Shall we anticpate the AMC series "Breaking Bad"? I think I may.

careful comparing this show favorably to The Sopranos. Next thing there will be versus thread, and somebody will liveblog their disappointment while watching Breaking Bad for the first time.

But it's kinda true! Good television has just been getting better and better, and I feel like we're moving into a new phase where certain show runners (Gilligan, Dan Harmon, Tina Fey, David Simon...hopefully David Milch again, when Luck kicks off) have seen enough of those good but slightly flabby shows that they have a better understanding of how to trim the fat and make the most effective and streamlined use of whatever little time they're gonna get to run a show. It's kind of awe inspiring to watch.

In Gilligan's case specifically, I'm sure his time working on The X-Files gave him an embarrassment of opportunities to say to himself, "Okay, that's how not to mold a long-form narrative..."

Yeah, Treme is a really good example of streamlining

Haven't watched Treme yet, so can't really speak for that. Was referring more specifically to The Wire as an example of Simon's demonstrable ability to streamline.

Both Treme and The Wire feel deliberately slowly paced, I'm not sure I'd bracket them in with series like Lost that have these clunky treading water episodes in the middle where it's obvious the writers have too much series and not enough plot arc to fit in.

In Gilligan's case specifically, I'm sure his time working on The X-Files gave him an embarrassment of opportunities to say to himself, "Okay, that's how not to mold a long-form narrative..."

Zing!/truth bomb

But didn't Gilligan say that they basically made up Season 3 as they went along?

they knew the long-form points to hit though

http://i.imgur.com/KKiib.jpg

love how he looks more villainous each season

his forehead wrinkles are horizontal AND vertical
that's a lot of stress

i CAN NOT WAIT for this and am just hoping that my dvr works while i am on vacation during the premiere.

I'm not a fan of "The Sopranos," but wasn't that show almost single-handedly responsible for revitalizing cable dramas, from HBO to FX to AMC?

I may be totally off-base but I credit Oz, Sopranos, and Six Feet Under, for at least showing people what a cable show could be. Sopranos was obviously way bigger than the other two and influenced more shows directly, but in some ways I think Breaking Bad owes more to season one of SFU.

Breaking Bad and Sopranos are kind of polar opposites. The former is about narrative momentum, the latter narrative inertia (which is sometimes but not always did extremely well).

Yeah, Josh, in many ways The Sopranos is the progenitor of the awesome renaissance we've seen in television drama over the last decade. And it's still a very, very good show (that was unfortunately given an extra half a season to dick around and partially deflate what could've been an unequivocally-amazing final year). I would argue, though, that it more or less established its own template as it went along and, as such, was simultaneously groundbreaking and ultimately a little flabby. Today's savvy show runners have the benefit of utilizing that template in the service of making tighter and more logistically-sound shows (if such is their wont).

The X-Files is probably the immediate progenitor of The Sopranos in terms of trying to utilize serialization in the service of a larger-scale narrative with larger ambitions than yr average soapy TV drama. And it was kind of an epic fail on that count, which I think can be largely chalked up to Chris Carter not having much of a long-term plan. But kudos to him for making the attempt.

I think Oz, while enjoyable, was more groundbreaking in terms of content than anything else. Shit was pretty pulpy, and basically just a soap opera plus swears and wangs.

And I totes agree that Breaking Bad is fairly similar to Six Feet Under. At least inasmuch as both shows could probably sustain an entire season where little of note took place in terms of overt external conflict (like, you could extract the entire meth angle from Breaking Bad and Walt would still find an entertaining way to self-destruct). The dramatic tension lies almost entirely in allowing the characters' personalities to carry them to (often fucked up) destinations. It's fascinating to note the number of episodes (or at least extended portions of episodes) which are quiet and uncluttered but which are still entirely gripping in terms of character development. Which is a large part of what makes the action-filled episodes pack such a wallop. The pacing on this show is streets ahead.

