Posts Tagged ‘Hitfix’
“Yeah, Bitch!! Magnets!!” | Review: Breaking Bad 5.01
TV Diary | Breaking Bad – Episode 5.01 – “Live Free Or Die” – Original Airdate: 7/15/12
Episode Grade: A-
Ed. Note: Yeah… so it was my intention to shelve TV Diary, as I’d said in my last post way too long ago. And largely, it still is, except that I kind of made my bones last year on this site with my reviews of Breaking Bad so, with its return for the first half of its fifth season spanning over the next eight weeks, I felt compelled to run these shorter reviews because it’s, you know… Breaking Bad. I’m a lying liar, I know. Anyway, enjoy.
To those who are criticizing “Live Free Or Die,” Breaking Bad’s triumphant fifth season return, I have but one request. Shut up. No, seriously. Shut up. What? That’s not fair? Ah… you might be right. I apologize. Let me phrase it like this: Shut the fuck up. This is the second-to-last season opening summer premiere we’re going to get [1] and I’m not going to have your entitled whining ruin it for the rest of us. So just keep your mouth shut, OK? For the rest of us, “Live Free Or Die” may not have lived up to the tension-filled heights of Gus murdering Victor by SLASHING HIS THROAT WITH A GODDAMNED BOX CUTTER in last season’s season-opening “Box Cutter,” but it still had more than enough goodness to let us know that Vince Gilligan and company have slacked exactly zero percent over the past year. After the now traditional puzzling season-premiere cold open [2], much of “Live Free Or Die” finds Walt, Jesse, and a reluctant Mike scrambling to tie up some loose ends in the wake of Gus having half of his face blown off. Walt realizes that the security camera that Gus had trained on them every minute that they were in the superlab could theoretically have been recording footage that could now serve as the smoking gun (lab?) that could bring all of them down, so the unlikely trio hatches a scheme to destroy the laptop that contains the footage, which is now in the possession of the Albuquerque Police Department.
What results is one helluva good caper episode, with the impetus for the scheme hatching from Jesse’s brain [3]. Suffice it to say that it involves an industrial strength magnet, an abandoned truck, and Walt and Jesse getting close enough to APD headquarters to erase the contents of Gus’s laptop via said magnet. Maybe I’m a sucker for a good caper, but watching this unholy trio put their plan into motion and execute it seemingly perfectly [4] was a blast. That the chaos caused in the APD evidence room allowed the police to uncover more information about Gus’s dealings that they otherwise may not have thanks to a broken picture frame caused by Walt and Jesse’s intervention was just the icing on the cake. I appreciated Gilligan’s approach in bringing the three men together because, although Mike can barely contain his disgust for Walt [5] at this (or any) point, the possibility that Gus may have recorded all three men in the lab at one point or another served as an organic reason for them to be forced to team up. Plus, Jonathan Banks’ performance as Mike is a treasure and I’ll take more of it any time Breaking Bad wants to give it to us. “Live Free Or Die” also served to further illustrate that Walt’s descent into pure villainy (as per Gilligan’s stated goal for the series – to show how a good man can be corrupted into an unrecognizable version of himself) is in full, glorious effect. From Walt telling Skyler, “You don’t think I rate a ‘hello,’ at least?” after she returns home following his confirmation of his involvement in Gus’s death, to answering Mike’s question about why he’s so sure that leaving the truck behind at APD wasn’t a bad idea (“Because I say so.”), to his chilling “I forgive you,” to Skyler after learning about her attempt to pay Ted Beneke off in season four and the subsequent unfortunate events that befell him, Walt is a full-on villain now. The only question left is how deep he will go, which is something I’m beyond anxious for Breaking Bad to answer over the next two months. Breaking Bad is back, everyone. And that’s for damned sure nothing to complain about.
[1] Thankfully, AMC has done the right thing and has decided to split this final batch up into two bite-size chunks to be aired over the next eight weeks, with the ensuing eight episodes airing over another eight weeks this time next summer. I applaud AMC loudly for this because I wasn’t ready in any way, shape, or form for this to be the last summer of the show. I just wasn’t, and you probably weren’t either if you’re being honest with yourself.
