Breaking Bad - late to the party and struggling

Yea, I gave up by then and never went back. It's obviously very popular but didn't hook me. But in 2012 when I had Sky I gave up on Games of Thrones and last year watched all of them over a 2 month period.

Started off mediocre and went downhill from there.

Yes that's everybody's experience. Yes season 5 picks up and is worth it, never as good as the first couple of seasons though

Can't say I remember it tapering off. I enjoyed it all the way through. The characters and the story developed nicely imo.

Enjoyed it all the way through too. Are you bingeing it too hardcore?

Yeh.. gave up about season 4.. just couldn’t be arsed with the two main characters shouting at each other all the time.

I am in the same position- late to the party and at almost the exact point except Im 5 episodes ahead of you I.e just about to watch finale of S4

and just like you I almost gave up around the middle of this season. Way too much family white nonsense and not enough Mike and the cartel nutters.  All I can say is that episode 10 ,11 and 12 are a real return to form so I’m hoping the last episode will be too.

I gave up after 3rd episode of first series. Being the romantic that I am, I sat and watched the rest of series 1 with my partner. Gave up after that and she watched the rest of the boxset on her own. I got the last 10 minutes of the last episode and seemed to manage to recap the gaps that I didn't watch.
Save your time and watch something else...

I thought all of it was good, and much of it was outstanding. But if you're not feeling it, move on.

I finally got round to watching it last year. Seasons 1-3 were good, 4 and 5 I just wanted Walter to die, and soon, he is no Tony Soprano, got sick of him pretty quick.

Better Call Saul on the other hand, absolute class. Stick with BB to enjoy BCS.

Out of all those classic US series (The Wire, The Sopranos, The Americans, Mad Men etc), Breaking Bad was the one I never got into. Gave up in the first series.

Yes, season 4 is hard work but worth it in the end.

I’m hoping the last episode will be too.

Different league entirely.

Took me 3 attempts over a year+ to finally see it through to the end, Better Call Saul was a similar experience but I get bored with American tv series at the best of times as they really drag them out to a final conclusion.

I thought all of it was good, and much of it was outstanding. But if you’re not feeling it, move on.

This. Don't waste you time with it if you don't enjoy it.

Best thing I have ever watched. Rewatched it all 4 months ago after first seeing it many years ago and still loved it.

I wonder if there is any one that will have watched Better Call Saul first,I think it would enhance the BB experience if you had all that in the back of your head.After enjoying BCS so much,I was tempted to rewatch BB.

Yep, tried BB, but gave up after 3 episodes. Then watched Better call Saul and loved it…. Then went back to BB and watched it all - didn’t think it was anywhere near as good as Better call Saul, but watching that first gives the characters and story a whole
New depth.

Is it possible to watch Better Call Saul without having watched Breaking Bad (or vice versa) - or do you need both for either to make sense?

I think you need BB for the full effect of BCS.

Me and my partner think same as 2orangey4crows, Better Call Saul os better. My partner finds it one of the best Netflix shows. Love the cinematography, the slow storytelling is refreshing for an American show. I would give BCS a go. And don't watch something you aren't into.

I think BCS is so well done,it's easily good enough to watch as a stand alone without going anywhere near BB.

didn’t think it was anywhere near as good as Better call Saul, but watching that first gives the characters and story a whole New depth.

^^Yup,I kept wanting to go back to certain classic episodes of BB with my new BCS info 😃

Never got past the first series, just didn’t like any of the characters.

Watched first couple of seasons and gave up - it felt like the humour disappeared & spiralled into an overhyped soap.

Yep I watched BCS first and that’s the only reason I embarked on BB.

BCS is definitely my favourite of the two and though it gives some spoilers it does make BB a more involved watch.

I think the problem as several have already stated is that in BCS you are ready rooting for the 2 central characters as well as some of the peripheral ones (Natcho Varga for instance) and in BB you are really rooting for the bad guys because the central 2 characters are both idiots…still some great scenes though.

First time I watched BB I gave during the fifth season. Watched it again recently with my partner and watched the entire thing this time, definitely felt like a grind at times. BCS went on too long as well for me. I'm of the opinion that only comedies should go on for longer than 2 or 3 seasons.

Seems like we aren’t totally alone then.

The ‘if you don’t enjoy it stop watching it’ argument is perfectly reasonable, but having invested enough time now to have learned a second language, I kind of feel compelled to see it through. The only caveat (hence the reason for the post) is that it gets better from here on. If it is just a dull and slow, I’ll give up now. If it is just a lull and gets better I will continue.

