What Are You Watching..?

[Bearsy]

Did anyone die? People was chatting at work and I was trying not to listen, but it sounded like someone die! Actually don't tell me... unless it was Skyler. You can tell me if it's Skyler! Someone needs to ice that bitch!

[SuperMikey]

Did anyone die? People was chatting at work and I was trying not to listen, but it sounded like someone die! Actually don't tell me... unless it was Skyler. You can tell me if it's Skyler! Someone needs to ice that bitch!

 

***THARR BE SPOILERS BELOW***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No.

[pap]

Watched Breaking Bad at lunchtime.

 

Very good. No spoilers, but there really doesn't seem to be any let-up.

[Sheaf Saint]

Wow! Without giving too much away, I have been anticipating that scene since the very first episode, and it was every bit as good as I expected it to be.

[pap]

Wow! Without giving too much away, I have been anticipating that scene since the very first episode, and it was every bit as good as I expected it to be.

 

Think I'm going to watch it again. Do that a lot with Breaking Bad.

[pap]

On second viewing, some excellent performances all round plus the usual inventiveness we've come to expect from Breaking Bad. The screenwriters know their tricks, alright. Even little touches like Carol's flash-forward reaction to Walt, and that same encounter in the present day, are beautifully played.

 

Don't think anyone has mentioned the intro. It follows the pattern of last season's opener, showing Walt some time in the future. It's a devilishly good trick. Far from being spoilery, it leaves you wondering just quite how we're going to get from here to there.

 

Fortunately, the writers aren't being stingy with plot development. This episode could easily have been a gentle slide back into things, and in many ways - it was that - an ensemble piece which managed to tour the Breaking Bad world. If the writers had drip-fed plot over a couple of episodes, no-one would have complained too much. Kudos to them for moving things on so significantly, setting things up a monster of a finale.

 

I still wouldn't be surprised if Walt survived it all.

[Sheaf Saint]

I still wouldn't be surprised if Walt survived it all.

 

>>>>>>SPOILER ALERT!!!

 

>Indeed. Walt told Hank in the final scene that he was back in chemo as his cancer had returned, and he wouldn't live 6 months. But in the intro scene you mentioned he had a full head of hair, which suggests he is no longer in chemo when we get to that point in the story. This would mean that either he ends up beating the cancer, or he was lying to Hank.

[Bearsy]

I still wouldn't be surprised if Walt survived it all.

 

Dunno bout that chief, it'll be completely ridiculous if Walt is still standing at the end. He'll bite it, pinkman will go prison, skyler, damn her, who we assume destitute will turn out to have cleverly squirreled away nest egg.

[SuperMikey]

Skyler's going to die stuffing her fat f*cking face full of dipping sticks.

[pap]

Dunno bout that chief, it'll be completely ridiculous if Walt is still standing at the end. He'll bite it, pinkman will go prison, skyler, damn her, who we assume destitute will turn out to have cleverly squirreled away nest egg.

 

Well, I admit it could go either way. He is very impressive in a crisis though.

 

The flash forwards are a year ahead, I think. Gotta wonder what made Carol drop her shopping.

[shurlock]

Good episode - was wondering how long it would take for Hank to confront Walt (or vice-versa) - whether it would be a long drawn out cat and mouse game. Think it works much better now that they've cut to the chase.

[pap]

Good episode - was wondering how long it would take for Hank to confront Walt (or vice-versa) - whether it would be a long drawn out cat and mouse game. Think it works much better now that they've cut to the chase.

 

Agreed. The series has been more than happy to let things rumble along slowly in the past. Doesn't seem to be much evidence of that now, although I do wonder whether it was quite so wise to spend so much time on a Star Trek monologue*.

 

* No one has hacked my account.

[Bearsy]

yeah what was with all that star trek stuff! I found that bit v.boring and difficult to understand. I dunno why they're suddenly introducing star trek motif. I'm also getting pretty fed up with pinkman's bloody conscience!

[Bearsy]

Well, I admit it could go either way.

 

It can only go one way brah! You can't start a TV series bout a character with terminal illness and end the show with him still having terminal illness. It breaks all the laws of television!

[Tokyo-Saint]

 

An interesting point bear.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Episodes like that make me reconsider my stance of Sopranos being #1.

