It’s time for another entry in the series where nothing ever goes wrong and all our characters are happy! This totally isn’t the season where their lives are totally ruined beyond repair! That’s next season!
This the season where their lives are only mostly ruined.
Walt and Jessie have managed to avoid being killed by Gus. Now, they are locked into an uneasy alliance with the crime lord. Can Walt find a way to outsmart and defeat Gus before he is killed? Meanwhile, a recovering Hank begins to close in on both Gus and Heisenberg and Mike takes a traumatized Jessie under his wing.
Gus is easily my favorite antagonist of the show. The dude is so cool and professional that it’s chilling. Not to mention that he feels completely untouchable! It’s only at the very end, when Walt finally gets one over on him (in one of the most shocking moments yet, I might add), that we finally see him crack! The dude is ruthless, creepy, and brilliant. Easily the best antagonist of Breaking Bad.
Walt is at his most desperate here. We see him pushed to his utmost limits in order to avoid getting killed by Gus or arrested by Hank. All the while, he’s out there delivering some iconic shit. I legit had chills when I got to the “I am the one who knocks!” scene. And I’ve never felt so much pain as when he accidentally calls Walt Jr. Jessie.
I also love where Jessie’s arc takes him this season. Having killed Gale and being stuck in a situation where his own death seems inevitable, he just… lets go. He turns his house into a party den for homeless people and addicts and relapses hard on the drugs and booze. Simply because he thinks he’s a dead man walking.
Also, I love the scenes where he’s playing games with Brock. Not because they’re cute or they build upon the characters. But simply because I’m expected to believe that people would play Sonic 06 multiplayer without the game completely melting down on them.
We also see a return of the shop-lifting plotline! It only lasts for about an episode and then we never talk about it again. Which is good, because that plot is just as dull as ever.
It’s definitely a slow season in terms of pacing. But holy fuck, the pay off is worth it! The last three episodes of this season are some of the most intense I’ve ever seen! Watching the slow game of life and death between Walt and Gus speed up as the pressure mounts kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
This is all supported by some truly incredible cinematography. Some of the shots are freaking crazy, dude! Like the shot at the end of Crawlspace; it is a simple but beautiful visual that perfectly symbolizes just how trapped Walt is. I love it!
The special effects this season are freaking amazing! Particularly with the nursing home scene in the final episode! It’s one of the most chillingly realistic explosions I’ve ever seen. And the makeup team did an amazing job at the end results for the victim. It’s not a visual I’m going to forget any time soon.
Music wise, I’m still unimpressed. All the tracks used fit each scene perfectly, but they’re far from memorable tracks. But at this point in the series, that isn’t going to change.
Yet again, Breaking Bad has only gotten better. This season has some of the strongest moments in the whole show, whether it be a simple character moment or an explosion of action. Without a doubt, this is one of the best seasons of television I’ve ever seen.
And you know what’s shocking? Season five is even better!
Jonah's Daily Rants 