I never watched 24, but there was someone I was trying to think of before, and I finally remembered it. It’s a bad example though. Will Farrell. I liked him when he first started SNL, but the longer he was on it and when he finally ended up in movies it was like they took only the funny things and that’s all he did, so you basically ended up with skits and movies of nothing but him screaming, running around in his underwear or acting like a kid. It went from funny to annoying. It was like they ‘listened’ to the audience when they said “I like it when Will does ____ or ____” but didn’t factor in that it doesn’t mean it’s the only think we want to see him do. Then you suddenly end up with them [the audience] turning on you and saying “I like him, but only in small doses, he gets annoying”.
Steve Urkel might be a better example. Going from annoying neighbor to main character, of course, he was like the Barney Stinson of his day.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire did a good job of keeping Jazz at bay though. He was another goofy side kick, but they always kept him in just a few episodes each season. It probably helped that he had other things going on though.
I disagree, because I think it was just too much of a Rube Goldberg, octuple-bank-shot requiring that Walt be able to predict Jesse’s reactions to the nth degree like he was a simple computer.
I think that “definitely” is a bit strong. I’m 44, not required to wear a helmet when I ride, but I still do 90 percent of the time.
Let’s please remember though that not everyone who complains about this plot thread was confused. I spotted Huell lifting the bag of weed the moment it happened, and as soon as Jesse was freaking out about it being missing and staring at his smokes, I knew what was going through his mind (though I thought he was going to go straight for Walt; instead, they had him visit Saul to play explication fairy–and it is strange, as you say, that this wasn’t enough for some people to follow what was going on).
My issue is that the whole plotline is stupid, ridiculous, and beneath this show. From the omniscient viewer at home perspective, I find it easy to follow. From Walt’s perspective, I find it a ridiculous plan to begin with (and therefore hate that they called it back up when the season was going so great up to that point); from Jesse’s (without our omniscient view), ridiculous that he would figure it out with the information he had.
On that last point, a commenter at Alan Sepinwall’s blog made a great point:
I think he’s a little generous in the first four sentences, up to “Fine”. I think the Roomba misdirection, combined with the fact that Brock was actually poisoned by berries, should still make it fairly difficult for Jesse to come to this conclusion. But as this commenter says, even if you grant him that much, it’s still a huge, unfounded leap from “Walt stole back the ricin” to “Walt poisoned a kid with berries”. I think the best thing you can say about it is that it is cheesy movie/TV logic. Not “this guy stole X from me to use X” but the serpentine “this guy stole X from me to make me think he used X, when he actually used Y, so I would accuse him of using X but actually learn later that it was Y and not suspect him but in the meantime I would convert to his side even before I learned it was Y”.
If you or anyone starts such a thread, please link here as I would be interested in getting in on that but would also probably get too long-winded on something that’s off topic here. My short-answer preview, though, is to agree that there are some unfortunate side effects of the binge-watching Netflix model, although I generally love Netflix.
It would be nice if the train heist comes back to haunt Walt and Jesse in some way (even more than it already has). I’m betting it will.
It’s funny, the robbery was such a great moment on the show that, even considering the Drew Sharp complication, I still catch myself thinking about it as a triumphant moment for the guys. Robbing a train in such a way that no one gets hurt, and no one ever knows it was robbed! Brilliant!
But look at how comprehensively things have gone tits up: A kid was murdered and his body disappeared in a barrel of acid, causing Jesse to into a soul-crushing depression. A mobster is blabbing about the heist in a diner in open daylight. The methylamine that was stolen is now in the hands of a gang of crazy neo-nazis. On top of that, chances are that Lydia is going to squeal like a pig to the DEA if she’s ever questioned about it.
Of course, involving Todd was the biggest mistake, but even so, not considering what to do in the event of anyone showing up was bone-headed to say the least. Remember, things almost went south when the guy showed up in the car and pushed the truck of the rails.
The train heist is a bit like a miniature version of the show as a whole: A seemingly reasonable plan causing an avalanche of disastrous consequences. In hindsight, it was about the worst plan ever, and I don’t see the fallout stopping here.
I don’t think it’s that complicated. He poisoned Brock and figured he would be able to convince Jesse that Gus was responsible because he’d a good liar and they both knew Gus doesn’t care about hurting children. It was a big gamble, but we know Walt is arrogant and a good liar.
Walt did the same kind of thing, though. Like I said earlier, after Gus killed Victor he went to a Denny’s with Jesse and talked about business.
Walt doesn’t care who has the methylamine. But I think he may end up having to care if they can’t cook the meth well enough to keep Madrigal’s Czech customers happy.
Why can’t Hank just have a closed-door man-to-man with Gomez? “I was an idiot, Gomey. Heisenberg is my brother-in-law. I’m very close to having the evidence. What should we do?” Seems like he and Gomez have (or had) a good enough working relationship that he could confide in him professionally.
That’d put Gomez is an awkward position - either report it immediately and violate the trust of his boss and good friend, or stay quiet and risk having the same career-harming effects of sitting on that information as Hank will have.
You know, now that I think about it, I have a very strong feeling that the DEA will get wind of Heisenberg being Hank’s BIL, and Hank will let Gomez, who was promoted past him, to take the fall so Hank himself can continue to gather evidence. It would fall in line with the show’s overall message of falling from grace.
That’s not how that scene went down. The waitress fills their coffee and asks them if they want anything else. Uncle Jack says “No thanks, darlin’ just the check.” She gives them the check and a nervous smile. I think the nervous smile was just that she was a little apprehensive about the giant swastika tattoos. Or possibly because Kenny’s perfectly groomed mustache gave her the girlish tremors.
I do think a large part of that scene was to convey the reckless and cavalier attitude of Uncle Jack and his crew of wacky Nazis. They’re rolling around towing a tank of stolen precursor with blood on their shoes and they stop for pancakes.
“Mmm, that guac is addictive! Hi, I’m Hank Schrader. And when I’ve had a tough day chasing druglords and having tense negotiations with my family, I head to Gardunos of Mexico! Friendly service, delicious fresh food, and an atmosphere the whole family can enjoy! That’s Gardunos of Mexico on Route 110 in Albuquerque. Come on down and be the whole who knocks!”
The Denny’s from the season 5 cold opening is directly across the street from the UNM campus in Albuquerque. Since the counter seat in which Walt sat is so easily identifiable, I wonder if the same phenomenon is happening there. Some of these BB tourists seem even wackier than those Survivor nuts who park their boats a discrete distance offshore from the camp locations and watch the show being filmed through telescopes, and then post spoilers on the Survivor Sucks board. (They even have a name they’ve given themselves, but I can’t remember what it is.) There are all sorts of BB blogs showing the filming locations, complete with addresses and GPS coordinates. One of their authors said he spent like three or four days trying to find Tio Salamanca’s “crib” out in the desert.
I can actually see the appeal. I’m going to be 52 in October; it would be a hoot to go into that Denny’s and order breakfast, and have someone take video of me making a “52” with the bacon.
