Which was the best season of Breaking Bad?

  • 53 results
  • 1
  • 2

This topic is locked from further discussion.

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

Poll Which was the best season of Breaking Bad? (65 votes)

Season 1 14%
Season 2 12%
Season 3 14%
Season 4 38%
Season 5a (8 episodes ending with Walt leaving the business and Hank on toilet) 11%
Season 5b (8 episodes starting with Hank leaving the bathroom and ending with series finale) 37%
I haven't seen at least 3 of these seasons 11%

I am redoing this Poll as the original Poll was "lost in translation" to the new format.

Season 3 for me,

I loved the episode "Fly" and especially the last 2 of the season...."Half Measures" and "Full Measure"

 • 
Avatar image for Ninja-Hippo
Ninja-Hippo

23434

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 7

User Lists: 0

#1 Ninja-Hippo
Member since 2008 • 23434 Posts

Season 3 had the best two episodes. They both had me yelling HOLY SHIT at the TV screen. I think season 5 has to be the best season overall though, simply for the sheer adrenaline and pacing.

Avatar image for lonewolf604
lonewolf604

8748

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#2 lonewolf604
Member since 2007 • 8748 Posts

Season 4, cat and mouse between Gus and Walt.

Avatar image for drinkerofjuice
drinkerofjuice

4567

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 20

User Lists: 0

#3 drinkerofjuice
Member since 2007 • 4567 Posts

Got better with each season, so five for me.

Avatar image for WinsteadVolve
WinsteadVolve

366

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#4 WinsteadVolve
Member since 2011 • 366 Posts

season 2 just blew my mind, perfect characters, maintained the tensity and no other season has stepped up to that standard, despite them all being superb.

Avatar image for ernie1989
ernie1989

8547

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#5 ernie1989
Member since 2004 • 8547 Posts

I can't really decide on best because each season contains different aspects that I really like about the show. My personal favorite, however, is Season 3 and the main reason for that has to do with this contrast between where Walt and Jesse start off in the opener and where they end up in the finale. But if I had to rank seasons, which is something people were doing in the older thread, it would go as follows (and why I like one more than others is really just a matter of personal taste at this point by the way):

3 > 5 = 2 = 1 > 4

Avatar image for lone_wolf_lance
Lone_Wolf_Lance

124

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

#6 Lone_Wolf_Lance
Member since 2013 • 124 Posts

As I said before:

Season 4. I won.

Avatar image for Blabadon
Blabadon

33030

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 1

#7 Blabadon
Member since 2008 • 33030 Posts

5B>5A>3>4>2>>>>>>1

Avatar image for KHAndAnime
KHAndAnime

17565

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#8 KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

Season 5 was a shark jumping disappointment, so I'll say Season 4.

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#9 AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

Nice start to the Poll

Avatar image for chessmaster1989
chessmaster1989

30203

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 0

#10  Edited By chessmaster1989
Member since 2008 • 30203 Posts

Haven't finished season 5 yet. Seasons 3 and 4 had some great moments but at least half of those two seasons was boring as fvck. As is, probably season 2.

Avatar image for foxhound_fox
foxhound_fox

98532

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 13

User Lists: 0

#11  Edited By foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

Polls are rigged. You can vote for everything.

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#12  Edited By AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

@foxhound_fox said:

Polls are rigged. You can vote for everything.

I hope thats not true....not a fan of the changes as it is

Avatar image for lensflare15
lensflare15

6652

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#13 lensflare15
Member since 2010 • 6652 Posts

Probably Season 2, I really enjoyed the early days of building the meth business.

Avatar image for Gaming-Planet
Gaming-Planet

21106

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 14

User Lists: 0

#14  Edited By Gaming-Planet
Member since 2008 • 21106 Posts

4 and 5B.

Definitely 5B.

Avatar image for ShepardCommandr
ShepardCommandr

4939

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

#15  Edited By ShepardCommandr
Member since 2013 • 4939 Posts

All of them.

I honestly can't choose.I like them all equally.

