Breaking Bad Season 4

Can't wait to see "Walt VS Gus" play out this season.  With the few stills and the new posters, it seems as if Jesse is taking the "I'm the the bad guy" motto to  heart this coming season. So pumped for season 4.

Hoping that Jesse finds out the specifics about:

Even if it doesnt happen this season, you know it will happen eventually. So much of this series is about Walts actions coming back to bite him in the ass.

I'm the opposite.  The show already got its mileage out of that development.  It had that incredibly affecting, tense episode (directed by Rian Johnson, I think) and coming back to it would just feel too soapy for this show.  The moment has passed.  I don't feel like the situation with **** is what defines the outcome of Jesse and Walt's relationship.  They don't need that to be revealed to end up as enemies.  Their relationship was toxic from the start, and they were always going to end up hating each other.

This show is closest to The Sopranos.  Plot threads aren't always there to be wrapped up neatly.

lol. I guess your right. They are pretty toxic. But I still think that moment was a huge changing point for both Walt and Jesse and shouldnt be forgotton. but maybe not till later in the series run.

Rian Johnson... That was "the fly", right? Did not get that episode.

It was a very important moment for both of them, but I'm with Bailey. It's better left as a secret between Walt and the audience.

Holy crap, Brian Cranston looks bad ass in that poster! Wow.

I also can't wait to see how his Brother-In-Law ATF guy develops.  His impending showdown with Master Criminal Walt will definitely be something amazing to behold.

I've been thinking for a while that at the end of series

Maybe Spoiler?

There are so many ways things could play out that I'm just sickeningly giddy thinking about it. I mean, Gus CAN'T kill Walt, but will he go after his family to teach Walt a lesson? Make Walt choose between his wife, his son and his newborn daughter? Will Walt turn to Hank? What about Jesse's family, they surely aren't safe, are they? And most importantly...are Badger and Skinny Pete safe? Please, anyone but Badger! 

I just finished Season 3 about 15 minutes ago. I think it was the weakest season, but the last few episodes have me breathlessly anticipating Season 4. 

There were some things (the mostly silent Mexican hitmen were so silly and over the top, including walking away from explosions) towards the beginning of the season that kind of let me down, but Skyler choosing to become a part of the operation, and then everything in the last two or three episodes redeemed the season for me.

But anyway, this is a Season Four thread. This is the first time I'll actually watch the show week to week, and I can only imagine how insane that is going to drive me. Question: has Vince Gilligan (or anyone else) hinted at how many seasons they plan to take Breaking Bad? I love it to death, but Walt has become almost impossible to root for. If each season takes him a little darker, and he takes all of those around him down with him (even meth head Jesse would have been better off never hooking up with Walt) I can't imagine there being too many more seasons without some sort of end game in mind. 

Anyway, definitely my favorite show currently on television. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagoda 

I just finished Season 3 about 15 minutes ago. I think it was the weakest season, but the last few episodes have me breathlessly anticipating Season 4. 

 

There were some things (the mostly silent Mexican hitmen were so silly and over the top, including walking away from explosions) towards the beginning of the season that kind of let me down, but Skyler choosing to become a part of the operation, and then everything in the last two or three episodes redeemed the season for me.

 

But anyway, this is a Season Four thread. This is the first time I'll actually watch the show week to week, and I can only imagine how insane that is going to drive me. Question: has Vince Gilligan (or anyone else) hinted at how many seasons they plan to take Breaking Bad? I love it to death, but Walt has become almost impossible to root for. If each season takes him a little darker, and he takes all of those around him down with him (even meth head Jesse would have been better off never hooking up with Walt) I can't imagine there being too many more seasons without some sort of end game in mind. 

 

Anyway, definitely my favorite show currently on television. 

I agree. Season 3 was the weakest. Season 2 is king.

I still root for Walt & Jesse. Remember the scene when Walt held his baby, rocked it back and forth, while showing it the drug money. Greatness.

I hope they have an end date. This is a type of show that thrives off of its characters journies and since W & J are both going down a path of destruction, anything slowing that down (to prolong the show past its natural course) will feel like filler and dilute the show. I have faith in the writers though. But then again, I said the same thing about Dexter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagoda 

But anyway, this is a Season Four thread. This is the first time I'll actually watch the show week to week, and I can only imagine how insane that is going to drive me. Question: has Vince Gilligan (or anyone else) hinted at how many seasons they plan to take Breaking Bad? I love it to death, but Walt has become almost impossible to root for. If each season takes him a little darker, and he takes all of those around him down with him (even meth head Jesse would have been better off never hooking up with Walt) I can't imagine there being too many more seasons without some sort of end game in mind. 

 

Anyway, definitely my favorite show currently on television. 