[2] Here (DEEP BREATH) showing Walt with a full head of hair and a full beard wielding a fake ID from New Hampshire, celebrating his birthday in a Denny’s while conducting a business transaction with Jim Beaver’s (Deadwood) gun dealer, Lawson, for an assault rifle in the bathroom. As Hitfix’s Alan Sepinwall pointed out in his review, the “52” that Walt fashions out of the bacon on his breakfast plate signifies that the rest of the episode takes place roughly a year prior to the open. Whether we’ll know how we got to the Denny’s by the end of these eight episodes remains to be seen.
[3] As shown in a great scene where Walt and Mike argue with one another, all the while Jesse is in the background asking a variation on, “What about a magnet?” four or five times before The Bickersons actually pay attention to him.
[4] Well, almost perfectly. As a friend pointed out, one of the great things about Breaking Bad is that every action on the show causes another domino to fall.
[5] Although he’s clearly developed an affinity for Jesse, as evidenced by the paternal disappointment in his, “Oh, Jesse,” line reading when he realizes that Jesse’s thrown his lot back in with Walt.
Miscellany:
*One of the things that Breaking Bad does better than maybe any show except arguably The Wire is its ability to make being a criminal look like the most unglamorous thing in the world. There are always repercussions. There is stress on stress on stress. And although Walt has gotten away with almost everything to this point in the series, he’s going to go down soon. And he’s going to go down spectacularly.
*Ted ain’t dead, but he’s in a very bad way and his misfortune serves as an object lesson to Skyler on exactly who she’s in bed with at this point. Just as I’m sure that Jesse’s going to be the one to eventually put Walt down, I have a feeling that Skyler’s going to have a big hand in his demise before everything is said and done.
*I wonder how Denny’s feels with the continued product placement as the go-to diner for meth-producing megalomaniacs?
*Toasting himself in the mirror is a very Walt thing to do.
*According to Gomez, teeth do a “popcorn thing” when they get too hot. Who knew?
*The look on the APD officer’s face as he enters the evidence room and sees what’s happening is priceless.
*Very nice point made by The AV Club’s Donna Bowman in her review of “Live Free Or Die”: Walter’s “I forgive you,” to Skyler at the end of the episode is almost the inverse of her “I fucked Ted,” at the end of season three’s “I.F.T.” Gotta love a show that brings things full circle in this way.
*”Keys, scumbag. It’s the universal symbol for keys.”
*”You know how they say it’s been a pleasure? It hasn’t.”
*”If you have any brains, you’ll take that money you saved and you’ll skip town. Now. Today.”
*”What’s wrong with them, anyway? Why would anyone wanna put a metal ring through their prick?”
*”YEAH, BITCH!! MAGNETS!! OOOOHHHH!!”
*”Because I say so.”
*”You’re not Clarence Darrow. You’re a two-bit, bus bench lawyer and you work for me.”
*”We’re done when I say we’re done.”
*”I forgive you.”
