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Someone from Breaking Bad posted this picture, titled 'Hank's Decision,' (spoiler tag because it's related to last season's finale):

tumblr_mfh4r3jbs81qz8vumo1_500.jpg

I am so excited for this to come back on the air.

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Just finished Season 4...

Oh my fucking god!

That would actually have been a good ending for me. For the whole story. It feels like everything has been tied up, I can't imagine what's around the next corner in season 5.

I notice that they've abandoned the ex-partners storyline. Good choice if you ask me, at least with how they were using it, but I can see it coming back in season 5, as they attempt to tie all lose ends. Also, there's a chance the IRS or the DEA could get back on his case, but it feels like there's no longer a connection. As the sale of blue suddenly comes to an end, then surely the DEA will know Fring was behind it all, and stop investigating. Or looking for Hiesenberg, at least.

(There's going to be a lot of strung out meth heads in New Mexico!)

I was so happy with that ending, that I'm almost not sure I want to tune into season 5 and watch it turn into inevitable shit... Maybe the car wash won't make enough money. Maybe the IRS will start breathing down their necks. Ooh - Ted Beneke! I forgot about him. Is he dead? We don't know. Not quite sure how he's going to affect things.

Also, I doubt the repercussions from Jane's death have been fully felt. If Pinkmann ever found out, he'd probably kill Walt himself -- I wonder if that's how it might end?

PS - I may be lying to myself, but the kid was never in a deadly situation, right? I mean, he was in ITU because they didn't know what the problem was, and he was worsening, right? It's not like Walt really put his life at risk... Right? Right?? (Don't answer that.)

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So, Season 5...

Huh! Here I was, afraid that they might have to stretch to continue the story. Hardly! It just flowed very naturally on. Of course, the bloody cameras! And Mike! And yes, the DEA's investigation would only just be beginning, now they finally have hard evidence against Fring.

I did feel so happy that Walter had managed to beat Fring at the end of season four, and finally extricated himself from the drug world, but it was a bit naive to think that would be the end of it I guess. As much as I wanted it to be.

It's amazing: I actually don't really like Walt now, but I still enjoy spending time with him. It goes to show just what you can do with a character, and still have the audience invested in his outcome. Reminds me of Barry Lyndon, or books from that era, where people would enjoy spending time with a villain, and watching his inevitable downfall. I kind of think that Hollywood has largely forgotten about characters like that, becoming preoccupied with "likability". Although I dislike Walter White, I still kind of like him. It's odd.

Likewise, I used to hate Jesse, now I really like him. Mike is awesome. Even Hank is more likeable than Walter at this point.

God, I love this show. Even when it does something dubious, like having an electromagnet wiping a laptop through a building, or having a character with half his face missing walking about, I still love it. It's a thing of beauty!

Vince Gilligan's obsession with visual story-telling really paid off. It's beautiful and effective. Moments of silence. Long scenes with not much happening. Long speeches without any cuts. They become hypnotic and engaging.

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I think Series 4 has one of my fave moments. Can't remember which episode it's at the end of, but it finished with Walt lying under his floorboards where he stores the cash, laughing like a maniac. Fab.

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I think Series 4 has one of my fave moments. Can't remember which episode it's at the end of, but it finished with Walt lying under his floorboards where he stores the cash, laughing like a maniac. Fab.

Second to last episode of that season, perfect way to end the penultimate episode and completely floor the audience before the finale. It's a moment of my TV-watching history that I will remember for a long time.

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I think Series 4 has one of my fave moments. Can't remember which episode it's at the end of, but it finished with Walt lying under his floorboards where he stores the cash, laughing like a maniac. Fab.

Totally amazing. That moment was nuts.

I've just finished the first half of the fifth season. I'll have my life back now. It was great, but not perhaps AS great as the other seasons. Also, unfortunately the final scene had been spoiled for me by a headline for an interview somewhere. Still a brilliant cliff-hanger though.