I remember reading an interview will Gilligan a while ago where he said they would do three seasons, and I actually assumed for the entire time that season three was on air that it would be the last season.  Then, around that time I read another interview where Gilligan said they would possibly end the show after season 5, but he still wasn't even sure about that.
 

I still root for Walt as well. He hasn't turned into the villain, though I can see that happening. However, the show made a point to make Gale (Gail? Gayle?) a harmless and likable character, and Walt forcing Jesse to kill Gale really pushes Walt further into unlikable territory than ever before. Sure, he's still doing things because he HAS to - but he just had the most semi-innocent character killed by one of his former high school students. He could have gotten out of the drug business $3 million ago and still been okay. Season three was the first season where Walt's choices were made out of greed, rather than necessity.

First of all, I love Season 3.  I'd go so far as to say it was one of my favorite seasons of any show ever and I love it even more than season 2.

Secondly, Gilligan definitely has an end game in mind.  He isn't saying how long he wants to take this, and I'm fine with that.  I'd love for the show to actually end without any sort of announcement that it was ending.  I can't imagine that secret being kept, but it would be greatness.

Here's something that just occurred to me: when season one ended, we all assumed (well, I did anyway) that them dealing with Tuco would be a lot of season two, but instead it was dealt with in the first two episodes. Now, I'm assuming them dealing with the Gus situation would take all this season, but what if its dealt with fairly quickly? Granted, the Gus situation is a lot more complicated than the Tuco one, but still...The Cousins did die halfway through last season as well. 

@fafhrd That's too easy. The writer(s) love to put themselves into a corner so I think they already envisioned that way to escape and immediately discarded it.

I also think the big showdown will be against someone "bigger" than Hank (maybe some guest star).

@pagoda, Walter didn't accept money from his old partner (which would have solved all his problems). He was greedy or an asshole since season one or the first half of two.

WAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHG

FYI, season 3 > 2 > 1

I've been mainlining the first 3 seasons over the last few weeks (thanks, AMC late night!) and, hot damn, why was I not informed of this show's greatness before?  It is simply a tour de force on every single level, from writing to acting to direction.  I just finished the episode where Hank takes out the Hatchet Twins in the mall parking lot and I can't recall a tenser moment in any television show I've ever watched.

So, in summary, I can't wait to watch Season 4 along with you all. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattioli 

I've been mainlining the first 3 seasons over the last few weeks (thanks, AMC late night!) and, hot damn, why was I not informed of this show's greatness before?  It is simply a tour de force on every single level, from writing to acting to direction.  I just finished the episode where Hank takes out the Hatchet Twins in the mall parking lot and I can't recall a tenser moment in any television show I've ever watched.

 

Oh there will be tenser!

This sucks.  Between Game of Thrones ending and Breaking Bad starting I got a 4 week drought of nothing on TV sunday nights...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi 

Oh there will be tenser!

 

My head may verily explode Scanners style.

@Evi, BBad has its own meme... any comment from a newbie gets some answer like "it get better". I remember when I was in that position and I got something like "why do you want to look for old threads about BB, there's not enough place to post "!" "

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattioli 

I've been mainlining the first 3 seasons over the last few weeks (thanks, AMC late night!) and, hot damn, why was I not informed of this show's greatness before?  It is simply a tour de force on every single level, from writing to acting to direction.  I just finished the episode where Hank takes out the Hatchet Twins in the mall parking lot and I can't recall a tenser moment in any television show I've ever watched.

 

So, in summary, I can't wait to watch Season 4 along with you all. 

That scene was the first time I ever remember saying something to my TV out loud.

Yeah, I seem to recall mumbling something along the lines of "ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit".

That was probably the single greatest moment in the series so far, followed closely by that scene in Season Two when Walter approaches those methheads in the parking lot of the home depot and says "Stay out of my territory."  That scene gave me chills up my spine.  I really love it when Walter just embraces his inner Lex Luthor, lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon West will kill Again 

That was probably the single greatest moment in the series so far, followed closely by that scene in Season Two when Walter approaches those methheads in the parking lot of the home depot and says "Stay out of my territory."  That scene gave me chills up my spine.  I really love it when Walter just embraces his inner Lex Luthor, lol.

I really really like that scene also, however, for me, perhaps the more foreshadowing scene that made me really begin to feel like Walter is turning into something bigger was the next episode, "Over".  After Combo is killed there's the scene when Jesse and Walt go to Saul's office and Walt is explaining that their operation is not large enough.  The shot that made me love this scene was the way Walt taps the glass of the coffee table saying something along the lines, "we need soldiers, and dealers reenforcing the streets."  That to me, cemented the kind of drug kingpin that Walt wants to become, the "professional" in him so to speak.

http://collider.com/vince-gilligan-interview-breaking-bad-season-4-season-5/98548/

Lousy ambient sound prevents to hear it clearly. Good interview.

