I don't know, the only thing I have trouble accepting happening within the time frame of the show is Hank's physical recovery. I wouldn't say his personality has changed much over the course of the show, except that maybe now he's even more driven and focused and angry because of his PTSD and physical downfall. I go back and forth when it comes to Skylar and whether her story line makes sense, but I think I just don't really like that character. You may not be keeping what started the whole show off in mind when it comes to Walt's progression, and it's kind of easy to forget seeing as where we're at now. But, this whole thing started because he was diagnosed with cancer, basically out of the blue, and only thought he had a few months to live. The fear and anger when facing death like that plus the lack of regard for consequences are totally legitimate and incredibly powerful motivators when it comes to propelling a change in character. And it only makes even more sense with what they've been hinting at lately that this anger has been brewing inside for years before his diagnosis. Going from feeling totally powerless and weak - with the bad business decision fueled by his girlfriend leaving him from someone else, the shitty teaching job combined with the shittier car wash job - to being presented with an opportunity to feel like, and actually be, one of the most powerful/feared/respected people in one of the most dangerous industries? I've never doubted him being intrigued by that idea and doing what he can to actually live up to it. I agree that it would be nice to have a bit more of its old humor back. That dinner scene last week was such a relief. It doesn't have to be all goofy humor or anything. Even if it's something like with Lane's Jaguar not starting on Mad Men, I'd be happy.
In ep 3 Hazard Pay the legacy cost on 1.375 million worth of meth was 351 thousand which is close to 25% split among the 9 people that is 39 thousand for 1 batch. However, the legacy could be a fixed weekly cost or based on the percentage. I'm guessing it is fixed since the lawyer said the people picked up their money on a routine basis. Each box received 15 thousand which would mean 2-3 drops per week depending on the yield from each cook. So it is possible that the lawyer made his drops on say Monday/Wednesday/Friday so Gomez could have picked up on the pattern and gotten the bank records for who has access to what boxes attached to the lawyer.
Yeah, the way the bank secretary acted the second time toward the lawyer kind of tipped off that there was something afoot. I don't know banking privacy laws but they don't seem to be traditionally as protected as lawyer/client privilege or doctor/client interactions. The simple fact that the dude had exactly ten safety deposit boxes was probably telling enough. I think Walt's decent has been a lot slower or more reasonable than people are suggesting. I mean a lot of his flat out Heisenburgness as of late has kind of been slow burning the whole series, his pride and ego about the meth purity and his ability to think of creative solutions under intense pressure. They planted seeds a little more evenly than they have with Skylar or Hank. Even so he is still far from the cool headed drug overlord Gus was. He is still prone to the crazy near panic attacks when the shit hits the fan you could see it right after he shot Mike. I think the big thing this season is how they've sort have been winding down Jesse as they were with Mike. I have a feeling he might be the one Walt might have to fight if it isn't the DEA or both. The whole series has been based around their relationship he simply can't be replaced by that Cro-Magnon headed ginger (though his character is mysteriously interesting so far). I could see him finding out about Mike, all the subsequent killings of the 9 legacies, and maybe the poisoning of the kid and flip or go after him again himself.
Todd did mention he had some connections in prison, maybe Walt gets the names from Lydia and goes after them to cut some costs. edit: Maybe Walt gets the names and only kills off the people who he has met specifically the guy who ran the industrial laundromat and most likely Lydia too. That would cut all ties between Walt and Gus/Mike. It would also give Hank additional info to reopen the case with a new kingpin still out there producing the blue meth.
Some of the legacies definitely get it. The previews for the 2nd half of the season showed guys in orange jump suits and then a bloody shank being dropped onto a shower floor. I'm no rocket surgeon, but I think that means someone in prison important to the story is going to get ventilated.
The whole thing is going to end as a pyrrhic victory for Walt. Everyone he cared about will be dead and gone, but he will be the kingpin he always want to be. That ending is getting more obvious with each episode. Also, Aaron Paul might have been the greatest Price is Right contestant ever:
I'm pretty sure Vince Gillian thought" "Hey you know what? We SHOULD probably extend the show's timeline just so this one detail about Hank's physical therapy makes sense, because that is what is REALLY improtant in all of this. Oh and we must keep switching out babise too so this one looks exactly the age she should be in the tv show, even though one baby would make more sense and if she looks 2-3 months off, most people would understand that this IS a TV show and could probably forgive these smaller details in the overall scheme of greatness I'm constructing here. Fuck my whole entire plan because people are hitting WebMD to make sure Hank has the proper recovery time and checking time lapse baby photos to make sure she's the exact perfect age."
What the fuck been up your ass lately? I think some of the criticism is justified. You want to put out a quality show that stands out above the other dreck on TV? Close attention to detail is part of the fucking job as history has show of with other all time greats. It's a dark, gritty, at least trying to be realistic, drama. If I wanted to watch some escapism fantasy where a main character gets shot and is healed the next week I'd watch Burn Notice or CSI. I think the air disaster is another example of straining believability in the compressed timeline. It more than Mad Men kind of suffers from having to be written for commercial TV. But the show still gets it right a lot more times than not.
This is the best show on television and if recovery times and babies looking a month or two off ruin it for you then you shouldn't be watching quality tv. Go watch the fucking jersey Shore or something. Now say my name.
