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rynnthefangirl · 3 months

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My Top 10 Favorite Breaking Bad Universe Episodes (+ explanations/analyses because I can't not gush about these shows dammit)

"Face Off" (BrBa, S4E13)- this episode had me on the edge of my seat like no other one in the entire BrBa universe. It's not my favorite in terms of themes or character development-- which are my usual priorities in a show-- but good god, it was an EXPERIENCE. And it held up SO GOOD on rewatch, even knowing how it ends the pacing and buildup is done so phenomenally that it almost feels like watching it for the first time. It's just epic. And that final scene... coming off the thrill of watching an evil villain like Gus Fring be defeated... relishing in Walt's victory and relief... then the camera slowly tracking inward to reveal the Lily of the Valley.... that sudden shift as you realize the guy you were just aggressively rooting for is a monster as well... Oh my god. Perfection.

"Ozymandias" (BrBa, S5E14)- do I even need to explain why I love this episode? It's often regarded as the best episode in this universe, and for good reason. It is Walter White's downfall, the epic culmination of 4 1/2 seasons of steady moral degradation, the consequences of Walter's greed and ego finally brought to horrific fruition. This is one of only two episodes in the BrBa universe to actually make me cry (the other being "Granite State", when Walt Jr. tells his father he should just go and die). Hank's death is abrupt and horrible. "I watched Jane die" makes ME want to go die. Walt's fight with Skyler is both devastating and somehow cathartic. The acting is some of the best I have seen in my entire life. It truly is the peak of Breaking Bad, and there will never be anything else quite like it (although my #3 comes close).

"Plan and Execution" (BCS, S6E7)- this episode is so effective, that I could barely even stand to rewatch it. And not just Howard's death, but everything building up to it. Watching Howard suffer and be humiliated, knowing all the while that this is his last day on Earth. That this is how he is spending his final hours. And the fact that the whole thing has the fun and whacky tone of the other McWexler scams makes me want to throw up. Watching an oblivious Jimmy and Kim dig both Howard's and their own graves with joy and gusto. The inevitability of it all too, how every little detail conspires to put Howard and Lalo in that room together. I never thought a cockroach scampering across a screen could make me want to scream, but here we are. It's honestly unbearable. And then of course the final scene is breathtakingly brilliant. Howard's amazing speech, the sudden tonal shift, the horror of his death. The candle. And this all barely even touches on what it means for Jimmy and Kim's characters, but this is getting long enough, so lets just leave it at P&E is their very own Ozymandias.

"Chicanery" (BCS, S3E5)- I love how perfectly rated Chicanery is in the fandom. I feel like an episode like this would be prone to being totally overshadowed by the more action-packed ones, and I'm so glad that it isn't. Because it is brilliant. To me, Chuck and Jimmy's relationship is the single most compelling dynamic in the BrBa universe. And this is their ultimate showdown, both giving their all to take the other down, Chuck with righteous glee and Jimmy with bitter reluctance. Chuck's final breakdown/monologue is incredible both in terms of writing and acting-- this is the moment we see Chuck McGill for who he really is. Years of bitterness, and jealousy, and frustration, and desperation, finally let loose. And while Jimmy won, it's not a triumphant victory. It's a somber one. Because like Kim said, all they did was tear down a mentally ill man. A man who needed help, beneath all the hatred and envy. Aghh. Chuck.

"Felina" (BrBa, S5E16)- I love the vibe of Felina. There's just this palpaple tiredness and resigned acceptance from Walter. He destroyed his family, they will never forgive him, he is going to die alone. He has realized his ego and selfishness, but it's too late. Everyone is just sitting in the ashes of the world they once knew. And yet, with that acceptance, there also comes a sense of peace. Nothing left to do but make things right in whatever way he still can. Finding a way to get his money to his family, admitting to Skyler that "I did it for me", seeing Holly and Jr. one last time, avenging Hank's death. Then there's Jesse and his resolution, "do it yourself", him crying and screaming and laughing as he drives away, a well earned freedom. The final shot of Walt is bittersweet in the best possible way. A conclusion worthy of the phenomenal series that came before it (rip GOT but BrBa is different).

