter White
Tony Soprano
Nucky Thompson
Omar Little
Dexter Morgan

Now, if we hear of a mafia boss who is caught and tried and found guilty in real life we are happy about that. Whitey Bulger for example, the life and times of Bulger wouldn't be too far from what we saw portrayed by Gandolfini - he was a scumbag involved in innumerable murders, racketeering, prostitution, drug dealing and god knows that else - difference is Tony Soprano isn't real so it's OK to root for him. He's not really harming anyone.

On the other hand, show me a married man anywhere in the world who doesn't in some way relate to the way Skylar, Carmela or Margaret Schroeder are portrayed. Yes, even your own husband/SO.

In the same way we see the very worst aspect of the men in these shows, we also see the very worst aspects of their wives too. They act the way the worst wives do. Constant nagging, being a bitch and witholding sex as a form of punishment.

Men hate that crap, as I'm sure women hate the idea that their husbands become Meth Lords, Mafia bosses or serial killers.

April O Neill

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

You are way too caught up in this, it's not the first time you've written like this on here either.

'Person in Expressing Opinion More Than Once on Internet Forum' SHOCKA!

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

In the same way we see the very worst aspect of the men in these shows, we also see the very worst aspects of their wives too. They act the way the worst wives do. Constant nagging, being a bitch and witholding sex as a form of punishment.

Men hate that crap, as I'm sure women hate the idea that their husbands become Meth Lords, Mafia bosses or serial killers.

:pac:

SweepTheLeg

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

You are way too caught up in this, it's not the first time you've written like this on here either.

Walter White is the main character of the show. Plenty of "bad men" have been portrayed on screen who the audience roots for.

Walter White
Tony Soprano
Nucky Thompson
Omar Little
Dexter Morgan

I can imagine her watching Dexter and cursing every episode that he doesn't get caught for being such bad guy.

snausages

Until recent seasons Dexter has always been shown as the necessary evil that stops bad stuff from happening. So it makes sense in that context to root for him. Walt isn't really like that. Not in this season anyway.

SweepTheLeg

snausages wrote: »

Until recent seasons Dexter has always been shown as the necessary evil that stops bad stuff from happening. So it makes sense in that context to root for him. Walt isn't really like that. Not in this season anyway.

You can change Dexter to any bad guy. Tony Soprano, Tony Montana. They were just straight up bad guys, but people always rooted for them like people root for Walt.

snausages

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

You can change Dexter to any bad guy. Tony Soprano, Tony Montana. They were just straight up bad guys, but people always rooted for them like people root for Walt.

Sopranos finale

Yet people were dying to see Tony get whacked in the final scene. People wanted that closure. They hated that they didn't get that. Viewers clearly didn't think that it was appropriate resolution to the story to allow the sociopathic, murdering mob-boss to get off in the end. It didn't suit their fantasy.

Dexter

if you're following the current seasons of Dexter atm you'd probably know that most people want to see justice done to him as well. After all, he killed a police lieutenant.

April O Neill

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

I can imagine her watching Dexter and cursing every episode that he doesn't get caught for being such bad guy.

I don't like 'Dexter'. Watched a few episodes. Hated the eponymous hero. Stopped watching. The main reason though being that the premise of the show is gimmicky, and if there's one thing I hate, it's a gimmick.

I wouldn't put Dexter in the same category as Tony or Walt, he's a cartoon character, whereas for all their faults the first two are layered human beings.

SweepTheLeg

April O Neill wrote: »

I don't like 'Dexter'. Watched a few episodes. Hated the eponymous hero. Stopped watching. The main reason though being that the premise of the show is gimmicky, and if there's one thing I hate, it's a gimmick.

The show is in no way a gimmick. I can't remember the last tv show which revolved around a serial killer as a main character.

I take it you hate all crime movies like Casino/Goodfellas where bad guys are the main characters :P

The One Who Knocks

To be honest, I've moved from loving Walter to laughing at him, I don't "support" him per se, but bigger his ego the funnier it is - at least for me. I nearly pissed myself at the whole "thread lightly" scene, it's just incredible to see how much he has changed.

April O Neill

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

The show is in no way a gimmick. I can't remember the last tv show which revolved around a serial killer as a main character.

I don't think you understand what a gimmick is. 'Dexter' is gimmicky, kinda like how 'How I Meet Your Mother' is. Two totally different shows, but both hugely contrained by their gimmicky premises. It has nothing to do with the show being about a serial killer.

SweepTheLeg wrote: »

I take it you hate all crime movies like Casino/Goodfellas where bad guys are the main characters :P

Nope, because they're not cartoonish. Tony Soprano is compelling to watch. He's also a total scumbag. Ditto Walter White. You can find a character compelling and hate them simultaneously. The two aren't mutally exclusive.

April O Neill

Jamez735 wrote: »

To be honest, I've moved from loving Walter to laughing at him, I don't "support" him per se, but bigger his ego the funnier it is - at least for me. I nearly pissed myself at the whole "thread lightly" scene, it's just incredible to see how much he has changed.

My BF and I laughed at that "Say my name" scene. It was great to watch, but it was difficult not to imagine Walt creaming himself over what a badass he was while the confrontation was going on.