Avatar image for AsadMahdi59
AsadMahdi59

7226

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#16 AsadMahdi59
Member since 2005 • 7226 Posts

Honestly the 1st one,I especially love the 1st 3 episodes. In general I like the earlier ones more cus Jessie was goofy and Walt was more likable and it didn't feel like it was a life death situation all the time. They were all great though

Avatar image for Macutchi
Macutchi

11190

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#17 Macutchi
Member since 2007 • 11190 Posts
@KHAndAnime said:

Season 5 was a shark jumping disappointment, so I'll say Season 4.

how so?

poll doesn't work for me in chrome (surprisingly, as everything else works perfectly in this new site *rolls eyes), but i'd have to go with season 4 too. the whole divide & conquer thing by gus & mike towards jesse and walt, the cartel incidents and the last episode with walt's master plan and the lily of the valley revelation made for some brilliant television

Avatar image for SolidSnake35
SolidSnake35

58971

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 7

User Lists: 3

#18  Edited By SolidSnake35
Member since 2005 • 58971 Posts

Last half of season 5.

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#19  Edited By AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

@AsadMahdi59 said:

Honestly the 1st one,I especially love the 1st 3 episodes. In general I like the earlier ones more cus Jessie was goofy and Walt was more likable and it didn't feel like it was a life death situation all the time. They were all great though

My favorite episodes of the first season were the final 2.

But I did enjoy the comic adventures of Walt and Jesse in the early part of the season.

Avatar image for dog
Dog

37

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

#20  Edited By Dog
Member since 2013 • 37 Posts

Seasons 4 and 5b are golden. No season of any show in television history surpasses those.

Avatar image for Makhaidos
Makhaidos

2162

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#21 Makhaidos
Member since 2013 • 2162 Posts

I just got done with season 3, and holy shit. I can't imagine it getting better than this. . .though I said the same about season 2. . .

Avatar image for verbalfilth
verbalfilth

5043

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#22 verbalfilth
Member since 2006 • 5043 Posts

All of them were great but 4 was the pinnacle for me.

That whole season encapsulated the journey and metamorphosis of Walter White.

With that being said, my favorite part out of all seasons was the laste few minutes of Season 5.2, episode 1. (garage scene with the kid playing outside)

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#23 AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

@Makhaidos said:

I just got done with season 3, and holy shit. I can't imagine it getting better than this. . .though I said the same about season 2. . .

those were my exact sentiments when I was where you are.

In fact, I thought season 2 was a perfect season.....then season 3 came around. Season 4 and 5 are amazing as well.

Avatar image for LostProphetFLCL
LostProphetFLCL

18526

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#24 LostProphetFLCL
Member since 2006 • 18526 Posts

@Gaming-Planet said:

4 and 5B.

Definitely 5B.

These two I can't decide between.

Gus was possibly my fav character on the show so I LOVED season 4, and those last 3 episodes of season 4 were just so freaking good, with that season finale just being mind-blowingly good.

5B was absolutely awesome though and totally saved the show from going out on a bad note. I really didn't care for 5A and was hugely disappointed at first, but then I got to marathon 5B finishing with the finale premiere and it was soooo good, especially the series finale.

Really though, lets all just be thankful that we got to enjoy a show as amazing as Breaking Bad.

Avatar image for Alucard_Inoue
Alucard_Inoue

25

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#25 Alucard_Inoue
Member since 2013 • 25 Posts

I agree 4 and 5B are the best. I'll go with 4.

Avatar image for HipHopBeats
HipHopBeats

2850

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 13

User Lists: 0

#26  Edited By HipHopBeats
Member since 2011 • 2850 Posts

The whole series is a great watch. My order from favorite to least would be 4 > 1 > 2 > 3 > 5

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#27 AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

Interesting change in the lead

Avatar image for cynical_buzzard
Cynical_Buzzard

226

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

#28 Cynical_Buzzard
Member since 2013 • 226 Posts

I got bored of Breaking Bad.

Avatar image for Revixe06
Revixe06

1021

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#29 Revixe06
Member since 2008 • 1021 Posts

Season 4 is still my favorite.

Avatar image for KHAndAnime
KHAndAnime

17565

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#30  Edited By KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

@Macutchi said:
@KHAndAnime said:

Season 5 was a shark jumping disappointment, so I'll say Season 4.

how so?

poll doesn't work for me in chrome (surprisingly, as everything else works perfectly in this new site *rolls eyes), but i'd have to go with season 4 too. the whole divide & conquer thing by gus & mike towards jesse and walt, the cartel incidents and the last episode with walt's master plan and the lily of the valley revelation made for some brilliant television

Let's see...