"Waterworks" (BCS, S6E12)- where Saul Gone is the resolution of Jimmy's arc, Waterworks is the resolution of Kim's. And I think Kim's ending hits me harder, because while we always knew that Jimmy would break bad, Kim's corruption felt like such a betrayal. And it made it all the more sweeter when she redeems herself and begins to come back from that dark place she was in. The Florida scenes were utterly unnerving in how empty Kim was, but then it was so cathartic to see her finally let all that emotion out (and Rhea Seehorn absolutely KILLED IT, she was ROBBED at the Emmy's). Her scene with Jesse was beautiful too, and a perfect example of how to do fan-service in a meaningful way. Also, as a devoted Howard Hamlin stan, I loved seeing him haunt the narrative and watching Cheryl stand up for him again.

"Saul Gone" (BCS, S6E13)- another excellent and worthy conclusion to an amazing show! Jimmy is one of my favorite characters, and like with Kim, it was so beautiful to see him find himself again. I'm very fascinated by Jimmy's coping mechanisms for his grief & guilt, and this episode is where we see them finally be torn down. The whole confession scene is wonderful, A+ writing and acting. Particularly him finally saying out loud that his actions led to Chuck's suicide -- that knowledge has controlled Jimmy for the past three seasons, and him facing it at last is the final nail in the coffin for Saul Goodman. Saul is Gone, and Jimmy McGill remains. I love it.

"Lantern" (BCS S3E10)- this one killed me on rewatch. Watching Chuck completely unravel and destroy his home after he was finally on the road to recovery from his mental illness. Howard and Chuck's falling out, with Howard's pain in having to force Chuck out of HHM and Chuck's pain in losing the last good relationship that he still had in his life. "You've never mattered all that much to me."🫠💔 Chuck's suicide, and knowing how it will haunt the narrative, how it will lead to Howard's destruction in P&E and Jimmy's transformation into Saul Goodman. Daggers. The whole episode - Daggers.

"Fly" (BrBa S3E10)- I am so so glad this episode exists. It wasn't necessary towards the plot at all, but it's such a wonderful little character study. The first half is comedic gold, some of my favorite whacky Walt + Jesse banter. Then the slow shift to the more somber and pensive tone as the sleeping pills set in. Everything is just dripping with importance and symbolism. Especially "it's all contaminated" -- one of my favorite lines in the whole show. And Walt’s speech about the perfect moment for him to have died... I don't even know the word for what that evokes in me. "Beautiful" doesn't cut it. It's ethereal.

"Peekaboo" (BrBa S2E6)- if I wanted to show someone why I love Jesse Pinkman and could only pick one episode to do it, Peekaboo would be that episode. It so perfectly encapsulates his character. Jesse goes to a house to threaten and get money from two junkies, and spends the entire episode trying to look after their neglected child. His conscience and decency at constant odds with the necessity of appearing strong and dangerous. And this is reinforced by the episode's bookends - Jesse delights in a small bug before Skinny P comes along and squishes it, foreshadowing the horror of Spooge getting his head squashed. Jesse is a sensitive soul scrambling for control in a world of the blackest violence. I'm so glad it never was able to fully consume him.

Honorable mentions:

"Point and Shoot" (BCS S6E8) and "Fun and Games" (BCS S6E9)- I feel so bad leaving both of these out of the top 10, because they are such phenomenal episodes. But I feel like my favorite moments are scattered across them and "Plan and Execution", and it's really the triad of episodes that makes up one of my favorite arcs in either show. So as individual episodes they don't quite outrank the others I have, but in spirit they are definitely up there sharing the #3 spot with P&E.

"Better Call Saul" (BrBa S2E8) and "4 Days Out" (BrBa S2E9)- I have to give a shoutout to two of my favorite chaotic and hilarious Breaking Bad episodes. Walt and Jesse's dynamic is so perfect in 4 Days Out, and Saul absolutely killed his introduction to this universe (+ the additional heartbreak of rewatching knowing why he was so freaked out about Lalo).

#breaking bad #better call saul #face off #ozymandias #plan and execution #chicanery #felina #waterworks #saul gone #lantern #fly #peekaboo #walter white #jimmy mcgill #jesse pinkman #chuck mcgill #howard hamlin #kim wexler

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electric-sympathy · 3 years

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On the dishonest use of “but my interpretation” as a get out of jail free card and the normalization of outlandish shipper behavior...

Jensen has said "No" straight up to a “”””bi interpretation”””” multiple times, so don’t use that deflection bullshit with me. He has crossed out a fan’s “Dean winchester is bi” essay that she coerced him to sign, and told a fan to stop when she tried to force him to answer a question with the framing that Dean was already bi. He has said point blank that d*stiel is not real several times. Shut the fuck up, all of you, shippers or not and take your lumps like everyone else.

