Analog This: Breaking Bad- Goodbye, Mr. Blue

This is a recap of episode 16 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Felina." IT'S THE FINALE. 

Well.

Well, well, well then. That's all I can think of saying at first. There's a lot to say. 

First of all, this definitely isn't the ending you expected. Nearly every prediction made by the Internet was wrong, proving that Reddit can't write a TV show. Or at least not one as good as this. 

Continued After the Jump

Analog This: Breaking Bad- Granite State of Mind

Let's play a game: "Mad Men" or "Breaking Bad"?

This is a recap of episode 15 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Granite State."

The more Walter White loses, the easier it is to see what is really underneath all of that rage and greed. Without his money, family, or meth empire, Walt is a lot of anger, and a lot of misguided pride. As per usual, Walt's emotions are ruining his life.

"Granite State" is the first episode of this season to receive such a mixed reaction. But come on people, everyone should have been prepared for something nowhere near as good as "Ozymandias." Even Vince Gilligan thinks that last week's episode was the best one they ever did. "Granite State" is not the best episode of "Breaking Bad." It has some odd pacing problems, and it definitely isn't the one of a kind, gut-wrenching experience I've come to expect based on the past few episodes of "Breaking Bad." This may have been a bridge episode, but it was a very important one. 

Continued After the Jump

Breaking Bad: Analog This- The Wizard of Ozymandias

This is a recap of episode 14 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Ozymandias."

Fuck.

That would have been an apt title for tonight's episode. And just as poetic. It was one of the last things that Hank ever said ("My name is ASAC Schrader. And you can go fuck yourself.") and also the one thing I couldn't stop saying over and over again throughout "Ozymandias." I think I needed this little mantra. It reminded me of how cathartic cursing can be.

I know that I am always talking about how amazing "Breaking Bad" is every week but I feel like up to this point, I was being a tad hyperbolic. "Ozymandias" may be the show's finest hour. If it is not the absolute best, then it was the show's most horrifying and emotionally devastating. Appropriately, many critics are already comparing this episode to a horror movie. This episode was a horror western directed by Rian Johnson, who's proved himself to be excellent at mixing and matching genres through the likes of "Brick" and "Looper."

Analog This: Breaking Bad- Dumb & Dumber

This is a recap of episode 13 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "To'hajiilee."

Walt has spent the past five years (real time, not "Breaking Bad" time) outsmarting everyone he knows. It turns out though that Walt's ego, the same thing that's always helped him get out of trouble, could also cloud his judgement. Finally, the joke's on him. 

Only on "Breaking Bad" could a cathartic moment suddenly be turned into one of fear and pain. When Walt finally got handcuffed, it felt like a moment that was long time coming, which is probably why this episode alluded to the pilot so much. Of course all the hurt happens under the direction of Michelle MacLaren, who's directed some of the show's most twisted episodes. And hopefully once "Breaking Bad" ends, she'll become a fine movie director, hopefully funded by Megan Ellison. 

Analog This: Breaking Bad- Every Dog Has His Day

This is a recap of episode 12 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Rabid Dog."

Tonight's "Breaking Bad" episode requires a little history lesson on the "Breaking Bad" universe. So for just a brief moment, let's go back to season two. Remember that pink teddy bear that fell from an airplane that signified that Walt's selfishness could lead to an airplane crash? Well once again, Walt can't do anything without ruining the lives of others. In "Rabid Dog," Walt showed that if he was going down, his whole family would be going with him. 

Analog This: Breaking Bad- Burning Down the House

This is a recap of episode 11 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Confessions."

Not that I will actually do this, but from now on I am going to stop trying to predict every little thing that will happen on "Breaking Bad." That's because nobody can mess with Vince Gilligan and the gang's sheer brilliance and intricate plotting. I don't know how this show will end, which is why I am not a writer for "Breaking Bad."

"Confessions" opens with a scene that isn't addressed for the rest of the episode, but it will definitely come back to haunt everyone. It is important to note that one of the men that Todd met with also orchestrated all those prison murders at the end of last season and now he knows Walter's name. Also, that bloody tissue he wiped his boot with probably didn't flush all the way, as this show follows Chekhov's Gun very closely. 

Analog This: Breaking Bad Recap- Belize Navidad

This is a recap of episode 9 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Buried."

