TV Thread

[Simpleton]

The plot arcs in Breaking Bad were too straightforward and tight throughout the seasons for the ending to be that ambigious. I think it's pretty much just people reading too much into the finale.

 

[NoDak]

You can fuck yourself sideways you British/Irish/Scottish fuck.

Don't know what this is from, but I approve of this message.

 

[Simpleton]

Don't know what this is from, but I approve of this message.

He was slandering that chick from American Horror Story.

 

[EZ22]

BB

Spoiler

Things just go too well for Walt in the finale for it not to be a hallucination.

Needs car? Finds one!

Can't hotwire? NO PROBLEM: The keys are above the wind shield.

BUT WAIT: There is a cop, and he is mad dogging you. Lean down walt... pray to "just get me there, I'll do the rest" and the cop goes away."

Slam elbow into window, snow falls, car starts, and we're on the way... Jamming to Felina, a story by Marty Robbins that pretty much perfectly fits the show.

Need to know Gretchen and Elliot's address? Just call someone claiming to be a reporter from the NY Times. They will clearly hand that information over without question.

Somehow get into Gretchen and Elliot's highly secured home without detection: check

Get Gretchen and Elliot to agree to give the money to your kids? Check. Sure, he had to use the help of Badger and Skinny Pete, two guys he hasn't see in over 6 months and would have no idea how to get up with, but it WORKS.

Rigs machine gun in most awesome unlikely way to work, yet it works perfectly? Check.

Gets the Stevia into whats her names drink... BOOM.

Gets to see Skyler one more time even though she has DEA surrounding her house.. Makes peace with her, admits it was all for him... gets to love on his baby girl one more time and see Jr from a distance.

Saves Jesse, kills everyone he hates, and dies in the arms of his Felina if you will. His lab.

IT was a dream, and I think that's awesome.

Everything works out perfectly for him. THere is no snag. And in this show, even the greatest ideas something snagged them up or caused an issue.

Well done, Gilligan. Well done sir!

 

[superpunk]

BB

Spoiler

Things just go too well for Walt in the finale for it not to be a hallucination.

Needs car? Finds one!

Can't hotwire? NO PROBLEM: The keys are above the wind shield.

BUT WAIT: There is a cop, and he is mad dogging you. Lean down walt... pray to "just get me there, I'll do the rest" and the cop goes away."

Slam elbow into window, snow falls, car starts, and we're on the way... Jamming to Felina, a story by Marty Robbins that pretty much perfectly fits the show.

Need to know Gretchen and Elliot's address? Just call someone claiming to be a reporter from the NY Times. They will clearly hand that information over without question.

Somehow get into Gretchen and Elliot's highly secured home without detection: check

Get Gretchen and Elliot to agree to give the money to your kids? Check. Sure, he had to use the help of Badger and Skinny Pete, two guys he hasn't see in over 6 months and would have no idea how to get up with, but it WORKS.

Rigs machine gun in most awesome unlikely way to work, yet it works perfectly? Check.

Gets the Stevia into whats her names drink... BOOM.

Gets to see Skyler one more time even though she has DEA surrounding her house.. Makes peace with her, admits it was all for him... gets to love on his baby girl one more time and see Jr from a distance.

Saves Jesse, kills everyone he hates, and dies in the arms of his Felina if you will. His lab.

IT was a dream, and I think that's awesome.

Everything works out perfectly for him. THere is no snag. And in this show, even the greatest ideas something snagged them up or caused an issue.

Well done, Gilligan. Well done sir!

He's smarter than you, he is luckier than you. Whatever you think is going to happen, the exact reverse opposite is going to happen.

Spoiler

He was finally going all the way. He had nothing to lose and nothing to gain, he was honest and he wasn't doing it for his ego anymore (or maybe he was doing it entirely for that).

His plans have worked perfect before. See Fring, Gus. And Gus was a hell of alot smarter than Lydia and the Nazis.

 

[dallen]

I don't know if I agree with you or not, but I had the same thought when it was over. It is certainly interesting

 

[Smitty]

I don't think that theory works.

Spoiler

There's no evidence for it. Hey, here's my theory for the walking dead. It's all Rick's nightmare! Why do I think this? Well, it's awfully coincidental that he went into the hospital after being shot and then just suddenly started seeing everyone around him die! It's clear that it's all in his head, he's actually lying in that hospital bed and is gonna wake up any day now.

There needs to be some indication that it's not reality. Think about the movie Inception. You can call into question whether the end scene was reality or not based on the spinning top. In fact, the entire premise of that movie was questioning the line between reality and dream, so it's clearly something that can be argued.

There was no such subtext at all, ANYWHERE, in Breaking Bad. In fact, the one of the main themes of the show was quite the opposite.... that reality is absolutely what we see, what we feel, what we can experience with observation and what can be tested and verified.

