Television Review: "Breaking Bad" Season 5

The opening teaser of every season of Breaking Bad has often been indicative of the season to follow. The first season kickoff of Walter on the side of the road, gun in hand and trousers inexplicably gone, simple as it may be, still establishes the show's comedic hard-glass tone. Season 2's disturbing image of a half scorched teddy bear, while simultaneously teasing a Season 4 finale death, also displays how mangled something seemingly harmless can become (Jesse. Walt. Take your pick.). Season 3 is about Walter White, the legend Heisenberg, and the interests in such legend. Season 4 took us into the past, displaying a character (or perhaps all three characters) who witlessly is/are signing his/their own death warrant(s).

Season 5, touted as the final season in two parts but is narratively complete as two separate seasons, begins with a wild leap into the future. Walter is alive, hair atop his head, on the lam with a fake name, turning 52, and picking up a cache of assault rifles as his birthday gift. It's a riddle that isn't answered overtly by episode's end, nor in the seven subsequent episodes, though its implicitly significant throughout the season. It's a place-marker of where Walter White is irretrievably headed, and by the close of the premiere titled Live Free or Die, we think we know the answer. Season 5 is about Heisenberg's rise to power and inadvertent reign of terror.

Bryan Cranston dreams a world after "Breaking Bad"

I've dabbled around the idea of a Greatest Working Actors list for some time now, and as alluring as it is to put them all up on a scale like that, I'd simply never know what to do with the actors who have their feet firmly planted in television. With all the shows moving towards their finishes, I am intrigued to see what Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, John Noble, Anna Torv, Jasika Nicole, and Aaron Paul are to do once their respective shows are up. The bell is chiming for Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, John Slattery, and the rest of the "Mad Men" gang as well, and Jared Harris has already been let off the leash for a promising future in the business.

One actor who isn't laying down while waiting for his television check to ring in is Bryan Cranston, headliner on AMC's "Breaking Bad", headed now towards its fifth and final season. For every year Cranston has performed in the pivotal character of Walter White, he has taken home an Emmy for Best Actor. He is quite likely to make it four this fall, and with the splitting of the final season into two eight-episode stretches, the possibility is not merely alive for two more, but it's a certainty for after the show's completion. Cranston is in very good hands with showrunner Vince Gilligan at the helm, though has not been laying steady while the end approaches.

AWARDS 2011: The "Bad" in the Golden Globe nods!

I'm not often praising the Golden Globe nominations at all, as most year's they're just the afterthought of the season. Nobody should care, and yet we do. Why? Because the split of the Drama and Musical/Comedy branches makes room for the films and actors that would have been left behind otherwise. For the most part anyway, as there are things I still don't quite get. The Globe nods made it clear that it was a light field this year, as most of the "Drama" films nominated weren't really dramas. Doesn't it make sense that "The Descendants", "Hugo", and "The Help" would fall more kindly under Comedy?

It makes it all the more odd that "The Artist" IS nominated for Best Comedy/Musical, a category it is destined to win of course. But while we're talking about things that don't belong, somebody explain to me how "My Week with Marilyn" is a comedy. If that qualifies as a comedy, then throw "W.E." up there by all means! The lead drama acting nods were typical enough of what you'll see on Oscar nominations morning, with the only exceptions being Ryan Gosling in "Ides of March" and Rooney Mara in "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". The lead comedy acting nods were so much more interesting, as they offer space for Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard"), Ryan Gosling again ("Crazy, Stupid, Love."), and Kristen Wiig in the underrated performance of the year for "Bridesmaids".

The supporting performance branches seem just as lost as usual, aside from Albert Brooks and Christopher Plummer of course. And that's more or less it aside from noting how depressing the Original Song category is. Nary a worthy song in sight. As for the television branch, there nothing I really can say. Well, aside from the bogus omissions of "Cougar Town", "Community", and most shockingly of all, "Breaking Bad"! Color me red! So yeah, this is why nobody SHOULD care about the Golden Globes.

"Breaking Bad" Review: "Face Off" (****)

"I won."