 

Incredible stuff. Was breathless at the end of WW & Hanks face-off. Just wow.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

By way of contrast to the US TV lovefest above, thanks to Freeview's diet of endless repeats I've just discovered the wonders of the utterly British 'Rumpole of the Bailey' (Drama Channel 10am weekdays)

 

Don't ask me what the hell I was watching when this series was first aired back in the 70's (the ITV button on our family TV may have been removed) but I now realise I was missing out on a truly special piece of Television. Written by a real lawyer of course - John Mortimer - Horace Rumpole is a devious old Barrister with a love of quotations, a formidable battleaxe of a wife ('She who must be Obeyed') and a courtroom manner that would surly infuriate any judge - and sway many a jury. Above all that lays the late Leo McKern's central performance as Rumpole. Now I may well have been found guilty on here of the crime of hyperbole on occasion, but if I were to say this defining role is about as perfectly judged as it could possibly be, then I hope I would not be going too far.

 

So if you love good writing, if you take your humour dry, and if you appreciate seeing a fine actor in the role of his life, then I strongly suggest you acquaint yourself with our learned friend Mr Rumpole - I doubt you will regret it.

[Bearsy]

Should you really be sitting around in your pants at 10am watching Bumhole of the Bailey? Doesn't your wife have any jobs for you?

Edited 14 August, 2013 by Bearsy

[pap]

It was a quieter Breaking Bad this week, mostly dealing with the ripple effect of last episode's showdown between Walt and Hank and of course, Jesse's insane plan to bung millions of dollars out of a moving car. Interesting episode which draws the battle lines. Skyler and her sister are now irreconcilable after tonight's events. Both see each others' offence as unforgivable. Both are probably right. The result is that Mrs White is firmly on Team Heisenberg. For better or worse, eh?

 

Saul continues to be a comedy goldmine. His justification for arranging a "trip to Belize" is Saul's appeal is as brilliantly argued as it is funny. I hope they get the spin-off show off the ground.

[Bearsy]

You're right it was v.boring + too much skylar

[SuperMikey]

You know nothing of television Bearsy, that episode had the requisite amount of Skylar to make it good. Any more and the rating would have gone down.

 

Will be interesting to see whether Jesse decides to flip on Walt, reckon Hank is going to try and pull a few tricks and spin a few lies to try and get him to talk.

[pap]

Heisenberg hits Manchester:-

 

 

https://twitter.com/IzzyEsco/status/369498085371568130/photo/1

[pap]

Breaking Bad was very good this week. After something of a slow-burner last week (Bearsy hated it,yo) the plot lurches forward again, and at least one aspect of the flash forward is resolved. Entitled Confessions, this episode is mostly about the Pinkman - but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Walt's own confession video. Pure genius, pulling strands from seasons back into the mix. It's nowhere near your Babylon 5 level of premeditation and payoff, but the writers did extremely well with what they had. Who knows? Maybe they're not actually making this sh!t up as they go along, after all

 

Let's return to the Pinkman, a.k.a. Jesse. He's a bloke in his late 20s/early 30s that up until a couple of weeks ago, had five million in cash at his disposal. He decided to bung a fair bit of that out of a car window. The cops took the rest. Jesse has borne much of the burden of Walt's rise and has had to do some nasty wetwork as part of that process. Walt has always presented his paternal side to Jesse, but the truth is finally dawning. This episode could be one of the most important of the entire run.

 

Won't say anymore, but once again, beautifully shot. The New Mexico location is a character in itself.

[SuperMikey]

I think the writers are doing a very good job in giving us all an idea as to how things are going to pan out over the next few weeks - i'm just waiting for that whole assumed reality to dissolve and that gigantic sucker punch you know is coming!

 

I hated watching Saul get hit, it made me sad inside

[Bearsy]

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Walt's own confession video.

 

That was great. Stuff like that is why i stick with Breaking Bad despite all the stuff I find annoying, like Pinkman's fucking conscience and Skylar's fucking personality.

 

I feel like I was missing something bout the pack of smokes. I remember vaguely there was a poison cigarette floating about and somehow that little kid ended up in hospital, but it was like 3 years ago. How come Pinkman is having sudden revelations?

[bpsaint]

That was great. Stuff like that is why i stick with Breaking Bad despite all the stuff I find annoying, like Pinkman's fucking conscience and Skylar's fucking personality.

 

I feel like I was missing something bout the pack of smokes. I remember vaguely there was a poison cigarette floating about and somehow that little kid ended up in hospital, but it was like 3 years ago. How come Pinkman is having sudden revelations?

 

This article does well to explain the end of last nights episode bearsy

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2013/08/26/breaking-bad-511-recap-the-case-of-the-missing-backstory-or-wtf-did-jesse-realize-about-the-ricin-cigarette/

[Bearsy]

cheers blud.

