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Breaking Bad. OMG it is a source of eternal sadness to me that no one I know watches this show (or at least, not in real time) so that I have people to drop jaws with. It is just freaking amazing. Not in some showy, in-your-face way, but in small, subtle ways that end up punching you in the gut. Sunday's episode was one of those episodes that had me saying "Ohmygod, what just happened" at my screen.
Breaking Bad 5x05 'Dead Freight'
- The kid with the tarantula. When the cold open happened, I was like, who is this kid and why do I care about him? Then promptly forgot all about him as the episode went on. Literally he did not cross my mind at. all. during the entire ep, and it was totally a surprise to see him there after the guys were celebrating. There's a pause when the 3 guys turn to look at someone, and it didn't even occur to me to think of the kid from the beginning. Like, "Ohhh yeahhhh... that kid... OH SHIT."
- I've read a couple of theories now that try and claim symbolism wrt the boy and the spider. One said that the boy was Jesse and the spider was Walt. Another said the opposite, that the boy was Walt and the spider was Jesse. I roll my eyes at attaching symbolism to everything -- this is why my English lit professors hated me, because I got so tired of assuming that every writer we studied was some crazy genius who was able to make every single word mean something else, when in reality I was convinced that sometimes, A CIGAR IS JUST A CIGAR -- but if I HAD to, I'd say that the boy and the spider BOTH represent Walt, just different aspects of him. The death of the boy is the final death of the man Walt had once been (the loss of a truly innocent life for Walt's increasing desire for power, and greed), and the tarantula is who he is now, trapped by his own machinations.
- It's interesting that as Walt becomes eviler, he stops being the solution man. He used to be the one to use his intellect to come up with ingenious fixes; now, apparently, that's Jesse's role. Jesse comes up with the science-based solutions to their problems, while Walt increasingly seems comfortable with the drug kingpin solution of racking up the body count. Partly Jesse's transformation has to do with the fact that he doesn't want to see his two daddies fight, but also because he's maturing and he still has moral lines that he won't cross, so if he wants to save people's lives, he has to come up with workable solutions that spare them.
- I'm really interested to see what the fallout is going to be from Todd's actions. Obviously Jesse's going to be traumatized, because he can't stand little kids being hurt by their drug activities -- and he was the one who emphasized to Todd that NO ONE, BUT NO ONE could know about their activities except them. But what's Walt's reaction going to be? Is Todd going to be his new favored quasi-son? Or is he going to be pissed, not because of the morality of it all, but because the kid really didn't need to die? And in fact, his death creates more problems for them? After all, he was a kid. What did he really see, or did he even know what he saw? Could he have told anyone about it in a coherent way that made any sense? For all he knew, they were there doing something legal/boring. And even if he did tell anyone that something was amiss, would they believe him? After all, Walt and team had already worked out that the methylamine would be diluted by a mere 4%, which wouldn't be cause for major alarm, as they'd just blame it on China, since everything can be blamed on China and people will believe it. Now, with the kid's death/disappearance, it's going to draw a lot of attention to the area, assuming he lives nearby. Which might mean that the methylamine has to stay right where it is.
- I don't know why the TWoP recapper likes Lydia so much, but I find her extremely grating. I read somewhere that she's like the female version of Walt, in that she's supposedly all about protecting her "children," yet she has few moral lines and is consumed with greed the way Walt is. After narrowly escaping her own execution at Mike's hands, she immediately bargains for her share of the profits from the methylamine heist, instead of saying, "Now leave me alone forever." And when the guys show hesitation about killing the train's engineers, she's like, "I thought you were professionals!" And let's not forget the hit she put out on Mike and 9 other guys.
- OK, I know they were far away, but seriously, the engineers couldn't hear the noise from Walt/Jesse/Todd's equipment???
- I know I should be more understanding about Walt Jr, but I find him really annoying, the way I find all teenagers when they behave like he does.
- Skyler's an idiot. I hope she actually has some secret dastardly plan, because the idea that her kids could a) live with Hank and Marie forever, or for some extended period of time (months? years?) is unrealistic; and b) that they are somehow "safe" by being there, is ludicrous. If someone were coming after Walt's family, you don't think they'd include the peripheral members?? Or know that the kids are there? If anything, the kids are bringing danger to Hank and Marie!! I really want to like Skyler. Walt is such a dick that it's natural to be on her side. And yet she makes it. SO. DIFFICULT. And always has, from the very beginning. I don't know what it is about Skyler, but she just rubs me the wrong way.
- What kind of watch did Jesse get Walt? No one's mentioned it. Hank in this episode flagged it right away as being a nice watch, and I just wonder how much Jesse spent on Walt. Awwwwwwww by the way, that he was the ONLY ONE who got Walt a birthday present.
