'Breaking Bad' is one of the most popular rated shows on IMDb, is one of those rarities where every season has either been very positively received or near-universally acclaimed critically and where all of my friends have said nothing but great things about.
Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.
Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.
"Thirty-Eight Snub" is a lesser 'Breaking Bad' episode for me and one of the weaker Season 4 episodes. Still consider it very good with a good deal of what makes the show so good present. It is something of a filler episode and doesn't add an awful lot to the overall concept of the show. It is not as taut, fun or emotional as other episodes before and since either and Jesse's subplot could have done with some trimming.
Lots of great things however.
Visually, "Thirty-Eight Snub" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.
The writing in "Thirty-Eight Snub" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and entertaining. The story is generally interesting and absorbing, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but not dull.
Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and his and Cranston's chemistry is a delight. Anna Gunn is affecting and Dean Norris continues to be great value as Hank. The characters are compelling in their realism and the episode is strongly directed.
Overall, very good but could have been better for a show of such a high calibre. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.
Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.
"Thirty-Eight Snub" is a lesser 'Breaking Bad' episode for me and one of the weaker Season 4 episodes. Still consider it very good with a good deal of what makes the show so good present. It is something of a filler episode and doesn't add an awful lot to the overall concept of the show. It is not as taut, fun or emotional as other episodes before and since either and Jesse's subplot could have done with some trimming.
Lots of great things however.
Visually, "Thirty-Eight Snub" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.
The writing in "Thirty-Eight Snub" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and entertaining. The story is generally interesting and absorbing, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but not dull.
Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and his and Cranston's chemistry is a delight. Anna Gunn is affecting and Dean Norris continues to be great value as Hank. The characters are compelling in their realism and the episode is strongly directed.
Overall, very good but could have been better for a show of such a high calibre. 8/10 Bethany Cox