The Day Breaking Bad Was Born
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
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Exploring the origins of Breaking Bad, and the elements that made it great, until we find the first perfect episode.
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What should I explore next in my Day __ Was Born series? Let me know!
How about King of the Hill?
Why not keep the AMC thing going and do Mad Men
Small Wonder
The Day 'Better Call Saul' Was Born: Episode 201 "Switch"
Star Trek: TNG has a notoriously shaky start then goes on to become the most beloved series in the whole franchise, your take on that would be fascinating.
Great video! However, You didn't mention what one of the most important parts of the early season - when Gretchen and Elliot offer to pay for all Walt's bills because they owe so much of their wealth to him. If Walt had been able to swallow his pride and take the money, he would have had his family AND cancer treatment. Instead he makes the choice to continue to become a gangster. He is not forced to by circumstance - he chooses to out of pride.
You’re 100% right. This is the decision that makes it the show it is. He doesn’t NEED to do any of this. He had a way out, right there in the first season. But he refused because of his pride
Agreed 💯 and he finally admits it to Skyler in “Felina”
His family also insisted he get the best treatment possible and went with a doctor out of his insurance network, which is what made it expensive.
I do respect the writers for going the extra mile with his health situation instead of just clinging onto low-hanging fruit.
Yeah way too many people are like “oh wow commentary on how expensive America is” when Walt choose not to take money from multiple people. It was about pride and just that
@@poogmaster1 he wouldn't need to make the choice between his pride/dignity and his health if he lived in a country with better Healthcare. It is a commentary on both.
Vince Gilligan actually said something about Grey Matter being the episode that was a turning point, at that the decision Walt makes to turn down the money (that 99% of people would take) is what informs his character and propels the show forward
The show was "born" for me when Walter tried befriending Crazy 8, before killing him. That introduced what I love about BB/BCS the most. The way the show lets a person's motivations and characters' relationships really simmer, and build piece by piece in small detailed conversations, before getting to the pivotal scenes. It adds weight to those pivotal scenes. Walt trying to get to know Crazy 8 and convince himself not to kill him felt like it would in real life, with a real conversation that had a really dark elephant in the room avoided until the last minute. It made the missing shard and the strangling 100x more impactful than it would have been if we had just gone right to that.
couldn’t agree more, honestly one of my favourite scenes of the entire series
I agree. Still one of my favourite episodes out of any show
Well said.
I love that scene where Walt looks into the camera and says "It's time to Break Bad" I got chills
Hee hee
What about when Saul said "It's Saulin time!"
I prefer the movie when Jesse looks up as the camera pans to him putting on his sunglasses like David Caruso and he says those 2 immortal words:
"El Camino 😎"
Jesse actually says something similar to Walt in the first season. He says, "You're like, what, 60? And you're just gonna break bad?"
When Walt said: “We are the Breaking Bad” I felt that
"Jesse, it's time-"
"For whaat?"
"...to break...bad."
“…before you make good, you have to Break Bad.”
I couldn't believe when he stood up and said his catchphrase "It's breakin' time" for the first time. Such a powerful cinematic moment.
I really liked when he told the guy to say his name. And he said "Breaking Bad"
Hey, it’s better call Saul!
Breaking Bad in its true form wasn't really born until after the first season because of several reasons imo: 1) first season was written with the intent to kill Jesse at the end, but he was spared by the 2007-8 writers strike. Meant that they weren't writing it where the central anchor was Walt and Jesse's horrible relationship. 2) Science was essentially magic in season 1. A lot of the things Walt does are impossible like when he blows up Tuco's base with an exploding rock, This prompted a chemistry professor to write Vince Gilligan with calculations of how much rocks Walt would need to do that explosion. She was hired as a consultant for this and after that Walt doesn't do scientifically impossible chemistry magic to get out of sticky situations anymore, which was intended to be a much more central gimmick originally.
That actually helps to know and makes sense in hindsight
As for BCS, I think that might be a little harder. I have loved BCS since the start, but it is a slower, more deliberately paced series most of the time, with generally lower stakes. I think it's first outstanding episode was Five-O, which delved into Mike's story, but it is too atypical of the series for that same reason. Chicanery also stands out, but that is the culmination of a long story arc. I would probably go with Pimento. The main reason is this is the episode in which Jimmy and the audience discover Chuck, not Howard, was behind him being blackballed at HHM. At the time it felt like the episode that revealed what this show was really about, and that conflict with Chuck would drive the series through the end of season 3, and its ramifications echo to the end. Moreover, we get Mike's first real contact with the underworld as he accepts the job to protect Danny Squat Cobber from Nacho, and it is the first time we see Kim take a stand in support of Jimmy. Mike's take down of Steven Ogg doesn't hurt either.