Morning Links: 3/13/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Let’s get to the links:
*Breaking Bad. July. Start the countdown… now. (Via The AV Club)
*A new Game Of Thrones trailer hit the interwebz yesterday. I’m hyped and all… but I think this might be trailer #147 that HBO’s released in the past few weeks. Just debut already. (Ed. Note: I fully realize that I’ve probably linked all of these. I’m human.) (Via EW)
*Showtime announced on Monday that the new seasons of Dexter and Homeland will premiere on Sunday, September 30. Not really the biggest fan of Dexter as I think it’s one of the more overhyped shows on television but I’m all in on Homeland, a show that I had in my top five in 2011. Really anxious to see how they follow up a dynamite debut season. Dexter will air at 9PM and be followed by Homeland at 10PM. Mark your calendars. (Via Hitfix)
*You know that humongous beeg (tm – Ilya Bryzgalov) spoiler from Sunday’s The Walking Dead? Get some really insightful scoop from series co-creator Robert Kirkman. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Not at all unrelated to the above item, former Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont now has the lead for his new project with TNT, L.A. Noir. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*BREAKING: Jon Hamm is awesome. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*On the other hand, Greta Van Susteren is a spiteful, hateful person. (Via Warming Glow)
*Producer Carlton Cuse seems to have found his first post-Lost project and it’s a Psycho prequel for A&E called The Bates Motel. Frankly, this could be a really interesting idea if they pull it off well. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Matt Saracen is coming back to TV. Clear eyes, full hearts. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*This certainly puts a different spin on the Leslie/Ben relationship on Parks And Recreation, doesn’t it? (Via The AV Club)
*Sorry… not buying Will Forte – an acquired taste’s acquired taste – as a basketball player. And Modern Family’s Steven Levitan being behind Forte’s new Fox sitcom ain’t helping matters either. (Via EW)
*This is why Warming Glow’s Danger Guerrero is one of my favorite television bloggers. Plus, dude’s also a Phillies fan so he’s doubly awesome. (Via Warming Glow)
Morning Links: 3/9/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Personal note – a very happy birthday to day to my incredibly awesome sister. Let’s get to the links:
*Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner admitted in an interview with The New York Times that he almost quit the show during contentious negotiations with AMC for the upcoming fifth season, which premieres Sunday March 25. Surely the dispute was over money, right? Actually, it was over Weiner’s adamant insistence that content not be cut back to make room for more advertising on one of the network’s flagship shows. This smells a little of PR BS but if it’s true, good on Weiner for fighting the good fight. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Sons Of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter shared a little info on the fifth season of the show, likely set to bow this fall on FX, at PaleyFest on Wednesday night. According to Sutter, much of the season’s focus will be based around Jax’s ascension to head of SAMCRO as well as Tara trying to balance her career as a doctor with now being a full fledged club presence a la Gemma’s role for the entirety of the series. Sutter also says that we’ll see some of the fallout from Tig’s rash decision to retaliate against those he thought responsible for Clay’s shooting at the end of the fourth season via the introduction of scary gangbanger Damon Pope. I’m on record as not being thrilled with how this past season ended but there are enough interesting teases in that information to pique my interest for season five. (Via TVLine)
*Community trailer for the rest of the season. You had to know this was coming. I’m so in the tank for this show that it’s not even funny. (Via Warming Glow)
*BOOM. Neal McDonough – currently tearing shit up as Robert Quarles on Justified – has landed the lead role in Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont’s new period crime drama L.A. Noir. Frankly, I was already beyond anxious for this project and, suffice it to say, I’m considerably more excited with this news. (Via TVLine)
*Hulu’s Best In Show competition to randomly determine which television show people like more than the other indiscriminate choices is back for its third year. The winner gets nothing of consequence, so go vote. I did! (Via Hitfix)
*This has to be a first – a spoiler alert as a result of a courtroom testimony? Desperate Housewives fans (all eight of you still left) click with caution. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