- unconvincing melodrama up the arse

- fake-as-hell lame 80's movie-esque ending where Walt "shoots up the bad guys" with his plan that makes no sense

- theme of Walt's enemies underestimating him somehow prevails even though he's the ungodly infamous "Heisenberg". Hank and Uncle Jack treat him as if the man who singlehandedly took down Gus Fring as a numbskull or is incapable of vengeance or killing. It makes no sense for this theme to be prevalent anymore - Walter White, as everybody knew him, is long gone.

- Hank and Gomez IQ drops 100 points these season mysteriously. They come up with dumb plans, make dumb mistakes, and die for them.

- magnet heist LOL (show does a good job of making look realistic in the show but it's a little too much for me to take seriously)

- The writers got clearly confused at the ending. Gilligan says Walt intended to kill Jesse and then changed his mind to save Jesse at the last moment. It's not established nor would it make sense for Walt to be under the assumption that Jesse is cooking meth with neo-nazi's after everything preceding. The only safe assumption that Walt could make is that Jesse is being held hostage by the 'Neo-Nazis' - so why would he go there to kill him? VG was obviously too busy shoehorning his inspirations into the script to actually check to make sure it makes any sense within the context of the show.

The writing just falls off compared to the beautiful writing in the previous seasons IMO. Everything made sense and it wasn't begging for obvious questions that go unanswered. It's a shame the show couldn't keep the standards up this season. It felt way too rushed, incomplete, and unsubstantial in terms of establishing any futures for any of the characters. People say all the loose ends are tied up, except they're forgot that's it's never established or even hinted at where any of the characters live's end up. They didn't even bother, nor gave any subtle details or hints on what was to come. For all we know, Jesse got arrested 5 seconds after his escape scene and is getting butstuffed in prison. That would make the most sense, would it not?

Avatar image for sammyjenkis898
sammyjenkis898

28392

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#31  Edited By sammyjenkis898
Member since 2007 • 28392 Posts

Posted in the other thread, but:

5 ≥ 4 > 3 > 2 > 1

Ozymandias is the episode that makes me think S5 might be the best.

Avatar image for 0Hamburgher
0Hamburgher

957

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#32 0Hamburgher
Member since 2010 • 957 Posts

I like them all, but I'd definitely have to say

4=3+1 >>>5a>5b

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#33 AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

@0Hamburgher said:

I like them all, but I'd definitely have to say

4=3+1 >>>5a>5b

That should stir up some comments maybe.

But where is season 2?

Avatar image for GazaAli
GazaAli

25216

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#34  Edited By GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#35  Edited By AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

@GazaAli said:

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

Continue watching.....I would not make any kind of judgement after 2 seasons.

It deserves its high marks.

Dexter was not good at all after the 4th season, and really I think only the first 2 Seasons of Dexter compare to BB.

It could be argued that the first 2 seasons of Dexter were better than the first 2 seasons of BB (very arguable though), But seasons 3 - 5 of BB I think most would agree are better than ANY season of Dexter.

Avatar image for GazaAli
GazaAli

25216

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#36 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts

@AFBrat77: You mean before season 2?

Anyway I will finish the series no doubt, its entertaining enough. I know that I keep bringing Dexter up for no reason, but man that was such a cringe watch.

Btw am I using cringe here in a correct manner? I'm under the impression that it means to be annoyed, frustrated and bored to death, something along those lines.

Avatar image for michael_1234576
michael_1234576

8621

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#37  Edited By michael_1234576
Member since 2004 • 8621 Posts

Thats a tough choice.. but one episode that I can definitely remember being super tense during was "Dead Freight"

Avatar image for Blueresident87
Blueresident87

5981

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 18

User Lists: 8

#38 Blueresident87
Member since 2007 • 5981 Posts

Season 2 is the best, but I really do like the first season. It's probably my favorite overall.

Avatar image for KHAndAnime
KHAndAnime

17565

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#39  Edited By KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

@GazaAli said:

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

The first two seasons are extremely good, and I'd say the next two seasons are even better. People like the show because it consistently escalates and scales the "Heisenberg" situation up, and there's a very interesting blend of surrealism and verisimilitude which really stands out. It also does a good job of telling a consistent narrative while constantly switching up the status quo. The only show that I think is clear-cut better than Breaking Bad is The Wire - I watched the first 4 seasons of BB before I started watching The Wire.

