Breaking Bad season 5

'Breaking Bad' Mid-Season Finale Recap: Walt Makes a Ton of Money Without Feeling an Ounce of Guilt
Sunday, September 02, 2012

Last week on Breaking Bad, our favorite New Mexican cleaner met his untimely end by the hands of his former co-worker, Walter White. Now, in the mid-season finale, Walter is forced to clean up his messes, as well as creating a few new ones in the process.

Jail House Massacre

Now that Mike has been eliminated from the picture, it is up to Walt to keep Mike's men, who have landed in prison, from talking. He strikes a deal with Madrigal's Lydia, who will help him with overseas business, as well as give him the list of the men Mike was formerly paying off.

What Walt does with the list thoroughly signifies his transformation into the "strictly business" drug-dealing monster that he sought to destroy when he killed Gus. Not only did Walter seek the help of former convict neo-Nazis to remove all of the men, they were all extinguished in brutal prison stabbings, and one victim was even burned alive.

Walt's transition into an unflinching crime boss and murderer brings back memories of how different he has become. Way back in season 1, he was pained and tortured over having to get rid of a small-time competitor. He and Jesse tried thinking of any other solution besides death, but in the end, they had to kill him.

And now Jesse is the same person, agonizing over every death and act of violence. "How many people have to die?" he asked Walt in last week's episode. But Walt has changed. Killing has become easy and other people's mortality are nothing to him.

It's All About the Money

In a nice visual parallel, the show creators give us the exact result of all of the men's deaths. After they don't have to worry about Mike's men ratting on them, Walt and Todd can go back to cooking. Now Lydia's on board, as well as the other dealers that they're working with who intended on buying the methylamine a couple of episodes earlier. Things are running like a well-oiled machine in a "cookin' up some drugs" montage over the song "Crystal Blue Persuasion."

Skyler points out to Walt that they have made almost literally a ton of money, and wonders when it is going to be enough to get out of the drug business and to their regular lives. After seeing the money and having some more tests run at the hospital (the show creators are very keen about not letting the viewers forget about his cancer, and probably with good reason), Walts gives Jesse the money he owes him and tells Skyler he wants out of the business.

While Walts's decision may rank lower on the scale of shocking things that have happened on Breaking Bad, it is somewhat surprising given that his intentions aren't exactly clear at this point. This is a man who in just one episode had 10 men murdered in cold blood, and all of a sudden he wants out? It just doesn't make sense, especially after everything he's done to make himself the boss.

The Bomb Is Dropped

Since this is the mid-season finale, there has to be a cliffhanger to leave fans interested. And it comes in the form of Hank finally getting a clue that Walt is definitely not only not who he pretends to be, but that he is clearly involved in Hank's ongoing investigation related to the blue meth. This moment comes at the most perfect moment possible in the season, and possibly the series. It comes at a time when the viewers have finally lost any sympathy they might have had left for Walt, and we are actually hoping that he might get caught this time.

Gina Pusateri
Contributing Writer

(Image courtesy of AMC)

Do you want Walter to get caught?
No
63%
Yes
37%

I asked the same question when they were all out by the pool and that was a big turn off scene for me...then when Hank grabbed the book I just about choked on my ice tea.

We've got to wait...10 months for this to come back on?

This link says they start shooting in Nov.

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Summer 2013.....

Q&A - Laura Fraser (Lydia Rodarte-Quayle)
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Scottish actress Laura Fraser, who plays Lydia Rodarte-Quayle on AMC's Breaking Bad, talks about the most intimidating actor on-set, theorizes what a Scottish version of the show would look like and explains why she can't walk into Apple stores any more.

Q: Lydia seems constantly on the verge of death. Were you worried that she was going to get knocked off?

A: Oh yeah, absolutely. They told me I was going to be in more after the first half of the season, but I thought they could change their mind pretty easily and I could be gone.

Q: Who did you find to be the most intimidating person on-set?

A: I found Jonathan Banks the scariest. My very first scene was with him and I was incredibly nervous myself. With him kind of playing that scary character opposite me, there was a level of fear that was real. And I hadn't had a chit-chat with him really before it. With Bryan Cranston, when I watch the show he's extremely sinister and frightening. But chatting with him before acting with him, he's just hysterical.

Q: Jonathan Banks has said that Mike is responsible for his own downfall for not following his own rules and killing Lydia. What's your take on that?

A: I didn't read that, but I remember him on set saying, "What the f***? No half-measures! What am I doing?" But, you know Mike f***ed up. He took a half-measure, what can I say? I felt sad when I heard what happened -- I left at Episode 505 and came back at Episode 508 expecting to see him there, and then realized that his character had died the previous episode. I was a bit bereft because I was looking to get to know him a bit more!

Q: You're from Scotland and talking to you now, I hear a strong accent. How did you master Lydia's American accent -- and her unique way of speaking?