Roll on, May...

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I love the few times when Vince does the vertical pull-out - he does it when Jesse shoots up, and when Walt's under the floorboards. Such a fantastic shot when used sparingly.

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Season 2 ended

with a neat thing, that I think would've been great and weird if it hadn't been foreshadowed throughout. As it is, the plane collision was great but sort of didn't live up to that constant flash-forward bit. Also the weird flash-forward just started to annoy me by the end..

Totally agree. I kind of feel that moment was anti-climactic and forced. I'm surprised that it was planned from the beginning, it just seemed so OTT with little foreshadowing. Clearly they work better when they're on the fly, then.

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I think Series 4 has one of my fave moments. Can't remember which episode it's at the end of, but it finished with Walt lying under his floorboards where he stores the cash, laughing like a maniac. Fab.

Genuinely frightening moment. Loved it!

Skyler's performance in Season 5 was strong. In particular:

The bit where she submerges herself in the pool, and two occasions she confronts Walter. First the "All I can do is wait / Wait for what? / The cancer to come back" line in such a nonchalant manner. Second, when she shows Walt all the money.

Vince Gilligan's obsession with visual story-telling really paid off. It's beautiful and effective.

And the flip side of "beautiful and effective": every dealing/doing/cooking meth + salsa (?) music montage was the best.

Also, I found the camera-attached-to-props shots to be hit-or-miss. There are a few occasions where it worked, but it mostly felt kinda gimmicky.

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Yep! They're best when on the fly as much as possible. Gives the show the natural flow that is one of its best features. I feel like almost every new turn the show takes is simultaneously the most natural and completely unexpected direction they could've taken. I think it's a testament to how good their writer's room must be, and I imagine they take the time to think of every possible outcome to arrive at what feels best, instead of just choosing the coolest one as soon as they arrive at the thought.

Also, whenever they do something dubious, the face off and magnetic car, like Thunderpeel mentioned, it always feels deserved because they do it to such good effect.

Anyway, I love the show and it continues to surprise me in its quality and I just god damn can't wait for the conclusion. I will also be Aas the day it ends..

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I actually loved that the first half of season five has

two heists in it, each of which is set up and done in a single episode. Other series would build up to one of those for weeks. I found the train robbery amazingly tense, too.

Also, I found the camera-attached-to-props shots to be hit-or-miss. There are a few occasions where it worked, but it mostly felt kinda gimmicky.

Very. It's actually quite hard to do well, I've tried a fair amount of this kind of shooting with mountain bikes and skateboards. Lightweight cameras don't give the best footage, heavier ones are significantly more difficult to mount, and even when you get a really solid mount, sometimes you find vibration fucks all the footage up anyway. The shot where they attached a camera to the kid's BMX bike is particularly shaky.

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I was listening to an interview with Vince Gilligan and he said they spend up to two weeks breaking an episode. That's pretty much unheard of. With the final season it's gone up to three!

It's amazing how well it all flows. The whole thing feels like one giant episode.

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two heists in it, each of which is set up and done in a single episode. Other series would build up to one of those for weeks. I found the train robbery amazingly tense, too.

This. I assumed everyone would come out of it fine, but some how got caught up in the moment as it played out. The conclusion of that episode, the celebration and then the kid, is just perfectly paced emotional rollercoaster.

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Also, I found the camera-attached-to-props shots to be hit-or-miss. There are a few occasions where it worked, but it mostly felt kinda gimmicky.

I always enjoy those! I also particularly like the shots through a surface that isn't actually clear, like a whiteboard or marble counter, that sometimes are subtle enough to not be immediately recognisable as such.

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The most tense moment for me and my girlfriend was

when hank got shot in the car park

That was so unbelievably tense, when the episode finished we just sat there's staring at a blank screen for ten minutes

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so many moments i've forgotten, although its no surprise really its has been 5 years since i watched series one. Maybe i'll re-watch the pilot before the final 8 episodes air in the summer

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