- Since I'm a total Walt/Jesse father/son shipper, I'm bummed that they didn't hug after the successful heist, and instead just treated each other exactly the same as they treated Todd.
- I was really irritated with Walt for pushing them to the edge to get every last drop of methylamine despite the danger it posed to the operation, Jesse, and Todd (ok, less Todd). It just showed his pride and greed once again supplanting sense and caution. BUT I can't stay irritated, because it was breathlessly exciting too, and when the train rolls over Jesse and they realize their success, it's made all the sweeter.
- I had a thought that this season, Jesse is surprisingly Hermione-like, in that he's the one who's always right, even when no one believes him. He's been right about pretty much everything since the end of last season; his instincts were all correct. He just doesn't have the confidence -- or maybe, he's just too attached to Walt as a surrogate father -- to believe in himself. Otherwise, this season, not only has he come through in a major way in the problem-solving department, but he's also been right when reading people and situations.
You guys, I feel so bloated and heavy and disgusting right now. I hate being a girl. BUT. I'm actually glad this is happening now so that I will be in the clear this weekend whenadelagia and slitherhither and I will be eating our way through Vancouver (as usual when I come up with a meal itinerary, we can't possibly do everything on the list so have to shave down to what seems like nothing at all). I'm dropping Talis off at his usual kennel Friday morning, and then we're OFF. I'm leaving Jaime home alone, unattended. I hope he'll be okay. I should be back midday Sunday. I of course have not even thought about packing or unearthed my passport yet. Yesterday I got my car washed, because it was just filthy... though having it washed right before a big road trip probably wasn't my most brilliant idea. >.>
Questions for anyone who might have answers:
- What are your favorite games to play in the car (that the driver can participate in)?
- After we actually get into Canada, we'll have to get some cash changed to local currency... where's the best type of place to get this done?
Soooo I briefly mentioned in my review of The Bourne Legacy that I "saw" the new Total Recall. I was actually very excited about this movie. I liked the trailer, I like Colin Farrell, and I LOVED the original as a kid. I haven't seen it in years and years, and don't plan to see it again any time soon, if ever, because I want it to stay pristine and awesome in my mind, and if I saw it now I'm sure I'd find it cheesy and ridiculous. I knew it'd gotten terrible reviews, but I didn't care, I wanted to give it a shot. I figured people just weren't approaching it the right way and wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. I went into the theater with an open, excited heart. But. If I can save you, let me.
Maybe if you're a Colin Farrell fangirl who likes Colin the way I like Jeremy Renner, you'll be able to find something redeeming about this movie. It's possible that had Jeremy been in the starring role, maybe, just maybe, I could've gotten through it. But I know one thing: Colin wasn't enough, and I LIKE Colin.
GodDAMN what a mess of a movie. Like... it was everything The Bourne Legacy was not. All the people who complained about the lack of action in Bourne Legacy, they should be happy with the new Total Recall (in fact, they must be, because it has a 49% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I can't BELIEVE it's that "high"). Practically EVERY SCENE was action. It was nonstop action. There was such a barrage of constant noise assaulting my eyes and ears that I was EXHAUSTED watching it. Literally. I fell fucking ASLEEP.
There was just NO intellectual stimulation at all. Everything about it was superficial and obvious, and the characters had no real personalities. Not only were there too many action scenes, but they dragged on and ON AND ON. I don't know who enjoys movies like that, but I'm not one of them. The plot resembled the original movie, but it was executed very poorly. It was so nonsensical. Who the hell was Colin's character? We don't really know, or care to find out.
Also, I thought this when I saw the trailer, but it was even more glaring when actually watching the movie -- why the hell did they cast two actresses who look so similar?? To begin with, I can't stand Jessica Biel. She's one of those actresses who rubs me the wrong way for no logical reason. Kate Beckinsale used to be on that list, but I'm mostly indifferent to her now. I will say that I find her much more attractive than Jessica Biel. That does not, however, change the fact that they are both white women with long, brown hair and similar builds! Seriously, one of them couldn't be blonde?! If they wanted to avoid the Sharon Stone comparison (who played Arnold's wife in the original), fine, make that character a brunette. Then make the other woman a blonde! Or a redhead! Or ANYTHING ELSE. It was freakishly distracting, actually. Kate has better hair in the movie, and I think she's just prettier, but it's not like this huge dramatic difference between the two of them.
(I've since been told that the director is her husband, and they do all the Underworld movies together, so that explains why all their movies together, including this one, basically just focus on her.)