Yeah you're totally right. This is going to be a lot harder of a show to dissect because of the chapters it goes through.
This is a great, thoughtful take! Definitely have to think on it when I start my rewatch
You mean trevor Phillips
I think you're defo right that its hard to pinpoint a particular episode where BCS was born. When i first watched the first season up until five-0 i was quite worried that the lower stakes of the show compared to its predecessor would ruin any potential but that episode showed me the emotional and psychological depths that could still be explored for mike and that this wouild occur over the show for jimmy too. pimento is also a very good pick.
Chicanery is the best episode
For me, '...And the Bags in the River' was where I knew the show was going to be something special, something artful.
The Pilot and second episode had already been a fun ride, but the way the third episode touched upon an almost philosophical question ('what makes a human?') and showed the struggle to actually take another human life was quite deep and profound.
After Walt kills Krazy 8, he's then sitting in his car and watches life go by on the motorway as the flashbacks to him and Gretchen play. It's masterful- Walt's decision to take the life of another human being has forever changed and deeply impacted him, so much so that he actually steps away from the drug trade for two episodes.
This is one of my most anticipated videos of yours! So happy you're finally tackling this legendary show :)
Also I'm super happy you picked Crazy Handful of Nothin'. I think many people collectively agree that is the birth of legendary Breaking Bad. My prediction for Better Call Saul: While Mijo was a great Saul centric episode and Five-O solidified Mike's story would be amazing in the show, I believe Pimento is the birth of Better Call Saul. Mike's storyline with the shlubby pharmacist was a great showcase of Mike's grandfatherly badass nature. Jimmy is betrayed by his brother and their rivalry (which is the entire basis of the first half of the show) officially begins. That to me is the episode that proved this seemingly pointless spin-off show would be special and live up to the name of Breaking Bad.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Please do a Chris ranks on breaking bad 🙏❤️
I couldn't agree more. Any of the first 5 episodes could've been selected, but it's not until the iconic look is presented and how ruthless Walter was when going to Tuco's office that you learn this man has no line he isn't willing to cross.
This was the same episode that I realised I really liked this show. The way Walt used his knowledge of chemistry to outsmart Tuco was absolutely perfect for me. That's when I knew I was gonna stick with the show from then on.
I completely agree with this choice. For me, it's the cathartic victory cry full of spit in the car that makes this one of my favorites. The perennial loser acts the stoic hero, and we see behind the curtain just how sweet that victory is. It's the first time I thought 'man, how could they beat THAT episode?'
Watching Tuco losing it over thinking gonzo was snitchin was intense.
Better Call Saul is gonna be an interesting one, because I feel the show has 4 distinct phases which are all very different from each other:
1: s1e1-s3e10 The Chuck era
2: s4e1-s5e3 Jimmys internal journey to 'Proto-Saul'
3: s5e4-s6e9 Proto-Saul and the Cartel
4: s6e10-s6e13 Saul Goodman and Gene Takavic era
anyway I feel that for contenters of the Day Better Call Saul was born could potentially be
s1e4 Hero
s1e6 Five-O
11e9 Pimento
s2e1 Switch
just my two cents though...
Love these recommendations. Yeah, BCS is going to be much harder because it's tied to BB and because it has different phases like you mentioned.
Mostly agree. I would break most of season 1 off from the Chuck era as it isn't until Pimento that it is revealed he is the series antagonist. Otherwise it would be a minor quibble about exactly which episode is the break between each chapter.
As for which episode, I chose Pimento. Five-O is great, but too Mike centered. Hero is fine, but the Kettlemen era feels like such a prologue. Pimento reveals Chuck as the antagonist, Mike meets Nacho which opens the door to the cartel war, and we see Kim take her first "protective mom" moment when she defends Jimmy against Howard. I can't go for Switch because it is obviously after Pimento. ;-)
For me I would have to pick Pimento because this is where you find out Chuck's true motives. While Five-O is an arguably equally as excellent episode, getting to see Jimmy figure out how Chuck has been betraying him for a decade is insanely powerful. I have always argued that Chuck created a self fulfilling prophecy by keeping Jimmy out of HHM. Sure Jimmy would have been a colorful lawyer, but I feel like if HHM hired him, he would have been the excellent lawyer we see in season 2 of the show. Maybe skirting the lines on what can legally be done, but a great lawyer none the less.