If you were to go on record calling "Breaking Bad" an average hour of television each week, I'd be more than just tempted to inflict minor bodily harm upon you. Perhaps not at the beginning of the show, but "Breaking Bad" has become so much more cinematic in scope and execution. Too many people put the credit towards the writers, but that's not what has me coming back week after week, though it is a huge factor I must say. What brings me back to the show is the aesthetic creativity of the show, with its wild camera rigging, delicious mood lighting, and unmatched sense of composition. And I must make a heartfelt plea to Vince Gilligan and his team to try to get Lynne Ramsay to direct an episode of the show before they close up shop. I'd be set for life after that. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

As for last night's finale, I can say it's not what I was necessarily expecting. I had a gut feeling that Gus' vice grip on Walt would remain to the end of the series, but it seems Vince Gilligan had greater plans. I for one think this is a fantastic way to end the penultimate season of the show, because we're going to go for a while without these characters. Remember how unbearable that last break between seasons was, with the fates of Walt, Jesse, and Gale all lingering in the wind? This finale managed to cap off not only this season, but an entire saga of the show. And I am going to be indulging in quite a few spoilers before I'm done, so I'll give you guys a SPOILER ALERT, just so you remain cautious from here on out.

At the "Breaking" Point!

I know I haven't kept up to date on reviews of "Breaking Bad" since that first episode of this season. For me, this is the first season where I've watched it regularly from week to week, which is as intoxicating as it is frustrating. Each episode's end has me biting my nails to see where it goes next week. There have been minor qualms throughout this season, because it's honestly just not the same as the "Breaking Bad" of the past three seasons. Season 1 was an introduction to the characters and the world. Season 2 was examining these characters. Season 3 was expanding the world to include more prolifically the Mexican Cartel, as well as the soon-to-be antagonist of the show, Gustavo Fring.

Season 4 has been such an insane nail-biter, and Gus isn't just the businessman on top. He has become the ultimate evil of the series. In the titular 10-minute sequence of "Box Cutter", Gus transformed from being the humble employer to being a ruthless murderer with an agenda. What that agenda was remained a mystery for quite some time. The Cartel started terrorizing Gus' business in "Bullet Points", but even then it just seemed like some simply war plot. It wasn't until four episodes later in "Hermanos" that we learned of what drives Gus. He's driven by an insatiable bloodlust after the death of his close partner, and we get the impression soon enough that it will not stop at the Cartel.

The rapid death of the Primetime Emmys

Not that it's worth mention in the slightest, but last night's Emmy broadcast cemented every flaw and discrepancy in the ceremony, and in the awards themselves. I set aside my own prejudice for them never once rewarding "Fringe" with even a nomination. What I won't set aside is my anger at the clear disdain they show for it. In their montage of the year in Drama television, they set aside time for even mediocrity like "Smallville" and "True Blood". They don't spare a second for the sci-fi drama, which says a great deal about what respect they hold the show in. It's a display of boorish ignorance that only inspires disgust.

As for the ceremony itself, gaudy and repulsive from start to finish is all I can really say for it. I could tell I was in for an embarrassing show from that painful opening number. Jane Lynch is quite possibly the worst host in recent memory for the telecast, no offense towards her. She's just gotten remarkably stale with all of her appearances. I just don't care for her anymore, which is a sad statement indeed. If there was a slight moment of levity it was "The Office" parody, most specifically the moment that Jesse comes in and sells Creed meth. It reminded me that there were better things I could be watching right now, instead of this crap.

Television Review: "Breaking Bad: Box Cutter" (***1/2)

It's been a long wait since the third season of Breaking Bad ended, though I haven't really noticed it at all. That's mostly due to the fact that I hardly knew about the series until last December. No, it is not the brutish equivalent to Mad Men, as it's weighed down by slight flaws like any other series. I love Fringe, but you're never going to hear me call it subtle. Now Breaking Bad hasn't always been the most subtle of dramas, usually spelling out episodic themes at the start of each installment. Box Cutter proved to be a powerful, intense, silent, and condensed treat for those who knew exactly what was coming.

The series has often done a sickening turn from episode to episode, so it's not a surprise that the things we thought we knew going into the premiere were dismissed brutally. At the start, while we were horrified by what Jesse and Walt had done, we knew that it kept them alive a little longer. Or at least we thought it did. As the episode progressed, we got the impression more and more that Walter's actions were misguided and oblivious. It turns out that Gale was merely a sheep, pulled in front of Walter to make him believe he had one option. And the Victor started cooking.