Haven't re-watched yet, but while the EPISIODE goes over a week, the lawyer surveillance certainly does not. And in terms of viewing time, the jump from "let's switch the surveillance" to "hey we're watching you from inside the bank" is a matter of minutes -- not as fleshed out as this show usually is. Wouldn't that lawyer/client privilege apply in this case? He has clients in jail and they could be getting money from many places. This is on top of the fact that he's not even Mike's lawyer, as quoted by Hank in this article: Believe me, I'm fully in love with this show and it would take a lot, in terms of plot holes/continuity errors etc. to turn me off -- I'm not trying to rip on it for any more than the standard it's already set. But given that they spent a couple episodes setting up the team and following Mike as secretly as they could, it seems a bit hurried to suddenly follow and catch the lawyer between commercial breaks. That's all. And don't worry Parker, we already know that you're a TV-watching, sarcastic, misspelling jerk, and we accept you.
I have to agree with this. the plane wreck, Jane dying, Hank getting fucked up, his daughter being born, Skyler's affair, Jesse's drug addiction and bounce back, and the Tuco -> Gus -> lone kingpin/Arizona crew progression all happened within about a year. That's a lot of shit.
And what does extensive footage of surveillance of the lawyer accomplish? Nothing but wasted time and boring filler in an otherwise very quickly developing final season. Unless they were planning to make the lawyer a bigger player and develop his character over a few more episodes, there's really no reason to show any of the surveillance. It's boring and it accomplishes nothing. Besides, it already showed a bunch of pictures of him going into the vault in the scene where Walt was in Hank's office. That's enough to imply that the surveillance had been going on for a while. Or maybe they subpoenad the bank's security camera to get those shots and save on some man hours. It's like bitching because one scene shows Walt eating supper and you're all like, "How can he be eating, yo, it didn't even show Skylar cooking. Plot fail!" Not to jump on the Parker bandwagon, but you people suck at watching TV sometimes.
I think you guys think this is bugging me more than it is. I don't think the lawyer surveillance thing is some gaping plot hole or anything (and I don't give a shit about which baby they use or stuff like that). My only complaint is that -- compared to how precise this show is in terms of timeline -- this felt a bit hurried. Not saying they needed some elaborate exposition on exactly how/when they followed him, but why not have them switch the team earlier in the episode so the thought of "they're following the lawyer now" is in the viewers' heads throughout, as opposed to doing the switch, following and catching him all in one segment? I realize it's a bit nit-picky, but greater TV watchers than me have brought up the same issue, so chill the fuck out a bit or stop clicking on the thread where people write their thoughts on the show.
Since I had a chance to write this in a PM to instead of on my phone like I usually for for everything around here, I thought I'd share what is bugging me about the final season so far and the overall timeline, just to flesh it out beyond complaining about super-sized 6 month old babies.
16 episodes, 42 minutes per episode. That's what he has to wrap this up. Do we need more minutes wasted on shit? You guys are complaining not because it is a different view on something, NOT because there is actually a problem with it, it really seems like you guys are missing simple connections between the dots. Also, close you eyes, all of this happens over two years. Are you happy now? Seriously? The fact there was no downtime for any of this makes it better. In two years maybe Walt says fuck it and gets therapy, in two years maybe Ted gets caught by the Feds for something smallers and completely fucks up Skyler, in two years maybe Jesse gets really high kills Walt and himself, in two years maybe Walt just gets shot in the head by some random thief maybe in two years Mike just kills Walt because he can't take the idea of dealing with an asshole so long...maybe in two years Hank has enough time to convince the right people he needs a full force to figure out this case. The 1 year timeline is both everything to the story and absolutely nothing at all. Not hating on your opinions, but focusing on it is just pointless conversation. Its not an idea, its just "eww, it sucks its only happened in a year." That's what is bothering me.
I wrote that really fast because I had to catch a bus and run. My entire question is, what would a longer timeline have actually done to improve the story? This show is fucking killing it right now. I read recaps of the show, because there are a ton of things I miss also on first run through, like music references. I have not seen any credible recaps for the big sites like A.V. Club or Grantland.com say anything complaining about the timeline, because they get it. A lot has happened in a year and it is because that it is what makes this show what it is. Forgot who said it, too lazy to go back and look, but whoever said the show isn't as fun because there is 100% less humor, you're dead on. Didn't think about it completely, but before they'd take that scene with Walt tied to the radiator and toss in a little humor. Then again, that was before he Broke Bad. The whole show has been about the decline of the good Walt. Hence why the lighting in the house has been getting darker, darker, and darker. You're not supposed to laugh at Walt anymore, you're not even supposed to like him. Vince Gilligan wants you to hate him. So given what VG is trying to put out there, the humor no longer fits. I do miss it though, but the entire show has been about transformation, its been about well, Breaking Bad.
I think they did the thing with the lawyer quickly on purpose to show that despite how careful and clever Mike/Walt were, the whole thing immediately fell apart once Hank found the weak spot. It's worth noting that the DEA only had the money lead to begin with because Walt's magnet stunt that destroyed the laptop that wouldn't have hurt them anyway.
I trust that everyone saying they don't like the fact that this all happened in a year has not watched 24. If Jack Bauer taught me anything, it's that a lot of shitty things can happen in a day. I don't want to see his bad year. Amirite?
We're over spoilers right? That prison scene with all of the kills was amazing, but I did not like how Hank finally realized who W.W. is. How long had that book been sitting there? A book of evidence from an ex cook and he never read that? It just seemed forced. Plus, I'm to the point now where I am rooting for Walt to 100% get away with it, I'd love to see the bad guy win.