Avatar image for GazaAli
GazaAli

25216

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#40  Edited By GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts

@KHAndAnime said:

@GazaAli said:

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

The first two seasons are extremely good, and I'd say the next two seasons are even better. People like the show because it consistently escalates and scales the "Heisenberg" situation up, and there's a very interesting blend of surrealism and verisimilitude which really stands out. It also does a good job of telling a consistent narrative while constantly switching up the status quo. The only show that I think is clear-cut better than Breaking Bad is The Wire - I watched the first 4 seasons of BB before I started watching The Wire.

I'm definitely saving the wire for later, heard so much about the show.

But you raise some pretty good points that I couldn't have put any better. The show maybe slow, but it has enough elements of interest that are executed right to a great extent.

Avatar image for googleandroid
GoogleAndroid

162

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

#41  Edited By GoogleAndroid
Member since 2013 • 162 Posts

I can't decide. Every season is excellent. Maybe season 1. I was hooked on the show from the very first episode. Usually, it takes a few episodes before I decide that I like a show, but not with Breaking Bad.

Avatar image for Makhaidos
Makhaidos

2162

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#42 Makhaidos
Member since 2013 • 2162 Posts

@GazaAli said:

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

A lot of the stuff you think is irrelevant actually isn't. That's one thing I love about BB: everything is gonna come back around eventually.

Avatar image for KHAndAnime
KHAndAnime

17565

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#43  Edited By KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

@Makhaidos said:

@GazaAli said:

I started watching the show two weeks ago. So far I finished two seasons. I'll have to say while the show is entertaining, its nowhere near close to what people make it seem to be. 9.5 on IMDB? ROFL

The show is very slow and episodes are full of irrelevant scenes and events. I mean you would watch something like 4 episodes on a row and feel like they could have condensed it into one episode.

It is tolerable though, enjoyable even. Dexter on the other hand -_-

A lot of the stuff you think is irrelevant actually isn't. That's one thing I love about BB: everything is gonna come back around eventually.

Yea, just like Marie's shoplifting....

Your mind will be blown once that subplot comes full circle.

Avatar image for Macutchi
Macutchi

11190

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#44  Edited By Macutchi
Member since 2007 • 11190 Posts

@KHAndAnime said:

@Macutchi said:
@KHAndAnime said:

Season 5 was a shark jumping disappointment, so I'll say Season 4.

how so?

poll doesn't work for me in chrome (surprisingly, as everything else works perfectly in this new site *rolls eyes), but i'd have to go with season 4 too. the whole divide & conquer thing by gus & mike towards jesse and walt, the cartel incidents and the last episode with walt's master plan and the lily of the valley revelation made for some brilliant television

Let's see...

- unconvincing melodrama up the arse

- fake-as-hell lame 80's movie-esque ending where Walt "shoots up the bad guys" with his plan that makes no sense

- theme of Walt's enemies underestimating him somehow prevails even though he's the ungodly infamous "Heisenberg". Hank and Uncle Jack treat him as if the man who singlehandedly took down Gus Fring as a numbskull or is incapable of vengeance or killing. It makes no sense for this theme to be prevalent anymore - Walter White, as everybody knew him, is long gone.

- Hank and Gomez IQ drops 100 points these season mysteriously. They come up with dumb plans, make dumb mistakes, and die for them.

- magnet heist LOL (show does a good job of making look realistic in the show but it's a little too much for me to take seriously)

- The writers got clearly confused at the ending. Gilligan says Walt intended to kill Jesse and then changed his mind to save Jesse at the last moment. It's not established nor would it make sense for Walt to be under the assumption that Jesse is cooking meth with neo-nazi's after everything preceding. The only safe assumption that Walt could make is that Jesse is being held hostage by the 'Neo-Nazis' - so why would he go there to kill him? VG was obviously too busy shoehorning his inspirations into the script to actually check to make sure it makes any sense within the context of the show.

