Great ending to a great first season. The color palette was purposeful and intricate as always. We end the first season with Holly's baby shower and Heisenberg and Jesse's new business relationship with the deranged Tuco. There is no going back.
We were introduced to Walter as a frantic man wearing nothing but an apron, his shoes, and his tighty wighties, recording a goodbye message to his family. Then were taken back shortly before that event when Walter White was still an effeminate and cowardly chemistry teacher who was dealt the "s*** hand" of late stage terminal lung cancer. Throughout the first season, we have seen him detach from the small life he built for himself, completely overshadowed by his genius and the life he ran away from, transform into both a murderer and enterprising meth cook, and in turn, finding a grasp on both his secret persona, Heisenberg, named after Werner Heisenberg who is known for his uncertainty principle regarding particles, and his role in his family, which he never had a firm grasp on to begin with. So begins his new life of crime and the equilibrium between Heisenberg and Walter White. As Heisenberg develops, Walter White metamorphoses and dies.
The baby shower, as most of you know, will come back later in the show, specifically when Walter speaks to Holly through Walter Jr.'s camcorder. This little moment is one of the most potent of the first season. Skyler may be in disbelief about Walter's mortality, but he is well aware and speaks to Holly accordingly. He tells her that he is proud of her and even though he finds his family is unbearable at times, he knows that they are incredibly loyal to one another and he affirms her that she has a family that loves her.
The baby shower also includes a few interesting color changes for those who have been paying attention. Skylar, who predominantly wears blue, is seen in a purple dress. Purple has been used in the show to possibly display pride, naivety, and false innocence. Marie, Skylar's sister and Hank's wife, has only a handful of scenes without purple clothing. On the color wheel, purple is opposite of green, which is predominantly Walter's color. In "Breaking Bad", green may be used to display greed, growth, and drug money. Since purple is complementary (opposite) to green on the color wheel, it is reasonable to theorize that it may indicate innocence. Marie is the furthest thing from Walter, yet they share more in common than they probably realize.
They both live conscientious lives on the surface, yet both have criminal secrets. It's just that Marie's dirty little secret, shoplifting, is a lot less extreme than Walter's secret life as a soon to be drug kingpin. They are both somewhat critical of the person who they married and want more out of the life they live. Walter wants money but he wants money so that his family does not have to worry about his cancer treatment or life after his death. Marie, on the other hand, wants luxury and she wants to appear more opulent than she actually is. She overstates her role in the medical field and she shoplifts an tiara for Skylar. In contrast, Walter's selfishness is not as vain. Rather, he simply wants to be in control of his life because he felt like he has been out of control for so long. Simply put, Walter White is Satan and Marie is merely an imp. She is the "lesser of two evils". The more socially acceptable evil. In a sense, green represent the bold pursuit of power and wealth, while purple represents a fake display of royalty. As Vince Gilligan, the director of "Breaking Bad", said, "Well, Marie would say purple is the color of royalty".
It's interesting that Hank pulls out the Cuban cigars at the baby shower. It is during this scene that Walter and Hank discuss the subjectivity and evolution of legality. How certain things that were once legal are now illegal and vice versa. Hank ends the conversation by saying that meth was once legal and easily attainable but it is good that it is now illegal. Hank, Skylar, and Marie all draw a firm line between right and wrong, while Walter's lines are becoming thinner and thinner.
Hank, who is married to Marie, predominantly wears the colors brown, red, and orange. These colors are separated from green by the color yellow. It's quite possible that yellow represents danger and drugs, more specifically, meth. Marie, constantly draped in purple, is completely removed from the turbulent and criminal world of Heisenberg by both Hank (red) and Skylar (blue).
Yet, at the baby shower, Skylar too is dresses in purple. All of them are oblivious to Heisenberg at this point. He is still the mundane and innocent Walter White. His last name, White, indicates his apparent purity. While his clothing is green, his surname is White. In other words, Heisenberg is hiding in plain sight. Hank nearly caught on to his operation and shut it down before his metamorphosis but because of his jaded view of the ferocity of drug culture from years working for the DEA, the thought of the emasculate Walter White as a meth cook hardly crossed his mind. Instead, he let his racism get the best of him. Maybe this is why he wore black to the baby shower, signifying his loss.
Anyways, this is my fourth or fifth go through of the show. I plan to catch up on "Better Call Saul" once I finish this run. As with every other viewing I've had, I cannot help but binge through the show, lost in the Vince Gilligan's Albuquerque. This go round I have been increasingly interested in the story within the story told by the color placement. It seems to convey certain abstract themes, such as the mental and symbolic transformation of each character. I'm not sure "Breaking Bad" is the best show of all time but it sure as hell is the jack of all trades. It's definitely one of the best pieces of entertainment ever created, as I don't see the entertainment itself ever going away.