The X-Files is probably the immediate progenitor of The Sopranos in terms of trying to utilize serialization in the service of a larger-scale narrative with larger ambitions than yr average soapy TV drama

Twin Peaks bro

Immediate progenitor, I says. There are certainly progenitors to the progenitor. Upon my most recent viewing, I felt like Twin Peaks (through the revelation of Laura's killer, at least) was pretty admirable in terms of how well it hung together as a holistic and consistent narrative given the extent to which I believe it was largely thrown together and made up as they went along. As much as I love Lynch, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Mark Frost was largely responsible for that.

oh man... walt REALLY looks like my dad in that pic!!!

is yr dad eeeeeeevil?

nah, he's actually a big softie but he LOOKS really mean

Finally I can post on this thread! Binged on s1 and s2 a while back and have just watched all of s3 in like three days.
It was a while between watching s2 and s3 and I'd forgotten a few bits and pieces but it definitely seemed different in tone. Like there's no longer any pretence of Walt doing any of this for his family or whatever, but I guess that's been discussed a lot itt already. There were a few moments when his actions really annoyed me - I would expect him to be pretty thoughtful and on top of his shit 90% of the time but he still lost it at that cop, and - most glaringly to me - prefers to cut Jesse off with as little placation & information as possible rather than taking time to possibly bullshit to make things better for everyone. Eg when he was trying to get rid of the RV we were yelling at the TV for him to tell Badger/Pete that Jesse was being watched but he never did and it led to this huge disaster. Him at times being two steps ahead and at other times just being a bitch for the sake of it and trusting ppl to do as he says with no justification is a bit frustrating. There are definitely bits where it's obvious he's losing it because he's under intense pressure etc but this time and with the cop it seemed too much.

Anyway it's still the best thing on tv and I can't wait for s4.... poor Gale :(

He had it coming. I mean look at his apartment.

Walt is definitely selfish above all else. He recognizes that if he stops, he's going to get killed, and having survived cancer and a brush with mortality, he wants to live. The one group it seems he's not willing to sacrifice, yet, is his family, but he has it both ways by passively implicating them (and thus involving them) in his activities. The wife in turn now knows she has no choice but to participate if she wants to best protect her family, too. In the Breaking Bad world, the ultimate irony is that street dealer Jessie is the one with the clearest moral compass, but even his is pretty spinny. I think we'll see in S4 how far gone everyone is, and how they've all formed a sickly symbiotic (though no longer family-like) support network corrupted by paranoia.

Skylar's going to get progressively greedier in S4 I reckon. Only problem with the current setup is that Skylar's complicity necessitates Hank being out of action, and I like Hank.

Season 4 preview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0TYI5b-Lmo

Skylar's going to get progressively greedier in S4 I reckon. Only problem with the current setup is that Skylar's complicity necessitates Hank being out of action, and I like Hank.

why is that? seems like an even more tense dynamic being set up

anyone remember the mention of a DEA informant in a previous ep? wonder if that'll finally come up this season. (really, really hope it isn't Hank's partner.)

Well so far Skylar's only in on it because the money pays for Hank's rehabilitation. That's not to say she won't change as she gets deeper in (she almost certainly will) but Hank being unable to walk for however long kinda rules him out of being on Heisenberg's tail for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironside_%28TV_series%29

i feel like i've completely forgotten everything that's happened on this show

i do too!
i don't think i need to rewatch all 3 seasons but i need a refresher before s4 starts.

Haha it wasn't til just now that I remembered Walt, the Blackjack Genius.

I thought the DEA informant was Crazy-8? Had to look that up before I watched s3 as I couldn't remember anything. There is a wiki!
http://breakingbad.wikia.com/wiki/Breaking_Bad_Wiki

Haha it wasn't til just now that I remembered Walt, the Blackjack Genius.

― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Monday, June 20, 2011 9:27 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

Cranston's silent reaction shots during this scene were priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ugqO3rrP50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjfityWKyxo&feature=player_embedded

:O

kinda weird promo pic
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae219/jumpcut/breaking-bad-season-4-cast-image.jpg

Why can't i post things properly today?
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae219/jumpcut/breaking-bad-season-4-cast-image.jpg

are they on the torchwood set for some reason

teal&orange.xls

Skylar looking a bit Carmella-esque there.

Total Sopranos rip there, not that it matters.

still rockin the wallabees

do i know who the dude 2nd from the left is?

saul?

he's the 3rd in.

i think the 3rd one in is mike? this feels like a weird thing i am not getting???

oh fuck. got my names confused. yes SAUL!
i honestly forgot about him!