The writing just falls off compared to the beautiful writing in the previous seasons IMO. Everything made sense and it wasn't begging for obvious questions that go unanswered. It's a shame the show couldn't keep the standards up this season. It felt way too rushed, incomplete, and unsubstantial in terms of establishing any futures for any of the characters. People say all the loose ends are tied up, except they're forgot that's it's never established or even hinted at where any of the characters live's end up. They didn't even bother, nor gave any subtle details or hints on what was to come. For all we know, Jesse got arrested 5 seconds after his escape scene and is getting butstuffed in prison. That would make the most sense, would it not?

spoilered this for anyone who hasn't finished it yet...

i have to say... that's a pretty harsh assessment. part of the reason i liked bb so much was that the story and plot danced in and out of what was realistic and believable (let's not forget gus wiping out the entire cartel and then the 'terminator' scene as he died but not before wandering out of hector's room with half his face missing in season 4). i thought the final episode was superb. yes, it was convenient how things unfolded at the end with the gun in the car. i don't think it's outside the realms of possibility to think that uncle jack and co underestimated him because they'd already taken (nearly) all his money, his product, were in their base with a dozen or so heavily armed guys etc. with what was an old and dying man, who was thoroughly outnumbered and had been suitably frisked.

and i don't agree that walter white was long gone by the end. if anything, heisenberg was gone. walt had returned... his appearance had changed, his demeanour, he had faced up to the fact that he did what he did, not solely for his family, but for him (that scene in the kitchen with skyla was superb). he saved jesse. managed to get his money to his son. said goodbye to his daughter, took revenge for hank's death (wouldn't even let jack finish his sentence about where the 80mill was - shows his priorities had changed) and died back in the lab with his first love... chemistry.

with regards to hank, he'd been chasing heisenberg for years. and all that time he was right there under his nose. again it's not outside the realms of possibility to think that he was so desperate to catch walt - and encouraged further by the fact that jesse was finally ready to help - that he made a few uncharacteristic mistakes. but his plan to trap him would have worked perfectly had walt not phoned uncle jack just before hank came for him in the desert. and at the end jesse clearly drives off in one direction, minutes later the police arrive from another, so it's safe to assume that jesse wasn't apprehended minutes later.

despite what you say there was plenty to praise in the last season. some great moments - the new cover for the meth lab via the exterminators, 'that' speech in the desert -'say my name...'

'...heisenberg'

'... you goddamn right.'

the train heist, the simultaneous killing of all witnesses in prison within minutes was awesome, when hank final connects the dots, the scene with walt and hank in his garage - 'if that's true and you don’t know who I am... then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly' - some incredible dialogue. and then the finale was superb - i loved how it was deliberately ambiguous. you could even make a strong case that everything that came after that moment at the start, when the police surround the car and he couldn't get it to start, was all just his fantasy... everything did work out perfectly for him, starting with the keys falling into his lap, may be too perfectly. but then again this is heisenberg the genius so it still is plausible. i just thought it was fantastic and totally compulsive tv from beginning to end

Avatar image for GamerForca
GamerForca

7203

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 78

User Lists: 0

#45 GamerForca
Member since 2005 • 7203 Posts

Personally, I'll go with...

4>5b>2>1>3>5a

Avatar image for AFBrat77
AFBrat77

26848

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#46 AFBrat77
Member since 2004 • 26848 Posts

For me, it goes:

3 > 4 > 5b > 2 > 1 > 5a

Avatar image for KHAndAnime
KHAndAnime

17565

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#47 KHAndAnime
Member since 2009 • 17565 Posts

@Macutchi said:

@KHAndAnime said:

@Macutchi said:
@KHAndAnime said:

Season 5 was a shark jumping disappointment, so I'll say Season 4.

how so?

poll doesn't work for me in chrome (surprisingly, as everything else works perfectly in this new site *rolls eyes), but i'd have to go with season 4 too. the whole divide & conquer thing by gus & mike towards jesse and walt, the cartel incidents and the last episode with walt's master plan and the lily of the valley revelation made for some brilliant television

Let's see...

- unconvincing melodrama up the arse

- fake-as-hell lame 80's movie-esque ending where Walt "shoots up the bad guys" with his plan that makes no sense

- theme of Walt's enemies underestimating him somehow prevails even though he's the ungodly infamous "Heisenberg". Hank and Uncle Jack treat him as if the man who singlehandedly took down Gus Fring as a numbskull or is incapable of vengeance or killing. It makes no sense for this theme to be prevalent anymore - Walter White, as everybody knew him, is long gone.

- Hank and Gomez IQ drops 100 points these season mysteriously. They come up with dumb plans, make dumb mistakes, and die for them.

- magnet heist LOL (show does a good job of making look realistic in the show but it's a little too much for me to take seriously)

- The writers got clearly confused at the ending. Gilligan says Walt intended to kill Jesse and then changed his mind to save Jesse at the last moment. It's not established nor would it make sense for Walt to be under the assumption that Jesse is cooking meth with neo-nazi's after everything preceding. The only safe assumption that Walt could make is that Jesse is being held hostage by the 'Neo-Nazis' - so why would he go there to kill him? VG was obviously too busy shoehorning his inspirations into the script to actually check to make sure it makes any sense within the context of the show.