 

I also found this v.helpful!

Edited 27 August, 2013 by Bearsy

[SuperMikey]

Just watched Omit The Logic, a documentary about the life and times of Richard Pryor. Utterly brilliant comedian, utterly insane man. Well worth a watch, but we'll never get close to just what was going on inside that mind of his.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0394h53/Storyville_20132014_Richard_Pryor_Omit_the_Logic/

[stug76]

Right, I've just watched S1E1 of Breaking Bad, really enjoyed it. A good combination of humour, plot and intensity I thought, certainly better than Top Boy which I watched over the weekend. So here's what I want to know, I know it's excellently reviewed and I'm keen to watch it but is it going to peter out by S4 and then end with some bizarre twist that defies all previous plot and logic? I lost an awful lot of time watching Lost and I don't want it to happen again.

[pap]

Right, I've just watched S1E1 of Breaking Bad, really enjoyed it. A good combination of humour, plot and intensity I thought, certainly better than Top Boy which I watched over the weekend. So here's what I want to know, I know it's excellently reviewed and I'm keen to watch it but is it going to peter out by S4 and then end with some bizarre twist that defies all previous plot and logic? I lost an awful lot of time watching Lost and I don't want it to happen again.

 

It's got my seal of approval. There are points where the plot lurches but let's remember, the Lost writers could basically do what they wanted in their incoherent mess of a universe. There aren't many episodes left. Some scenes might leave you flat. A lot of people hate Skyler, but at this point, it's already recognised as one of the best shows on telly. Mr Chips to Scarface. Interesting ride.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

It's got my seal of approval. There are points where the plot lurches but let's remember, the Lost writers could basically do what they wanted in their incoherent mess of a universe. There aren't many episodes left. Some scenes might leave you flat. A lot of people hate Skyler, but at this point, it's already recognised as one of the best shows on telly. Mr Chips to Scarface. Interesting ride.

 

I mostly concur with this. It's very compelling, I watched the first 5 1/2 series in less than a month.

 

I don't want to give too much away, but there were points where it got a bit silly, and I started to really dislike all the characters and almost gave up on the whole thing. I stuck with it and am very glad I did.

 

Absolutely keep going with it. It does get a bit silly, but the ride is totally worth it.

 

Not comparable with Lost. They clearly had no idea where they were going with it, and once they started in a place where polar bears are on a tropical island and all this silly black smoke stuff they could hardly go back from that. It was always going to be bizarre (granted I was never a fan).

 

Whilst Breaking Bad could perhaps be a bit far-fetched or overblown, it certainly isn't as based in fantasy as Lost.

 

BB is great, #2 only to The Sopranos for me personally, but this final series is drawing in closer by the episode.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Right, I've just watched S1E1 of Breaking Bad, really enjoyed it. A good combination of humour, plot and intensity I thought, certainly better than Top Boy which I watched over the weekend. So here's what I want to know, I know it's excellently reviewed and I'm keen to watch it but is it going to peter out by S4 and then end with some bizarre twist that defies all previous plot and logic? I lost an awful lot of time watching Lost and I don't want it to happen again.

 

Also, do not scroll back through this page!

 

My friend Papster may ruin things for you!

[Patrick Bateman]

Have been on 4 Qatar Airways flights in the last two weeks on holiday, 12 hours of flying each way, so I managed to cram in a fair few films ... firstly, their in-flight service p*sses over BA in terms of entertainment, food, comfort and staff helpfulness and attentiveness ... however, Doha airport must be the most boring airport on Earth. I would never like to see that airport again. Anyway ...

 

Olympus Has Fallen ... awesome! Proper, no-nonsense action film, no thinking needed, great fun. Really enjoyable in the old fashioned Die Hard sort of way ... 9/10

 

Burt Wunderstone ... fun, but a little lame ... wouldn't watch again ... 6/10

 

After Earth ... Complete cr*p ... badly acted, bad script, bad effects ... bad ... 2/10

 

Groundhog Day ... I forgot how entertaining this was, a classic ... 7/10

 

Compliance ... Weird, but the fact it's true is scary ... 6/10

[pap]

It has been two weeks since the last Breaking Bad update. Didn't really feel the need to comment too much on last week's episode. It was very good, but it was mostly about getting the chess pieces in place for this final run of four episodes. Those pieces are in place now, so this week was very much about settling in for The End. There was so much happening in this episode that the writers didn't have time to get Badger talking about sci-fi.