A: Well there was a description from Vince Gilligan that said, "Low and fast." That's how she talks. And I knew that he wanted a nervous energy from her, and whenever I started speaking as her, it just sort of came out. I thought, "This is kind of odd, but I like it!" She breathes really fast and light from the upper-chest, and she doesn't really like to take deep breathes from her diaphragm. That type of breathing helped, too.

VIDEO: Inside Episode 502, "Madrigal"

Q: Is your temperament similar to Lydia's in any way?

A: I'm sure my husband would tell you that I'm extremely similar to Lydia, but I beg to differ! I am pretty highly strung myself, but I'm not as bad as she is. I can be quite fearful about things, so I just used my own fear about various situations and put it into every scene that Lydia has done.

Q: How was the role first explained to you and what attracted you to it?

A: I was told somehow her personality seems to match her name -- Lydia Rodarte-Quayle -- and even in that little description it seemed to tell you a lot about her and her uptightness and energy. But I think Lydia is a hoot. Even when she is terrified and backed into a corner, she's remarkably cheek,. like when she has the audacity to ask for a cut of the money from the train heist.

Q: Given the show's popularity, have you lost a bit of anonymity in the States now?

A: It's really strange. I'm in upstate New York, and it hasn't really happened up here. But whenever I go into Manhattan, people come up to me all the time. Especially you get concentrations of Breaking Bad viewers in places like the Apple Store or anything to do with computers, it seems. So it happens a lot with that demographic.

Q: What would a Scottish version of Breaking Bad look like?

A: There are certainly gangs in Scotland, but thankfully there are less guns. So it would be more knives. A few more people would be alcoholics, too -- maybe Walt.

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I got all 10 questions wrong.. but scored 30 points on the 'bonus'.

Bryan Cranston was on GMA this morning plugging Argo, where he plays the CIA chief. He said that Walter White is the best role of his life and will always be so. He said at age 56 he's getting more roles and offers than ever before all because of Walter.

Because of the very interesting Albuquerque Breaking Bad tour, we now have the first season of BB to watch. I am looking forward to knowing why I am excited to have seen "The Pollos Hermanos" sign. :D

It's been so long since I saw S1 that I don't remember much about it except the motor home that was their first meth lab. They put the Los Pollo Hermanos sign on the outside of the Twisters store for the show but I don't know if it was real or CGI.....welcome to the club ! They start shooting again for the last 8 eps of S5, probably won't hear about locations in time to try to sneak some pics.....

Just saw my first eppie and loved it. Recognized a couple of places on your drive by too!

Soon you will be an expert on all things BB.

No kidding. Ben was getting ahead of me by watching the next episode on his kindle in bed! Which means I'm already playing "catch up" !

Just saw the part where the bathtub with the dead body in it crashes thru the house . Someday that kid is going to learn to listen to the grownup.

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I can't see where this would have much longevity. Sure, there are plenty of lawyer shows, but as a 'comedy' ? And would he move out of Albq ?

That would increase prod. costs but would there be enough cases in Albq. to keep him employed ? We already have enough "ambulance chaser type" lawyers here....

Buddy Bites: 'Breaking Bad' Spin-Off -- Who Will Be the Lead Character?
Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Jeff Dodge
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Breaking Bad is almost at an end, with the final eight episodes of season 5 (and the series) set to air this summer. But it might not be the last we see of this world as AMC is reportedly looking into developing a spin-off. Who will be the lead character?

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A possible spin-off series would focus on supporting character Saul Goodman, a criminal lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk. Creator Vince Gilligan and writer/producer Peter Gould are in the early stages of developing the show.

It seems fitting that Gould would join the project as he wrote the season 2 episode that introduced the character of Goodman, "Better Call Saul," in which Walt and Jesse hired him after the DEA caught Badger. Ever since, Goodman has made recurring appearances on the show and has provided some much-needed humor (like with his over-the-top TV commercials and tagline "Better call Saul!") on what is obviously a dark and serious show.

Because of that contrast between the character and the maturity of the series, how would that affect the tone of the spin-off? According to Deadline, it might be developed as a comedy, with each episode being one-hour, though they're not ruling out 30-minute episodes.

Gilligan has mentioned a possible spin-off in the past. In a 2012 IndieWire interview, he said, "I would love to see a Saul Goodman spin-off. ... I like the idea of a lawyer show in which the main lawyer will do anything it takes to stay out of a court of law. He'll settle on the courthouse steps, whatever it takes to stay out of the courtroom." At the time, he admitted nothing was in the works, but it now appears that AMC is looking to continue their successful Breaking Bad franchise long after the original series has ended.

I don't think that works for me. He's a cute character but not one to carry an entire show.

I agree but Gilligan has the chops to maybe pull it off. It would depend a lot on the supporting cast.