Furthermore, other than the ending seemed to "wrap up too nicely in Walt's favor," there is no evidence on the film that it was a product of his imagination either. It's not like it's some crazy stretch of the imagination that he could find an abandoned car. Was it kind of a cop out to have him find the keys in the overhead sun blocker? Sure, but that's not evidence that Gilligan intended it to be a hallucination.

If it was a hallucination up in the cabin, and he died in the cabin after dying on the floor of Uncle Jack's meth lab in his dream, where are the on-screen indicators that this is the case? Gilligan would have left some sort of clue, like, the floor of the meth lab is the same floor pattern of the floor in the cabin. Or the last scene we see of Walt in the cabin, the clock reads 2:04, and that is the exact same time it was when he's lying on the floor in the meth lab at the end. Something like that.

You'd leave clues. You'd drop hints that it is what you mean.

There's nothing for that for Breaking Bad. Just rebellion to the idea that Walter White was able to wrap things up so nicely for himself. But that's not really good enough IMO.

 

[Simpleton]

I agree with smitty, there are no indications that that is what happened, just someones opinion because "it all fit too well".

 

[junk]

My Theory on the BB ending:

Spoiler

This isn't completely my theory, I read it on the web somewhere the day after the finale aired and brushed it off.

But After having watch the finale couple episodes a few times, I am starting to believe this.

Walter dies alone, of cancer, in his New Hamsphire shack. Everything else is a hallucination/dying dream.

Everything goes perfect for him in the finale. He wins on pretty much every front. Complete victories all around.

I believe this theory. Walt dies in the shack... and dreams/hallucinates all the things he wishes could work out.

Norm MacDonald has been pushing that theory for awhile now.

 

[boozeman]

Norm MacDonald has been pushing that theory for awhile now.

And Gilligan has shot it down.

 

[EZ22]

Feh. It's a dream.

I at least think it was written that way and they saw the rage on the internet of people saying it better not be a dream and got scared. There is probably a scene that they cut from the finale sitting in a can somewhere of Walt dying in a cabin.

I actually think it is awesome and a better ending if it's a dream.

 

[boozeman]

Feh. It's a dream.

I at least think it was written that way and they saw the rage on the internet of people saying it better not be a dream and got scared. There is probably a scene that they cut from the finale sitting in a can somewhere of Walt dying in a cabin.

I actually think it is awesome and a better ending if it's a dream.

Dumb frick premise.

 

[EZ22]

I watched the first episode of season four of the walking dead last night. Seems lame.

 

[EZ22]

I'm also rewatching BB. I'm just starting season four. It's even better the second time around.

 

[boozeman]

I watched the first episode of season four of the walking dead last night. Seems lame.

The premiere was weak. The second episode was much better.

Hopefully it gets going soon...some of the previews with the guys encountering zombie swarms look good.

They need to bring back the Governor though.

In terms of the comic, what would be the natural progression once they deal with the flu thing (I assume that's not in the comics)?

 

[EZ22]

The flu is not in the comics, correct. I have No idea where it is going now because in the comics there was a definitive end to the governor arc once he attacked the prison.

Well, he attacked once and failed, but he just regrouped in Woodbury and mounted a larger attack with higher success, though he dies and his story is over. He never just takes off on his own and disappears like he has in the show.

Rick and company are forced to abandon the prison at that point as well.

So I have no clue wtf is going to happen now. I assume the governor will come back and fuck their world up.

 

[EZ22]

Tyreese is also a much, much more important character in the comics. They've fucked his character up on the show.

 

[Simpleton]

Feh. It's a dream.

I at least think it was written that way and they saw the rage on the internet of people saying it better not be a dream and got scared. There is probably a scene that they cut from the finale sitting in a can somewhere of Walt dying in a cabin.

I actually think it is awesome and a better ending if it's a dream.

Do you have any reason or have you seen any reason for thinking it's a dream aside from "it all ended too neatly/perfectly"?

 

[Simpleton]

Walking Dead has been kind of annoying me lately but it's up to 2 characters from The Wire so that satisfies me for now.

 

[Texas Ace]

Do you have any reason or have you seen any reason for thinking it's a dream aside from "it all ended too neatly/perfectly"?

I don't believe the dream theory.

For one reason, as others already stated, things always work out for him pretty well because he's so smart, so it's not like it was the first time his plans worked out very well for him.

But more importantly:

Spoiler

I seriously doubt that if he was dreaming about his ideal scenario, that it would involve such a shitty last moment with his son.

As much as he loved his son, I would like to think that his perfect ending would allow him to gain closure with Walter Jr. There would be a conversation similar to the one he had with Skyler. Maybe not one where his son tells his dad how much he loves him and forgives him, but at least a situation where he would get to speak with him one last time and probably even physically embrace him.

If Walt is imagining everything setting up perfectly for him, then I have a hard time believing that his idea of the best outcome for his final moment with his son to be one where all he can do is painfully watch him walk to his apartment from a distance with no contact whatsoever.