Episode rating: 9/10 Season 1 rating: 9/10.
We were introduced to Walter as a frantic man wearing nothing but an apron, his shoes, and his tighty wighties, recording a goodbye message to his family. Then were taken back shortly before that event when Walter White was still an effeminate and cowardly chemistry teacher who was dealt the "s*** hand" of late stage terminal lung cancer. Throughout the first season, we have seen him detach from the small life he built for himself, completely overshadowed by his genius and the life he ran away from, transform into both a murderer and enterprising meth cook, and in turn, finding a grasp on both his secret persona, Heisenberg, named after Werner Heisenberg who is known for his uncertainty principle regarding particles, and his role in his family, which he never had a firm grasp on to begin with. So begins his new life of crime and the equilibrium between Heisenberg and Walter White. As Heisenberg develops, Walter White metamorphoses and dies.
The baby shower, as most of you know, will come back later in the show, specifically when Walter speaks to Holly through Walter Jr.'s camcorder. This little moment is one of the most potent of the first season. Skyler may be in disbelief about Walter's mortality, but he is well aware and speaks to Holly accordingly. He tells her that he is proud of her and even though he finds his family is unbearable at times, he knows that they are incredibly loyal to one another and he affirms her that she has a family that loves her.
The baby shower also includes a few interesting color changes for those who have been paying attention. Skylar, who predominantly wears blue, is seen in a purple dress. Purple has been used in the show to possibly display pride, naivety, and false innocence. Marie, Skylar's sister and Hank's wife, has only a handful of scenes without purple clothing. On the color wheel, purple is opposite of green, which is predominantly Walter's color. In "Breaking Bad", green may be used to display greed, growth, and drug money. Since purple is complementary (opposite) to green on the color wheel, it is reasonable to theorize that it may indicate innocence. Marie is the furthest thing from Walter, yet they share more in common than they probably realize.
They both live conscientious lives on the surface, yet both have criminal secrets. It's just that Marie's dirty little secret, shoplifting, is a lot less extreme than Walter's secret life as a soon to be drug kingpin. They are both somewhat critical of the person who they married and want more out of the life they live. Walter wants money but he wants money so that his family does not have to worry about his cancer treatment or life after his death. Marie, on the other hand, wants luxury and she wants to appear more opulent than she actually is. She overstates her role in the medical field and she shoplifts an tiara for Skylar. In contrast, Walter's selfishness is not as vain. Rather, he simply wants to be in control of his life because he felt like he has been out of control for so long. Simply put, Walter White is Satan and Marie is merely an imp. She is the "lesser of two evils". The more socially acceptable evil. In a sense, green represent the bold pursuit of power and wealth, while purple represents a fake display of royalty. As Vince Gilligan, the director of "Breaking Bad", said, "Well, Marie would say purple is the color of royalty".
It's interesting that Hank pulls out the Cuban cigars at the baby shower. It is during this scene that Walter and Hank discuss the subjectivity and evolution of legality. How certain things that were once legal are now illegal and vice versa. Hank ends the conversation by saying that meth was once legal and easily attainable but it is good that it is now illegal. Hank, Skylar, and Marie all draw a firm line between right and wrong, while Walter's lines are becoming thinner and thinner.
Hank, who is married to Marie, predominantly wears the colors brown, red, and orange. These colors are separated from green by the color yellow. It's quite possible that yellow represents danger and drugs, more specifically, meth. Marie, constantly draped in purple, is completely removed from the turbulent and criminal world of Heisenberg by both Hank (red) and Skylar (blue).
Yet, at the baby shower, Skylar too is dresses in purple. All of them are oblivious to Heisenberg at this point. He is still the mundane and innocent Walter White. His last name, White, indicates his apparent purity. While his clothing is green, his surname is White. In other words, Heisenberg is hiding in plain sight. Hank nearly caught on to his operation and shut it down before his metamorphosis but because of his jaded view of the ferocity of drug culture from years working for the DEA, the thought of the emasculate Walter White as a meth cook hardly crossed his mind. Instead, he let his racism get the best of him. Maybe this is why he wore black to the baby shower, signifying his loss.
Anyways, this is my fourth or fifth go through of the show. I plan to catch up on "Better Call Saul" once I finish this run. As with every other viewing I've had, I cannot help but binge through the show, lost in the Vince Gilligan's Albuquerque. This go round I have been increasingly interested in the story within the story told by the color placement. It seems to convey certain abstract themes, such as the mental and symbolic transformation of each character. I'm not sure "Breaking Bad" is the best show of all time but it sure as hell is the jack of all trades. It's definitely one of the best pieces of entertainment ever created, as I don't see the entertainment itself ever going away.
Episode rating: 9/10 Season 1 rating: 9/10.