I don't walk out of movies often, but after the first 45 min or so, I was so. bored. And I kept wanting to nod off, but made myself stay awake. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, and I let myself fall asleep. When I woke up I had no clue what was going on and didn't care. That's when I walked out. I realized later that it was probably 30 min away from ending, but it had lost me waaaaaaaaaaaay before then.
Breaking Bad 5x05 'Dead Freight'
- The kid with the tarantula. When the cold open happened, I was like, who is this kid and why do I care about him? Then promptly forgot all about him as the episode went on. Literally he did not cross my mind at. all. during the entire ep, and it was totally a surprise to see him there after the guys were celebrating. There's a pause when the 3 guys turn to look at someone, and it didn't even occur to me to think of the kid from the beginning. Like, "Ohhh yeahhhh... that kid... OH SHIT."
- I've read a couple of theories now that try and claim symbolism wrt the boy and the spider. One said that the boy was Jesse and the spider was Walt. Another said the opposite, that the boy was Walt and the spider was Jesse. I roll my eyes at attaching symbolism to everything -- this is why my English lit professors hated me, because I got so tired of assuming that every writer we studied was some crazy genius who was able to make every single word mean something else, when in reality I was convinced that sometimes, A CIGAR IS JUST A CIGAR -- but if I HAD to, I'd say that the boy and the spider BOTH represent Walt, just different aspects of him. The death of the boy is the final death of the man Walt had once been (the loss of a truly innocent life for Walt's increasing desire for power, and greed), and the tarantula is who he is now, trapped by his own machinations.
- It's interesting that as Walt becomes eviler, he stops being the solution man. He used to be the one to use his intellect to come up with ingenious fixes; now, apparently, that's Jesse's role. Jesse comes up with the science-based solutions to their problems, while Walt increasingly seems comfortable with the drug kingpin solution of racking up the body count. Partly Jesse's transformation has to do with the fact that he doesn't want to see his two daddies fight, but also because he's maturing and he still has moral lines that he won't cross, so if he wants to save people's lives, he has to come up with workable solutions that spare them.
- I'm really interested to see what the fallout is going to be from Todd's actions. Obviously Jesse's going to be traumatized, because he can't stand little kids being hurt by their drug activities -- and he was the one who emphasized to Todd that NO ONE, BUT NO ONE could know about their activities except them. But what's Walt's reaction going to be? Is Todd going to be his new favored quasi-son? Or is he going to be pissed, not because of the morality of it all, but because the kid really didn't need to die? And in fact, his death creates more problems for them? After all, he was a kid. What did he really see, or did he even know what he saw? Could he have told anyone about it in a coherent way that made any sense? For all he knew, they were there doing something legal/boring. And even if he did tell anyone that something was amiss, would they believe him? After all, Walt and team had already worked out that the methylamine would be diluted by a mere 4%, which wouldn't be cause for major alarm, as they'd just blame it on China, since everything can be blamed on China and people will believe it. Now, with the kid's death/disappearance, it's going to draw a lot of attention to the area, assuming he lives nearby. Which might mean that the methylamine has to stay right where it is.
- I don't know why the TWoP recapper likes Lydia so much, but I find her extremely grating. I read somewhere that she's like the female version of Walt, in that she's supposedly all about protecting her "children," yet she has few moral lines and is consumed with greed the way Walt is. After narrowly escaping her own execution at Mike's hands, she immediately bargains for her share of the profits from the methylamine heist, instead of saying, "Now leave me alone forever." And when the guys show hesitation about killing the train's engineers, she's like, "I thought you were professionals!" And let's not forget the hit she put out on Mike and 9 other guys.
- OK, I know they were far away, but seriously, the engineers couldn't hear the noise from Walt/Jesse/Todd's equipment???
- I know I should be more understanding about Walt Jr, but I find him really annoying, the way I find all teenagers when they behave like he does.
- Skyler's an idiot. I hope she actually has some secret dastardly plan, because the idea that her kids could a) live with Hank and Marie forever, or for some extended period of time (months? years?) is unrealistic; and b) that they are somehow "safe" by being there, is ludicrous. If someone were coming after Walt's family, you don't think they'd include the peripheral members?? Or know that the kids are there? If anything, the kids are bringing danger to Hank and Marie!! I really want to like Skyler. Walt is such a dick that it's natural to be on her side. And yet she makes it. SO. DIFFICULT. And always has, from the very beginning. I don't know what it is about Skyler, but she just rubs me the wrong way.
- What kind of watch did Jesse get Walt? No one's mentioned it. Hank in this episode flagged it right away as being a nice watch, and I just wonder how much Jesse spent on Walt. Awwwwwwww by the way, that he was the ONLY ONE who got Walt a birthday present.
- Since I'm a total Walt/Jesse father/son shipper, I'm bummed that they didn't hug after the successful heist, and instead just treated each other exactly the same as they treated Todd.