The writing just falls off compared to the beautiful writing in the previous seasons IMO. Everything made sense and it wasn't begging for obvious questions that go unanswered. It's a shame the show couldn't keep the standards up this season. It felt way too rushed, incomplete, and unsubstantial in terms of establishing any futures for any of the characters. People say all the loose ends are tied up, except they're forgot that's it's never established or even hinted at where any of the characters live's end up. They didn't even bother, nor gave any subtle details or hints on what was to come. For all we know, Jesse got arrested 5 seconds after his escape scene and is getting butstuffed in prison. That would make the most sense, would it not?

spoilered this for anyone who hasn't finished it yet...

i have to say... that's a pretty harsh assessment. part of the reason i liked bb so much was that the story and plot danced in and out of what was realistic and believable (let's not forget gus wiping out the entire cartel and then the 'terminator' scene as he died but not before wandering out of hector's room with half his face missing in season 4). i thought the final episode was superb. yes, it was convenient how things unfolded at the end with the gun in the car. i don't think it's outside the realms of possibility to think that uncle jack and co underestimated him because they'd already taken (nearly) all his money, his product, were in their base with a dozen or so heavily armed guys etc. with what was an old and dying man, who was thoroughly outnumbered and had been suitably frisked.

and i don't agree that walter white was long gone by the end. if anything, heisenberg was gone. walt had returned... his appearance had changed, his demeanour, he had faced up to the fact that he did what he did, not solely for his family, but for him (that scene in the kitchen with skyla was superb). he saved jesse. managed to get his money to his son. said goodbye to his daughter, took revenge for hank's death (wouldn't even let jack finish his sentence about where the 80mill was - shows his priorities had changed) and died back in the lab with his first love... chemistry.

with regards to hank, he'd been chasing heisenberg for years. and all that time he was right there under his nose. again it's not outside the realms of possibility to think that he was so desperate to catch walt - and encouraged further by the fact that jesse was finally ready to help - that he made a few uncharacteristic mistakes. but his plan to trap him would have worked perfectly had walt not phoned uncle jack just before hank came for him in the desert. and at the end jesse clearly drives off in one direction, minutes later the police arrive from another, so it's safe to assume that jesse wasn't apprehended minutes later.

despite what you say there was plenty to praise in the last season. some great moments - the new cover for the meth lab via the exterminators, 'that' speech in the desert -'say my name...'

'...heisenberg'

'... you goddamn right.'

the train heist, the simultaneous killing of all witnesses in prison within minutes was awesome, when hank final connects the dots, the scene with walt and hank in his garage - 'if that's true and you don’t know who I am... then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly' - some incredible dialogue. and then the finale was superb - i loved how it was deliberately ambiguous. you could even make a strong case that everything that came after that moment at the start, when the police surround the car and he couldn't get it to start, was all just his fantasy... everything did work out perfectly for him, starting with the keys falling into his lap, may be too perfectly. but then again this is heisenberg the genius so it still is plausible. i just thought it was fantastic and totally compulsive tv from beginning to end

Apologies for the spoilers, wasn't expecting anyone who actually cared about spoilers to be reading a review of the last season. If I cared about watching BB and haven't seen it yet, I don't see a great reason to even be in this thread. But maybe I'm the only one in the world who tries to avoid discussion regarding shows I haven't actually seen yet.

Anyways, I don't have particularly high standards, so I don't think I'm being particularly harsh. I'm only comparing the standards of the season to the preceding seasons, which all felt significantly less rushed and significantly more cohesive. Everything I mentioned, I personally found to be obvious flaws with the show that often left me scratching my head at what I was watching. I watched the entirety of season 5 with a couple other people so I have other people's insights into the season's strengths and flaws. And I'll say this season had some of the highest highs, and some of the lowest lows. And it's the lows that left me thinking that the season was very good, but not great. I found Gus walking out of the room with his facing missing to be more believable than the bulk of Season 5. Did you know even decapitated heads in real life still exercise muscle memory and make expressions for a short amount of time after the decapitation? People have survived crazier things in real life, like putting a shotgun to their own heads. Gus was basically just "going through the motions" for the few seconds he was partially alive. Not far fetched at all IMO.