I am not a big fan of US TV, hence being so late to this party. BB has reminded me exactly why so we probably won’t be repeating the experience on The Sopranos, GOT etc etc etc.

The season where his bro in law was injured was boring, other than that we really enjoyed it.

We did give up on the Sopranos after 5 1/2 seasons, got sick of Tony making the same mistakes, over and over.

Lifes too short, if its not for you, move on.

I still think The Wire is the best series I've ever watched.Although Heist was great too.

Is it possible to watch Better Call Saul without having watched Breaking Bad (or vice versa)

I think so - there are characters that familiar to both series - but all thats happening if you've watched BB first is you know that a given person is going to be more important to Saul than he realises at the moment he meets them - so theres an aspect of anticipation when certain familiar faces first appear. But the whole point is the series for the most part precedes BB so theres nothing you need to know to follow it.

I thought most of it was good, some of it was very good, but overall it's not as great as it's reputation.

If it's the same season where I lost interest, it really picks up with the tortoise scene.

It's probably the best TV show I've ever seen.
Season 5 and 6 were excellent and really build on Jessie's character.

I thought it was a good show, not as good as The Sopranos or The Wire, but still pretty good.

One thing that a lot of fans of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad missed completely was that Tony Soprano and Walter White were anti-heroes. They were utter ****s who deserved to meet horrible fates. Carmela Soprano was probably even worse, she knew what Tony was but wanted the money and house too much to kick him out. A lot of BB fans hated on Skyler for being a nag, etc., completely missing the point that her flaws were just normal human flaws, it was Walt who was the murderous psycho.

At the start of BB, the audience felt sorry for Walt, but by the end he was just loathsome. I thought that was what made the show great - seeing him show his true nature bit by bit. Jesse started out as a joke character but redeemed himself - he was really just a messed up kid who got out of his depth. The plot of BB was preposterously implausible, but the cast were fantastic. Even the slow episodes were just fantastic to watch just for the little details. Jesse coming for dinner was always one of my favorite scenes.

It is what it is: one of the best black comedies ever to be filmed.

Great television.

I have watched from start to finish 4 times.

I first watched it back in about 2010 on the FX channel, it started as a black comedy but went a bit more serious as it went on.

Walter changes over time, every time he murders someone he gets a bit darker.

My Mrs hates it and can't understand why I enjoy so much. Each to their own.

I thought it was brilliant. I loved it despite having no interest in (what is superficially) the subject matter.

But if you're "struggling" then just sack it off, it's not like we're short of choices for quality viewing.

I thought the first series was pretty ropey, early episodes certainly, couldn't see what people were going on about. Got better as it went along after that. BCS was far better.

started watching it for the first time a few months ago, currently on series 5, probably about halfway through. I think it's been great, thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

I loved it, although I’ll admit it is fairly slow in places. If I remember correctly season 4 has a great ending, so worth seeing it out to the end perhaps.

Not sure I could watch it again though due to finding Walters wife one of the most irritating people on tv!

finding Walters wife one of the most irritating people on tv!

She was supposed to be! Her sister was even worse. But they were just normal people. Walt was a monster.

I gave up near the start of S2. Wasn't for me.

I thought that was what made the show great – seeing him show his true nature bit by bit.

The prospect of this was what attracted me to the show. But I didn't feel that it achieved it. Walter commits his first murder in Season 1, Episode 1, and it steps up from there! I just couldn't buy into the idea that he starts the show as a mild mannered school teacher.

Walter commits his first murder in Season 1, Episode 1

Yes, but reluctantly. It was basically self defense, the guy he killed was trying to kill him.

I just couldn’t buy into the idea that he starts the show as a mild mannered school teacher.

It was written to portray him as that, but he was a total asshole lurking under the surface. There was an early scene where some kids were mocking Walt Jr. is a shop and Walt Sr. gave them a beat down. Seemed like a frustrated dad lashing out in a way you can understand at the time, but not in hindsight. Later on they got into his backstory as the genius behind the billionaire friends (Gretchen and Elliot?) and you realize that he's a self-destructive asshole. To me, the genius of the show was that there were clues to his evilness right from the start, but he hid it under the persona of the mild mannered school teacher. Once he realized he was facing death, his real personality emerged. Bryan Cranston did a fantastic job showing the contradictions of the character, switching from pathetic loser to scheming evil genius effortlessly.

I loved it. Watched it all twice.

