There is SO MUCH news today, and I have not much time to pour over it since my day is so compressed. So I’m mostly going to put it out there and let you people read as much / little as you like.
First off, the reviews. The usual suspects brought their “A” game today. Alan Sepinwall. Melissa Maerz. James Poniewozik.
Next, the interviews with Villigan. Alan Sepinwall. James Poniewozik. Todd Vanderwerff with the AV Club (which is just part one, btw). What strikes me most about all these interviews is the fact that Vince and company are basically “winging it”. They had season one strongly plotted, and season two, but starting in season three they just started going with it. That seems both exciting and terrifying. For example, the cousins were supposed to be the big baddies in season 3, and half way through, the writers realized they couldn’t carry the whole season, so they promoted Gus into that role. The other striking thing that hit me; not even the writers fully understand how Walt carried off the poison plot. I’m not sure how I personally feel about that.
I also liked and agreed with Vince’s sentiment that this could have served as the series finale if it had to. I think I would have been satisfied if Breaking Bad had ended at that moment. Walt becoming Heisenburg, his family scared to death / horrified, depending on how “aware” they were, and Walt as the master puppeteer.
The official stuff: Inside Breaking Bad video. The official podcast. If you’re like me and don’t have time to listen to the full cast, here are the highlights transcribed by a helpful redditor.
I wish I had more time to savor all the info, but alas, time waits for no podcaster.
Email us your thoughts about the show, any links or news we might have missed, or any original takes you want to get out of your system. Tonight, we cast! We’ll use as much feedback as we can by the time we start, which is usually about 7pm EST. See you tomorrow!