- I was really irritated with Walt for pushing them to the edge to get every last drop of methylamine despite the danger it posed to the operation, Jesse, and Todd (ok, less Todd). It just showed his pride and greed once again supplanting sense and caution. BUT I can't stay irritated, because it was breathlessly exciting too, and when the train rolls over Jesse and they realize their success, it's made all the sweeter.
- I had a thought that this season, Jesse is surprisingly Hermione-like, in that he's the one who's always right, even when no one believes him. He's been right about pretty much everything since the end of last season; his instincts were all correct. He just doesn't have the confidence -- or maybe, he's just too attached to Walt as a surrogate father -- to believe in himself. Otherwise, this season, not only has he come through in a major way in the problem-solving department, but he's also been right when reading people and situations.
You guys, I feel so bloated and heavy and disgusting right now. I hate being a girl. BUT. I'm actually glad this is happening now so that I will be in the clear this weekend when
adelagia and slitherhither and I will be eating our way through Vancouver (as usual when I come up with a meal itinerary, we can't possibly do everything on the list so have to shave down to what seems like nothing at all). I'm dropping Talis off at his usual kennel Friday morning, and then we're OFF. I'm leaving Jaime home alone, unattended. I hope he'll be okay. I should be back midday Sunday. I of course have not even thought about packing or unearthed my passport yet. Yesterday I got my car washed, because it was just filthy... though having it washed right before a big road trip probably wasn't my most brilliant idea. >.>Questions for anyone who might have answers:
- What are your favorite games to play in the car (that the driver can participate in)?
- After we actually get into Canada, we'll have to get some cash changed to local currency... where's the best type of place to get this done?
Soooo I briefly mentioned in my review of The Bourne Legacy that I "saw" the new Total Recall. I was actually very excited about this movie. I liked the trailer, I like Colin Farrell, and I LOVED the original as a kid. I haven't seen it in years and years, and don't plan to see it again any time soon, if ever, because I want it to stay pristine and awesome in my mind, and if I saw it now I'm sure I'd find it cheesy and ridiculous. I knew it'd gotten terrible reviews, but I didn't care, I wanted to give it a shot. I figured people just weren't approaching it the right way and wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. I went into the theater with an open, excited heart. But. If I can save you, let me.
Maybe if you're a Colin Farrell fangirl who likes Colin the way I like Jeremy Renner, you'll be able to find something redeeming about this movie. It's possible that had Jeremy been in the starring role, maybe, just maybe, I could've gotten through it. But I know one thing: Colin wasn't enough, and I LIKE Colin.
GodDAMN what a mess of a movie. Like... it was everything The Bourne Legacy was not. All the people who complained about the lack of action in Bourne Legacy, they should be happy with the new Total Recall (in fact, they must be, because it has a 49% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I can't BELIEVE it's that "high"). Practically EVERY SCENE was action. It was nonstop action. There was such a barrage of constant noise assaulting my eyes and ears that I was EXHAUSTED watching it. Literally. I fell fucking ASLEEP.
There was just NO intellectual stimulation at all. Everything about it was superficial and obvious, and the characters had no real personalities. Not only were there too many action scenes, but they dragged on and ON AND ON. I don't know who enjoys movies like that, but I'm not one of them. The plot resembled the original movie, but it was executed very poorly. It was so nonsensical. Who the hell was Colin's character? We don't really know, or care to find out.
Also, I thought this when I saw the trailer, but it was even more glaring when actually watching the movie -- why the hell did they cast two actresses who look so similar?? To begin with, I can't stand Jessica Biel. She's one of those actresses who rubs me the wrong way for no logical reason. Kate Beckinsale used to be on that list, but I'm mostly indifferent to her now. I will say that I find her much more attractive than Jessica Biel. That does not, however, change the fact that they are both white women with long, brown hair and similar builds! Seriously, one of them couldn't be blonde?! If they wanted to avoid the Sharon Stone comparison (who played Arnold's wife in the original), fine, make that character a brunette. Then make the other woman a blonde! Or a redhead! Or ANYTHING ELSE. It was freakishly distracting, actually. Kate has better hair in the movie, and I think she's just prettier, but it's not like this huge dramatic difference between the two of them.
(I've since been told that the director is her husband, and they do all the Underworld movies together, so that explains why all their movies together, including this one, basically just focus on her.)
I don't walk out of movies often, but after the first 45 min or so, I was so. bored. And I kept wanting to nod off, but made myself stay awake. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, and I let myself fall asleep. When I woke up I had no clue what was going on and didn't care. That's when I walked out. I realized later that it was probably 30 min away from ending, but it had lost me waaaaaaaaaaaay before then.
