User Reviews

Gus may be dead but that doesn't mean life is going to be easy for chemistry teacher turned drug producer Walter White. As brother in law Hank and his DEA colleagues sift through the remains of the burnt out meth lab Walter suddenly remembers something… Gus had cameras everywhere; if the police get to the recordings on Gus's laptop before he does it will all be over for Walter, Jesse and Mike. Mike is not pleased to see Walter again but Jesse insists on hearing him out. A phone call confirms that the authorities have indeed secured Gus's laptop but have yet to examine it. Mike is all for running before it is examined but Walter has another idea; he wants to destroy it while it is still in the evidence locker. They discuss methods for doing this and eventually Jesse comes up with an idea; destroy is with a magnet… of course it will have to be a very big magnet! Meanwhile Ted Beneke has woken from his coma leading to a visit from Skyler who is assured that he won't talk.

Having not watched the show for a couple of years I was worried I might have difficulty getting back into it but that wasn't a problem. While no time is wasted bringing viewers up to date the story is so strong that I was immediately brought back in.

After the drama of the previous episode this is somewhat quieter although it still manages to keep the tension high and even add a touch of humour. Bryan Cranston excels as Walter White; thanks to his performance this dangerous character is not unlikeable. Aaron Paul does a fine job as Jesse; it made a great change to have this character come up with the 'science solution' rather than Walter; a sign of how the character has matured over the course of the series. Jonathan Banks is as menacing as an angry rattlesnake as Mike and Bob Odenkirk brings a touch of lightness to proceedings as lawyer Saul Goodman. The highlight of the episode was undoubtedly the scene where they use the giant magnet on the police evidence room; an original and entertaining way to deal with a problem. Overall this was a fine introduction to the final season that reminded me just how good 'Breaking Bad' is. I can't wait to see how the rest of the series proceeds; the opening flash-forward opening certainly suggests we will get a spectacular finale.

It's a rare and wonderful privilege to be able to witness the progression of a show like Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad. Despite an entire four complete seasons under its belt, the show has yet to lose an ounce of its momentum–quite the impressive feat for a serialized drama, as they tend to peak pretty early on.

What's amazing about Breaking Bad, apart from its brilliant writing, superb acting, and (insert countless other praises here), is how carefully calculated it is. Every event, every character that has been presented to us thus far, has been so for a reason. And while we may not know every detail of where this show will eventually take us (isn't that the fun of it, though?), we have every confidence that Gilligan and company know exactly what it is they are doing, and not only that, but that they relish it–they're prepared to tease us every minute it takes to reach the finish line.

Take last night's episode. The show's fifth and final season premiered to a record 2.9 million anxious viewers with a beautiful tease: a now hairy, 52-year-old Walter White (Bryan Cranston), assuming a false identity, carefully rearranges his free Denny's bacon before exchanging an envelope of cash for a set of keys in the men's restroom. We follow him outside to the parking lot, watching first as he slips his waitress a $100 tip. We're still with him as he pops open the trunk of a New Hampshire vehicle, the camera briefly lingering on the plate, the state's motto "Live Free or Die" a wink at the episode's title (and perhaps a theme of the season?). Following him next across the parking lot to a new car, we watch as Walt opens a second trunk. We watch from the inside as he peers in, a not unfamiliar yet still entirely tension- filled shot. The camera then cuts to reveal a gun, a weapon Walt, for some reason or another, is entirely in need of, and before we're left to wonder for too long, the title sequence rolls. (I know, I know, I missed it too.)

While it's never again directly referenced in the remainder of the episode, the vague teaser never quite leaves us–not that we have much time to dwell on it; before the opening credits start, we're taken back to the present, picking up right where season four left off. Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) is dead, and Walt has finally won. But before he can revel in that, he must rid himself of any incriminating evidence. Traces of his homemade bomb (did anyone else notice the music?), his potted lily of the valley, all must be discarded, and in the second "inside the trunk shot" of the night, we watch as Walt rids himself of the objects before Skyler (Anna Gunn), Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte), and baby Holly arrive home.

For Walt, all seems temporarily well, save for Skyler, of course. Knowing her husband is responsible for the drug dealer's death, she officially admits something we may have suspected for some time now– she's afraid of him. And then to top it all off, Walt suddenly realizes he's failed to account for one crucial bit of evidence.

To read the rest of the review (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/breaking-bad-5-1-live-free-or-die/

Another great episode and wonderful start to what is sadly the final season. Walt's character is darker and more frightening than ever, while the return of Mike is a real delight. The scheme that the boys pull off here is truly hilarious and brilliantly written, making this like a mini heist film in itself.