Well, there was no way to top last week's episode.

Last week, the cat leaped out of the freaking bag, tore up the entire place, and pooped outside the litter box after Walt warned Hank to "tread lightly." This week's episode was also tense, but in a much quieter way. It was a linking and in-between episode, a nice valley between last week's eventful episode and what is sure to be another great one next week. 

Analog This: Breaking Bad Recap- When One Garage Door Closes...

This is a recap of episode 9 of season 5 of "Breaking Bad." The episode is "Blood Money."

Last we saw "Breaking Bad," Hank made the discovery we've been waiting five seasons to see. Last night, all of that came to light and it did not disappoint.

Vince Gilligan has such an amazing grip on how the camera works, he is like a master filmmaker who runs a TV show. He is so skilled at misdirection, that I thought the opening shot of a bunch of kids skateboarding in an empty pool was an episode of "Rocket Power." Nice trying pranking America, Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

This was actually yet another flash forward in the "Breaking Bad" timeline. Walt, with a full beard and a full head of hair, returns to his dilapidated home to get the Ricin that he hid inside an outlet last season. Remember, on "Breaking Bad" every little moment means something and will likely be mentioned again. So you can bet that old lady who nearly spoiled Walt's assassination attempt on Gus will be back.

Movie Review: Argo

Ben Affleck pulled off the impossible and made a movie about the making of a movie that isn't cheeky or ironic. Then again, it's hard to be overly ironic when the movie you're making is fake and you're dealing with a hostage crisis.

"Argo" plays perfectly like a classic thriller: it's smart, suspenseful, and fun. "Argo" is both an entertaining thriller and a disturbing document of a very bad time in history.

"Argo" is equal parts reenactment, documentary footage, and artistic license. It starts off with a nice refresher  on the past 60 years of Iranian history. In just about a minute, it makes much more sense out of what happened to that country than CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News ever could combined. It goes up to 1979, the year in which the Shah was overthrown and the Iranian Revolution began. Director Ben Affleck gives us a full fledged reenactment of the Iranians breaking into the US Embassy in Tehran. This scene would have felt overlong, if it wasn't so important to the rest of the story, and directed with nail-biting intensity.

Analog This: Breaking Bad and the Crystal Blue Side of the American Dream

"Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled." 
-The Prestige

As always, SPOILER ALERT.

Could there have been a more perfect song to put into a "Breaking Bad" episode than "Crystal Blue Persuasion"? I wonder how long Vince Gilligan was waiting to use that song, because tonight's episode, "Gliding Over All" seemed like the perfect place for it. Tonight, it was more apparent than ever why Walter White's crystal blue meth is both the best and worst thing to ever happen to him.

"Gliding Over All" was one of the most important and exciting episodes of the series, which I tend to say about almost every episode. However, this one was different than most "Breaking Bad" episodes. Most episodes tend to pick their pace wisely. One week we will get an action packed thriller and the next week will be slow-burning exposition and character work. However, the mid-season finale gave us a little bit of both.

Analog This: It's Not Just About Walt This Time

Just in case this wasn't the first thing to cross your mind: SPOILER ALERT

"Breaking Bad" is the closest thing to must see TV that exists during a time where seeing a program live doesn't really matter to most people anymore. While watching it live is not mandatory, it is certainly an event. To me, watching live television has often felt like finding out some amazing secret before anyone else does. And finding it out at the same time as a certain chunk of the country that I've never met before felt like a strange bonding experience.

This right there is the beauty of television, and with TV changing so rapidly, "Breaking Bad" deserves to be the poster boy for a new era. It earned it long ago, and it certainly looks like it has no intention of ever giving that title up. It is not earned by Nielsen ratings, but rather by pure quality. Just like Walter White, it has crushed its competition just by being the best at what it does.

Analog This: Breaking Bad a.k.a. The One Where They Rob a Train

SPOILERS AHEAD!

This week's episode of "Breaking Bad," entitled "Dead Freight," once again proved that the show that is never bad just keeps on getting better.

Obviously, somebody had to pull out the Jesse James comparison once the only solution to the methylamine shortage turned out to be a train robbery. This is not surprising, as Walt is starting to believe more and more that he is Jesse James. Here is someone who will push it to the very end without the fear of death. Maybe it's time something bad happened to him, something that will finally make Heisenberg cease to exist. And that final straw may have come loose tonight.