A good part of me wishes I went back in time and Season 5 unfolded differently. It catered too closely to what people were expecting, which is the exact opposite of what seasons 1-4 did. And VG says himself in interviews that he wrote this season to please the most people. When a writer is writing to simply please an audience as opposed to having an actual idea of how he wanted it to end in the first place - it feels gives me the a strong impression that the point of the show isn't to tell a compelling well-thought out story, but instead simply put the audience through a rouse of entertaining scenarios irregardless of how much sense they actually make. Whatever point the show tried to make ended up being completely muddled once we got to the end. Instead of a becoming a truly "bad" person, we get a man who has good intentions from start to finish - and his only disregard for life is for the very people who want him dead. I was hoping Walt would actually "break bad", but the worst we get from him is the execution of other criminals, accidentally getting his brother-in-law killed, and working with people who are worse than he initially suspected (Tod) . And it leaves me feeling like Walt was more of a product of his surrounding circumstances rather than the heinous villain that people make him out to be.

I really did enjoy the season, it just didn't meet my expectations. Watching The Wire during the year wait between seasons 4 and 5a and 5b probably "did the show in" for me, so to speak.

Avatar image for ernie1989
ernie1989

8547

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#48  Edited By ernie1989
Member since 2004 • 8547 Posts
@KHAndAnime said:

Apologies for the spoilers, wasn't expecting anyone who actually cared about spoilers to be reading a review of the last season. If I cared about watching BB and haven't seen it yet, I don't see a great reason to even be in this thread. But maybe I'm the only one in the world who tries to avoid discussion regarding shows I haven't actually seen yet.

Anyways, I don't have particularly high standards, so I don't think I'm being particularly harsh. I'm only comparing the standards of the season to the preceding seasons, which all felt significantly less rushed and significantly more cohesive. Everything I mentioned, I personally found to be obvious flaws with the show that often left me scratching my head at what I was watching. I watched the entirety of season 5 with a couple other people so I have other people's insights into the season's strengths and flaws. And I'll say this season had some of the highest highs, and some of the lowest lows. And it's the lows that left me thinking that the season was very good, but not great. I found Gus walking out of the room with his facing missing to be more believable than the bulk of Season 5. Did you know even decapitated heads in real life still exercise muscle memory and make expressions for a short amount of time after the decapitation? People have survived crazier things in real life, like putting a shotgun to their own heads. Gus was basically just "going through the motions" for the few seconds he was partially alive. Not far fetched at all IMO.

A good part of me wishes I went back in time and Season 5 unfolded differently. It catered too closely to what people were expecting, which is the exact opposite of what seasons 1-4 did. And VG says himself in interviews that he wrote this season to please the most people. When a writer is writing to simply please an audience as opposed to having an actual idea of how he wanted it to end in the first place - it feels gives me the a strong impression that the point of the show isn't to tell a compelling well-thought out story, but instead simply put the audience through a rouse of entertaining scenarios irregardless of how much sense they actually make. Whatever point the show tried to make ended up being completely muddled once we got to the end. Instead of a becoming a truly "bad" person, we get a man who has good intentions from start to finish - and his only disregard for life is for the very people who want him dead. I was hoping Walt would actually "break bad", but the worst we get from him is the execution of other criminals, accidentally getting his brother-in-law killed, and working with people who are worse than he initially suspected (Tod) . And it leaves me feeling like Walt was more of a product of his surrounding circumstances rather than the heinous villain that people make him out to be.

I really did enjoy the season, it just didn't meet my expectations. Watching The Wire during the year wait between seasons 4 and 5a and 5b probably "did the show in" for me, so to speak.

The thing about Breaking Bad is that it always walked a fine line between the realism one finds in many independent films and the exaggerated action one finds in many comic book adaptations. In other words, there was always something taking place that simply wasn’t realistically possible by any means in every season of the show. Just a couple months ago, there was an episode of MythBusters that totally busted two scenarios: the one where Emilio’s body gets dissolved and the one where Walt blows up Tuco’s office with fulminated mercury.