Morning Links: 3/7/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Let’s do the damn thing:
*FX announced Tuesday that it’s renewing Justified for a fourth season that will begin in early 2013. Really, the only thing that’s surprising about this news is that it took this long. Justified aired its eighth out of 13 episodes last night and for a show that’s a solid performer for the network and that enjoys pretty unanimous critical praise, you’d think that FX would have given another season the green light weeks ago. Whatever the reason for the delay, more Justified is nothing but good for viewers and when you consider that shows that make it to year four often go on for two or three more, it looks like there’s much, much more Raylan Givens in our futures. Again, that’s a great thing. (Via Hitfix)
*Ah, shit… I’m gonna have to watch Nashville now, aren’t I? If I suffered through five episodes of American Horror Story almost solely because of Friday Night Lights alum Connie Britton’s involvement, surely I can give Nashville a chance now that she’s signed on for a co-starring role. Plus Powers Boothe (Deadwood) and Robert Wisdom (The Wire) are also in the cast. It can’t be THAT bad, right? (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*NBC’s Smash was up 17% from last week, likely aided by repeats on CBS and ABC Monday night but still good news for the fledgling show. I’m through the first three episodes and, while it’s not anything approaching a great show, frankly, it’s The Wire compared to the similarly themed Glee. (Via EW)
*Film legend Sigourney Weaver has signed on to star in a new USA drama that seems loosely based on Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton. Sigourney Weaver on USA? Weird combo. (Via EW)
*Seriously… shut up already, Kirk Cameron. (Via The AV Club)
Morning Links: 3/5/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Hello, Monday. Let’s get to the links:
*Despite the weak pun by EW, I was pleasantly surprised with the premiere ratings for NBC’s Awake on Thursday night. I reviewed its exceptional pilot here and said that I really had no expectation that anyone was going to watch it, so that it drew over six million viewers to a difficult slot on NBC (and managed to be its highest rated show in terms of viewers and was second in the 18-49 demo to The Office) was very encouraging. I can’t imagine anyone watching that pilot and not wanting to see more so I’ll be really anxious to see how it holds up next week. (Via EW)
*New Game Of Thrones trailer. And. It. Is. BAD. ASS. (Via EW)
*Animated Community webisodes? Yes, please. In related news, Hitfix’s Alan Sepinwall moderated the Community panel at PaleyFest in LA on Saturday night and creator Dan Harmon and producer Russ Krasnoff both stated that they feel slightly optimistic about the show’s chances for a fourth season thanks to 30 Rock’s struggles in the Thursday at 8PM timeslot that Community will be reclaiming in a week and a half. People still need to watch it when it comes back so watch it. Or I’ll come find you, and you don’t want that, do you? (Via Hitfix)
*Southland was renewed for a fifth season by TNT on Friday. This is really good news. I’m in the process of catching up on it right now and, all things considered, it might be the best cop show (Justified is about the marshals service so it doesn’t count) on the air right now. Kudos, TNT. (Via Warming Glow)
*Jeff Goldblum is joining comic Sarah Silverman’s pilot for NBC playing a character loosely based on an ex-boyfriend. That is one wonderfully weird pairing right there. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Yikes. Hawaii Five-O star Alex O’Loughlin is taking a hiatus from production on the Hawaii-set police procedural to address an addiction to prescription pain medication. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Julia Stiles is the latest interesting name to join NBC’s Midnight Sun, the crime drama centering on a cult that’s also cast Titus Welliver (Lost) and Michael Raymond-James (Terriers) in recent weeks. Really starting to look forward to this one. (Via TVLine)
*Fox’s The Finder is moving to Fridays. A nation yawns. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Kirk Cameron is kind of a giant douche. (Via EW)
*Oh, FFS. (The AV Club)
Morning Links: 3/2/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. First day of March is in the books. Let’s get to the links:
*As part of his continuing Thursday feature examining why Community is great until it returns to the air in two weeks (!), Hitfix’s Alan Sepinwall takes a look at the show’s secret weapon, newly-minted Oscar winner Jim Rash.
*Entertaining interview over at The AV Club with comedy MVP (and real-life wife of Ron Swanson) Megan Mullally.
