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Television: Does Breaking Bad live up to the hype?

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by JWBlue, Sep 1, 2013.

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  1. JWBlue

    JWBlue VIP Whale

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    Unbelievable hype for this show.

    The plot does not sound exciting. What makes it good?
     
  2. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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  3. mcluekm

    mcluekm Tourist

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    Breaking Bad is one of the best written shows on TV (if not the best?) according to most screenwriter bloggers and gurus- plus Bryan Cranston is supposed to be phenomenal in it and has won 3? Emmys.

    Apparently it's hard to watch 'just one' episode, so I've also not seen it- waiting for large blocks of free time.
     
  4. ams722

    ams722 Side Bet Shunner

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    It is without a doubt the best show on tv right now. Easily the best written show in many many years. You think you know how it's going to play out, and it subverts your expectations at every turn.
     
  5. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Yeah...it live up to the hype. It took me about 4 episodes (first four of Season 1), and then I was hooked.
    If you have netflix, you can get caught up pretty quickly...certainly in time to watch the 'final episodes' when AMC does their inevitable "encore presentation" run of them.

    Why?
    It's well written; you will grow attached to the characters - (even when you feel a little guilty for doing so); you will frequently be analyzing what you would do in certain situations; there's enough 'comic relief' to make the show 'fun', but most definitely not a comedy, by any stretch of the imagination; the on-screen reactions by the characters are truly anti-cliche...they are very-much how 'regular' people would react;
    "Yeah, bitch! MAGNETS!!"
     
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  6. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    It doesnt do it for me. Usually when a show is over hyped like it is then i tend to shy away from it. Its usually because its a dissapointment.

    Same with mad men. every said how great it was. tried it, it was a soap opera with cool clothes and smoking.

    I watched a couple episodes of breaking bad. its a school teacher making drugs who has run ins with bad guys.
     
  7. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    Eddie you old misery :D

    Fair comments, it won't be for everyone. FWIW, I hated Mad Men the first time I tried it but after watching a season or so the second time around I got into it. Breaking bad has a very complex plotline that only really works when you get absorbed into it.
     
  8. casinoboy

    casinoboy Low-Roller

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    i like it a lot! it is hailed as one of the best dramas in history by people who have real good taste. dont watch it if you dont like good smart tv. if you like to watch things like jerry springer or maury povich you are at the opposite end of the type of person who can handle a smart show that is multi layered and you are better off sticking to trashy lowlife tv. i like watching dumb shows like csi sometimes when i am tired and dont want to think but breaking bad is the type of show i watch when i really want to absorb something good and complex. :peace:
     
  9. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    What makes it good? The fact that it's good, if you dont want to watch it dont, it wont bother us.
     
  10. bigdogmom

    bigdogmom VIP Whale

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    It's definitely not for everyone. The humor is VERY black humor, and there's a lot of violence.

    That being said, it's one of my favorite shows. :D
     
  11. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Like my mom said, there is no accounting for taste. But for me, its appointment TV, except type last night I went to an Octoberfest and could not stay up for the 11:30 replay. Too many Warsteiner Pilsners.
     
  12. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    I think what makes it so great is that it's the one serial drama on television that has consistently improved since it began. The first season was, I thought, pretty "meh"; the concept was interesting, and there were some decent scenes, but it didn't really make me go, "Holy shit, what just happened???". Whereas the later seasons have had moments like that on a regular basis. Compare that to other shows involving suspense and revelations, like "Lost" or "Walking Dead", and the amount of mindfuckery happening on "Breaking Bad" is just leaps and bounds beyond anything else. Not to mention, the character development is incredible... over the course of less than two years of Walter White's life, they've taken him from a sympathetic guy to arguably the most evil and sociopathic person (but still nuanced; it's evil, but not shallow evil) on television.
     
  13. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    A cancer stricken chemistry teacher earning $42k a year with a lousy pension who was screwed out of an equity position in a startup is now a murdering meth cook earning millions in a little over a year?

    How did he get a house with a pool on this salary? Nothing confers Walter's loser status than the Pontiac Aztek he drove. One of the top 10 worst cars in history. Right up there with the Yugo that my brother in law drove.
     
  14. JWBlue

    JWBlue VIP Whale

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    I am going to have to rent the first season on DVD.
     
  15. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    It's one of the two best shows on TV right now. Bar none. Yeah I'll make that as a claim. The other is Game of Thrones but season has ended.

    If you liked the great shows of the last decade or so like The Sopranos and The Wire you will like Breaking Bad. It's got the same rich storytelling, writing, acting, and multi-layered characters and plots. Just like those shows, its ripe for a fairly deep level of analysis similar to a good novel.

    Don't bother with renting DVDs, it would probably be easier and cheaper to just get a Netflix subscription for a while and stream it wherever you feel like watching.
     
  16. shawnawm1868

    shawnawm1868 Tourist

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    I just can't get into it. I get it, but whenever it's on I just can't get into it. I've tried, but, its not for me.
     
  17. LucyR.

    LucyR. VIP Whale

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    I haven't seen this show

    I saw it on my t.v. guide and I read what it was about and I decided it was not
    for me. I don't like to see those types of shows. But I will try to see it next
    time it comes on so I can really evaluate it for myself.

    Some t.v. shows turn me off and I just don't see them again. Some t.v. shows
    I truly look foreward to seeing again. LucyR.
     
  18. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    It's no Dog the Bounty Hunter.
     
  19. mikenhe

    mikenhe VIP Whale

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    house with a pool - when his wife was also working as an accountant.. that's not too much of a stretch...
     
  20. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Well, not to split hairs, but I think she was a book keeper.

    I guess I'm used to wages and prices here in the Northeast. Teachers in my area with 15 years and a Masters degree make over $85k a year for 182 days of work and $20,000 per year health benefits.
     
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