The One Who Knocks

April O Neill wrote: »

My BF and I laughed at that "Say my name" scene. It was great to watch, but it was difficult not to imagine Walt creaming himself over what a badass he was while the confrontation was going on.

Yeah agreed, I mean there is a slight "badass-ery" aspect to him, and part of me wants to just see how far he can push it, but it's comical more than anything really.

Grimebox

It pains me to hear people say they hated Skylar throughout, especially with the reasons given. Her actions are more than understandable

April O Neill

Grimebox wrote: »

It pains me to hear people say they hated Skylar throughout, especially with the reasons given. Her actions are more than understandable

In normal life, I wouldn't be that gone on Skylar. In normal life. But I can't fathom people hating her for her actions on the show, bar maybe the pregnancy smoking. (What would Skylar-dislikers do without the pregnancy smoking. "B-b-but the pregnancy smoking", they opine. :pac:)

snausages

Jamez735 wrote: »

Yeah agreed, I mean there is a slight "badass-ery" aspect to him, and part of me wants to just see how far he can push it, but it's comical more than anything really.

To me it's not so much comical as it is a faintly absurd moment that stands in stark contrast to the scene in the same episode how he shoots an old man in the back who had just wounded his ego and apologises afterward. What is the viewer supposed to make of that? That everyone still thinks Walt is an awesome badass just doesn't make sense to me. I think those scenes are deliberately staged that way but it's something that people seem to have missed out on.

It's always been about his ego imo. The season 4 episode where Mike takes Jesse out to the desert is one where Walt is at his most disempowered and also the episode where he goes on his drunken rant at Hank's about Gale being nowhere near the genius of Heisenberg or whatever. He's constantly out for ways to validate himself. Same with "I am the danger". A lot of these scenes feel cringey in retrospect but when you look at it perhaps that's how they're supposed to be.


All of that makes Walt a richer character though. I think if he just transformed from a meek doormat type character into Tony Soprano it would have felt cheap.

The One Who Knocks

April O Neill wrote: »

In normal life, I wouldn't be that gone on Skylar. In normal life. But I can't fathom people hating her for her actions on the show, bar maybe the pregnancy smoking. (What would Skylar-dislikers do without the pregnancy smoking. "B-b-but the pregnancy smoking", they opine. :pac:)

Personally, I don't "hate" her, I just dislike her. While everyone might not agree, she's an obstacle to Heisenberg. Breaking Bad would be boring if it was just "happy families." It's about breaking bad, so I really want to see how far Walt will go. When he went from cooking in a RV in the middle of the desert to this state of the art underground lab - my mind was blown! ..but when Skyler convinced him to stop cooking - not so much.

This is tv after all, the one place your imagination can run wild, without fear of consequences. Obviously if this was real life, and walt was making real meth I would hate him for it - but there's no real consequences here - so yes, let's see how far he can push it.

It's not like I'm supporting him because I like watching people get killed, I like watching his ego grow. It's humorous to watch some old chemistry turn into a monster at the top of a huge criminal empire - at least to me.

snausages wrote: »

To me it's not so much comical as it is a faintly absurd moment that stands in stark contrast to the scene in the same episode how he shoots an old man in the back who had just wounded his ego and apologises afterward. What is the viewer supposed to make of that? That everyone still thinks Walt is an awesome badass just doesn't make sense to me. I think those scenes are deliberately staged that way but it's something that people seem to have missed out on.

Did not laugh at him shooting Hank by the way, I always liked Hank, and hated Walt for quite some time after that...that's when I stopped caring about who lives and dies. As the man himself once said “Everyone dies in this movie.”

Ending Spoiler - Aaron Paul when asked about the possibility of a Breaking Bad movie.

TMZ's cameras caught up with Paul on a street corner and asked him if a "Breaking Bad" movie were possible once the series ends this fall. Paul said no, and the reporter then asked why.
"'Cause everyone dies in the ending," Paul said with a smile."

April O Neill

Jamez735 wrote: »

Personally, I don't "hate" her, I just dislike her. While everyone might not agree, she's an obstacle to Heisenberg. Breaking Bad would be boring if it was just "happy families." It's about breaking bad, so I really want to see how far Walt will go.

Indeed it would be boring if it was all happy families.

It would also be boring if there were no obstacles in Walt's way.

The One Who Knocks

April O Neill wrote: »

Indeed it would be boring if it was all happy families.

It would also be boring if there were no obstacles in Walt's way.

True, but there's a difference between an obstacle like Gus who stands in the way of his empire growing, and Skyler, who wants him to stop cooking completely.

(Thankfully it doesn't last!)

April O Neill

Jamez735 wrote: »

True, but there's a difference between an obstacle like Gus who stands in the way of his empire growing, and Skyler, who wants him to stop cooking completely. (Thankfully it doesn't last!)

Spoiler alert!

I dunno, I don't find the domestic obstacles dull, if anything they are more compelling to me.

Kinda like all Tony's domestic stuff in the Sopranos, and his being torn between his two families.

The One Who Knocks

April O Neill wrote: »

Spoiler alert!