So, there's an article about Breaking Bad and the 4th season in the most recent Newsweek.  I was kind of shocked to read that- Season 3 spoilers-  Jesse might not have killed Gale.  Basically, the long and short of it is, Gilligan intended Jesse to have killed him, but there was such fan uproar and disbelief that Jesse could do such a thing, that he and the writers reconsidered.  That was the word that was used, reconsidered.  It was left fairly open as to whether or not Gilligan went with his original choice for Gale or not. 

I have to say, as much as I love this show, if Gale is somehow alive at the beginning of season 4, it might possibly piss me off enough to just stop watching the show.   It would defy all logic (what else was Jesse shooting at?), and just come across as a complete and utter cop-out.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Macken 

So, there's an article about Breaking Bad and the 4th season in the most recent Newsweek.  I was kind of shocked to read that- Season 3 spoilers-  Jesse might not have killed Gale.  Basically, the long and short of it is, Gilligan intended Jesse to have killed him, but there was such fan uproar and disbelief that Jesse could do such a thing, that he and the writers reconsidered.  That was the word that was used, reconsidered.  It was left fairly open as to if Gilligan went with his original choice for Gale or not. 

 

 

I have to say, as much as I love this show, if gale is somehow alive at the beginning of season 4, it might possibly piss me off enough to just stop watching the show.   It would defy all logic (what else was Jesse shooting at?), and just come across as a complete and utter copout.  

I'm with you in spirit, but I have a ton of faith in the writing staff to make it work.  If they did retcon it, I'm sure it'd be more along the lines of "Gale is on life support for an episode or two" rather than "Jesse was actually shooting at the bear that had broken into Gale's apartment." 

Still, I doubt they'll actually cop out on something that major. 
 

Jesse could have just as easily flinched - either consciously or not - and missed Gale. Gale being dead certainly takes the show in a darker direction, but the crucial point of the S3 finale wasn't that Jesse shoots Gale, it was that Walt orders it. I don't see a narrative demand for a specific payload from this cliffhanger either way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Macken 

So, there's an article about Breaking Bad and the 4th season in the most recent Newsweek.  I was kind of shocked to read that- Season 3 spoilers-  Jesse might not have killed Gale.  Basically, the long and short of it is, Gilligan intended Jesse to have killed him, but there was such fan uproar and disbelief that Jesse could do such a thing, that he and the writers reconsidered.  That was the word that was used, reconsidered.  It was left fairly open as to if Gilligan went with his original choice for Gale or not. 

 

I sincerely hope that this is not true.  If it is, then Its an extreme example of why fans should not dictate and influence the creative decisions by show-runners.  I remember after the Season 3 finale.  I went on a few forums and talk-backs and there was a bunch of people who were confused because the camera shifted around to show Jessie staring down the barrel before he shoots Gale, they apparently couldn't tell the difference between the camera and Jessie moving the gun away from Gale (which I always thought was an idiot assumption).

I read an interview with Gilligan talking about how people were confused over the shot.  He just kind of caulked it up to a bit of a failure by him in shooting the scene.  But I never would have guessed he'd take people's confusion and outrage so seriously to change it.  It makes SO much sense for Jessie to shoot him than for him to not, (or even for Gale to survive being shot in the face, not that its never happened before).    

I dunno.  If it ends up being true then WOW.  I'd be very disappointed with Gilligan and his writing staff for appeasing the fans who were confused by the ending last season and don't want to believe that Jessie is capable of killing Gale either because "Jessie moved the gun", "Its too mean to shoot Gale", or "I just don't want to see Jessie go down that path."   I always thought they were above that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 

Jesse could have just as easily flinched - either consciously or not - and missed Gale.

But he didn't.  He shot him.  Point Blank. In the head.  There was no flinch.  Just tears coming down his face and the pull of a trigger.  I can't stand this kind of  "oh, its possible that this happened instead at the last moment, but we just didn't see it"  I call shenanigans.  Some people just don't want to believe.  Gilligan has send in interviews that Jessie shoots Gale and Gale is meant to die.  Going back on that because of fan reaction is just....unnatural.  This has always been a show that pulls no punches....so far.  To even suggest what your quote says as an actual possibility makes me think you might be watching an entirely different show than I am.

Look, If Gilligan wanted to keep Gale alive for some reason, thats fine.  But he should be the driving force of that initial decision.  He shouldn't go back and 'reconsider' because some people are completely inept to tell the difference between when a camera shifts position and actually think that Jessie moved the gun to shoot something else.

Man, do I not give a shit what anyone says in interviews.

Well, I'm just saying that Fan reaction should not drive the creative decisions of show runners.  Especially inept viewers.   There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that Jessie shot Gale at the end last season, for me at least. And people who honestly think that Jessie 'at the very last moment by some saving grace' narrowly avoids shooting Gale are stupid.