Well at least he doesn't have to pay taxes anymore

Live free or die is the best title for this opening episode of the season. Cause that's the mentality of Walter white now. He is basically saying I won't run. Whether I get it right or wrong I will stay. Well, he got it right. He tried to destroy the evidence(pc) with such fashion I don't know how could they do it better. Cause they did it in a way that's impossible to trace no matter how much you try. Well in this episode we see glimpses of Walter white being completely badass to the point Skylar is afraid of him. And she is tough too, so don't get it wrong. We see his new self, when he told Mike I just know its done , no questions, or when he addressed Saul and told him "it will be over when I say it's over" anyway, good start for the season which looks like it will be great.

This episode is the perfect continuation of the storyline and a Fantastic start for a Thrill-packed Fifth season. After the astonishing ending of Season Four, I was really worried about the direction in which the story will be continued because the show's major antagonist, the Intimidating and Deadly "Gus Fring" is no more. No one could really replace Gus. But Hellboy I was wrong! This Season started in such a way that its tells us in a clear cut way that Walt is gonna take the place of Gus.

The Aftermath of Gus's death is very interesting. First, Skyler develops a sense of fear on Walt. Ironically, she also becomes the source of fear for Ted. Second, Walt, Jesse and Mike team up to destroy the evidence of Video Camera Feed, and the magnetic approach they took to finish their job is Fantastic! I especially liked the scene in which the cars of Mike and Walt clash in the open land, its spine chilling. The conversation between Skyler and Ted in the hospital is also worth mentioning. The writing is as Usual - Top Notch! and strong acting performances by Bryan, Anna Gunn, Aaron and especially Jonathan Banks. It looks like Jonathan is gonna get more screen space for this season. To sum up everything in one sentence for this episode - A Perfect start for any Breaking Bad Season till now !

Warning: Spoilers.

I spent most of the months following last season's finale wondering what the cold open would be, and I was definitely satisfied with the path that the writers chose to take. In the past, BB has defined itself through excellent writing, acting, story telling, and symbolism. So it was only appropriate that the first scene in the fifth season takes place over a year after the following events of the episode. Walt appears to be a man who has lost everything that he could care about while showing valid ID for a birthday meal and confirming to the viewers that Walter White is not Walter White anymore. Happy Birthday, Mr. Lambert. And not to mention, the contents of that trunk bring nothing but questions to the mind.

During the present, we start with Walt and Skyler conversing over the phone about Fring's death, and Skyler learning her husband's role in the event, a revelation which frightens her immensely. Meanwhile, Walt confirms his role in Brock's poisoning as he gets rid of his bomb making supplies, and the Lily of the Valley plant in his back yard. As his family arrives back home, Walt is receiving the cold shoulder from his dear wife. He asks if she plans to express relief that he survived, and she explains that she is relieved. And scared. Of him.

The scene with Hank exploring the now destroyed meth superlab, you can't help but feel like you're watching Captain Ahab looking around Moby Dick's stomach. Nevertheless, Hank continues to dig deeper, and discovers the camera. Walt and Jesse then track Mike down to convince him that he should help them as the videos incriminate them all. He reluctantly agrees, however it's been taken.

What follows is Walt's genius (And Jesse's amusing suggestion that sparked the idea) once again saving the day. He uses a large electromagnet to destroy the laptop's hard drive, and makes a getaway. Meanwhile Skyler discovers Ted in poor condition, a result of her attempt to pay the IRS through him to protect herself. He's afraid of her.

The conversation between Walt and Saul, where Mr. Goodman tries to explain that he gave Beneke the money because Skyler strongarmed him into it. He then uses the word "ethically" which causes Walt to call him out. As Saul reveals the stolen ricin cigarette and expresses his disappointment that a child ended up in the hospital over it, and tries to drop Walt as a client. Walt isn't willing to let him go that easily. "We're done when I say we're done."

At home again, Walt awkwardly consoles his wife, and forgives her for giving Beneke over a half million dollars. Skyler looks on in disgust.

The beginning of the end, the first episode of the last 16 starts out with a flash-forward to Walt's 52nd birthday. Many questions arise as we see Walt buy an M60 from the gun dealer(Same one who appeared in Thirty- Eight Snub last season).

After that, they immediately start where they left off. Walt, feeling like the king after his long victorious battle against Gus Fring, has to take care of the evidence left behind from the massive destruction.

The premiere sets up and informs us of many of the characters state of mind. Most notably, there is Walt, his ego continues to build now that he managed to defeat Gus, and because of the amazing character development, it doesn't feel strange at all when we see him act like he never has before in the show. It does however, feel scary as Skyler says.

Skyler, now aware of what her husband is truly capable of, is scared. She too has to deal with the aftermath of her own actions, as Ted has woken up from the coma. Ironically, Ted is scared of Skyler and tells her that he won't say a word about what's happened. Big props to Anna Gunn, who is truly showing off her acting chops in this episode.

Jesse is in the most stable state of any of the characters, now that Brock is alive and there's no immediate danger looming over his and his partners head. He still has to worry about the evidence left behind, but he trusts that Walt will be able to get them out of the situation, and he even vouches for Walt when Mike confronts them. If only he knew what Walt did to get them out of their previous situation.