You're clearly working on some homophobic, misandrist stereotypes to "read this into" a man that has ALWAYS been played AND written as straight. If you see “the q*eer struggle” in Dean’s character arc it’s because you don’t understand what the gay struggle is, or are so hopelessly delusional that you can’t help your constant projection and need to stop trying to turn your mental health issues into meta to force on others. People are people, they have the power to define themselves. And fictional people are CRAFTED. Deliberately, by people, to represent specific things. If you read either of them wrong it’s because you’re WRONG. ACCEPT IT. You can’t reinterpret the sky as fucking turquoise because it’s “close enough” and you can’t reinterpret a deliberate creation as something else. It literally just does not matter what your justification is.

There are REAL lesbian or pan characters on this show that were thrown out like yesterday’s garbage, and TV shows with REAL LGBT characters and creators going for the last 15 years, even on the same network, but you just couldn’t make yourselves care about those. I wonder why?

I mean, we all know what original dipshit ship opened the door to making degeneracy acceptable in this fandom, established all the pedo dens and made this all possible, but might we wake up and meditate for a moment on how fucking insane the public, actor-facing behavior here is?

Like let me ask you pissants something: If I saw a gay man on TV and I tried to say “Oh I interpret him as bi” would that be okay? Like would you all pretend that just because I faux-softened it with the word “interpretation” it would be fine? All social justice and rep and blah blah blah aside-- would that be okay with you? If I spent my time scrutinizing every eye movement like some kind of freak so that I could come up with fake reasons his dalliances with men “don’t seem properly gay” and every slightest interaction with a woman looked totally super straighty to me, If I went to a bunch of normies that don’t watch his show and told them he was totes bi, and when that didn’t work I went to a charity where my contribution had to be accepted no matter what or disadvantaged people would miss out on help and told everyone he was totally bi, and I went up to the actor and said YOU’RE BI, and/or YOU’RE PLAYING A BI MAN WITHOUT KNOWING IT BUT I KNOW THE TRUTH, supposed he was cheating with women on the side, and when people yelled at me I said, “But there’s soooo much biphobia in the world you guys!!!” (which there is, which I would be trivializing) and spread rumors about this gay actor being a biphobe, would that be okay with you?

I mean, let’s break this down even further. Let’s say I was watching Better Call Saul. Say I spent all my fucking time saying, “You guys, Jimmy is SCHIZOPHRENIC! That’s why he can make up such crazy stories so easily, he hallucinates them!!! It’s even why he believes Chuck about his allergy! Bob Odenkirk gave me a really wishy washy answer that didn’t feel like a no to me about it when I met him because he was so confused why I would think this, so I can say it’s true as much as I want! MY interpretation is that Jimmy McGill is a schizophrenic ICON and I LOVE HIM.”

Imagine that I raised such a stink and it got so big that Odenkirk was forced to say, in public, at a con, with cameras on him, “No, Jimmy is not Schizophrenic.” But then I decide his words don’t matter to me anymore even though I used him to justify myself for years. Then it reaches the show, where Jimmy is diagnosed as mentally healthy. And still I ignore it and plug my ears. And then I ran around throwing a fucking fit saying that I’m mentally ill too so you have to accept this bullshit because I need this for my health... And then when THAT didn’t work, I turned my back and told everyone that BETTER CALL SAUL IS ALBEIST, and I screamed it so loud and so long it hit the news media...

I would be the fucking laughing stock, piece of shit, most obnoxious cunt in the fandom. No one would entertain me for a second. It would be obvious to everyone that I think this because I'm an ableist that’s weirdly obsessed with Schizophrenia because I don’t understand it at all. And if people in the BCS fandom made jokes about Schizophrenia to each other, it would be my fault.

But because you people either pretend to be social justice warriors to hide fetishism or are deeply delusional social justice warriors that prioritize selfcenteredness above all else, it’s seen as fine. The act of turning a sexual orientation into a bizarre laughingstock in the eyes of the entire rest of the website like we’ve seen in the past few months is just fine. It’s totally cool. As is the obscene levels of entitlement, the twisted scorn and thievery upon artists that your fandom wouldn’t even exist without, and everything else. Supernatural is a well-known cesspit because of YOU.

#anti destiel #destiew #spn wank

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