Once he realized he was facing death, his real personality emerged.

the settling for the morality of family life will do that I guess

One thing that a lot of fans of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad missed completely was that Tony Soprano and Walter White were anti-heroes. They were utter ****s who deserved to meet horrible fates. Carmela Soprano was probably even worse, she knew what Tony was but wanted the money and house too much to kick him out. A lot of BB fans hated on Skyler for being a nag, etc., completely missing the point that her flaws were just normal human flaws, it was Walt who was the murderous psycho.

I don't think many fans missed this completely at all. Hardly any to be honest as it's completely bloody obvious. Are you just reading this out verbatim from one of the thousands of YouTube videos that keep regurgitating these tropes..?

😉

At the start of BB, the audience felt sorry for Walt, but by the end he was just loathsome. I thought that was what made the show great – seeing him show his true nature bit by bit. Jesse started out as a joke character but redeemed himself – he was really just a messed up kid who got out of his depth. The plot of BB was preposterously implausible, but the cast were fantastic. Even the slow episodes were just fantastic to watch just for the little details. Jesse coming for dinner was always one of my favorite scenes.

Absolutely! Love the way walt just turns into a monster 🙂 And so sad how poor Jesse gets destroyed by it all.

Are you just reading this out verbatim from one of the thousands of YouTube videos that keep regurgitating these tropes..?

The hate mail that Anna Gunn got for playing Skyler was a bit of a clue that there are a lot of people out there who can't tell reality from TV. Same for Lena Heady in Game of Thrones.

I thought all of it was good, and much of it was outstanding. But if you’re not feeling it, move on.

Sound advice for anybody watching anything. Even if it's objectively good and everybody else seems to love it not everything is for everybody, don't waste time hanging round hating it.
I thought it was ok bordering on meh so it clearly just wasn't for me. I moved on, we're still friends.

A few weeks ago I finished rewatching the entire seasons but with my son who is now old enough...I still loved it ...and so did my 16 year old son...
Then we finished last week the entire seasons of Better call Saul...and that too was awesome for both of us...on the flip side my mate loved BB but couldn't get in to BCS.

If you ever wanted to watch something again ....watch it with your grown up kids...really enhances it...
Now we have started Peaky Blinders

hated on Skyler

How do you hate ON someone? 🤷‍♂️

gave them a beat down

Same as giving them a beating?

I know we are talking about an American show, but do we need to talk like we are in one? 😉

Loved BB. I got sucked into the vortex after the first episode, then binge watched it until it spat me out after the very last. Possibly the best TV I've ever watched.

I know we are talking about an American show, but do we need to talk like we are in one?

We're on the internet. It's owned by Americans. If you're visiting someone else's house, the polite thing is to follow their rules.

Now we have started Peaky Blinders

I watched that a few months ago and loved it. Another late to the party and well worth it but my wife gave up after season 2 as she was somehow bored by it and we ten to like the same sorts of things.

Marie just said Hank was 43 and I nearly fell off the turbo 😂

I feel like I've found a secret organisation - people who know that BB is actually not that good. For years people have been telling me it's up there with The Wire and the Sopranos as one of the best TV shows ever, and I wondered whether I'm wrong or they're all wrong.

S1 and S2 weren't bad, although I didn't find them as utterly gripping as (say) the Wire or the Shield. But it just went downhill, each season just a repeat of Walter saying "I won't cook meth, I won't cook meth, I won't coo.... Oh go on then, I'm Heisenberg". I honestly had to mute it every time Skyler came on screen for a couple of seasons, as her character was just so badly written as cliched nagging wife.

Thing is, you watch something like the various iterations of Narcos, or Bosch, and you realise that genuinely good TV is still possible, it's just that Breaking Bad isn't it.

Series 4 is like watching paint dry.

I basically drifted away from it around S4, they seemed stuck in the doldrums creatively and I'm surprised more people didn't pick up on it.

Came back and finished it eventually and it does pick up in the final series.

As others have probably said, BCS is a better show and consistently good. Probably worth persevering with BB and then get into the good stuff.

if you watch too many episodes in a row you get sucked down with the characters into the darkness

BCS you know that saul is a good guy who makes poor choices and gets carried away.

erm, ok, nothing prepared me for the last episode, it went off, and not in the expected way, cap doffed

Breaking Bad is brilliant

Better Call Saul is just so much better!

I’m actually jealous of you that you get to watch it all from scratch in one go. It’s just so good!

A spin off that I guarantee will be nothing like what you’d expect if you go off his character in Breaking Bad. The writing is utter genius!

I’m going to predict that by the end of the first series you’re (like everyone else) more than a little bit in love with Kim.