The episode ends with Walt forgiving Skyler for her dealings(both business and personal) with Ted, however, I don't think he has forgiven Ted.

Great start to the season, when people said that no villain would ever top Gustavo Fring, all I say is take a look. You got your villain right here, and his name is Walter Hartwell White.

"Heisenberg"

7.5/10.

And in this episode we continue seeing everyone dealing with the aftermath of Gustavo's death.

Hank finds the camera for evidence. And Walt, Mike and Jesse get together to find a way to destroy it. The scene with Mike and Walt arguing about it and Jesse coming up with the magnet idea was pretty good.

This episode shows us also that Walt is transforming more into Gus. He seems to have a lot of self confidence and arrogance about himself. We can see both Jesse and Skylar noticing it about him. I am not sure yet if I will like him this way, I always liked his character before because he also had a heart. But I trust the show, it hasn't disappointed me for a single episode in the past 4 seasons so they may work it well

This was a good opening for season 5. I am still not convinced by the whole deal with Walter's personality changes, though considering that he took down Gus, the powerful, scary drug lord, it is more believable than some of the sudden personality changes that happened to him throughout the series so far, which I found pretty unbelievable.

There is a continuity issue that bothers me, which is Hank apparently being able to go up and down ladders now, which is highly doubtful considering how his condition was portrayed up to now. But this was always the issue with this series - events happening because of and in the way that the plot needs them to.

Mike is annoying and I still think that his character gets worse with every new episode. Regarding the continuity issues, they are present with him too, and his condition after being shot. One minute he is still recovering and weak, the next he is again the (completely unbelievable) senior citizen of steel.

A plus is an appearance by Old Joe in this episode.

Jesse kills me😂MAGNETS!

This was probably the best way to start off a final season. A look in to where the protagonist is (possibly in the present day?) at the very beginning of the episode, followed by a strange scheme to use magnets which was Jesse's idea for once and not Walter's.

The investigation in to Gus's business isn't over yet either, and it seems pretty evident by now that Hank will likely catch Walter one way or the other (I've not finished the show yet don't @ me if that's true).

Skyler admits she's afraid of Walter, and I am too at this point. If the season 4 finale didn't prove that he's too far gone, his dialogue with Saul and Skyler definitely does. Looks like he'll be the big bad this season, which was to be expected. The fact that we get to watch Walt act and not completely know what he's thinking is kind of jarring, but maybe that'll grow on me.

Overall, a solid start to the season. It isn't one of my favorite premieres, but I'm hooked once more!

Mike has to reconsider his rejection of Walt's proposal once Lydia tips her hand about Mike's imprisoned operatives. Lydia is Gus's sole remaining Madrigal operative and she is panicked by the possibility that one of Mike's guys could turn her in to the DEA.

Mike has tried to back her off, but once he finds out that she is going ahead with her bad idea of killing off all of Mike's guys, as well as Mike himself, Mike has to scare her off and use her to supply Mike with precursor for Walt's operation. That gives Mike the leverage he needs to make Walt agree to keep "the guys" paid and happy in prison.

Mike knows that Walt is untrustworthy due to his mental illness, but he needs money to keep his men paid, so he is back in the game, with Walt and Jesse as partners. He knows that Walt is going to blow up eventually, as he has always done.

The doomed partnership is in motion.

The first episode of Breaking Bad's 5th and final season starts off in an unfamiliar situation. It adds a mystery that I look forward to seeing.

The rest of the episode however I found was a little slow. It was 'oddly' paced. Each scene didn't seem to flow so well with the last. The most tense moment was one we saw in the trailer which was a bit of a let down. But all in all it was a good start to the season, the acting was superb like always. The drama was good. Skylar is reasonably hot again, lol. I would have liked to see a bit more of 'Jesse'however. He was in the episode but he never really had a moment which was a tad disappointing.

I rate it a 8.5/10

Without doubt this has to be the most watched episode of Breaking Bad throughout all the seasons, and it is with 2.9 million viewers. However, the episode was not as interesting as one would expect. The episode starts with a flash-forward of Walt with a new name and a new scruffy look, he has an M60 machine gun in the trunk of his car when suddenly we're back to the present. this reminds us of the first episode of Breaking Bad when Walt was half naked running away from the cops, however, they do not show us at the end of this episode what the M60 nor the alias are for, unlike the first episode of the series. The magnet in the van thing was pretty amazing and made me wanna try it one day when i'm rich, it also reminded me how clever Walt is and was in his previous episodes; creating new ideal ways to get whatever he desires easily and perfectly. The episode overall was very good but the end was not; he just hugs that bitch and forgives her? Come on it's the first episode after a year we need e better ending to the first one! Oh well, see you next week.