Anyways, as the show widened its scope and Walt’s business expanded, there was a shift from earlier seasons to latter seasons, which is something that starts to happen when the airplanes crash right over Walt’s house and Tuco’s cousins show up like they’re some sort of twin terminators, going from more realistic than stylized to more stylized than realistic. So, honestly, I can’t really understand why it is people get so hung up on plausibility within the context of this show, arguing about why something is or isn’t possible, when there’s clearly all kinds of things in the show that are very deliberate in the way they defy the odds in a manner that’s anything but real, like Walt’s plan going perfectly in the finale (at least in the short run) after a scene in his car asking for help only to have the keys for it land straight into his hands.

Unless we’re talking about the actions of the story’s characters, of course, who are probably the most real thing on the show – whether or not their behavior is consistent given what we know about them and what it is that’s happening to them at the moment in other words (something I’m not going to go into here given how long discussions on these sorts of things have gotten in the past).

And as far as Vince Gilligan is concerned, I remember reading in a couple of interviews that he and his writers wanted to satisfy themselves first and foremost as opposed to the fans. Whether they had a specific point to make is anyone’s guess, but ending it that way it did was clearly intended and what we got is what we got.

However, I, personally, just interpret the show given what’s there regardless of what the people who work on it say about what it is they were trying to do. That said: just because it’s called Breaking Bad doesn’t necessarily mean one has to view the show through a “moral frame” (for lack of a better term). It’s an aspect of the show that’s important, the shifting moral values that is, but I don’t think one needs to stick to that as much in order to find something of value in the show, which is something I am sure Vince Gilligan wouldn’t have a problem with considering how much effort he and everyone else who worked on the show placed in providing pieces of evidence through the work people in general and especially on Reddit could interpret in a wide variety of ways. That’s something they were pretty good at doing.

So, for someone like myself, the finale elevates the series given what we got. I understand that for some, it doesn’t work out that way, which is cool too. Not everybody has to like it as much as I do or interpret it in the same way. But I will say this: if you’re comparing Breaking Bad’s final season against the standards set by the seasons preceding it, then why in the world do you feel the need to mention The Wire almost every single time you’re talking about Breaking Bad? It’s just a little suspect that you’re mentioning the apple every time we’re all talking about the orange knowing you’re one of the two or three contrarians that feels the need to go at length about how this show is jumping the shark.

But then I’m, like, one of the biggest defenders of this show. So whatever, right?

Avatar image for Brutal_Elitegs
Brutal_Elitegs

16426

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#49  Edited By Brutal_Elitegs
Member since 2004 • 16426 Posts

@ernie1989 said:

But I will say this: if you’re comparing Breaking Bad’s final season against the standards set by the seasons preceding it, then why in the world do you feel the need to mention The Wire almost every single time you’re talking about Breaking Bad? It’s just a little suspect that you’re mentioning the apple every time we’re all talking about the orange



I agree with this. The thing with The Wire is that it always had a realistic approach to it (save maybe Brother Mouzone and the logistics of Hamsterdam), and the reason most didn't find that subplot in season 5 fit the style of the show was because it had those four preceding seasons that were as grounded in reality as television gets. Breaking Bad established itself pretty early on as a show not entirely grounded in reality, and a subplot that most wouldn't flinch at being in Breaking Bad is seen as a flaw in The Wire because of it. It really is as useful as comparing apples to oranges.

ernie, what are your thoughts on The Shield?

Avatar image for Macutchi
Macutchi

11190

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#50  Edited By Macutchi
Member since 2007 • 11190 Posts

@KHAndAnime i didn't bother quoting you to save space. you seem to have backtracked a little from your initial "shark jumping disappointment" statement to "very good, but not great." ;)

but everyone's obviously entitled to their opinion. i personally don't think the ending, or the show itself, was muddled at all. it was quite obvious that walt was not a completely bad person. one of the things i found fascinating about the show was the character development and the psychology behind walt's rise to power. walt, as he admits to sklyer at the end, was "good at" being a drug lord and outwitting the law and he clearly became much more comfortable in this skin as the seasons progressed, fed by the increasing power he had, the promises of further riches and the risk of losing it all through either the da or a rival... but he didn't quite evolve to gus -like levels of utter ruthlessness and complete detachment from human compassion. i think this was evident throughout and even towards the end (for example, the phonecall he made to skyler when he threatened her and confessed to everything, knowing that the police would be listening and it would exonerate her, and the tears that came during and just after this call).

but that's the beauty of breaking bad - you can interpret things very differently to other people as events resonate differently from viewer to viewer. and for the record, no i didn't know that about decapitated heads... i won't ask how you discovered that ;)