 

Point of no return well and truly reached this week, I reckon. Will add nothing more to save on the spoilage.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I saw a rather depressing programme about Detroit and its many problems on the BBC last night. This once prosperous but now bankrupt and crime ridden city is in serious trouble with large sections of its urban and suburban landscape rapidly becoming a semi-desolate wasteland as (for a variety of reasons) everyone who can leave, makes damn sure they do. Such is Motown's depopulation and deindustrialization crisis that driving into the heart of the city during the 'rush hour' has become a eerie experience because the roads are now vitally empty of traffic - all this remember in what was once the home of the mighty US auto industry.

 

Many of our old industrial centres have experienced their share of problems over the years of course, but I can think of no example where such a large city has be allowed to decline so very far in this country without at least some meaningful effort being made to address the issue. The effect of the retreat of Ford and GM from Detroit is kinda like what happened here to many of our old pit villages when their associated colliery closed - except of a vastly greater scale.

 

One despairing resident made the point that while multi $billions have been poured into Manhattan after 3000 people died in the 9-11 terrorist attack, a much greater degree of human suffering on the streets of Detroit has elicited no comparable level of support from the Federal Government. Now I'm happy to admit that I like and admire the USA and what it stands for more than some on here do, but when you see the appalling state that cities like Detroit and New Orleans are now in, a chap has to wonder why such a wealthy nation tolerates this situation.

 

 

 

[RonManager]

I saw this. As an archaeologist I found it fascinating, seeing a major population centre devolve (note the '8 mile divide' - no rampart, but a road).

 

But as an ordinary bloke I found it very sad.

[LVSaint]

Finished watching the third and probably final season of Luther. All a bit far fetched towards the end but enjoyable and engrossing nonetheless.

 

Boardwalk Empire is back.

 

A few episodes left of Broadchurch with David Tennant as Scottish cop investigating seaside town murder, very good. (Fox have announced a US remake...oh dear...)

 

Watched one episode of Parades End. Pretty decent bit of period drama with excellent cast.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I'm watching the final installment of 'Thatcher: The Downing Street Years' on BBC 2 as I write this. Landmark television this and required viewing for anyone even remotely interested in the politics of the era. You just have to say what a pig headed egotistical monster she had become by the end of her long reign. Indeed, I'm forceably reminded that those whom the Gods seek to destroy they first make mad.

 

But for all her (many) faults, it seems to me that history shows that her instincts were still more right than wrong when it came to the big questions mind you.

[Whitey Grandad]

Watching Villareal v Real Madrid. Bale has just equalised.

[pap]

Watching Breaking Bad live, yo. Big episode.

[pap]

No spoilers, but this week's Breaking Bad is intense, probably more so than any other episode, and I include the offing of Fring in this. So many things are addressed, and I have a fair idea of where Walt is off to in the flashforward.

[bpsaint]

Lost for words after that latest episode, incredible tv. Sure as hell aint gonna be no happy ending.

[Bearsy]

i hope walt saves jesse it gives me bad feels when they is hate on each other

[KelvinsRightGlove]

No spoilers, but this week's Breaking Bad is intense, probably more so than any other episode, and I include the offing of Fring in this. So many things are addressed, and I have a fair idea of where Walt is off to in the flashforward.

 

Lulz

 

[pap]

Lulz

 

 

That was a year ago KRG. What next? Gonna have a lol when I spoil Empire Strikes Back?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

That was a year ago KRG. What next? Gonna have a lol when I spoil Empire Strikes Back?

 

Wasn't there someone on this thread a couple of weeks back said they just started?

[pap]

i hope walt saves jesse it gives me bad feels when they is hate on each other

 

Jesse is a nob jockey. Mixing in other films a bit, he could have been on a beach earning 20%. What's done is done. Silly boy.

[SuperMikey]

I like how Walt Jr tackled Heisenberg. He's badder than all the DEA agents put together.

[Bearsy]

Jesse is a nob jockey. Mixing in other films a bit, he could have been on a beach earning 20%. What's done is done. Silly boy.

 

yeah i struggle to follow his motivations sometimes cos i don't suffer from guilt + empathy personally. I'm more psychopath like that Matt Damon looking motherfucker, wassisname, Todd.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

yeah i struggle to follow his motivations sometimes cos i don't suffer from guilt + empathy personally. I'm more psychopath like that Matt Damon looking motherfucker, wassisname, Todd.