I dunno, I don't find the domestic obstacles dull, if anything they are more compelling to me.

Kinda like all Tony's domestic stuff in the Sopranos, and his being torn between his two families.

Yeah I did enjoy the sopranos...I guess I'm just looking for something different this time. Like Aaron Paul said, the final 8 are set to be the darkest of the entire series, “It’s just so raw and it doesn’t allow the audience to breathe because we don’t have time to do that”. ..and I for one can't wait!

Tombo2001

The only character my opinion has really change on is Saul.....initially I thought he was a bit of a cartoon, but he has turned out to be quite an impressive guy.

Walt......ever since he let the Native American security guard take the rap for stealing the lab equipment in Season One, its always been clear that he doesn't have much of a conscience.

Tombo2001

Can I just throw this in there......one character who has never come into it in a big way, never really played a role, except to facilitate the plot moving forward....is Hanks wife....Marie I think her name is.

The one story that focussed on her was the shop lifting.....what was the point of that? How did that fit in to the storyline.....

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

there was nothing walt could have done once they'd done the background check on him. now he didn't immediately jump up and admit he stole the lab equipment but he couldn't have known about what would be found if the authorities checked up

on topic. hated skylar the first time, hate her on the rewatch too. cant say that my opinion on any of the characters has changed too much. walt maybe as the first time around in s2/3/4 you're always thinking "well he has his reasons, he might pull it all around and do right by everybody in the end" but as we're coming to the close now you just know that's not likely to happen and you look at his actions in a different light.

feel worse for jessie the second time around too, for similar reasons. can't see his story ending well

April O Neill

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Can I just throw this in there......one character who has never come into it in a big way, never really played a role, except to facilitate the plot moving forward....is Hanks wife....Marie I think her name is.

The one story that focussed on her was the shop lifting.....what was the point of that? How did that fit in to the storyline.....

Surely the shoplifting storyline shows the opposite of her just being there to move the plot forward?

I think that subplot was perhaps to depict with her anxiety over Hank's line of work.

Grimebox

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Can I just throw this in there......one character who has never come into it in a big way, never really played a role, except to facilitate the plot moving forward....is Hanks wife....Marie I think her name is.

The one story that focussed on her was the shop lifting.....what was the point of that? How did that fit in to the storyline.....

I never liked her. Her whole kleptomaniac storyline didn't do anything for me nor did it seem to serve any purpose. I think she's possibly the weakest character in the whole show.

This was funny though. Context: Hector Salamanca has reached out to the DEA saying he wants to speak to Hank personally

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XCxupBwuuU

D.Q

Walt is definitely meant to be taken as a bad ass. Look at any of the pictures/promos for this season or 5p1. "Return of the king" etc etc.

Rosy Posy

Suryavarman wrote: »

He was planning on releasing Crazy-8 until he realised that Crazy-8 planned to stab him and possibly kill him upon release. When pretending to unlock the bike lock Crazy-8 stabs him in the leg. Walt then chokes him to death in self-defence.

From then he had to dispose of the body somehow.

What was he supposed to do, leave Crazy-8 kill him? Or leave him starve to death in the basement? Or maybe he kills Crazy-8 but decides to hand himself in at the police station? Thereby leaving his family without a breadwinner thinking their father/husband was a cold blooded murderer.

His murder of Crazy-8 is surely one of his most understandable actions in the entire series. It was hardly an evil act considering he really only did it out of self-defence.

The really interesting thing about this imo is that Walt seemed to feel genuine remorse or at least some kind of anguish over Krazy8's murder and yet had he released him Walt would have been finished before he even began- Jesse had told Krazy8 where Walt worked and about Walt Jr's disability, and Krazy8 was a DEA informant. When Walt learns this (Hank drops it into conversation, possibly about the missing lab equipment, some of which was found near Krazy8's abandoned car) it's a turning point for Walt in which the murder is justified.

Rosy Posy

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Can I just throw this in there......one character who has never come into it in a big way, never really played a role, except to facilitate the plot moving forward....is Hanks wife....Marie I think her name is.

The one story that focussed on her was the shop lifting.....what was the point of that? How did that fit in to the storyline.....

I think that in the first season they put in a few storylines as character sketches to show that everyone was capable of moral failure. So we had Skyler's smoking, Marie's shoplifting, I'm sure there was something with Hank but I don't remember exactly. To my mind it was creating a world populated by flawed human beings who may judge Walt and Jessie for their actions but are not perfect themselves.

Rosy Posy

On topic, I think my opinion of most of the main characters has changed.

Hated Skyler in season one but I've come to appreciate her strength and also have sympathy with her powerlessness.

I pitied Walt at first, now I despise him. His arrogance, greed and ruthlessness disgust me.

Jesse seemed like a happy go lucky wannabe bad ass in the first season but he's actually incredibly sensitive and fragile. I like how they develop his character through his interaction with children.

I thought Hank was a boor at first but he's actually pretty smart and also a genuinely good person, IMO.

Marie was a pain in the a$$ to begin with and she's a pain in the a$$ now. I quite enjoy disliking her.

Saul has a lot more integrity than I first credited him with.