Each season of "Breaking Bad" reminds me of the Tortoise: slow to start, taking its time at the beginning, and then taking off and not stopping. Tonight was like the taking off point kicking things into high gear. This momentum should get us through the remainder of this final season.

Analog This: Live Free or Die, Breaking Bad Season 5 Premiere

You're not the boss of me now.

Warning: Spoilers ahead! So if you don't like spoilers (and based on the Internet buzz around "The Dark Knight Rises," I can tell that people really don't), read on with caution.

It is fitting that the first episode of the final season of "Breaking Bad" would begin the same way that the pilot did. In the pilot, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) looks at the number 50 spelled out in his bacon. In the season five premiere, entitled "Live Free Or Die," Walt was digging on swine and turning his bacon strips into the number 52. During this mysterious flash forward, Walt had aged two years and since that time, he has gone from caring, mild-mannered chemistry teacher to downright evil meth cooker Heisenberg.

I may not be qualified to say that "Breaking Bad" is the best drama ever on television. After all, I still haven't seen "The Wire," and I've only seen "Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under" episodes here and there. However, I can say this: "Breaking Bad" is the best drama I have ever seen on television, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Breaking Bad: TV Just Got Really Good

During the first episode of "Breaking Bad," Walter White tells his class of less-than-eager students that chemistry is not the study of chemicals, but rather the study of change. If chemistry is the study of change, then Walter is a study of how quickly a person can change. And his descent is more alarming than any chemical reaction you'll ever experiment with.

"Breaking Bad" has been labeled the best drama on television by most people who have ever watched it. It lives up to that honor. Its distinctive style leaves an unforgettable mark.

Walter White, played with a ferociously calm zeal by Bryan Cranston, is a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque. As the show begins, life isn't too great for Walt. He works a job well below his level of brilliance, and can barely support his pregnant wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his crippled son Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte).

Walt is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Realizing he may not be around much longer, he decides to find a way to leave money for his family. In an act of desperation, he teams up with Jesse (Aaron Paul), a junkie former student of his a heart of gold, in order to cook meth. Using his extensive knowledge of chemistry, Walt cooks up the best meth anyone north or south of the border has ever seen. He becomes rich, but he also enters a world far more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

As I've said before, AMC has the potential to be the best network on television, if not for all of the f***ing bleeps. "Breaking Bad" achieves a cinematic level of storytelling. As the show unfolds, it feels more and more like everything was planned right from the start.

"Breaking Bad" seamlessly blurs the line between good and evil. The show's title comes from a southern colloquialism describing a straight-edged person who has taken a turn for the worse. "Breaking Bad" might be a show about dangerous criminals and drug deals but it will always boil down to the devastating downward spiral of Walter and how his decisions lead to the deterioration of his relationship with his family, the only thing in the world he cares about.

As Walter, Cranston gives the best dramatic performance on television. He can convey a feeling simply by giving you a long, frightening glare. He makes Walter's moral descent totally believable. In one episode, Walter's family tries to give him an intervention. It is a prime example of both Cranston's work and the show's powerhouse writing. In addition, Paul surprises as Walt's partner-in-crime. Sometimes, he seems dumb and emotionally empty. But then he does something like save a child from his meth addicted parents. In a show filled with morally hazy actions, this was one of the few things someone on "Breaking Bad" does that can actually be described as heroic.

"Breaking Bad" is a modern western in the spirit of "No Country for Old Men," in which the characters inhabit the cowboy morale in a present day setting. It also seamlessly mixes in elements of a thriller, with many episodes echoing the atmospheric horror of "The Shining." In short, creator Vince Gilligan is an auteur of television.

A single episode of "Breaking Bad" is kind of like a movie in itself. However, the format of television allows the story arcs and the characters to run even deeper than most movies ever do. "Breaking Bad," along with shows like "Mad Men" and "Louie" has figured out what the filmmakers of the late 60s figured out: how to make the medium raw, original, and real. Television creators are starting to develop distinctive styles. "Breaking Bad" represents good television moving beyond the big four stations. And no matter what anyone will say, there is still a place in the world for stories as good as "Breaking Bad."