Maybe they're right though,  The best way for Season 4 to begin is Jessie staring down the barrel of the gun, and riiiight before he pulls the trigger he slips on a banana peel sending the bullet ricocheting and killing Victor just as he turns the corner to kill Jessie before he can get to Gale.  Now that's fan pleasing storytelling!!

I think people are getting pissed off over nothing. If Gale isn't at the very least lying in critical condition with a big ol' hole in his head, I'll eat my hat.

Anyway, it wouldn't work for the show. Gale being alive and well means Walt and Jesse die.

If the writers craft a good story around Gale surviving, will you still be livid?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi .

 

Anyway, it wouldn't work for the show. Gale being alive and well means Walt and Jesse die.

Exactly.  Plus, he'd be able to identify Jesse, assuming he's not in a coma, which he should be. 

It just makes so much more sense for Jesse's character arc for him to kill Gale. 

Or Jesse fires over his shoulder and tells Gale "You don't live in New Mexico anymore" with some extra threats, "yo"s, and "bitch"s, if the immediate narrative goal is merely to get Gale out of the picture. That is, if Gilligan really does decide to spare Jesse a murder, which I honestly doubt. I disagree that Walt ordering the hit is the only important take from the finale -- whether Jesse finally becomes a murderer himself is a major character moment. Rethinking that act would call for a major change in the character from here forward and hence (being as this is a show where thankfully the plot is propelled by character and not vice versa) how they write this and future seasons. It's not simply a plot point, and if Gilligan does pull back from it I would have to think it's because he and the writers decided Jesse turning that corner didn't fit their plans (yet), and not because they're concerned with fan feelings.

So depending on the execution (or not! pun!), I'd probably still have faith in the show. But honestly, I'll be more shocked if Gale isn't dead than I was when Jesse shot him. Gale's so dead. And Jesse is gonna be a mortal wreck.

I don't believe any Newsweek article. Still, I think the writers know what they're doing, and haven't ever flinched away from killing major characters, so if Gail lives, I'm sure there's a narrative driver behind it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 

Man, do I not give a shit what anyone says in interviews.

Honestly, what are you talking about?  You think he's lying?  Gilligan has stated multiple times, and it is discussed again in the article I mentioned, that Jesse killed Gale. Period.  That was the intention.  If it was changed at the beginning of Season 4, it would be for no other reason than bowing to fan pressure.

It's just context. If the end result of the storytelling process succeeds or fails, it won't have anything to do with the interviews.

Exactly. He needs to pay his due. Him killing the inoffensive Gale pays off the earlier arc of him planning to kill those guys who killed his friend. His earlier righteous vengeance now twisted into just finding a way to survive. That's good stuff.

Can't figure out how to edit, above post meant to respond to Andy Bain.

Well, the show is called "Breaking Bad," so I just assume that each season, Walt and Jesse become worse and worse human beings.  The journey of the show is about seeing these characters slowly become master criminals isn't it?  Its just a matter of time before they were forced to kill someone themselves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon West will kill Again 

Well, the show is called "Breaking Bad," so I just assume that each season, Walt and Jesse become worse and worse human beings.  The journey of the show is about seeing these characters slowly become master criminals isn't it?  Its just a matter of time before they were forced to kill someone themselves.

Walt killed several people, the difference is that Gale was not a direct threat to them. 

Letting Jane die was an even darker moment for the show, and they definitely followed through with that in an awful way.  If they do decide to keep Gale alive (and it's not like it would be difficult to do: Jesse shot him in the chest and bolted.  Presto.), I highly doubt it will be because they don't want to risk making fans upset.  That's kind of the shows whole raison d'etre.  

I'd argue that Walt never directly murdered someone.  I mean, he stood by and let Jane die, and that dude he killed in his basement could be viewed as self defense, and though he's indirectly responsible for the plane crash, he didn't set out to kill those people.  I might be forgetting some deaths, but it seems like Gale was killed for purely to save Walt's life and Jesse's life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon West will kill Again 

I'd argue that Walt never directly murdered someone.  I mean, he stood by and let Jane die, and that dude he killed in his basement could be viewed as self defense, and though he's indirectly responsible for the plane crash, he didn't set out to kill those people.  I might be forgetting some deaths, but it seems like Gale was killed for purely to save Walt's life and Jesse's life.

His first big step, for me, was him letting Jane die. The deaths before that point were self-defense related. But in that moment he stood by, did nothing for close to a full minute because he WANTED her to die. One could argue that Gale's death is more important because he was "innocent" or a "good" guy, but Jane's was the turning point, and the moment when I considered him a murderer and someone who deserves to die. Also, it was only because he had already taken that big step with Jane, that he was able to do so again with Gale.

However, when you look at the 2 events separately, Janes death is still the worse crime.