*Firefly reunion (of sorts) coming later this season on Castle as Adam Baldwin (in his first post-Chuck) role will be making a guest appearance on the ABC Nathan Fillion vehicle. I’m sure that the show will find some way to give a wink to the Browncoats. (Via TVLine)
*Matthew Perry might be back on NBC Thursdays in the fall? Why not? Nothing else has really worked for the guy since Friends ended. (Via EW)
*President Obama (correctly) thinks that Omar was the best character on The Wire. In related news, I think I voted wisely. (Via The AV Club)
*Former Friday Night Lights star Matt Lauria has been cast in a new Shonda Rhimes pilot for ABC set in an 1895 New York hotel. I’ve said before that I’ll follow Friday Night Lights castmembers almost anywhere but this one’s testing my resolve. Plus, Lauria was only on the show for two years so I think that leaves a loophole open for me, doesn’t it? (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*NBC really does suck. (Via Warming Glow)
Morning Links: 2/29/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Today’s a bonus February day but the links are here for you every weekday, not just every four years:
*FX officially announced the return dates for the brilliant Louie (Jeremy Likes TV’s number one show of 2011) and the OK-ish Wilfred on Tuesday. Both will return on Thursday, June 28 in their previous homes of 10PM and 10:30PM ET, respectively. What’s different is that they’ll be flanked by Charlie Sheen’s new sitcom, Anger Management, at 9:30 and Russell Brand’s talk show Strangely Uplifting at 11:00. Anger Management will be the first pre-10:00PM show to air regularly since FX’s original foray into original programming so it should be interesting to see how it fares against stiffer network competition but remember – there’s a provision in FX’s contract with the show that if it meets certain ratings requirements, a whopping 90 additional episodes (beyond the 10 already ordered) will be produced. (Via Hitfix)
*If you’re like me and already thinking about the 2012 NFL season, note that this year the season opener will be on a Wednesday night instead of the traditional Thursday night extravaganza so as to not interfere with President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Seems like the Office of the President does still carry more weight than football in America despite the 2011 season’s mammoth ratings. (Via TV By The Numbers)
*Now this sounds cool. HBO is partnering with Luck producer Michael Mann on another project – a four-part documentary series on war photographers called Witness. Mann has one of the most unique visual styles in film/television today so taking subject matter such as this and lending it his visual flair is something I’m definitely interested in. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Adult Swim has released a trailer for the upcoming Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All sketch series, Loiter Squad. Oh, boy… (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Obligatory Community link. (Via The AV Club)
*George Lopez and Perez Hilton both got TV shows yesterday. Let’s hope that future generations will not come to refer to it as The Day That TV Died. (Via Warming Glow)
Morning Links: 2/28/12
Welcome to the Morning Links. Each weekday, I’ll provide you with some interesting television-related news items culled from the various TV websites I frequent on a regular basis with a slight bit of commentary attached. Pretty straightforward – no fuss, no muss. Let’s do this thing:
*That was certainly quick. James Spader will be leaving The Office at the conclusion of the current ninth season. According to showrunner/Toby Paul Lieberstein, Spader had only wanted a one-year arc from the time that he signed on as Steve Carrell’s ostensible replacement but audiences have been, to be kind, lukewarm to this season of the show and some of that comes from Spader’s character, Robert California, being rather non-descript. I haven’t had time to keep up with this season of The Office but, from everything I’ve heard, I haven’t been missing much. And now I guess I’ll never have to warm up to Spader, either. (Via Hitfix)
*Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito has been cast as the villain in the NBC pilot Revolution from JJ Abrams and Eric Kripke. Esposito has undeniable experience as a bad guy – maybe one of television’s best of the last decade – so yeah… you could say that I’m in on this one. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Fox has shifted its Kiefer Sutherland-starring series Touch from its previously announced Monday night slot to a comfier post-American Idol Thursday night perch. After seeing its ridiculous pilot when it previewed in late January, believe me when I say the quicker this show ultimately goes away, the better off we’ll all be. (Via TV By The Numbers)
*Jim Rash, better known as the insanely funny Dean Pelton on Community, won an Oscar on Sunday night. He is also awesome. (Via EW)
*South Park returns for its 16th (!) season on March 14 and, frankly, it’s a testament to the show that it continues to remain this relevant and this biting 16 years into its run. (Via TV By The Numbers)
*Lucy Liu is joining CBS’s Sherlock Holmes adaptation Elementary as the first woman to play Watson. Intriguing. Just might be intriguing enough to… nah… Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock is still a horrible idea. (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
*Oh boy… Adult Swim has picked up a series from the entertainment collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (featuring Internet lightning rod Tyler, The Creator) called Loiter Squad that will premiere later in 2012. This should be… interesting, to say the very least. (Via TV By The Numbers)
*So John McCain says he’s not going to watch HBO’s original movie Game Change about the 2008 election? Remind me why we’re supposed to care about what John McCain thinks about anything again? (Via The Hollywood Reporter)
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