Better Call Saul is sublime. Just loved every second of it - it fleshed out all the characters I wanted to know about, and added some utterly genius new additions. I'm also very envious of anyone who's about to watch it.

through 2/3 episodes of better call saul, had to jump back, wasn't aware of el camino, so will resume tomorrow, it's my z2 turbo watch

Watched it years ago, had to read up on series four. Makes me want to watch the whole thing again. There were episodes over all series where I sat at the end staring in to space, processing what had happened. Very few TV shows had that effect on me over the years.

Overrated imho. Gave up after about season 3 because it was just too depressing and predictable.

BCS you know that saul is a good guy who makes poor choices

Hmm, I think that's how he views himself and how others view him, but I think the show is making it pretty clear that he's not.

But then most of the characters are conflicted in all sorts of realistic ways. Even Kim who, at the point to which I have watched (S5E2), does things that show she just wants to **** shit up but within the bounds of her own moral framework, which is having its elasticity tested.

No spoilers please 🙂

I loved BB. I loved BCS. You can tell that the writers/production have got more experienced and as a result BSC is more mature and sublime as mentioned.

Want to re-watch breaking bad but not sure it will stack up after BCS.

Hmm, I think that’s how he views himself and how others view him, but I think the show is making it pretty clear that he’s not.

I'm pretty sure they've deliberately made him ambivalent - showing both sides of him and leaving the viewer to decide.

Maybe it's useful to think of BCS as essentially being an exploration of good and evil through amazing characters like Mike, Kim, Jimmy and Gus?

I’m pretty sure they’ve deliberately made him ambivalent

I don't think that's the word you meant. 😁 But I think that's what made the serieseses for me. Many characters are neither the good guy nor the bad guy but somewhere along the 50 shades of morally grey and it's as much a story of their journeys as it is the title characters. Massive spoiler which should only be read by those who've watched it all:

Take Mike, he is by any sensible measure a horrible ruthless bastard. In any other show he'd be the villain. But he is as close to a hero in the shows as pretty much anyone really gets, you can't help but smile every time Jonathan Banks is on screen. "Mike's here so we know it's all going to be OK because he'll... **** everyone else up?"

BB did this well, and BCS dials it up to 11.

I rewarded BB last year, not intentionally to coincide with the end of BCS. Things got a bit mixed up in my head, but really enjoyed BB again.

We did give up on the Sopranos after 5 1/2 seasons, got sick of Tony making the same mistakes, over and over.

Finally started watching this (bed ridden with COVID forced my hand). Good to know I maybe don't need to watch all 72hrs worth.

This popped into my feed. A more TV friendly theme tune for Breaking Bad:

Finally finished!   Watched the last three in a row last night.

Pretty good to be fair - probably would have been blown away had I watched it when it came out rather than several years later after a raft of hype and all 6 series of BCS

BCS was definitely better - much more accomplished on all levels but specifically cinematography and character depth. All the female parts in BB were sub par with only Skyler finally getting some good lines in the last few episodes. Marie was a totally wasted character - didn't go anywhere. Contrast those two parts with Kim Wexler.

Still not sure which way round is best to watch them - I reckon BCS till the last three episodes then BB then the rest of Saul!

Still glad I stuck with it and some of the scenes (no spoilers) were very powerful.

8/10

Marie was a totally wasted character

I disagree. At first, I found Marie (and Hank) extremely dislikeable. They were extremely flawed characters and Walt seemed like a guy who needed a break. As it went on, Walt's true persona became clear and you could see what a monster he was. Marie and Hank had human flaws, but they weren't monsters and they kept their integrity.

Plus, not everyone has to be or even can be a rockstar. She had to be there as the family tie with Hank, without Marie there would have been no reason for Walt to be hanging out as calm as you like drinking beers at the DEA's barbecue. Beyond that what else was there to do with her?

Well they did kind of have a go with the kleptomania but that totally fizzled out.

I just think that with Mike, Walt, Hank, Gus, Saul plus god knows how many Don's being all alpha it would have been more interesting to have a female foil with a better written part. I think Lydia was the best stab and after that it was Saul's PA!

Anyway - Saul'good as they say

Hmmmmm so El Camino? or is it not worth it and I should go out on the high of S5?

I’ll answer my own question

just watched El Camino. Literally note perfect coda to the whole palava

Yes it was a double BB episode not a film but it worked so well.

Late to the party but glad I came

probably would have been blown away had I watched it when it came out rather than several years later after a raft of hype

I think this is a key observation. These shows worked well when originally broadcast, once a week when you could chat with your mates and people at work about last night’s episode, and had six months between series to build anticipation.

When you binge watch them back to back, flaws in storytelling, acting, and production become a lot more obvious. And when they’re darker shows, it can be overwhelming too.