@@Parkproductions1991 I agree with you.
I just threw out some potential candidates, but I'm pretty sure the pick would have to be either Pimento or Switch.
@@Parkproductions1991 That's the thing that nags at me. There are unanswered questions about Jimmy that I can't resolve.
1) Jimmy claims his father was ripped off by conmen, but Chuck says Jimmy robbed his dad blind and putting him in an early grave. I generally found Chuck to be honest - his obsession with following the rules was borderline pathological - but it doesn't mean he couldn't be wrong. Conversely, we know Jimmy will dodge responsibility, especially when death is concerned, so I can't trust him either.
2) Chuck said at the end that he never really cared about Jimmy, but is that true? For most of the series it doesn't seem like it. It doesn't look that way in the childhood flashbacks, and it is rare for a person you don't care about to get under your skin so much.
3) What exactly was Chuck's experienc e with Jimmy. I know people who have written off family the way Chuck did after years of lies and abuse. Was his refusal to let Jimmy work at HHM just jealousy, or well founded?
4) And the one we know will never be answered: Could Jimmy have played by the rules the rest of his life and built a successful career? He failed at it at S&C, but he was rebelling against Chuck and landed at an office that was super uptight about the rules (most law firms are).
You know a show is consistently good when Elk makes a video about when it was born before a video about when it died.
Your take on The Day Breaking Bad Was Born hits all the right note.
Hell yes!
I both agree and disagree with this video. I didn’t like the pilot and I stopped watching it after. Years later a friend convinced me to try it again and when I got to episode 6 I fell in love with the show and binged it all and then watched the final season while it aired. Breaking Bad is the reason I have the three episode rule, when I try out a new show I give it three tries before I bail.
The three episode rule is vital. I also use the friend rule, where if 3-4 friends recommend the same show, I'll check it out.
Seen Fringe?
@@mo_musashi_284 Yeah! One of my favorite shows!
To play devil's advocate for people that want a "Day Breaking Bad Died" episode I distinctly remember there was a short period of time people thought the finale of Breaking Bad was a disapointment. I personally thought it was fine but there were people who were legitimately outraged. In a weird way I think as time went on and other series failed to end decently from Dexter, Game of Thrones to even stuff like How I Met Your Mother I think it really helped make people appreciate BB's simple but sensible and satisfying ending.
Hell I think Ozark might end up being this too. People are flabergasted and greatly upset about how the villains never got redemption nor punishment but that's sorta the whole point. If BB is about how karma eventually gets everyone Ozark was about how in reality the bad guys usually get away with it, and that miffed people.
The only thing I would fault the finale for is not being as good as season 4's finale. However, we got Ozymandias two episodes earlier which was even better.
I personally found the finale pretty disappointing, but not terrible. It had several contrived moments. Jack going to get Jesse to prove to Walt that he wasn’t lying was pretty ridiculous IMO. Still not a bad episode by any means.
Walt won in my opinion. He was going to die of cancer and lose his family regardless. He ensured they wouldn’t ever suffer financially again.
@@josephgreene9789 That was a total egotistical and power playing thing characteristic of Uncle Jack though, in my humble opinion.
No question about it “Crazy handful of nothin’” is CLEARLY the day Breaking Bad was born. Given how perceptive you are and, and how wonderful your video essays are, I would have been deeply shocked if you had not gone with this ep as the “Born” turning point. I’ve gone back and rewatched this episode several times in ADDITION to my usual rewatches of the entire series, it’s that good!
Great video! I think the day Breaking Bad was born for me was on the episode 'Peekaboo' I think in season 2. The one where Jesse is trying to get their money back from the meth addicts who robbed them, and he spends the episode in their home with them and their kid. That episode was the first time the show felt unexplainably real to me. Jesse' really blossomed as a character from there, and while the head being crushed by an ATM wasn't the most spectacular or gorey moment of the show, it was such an intimate and disgusting tragedy.
Totally agree with you. Once I saw Walt retrieve the plate out of the garbage I was hooked.
I really can't wait to see the next episode on Better Call Saul, which will coincide with the airing of the finale, so that's rad.
Crazy life stuff happened and I never got around to watching it, or that much tv in general. Things finally got better for me a few months ago and I’m finally going to start binging Better Call Saul. I’m pretty excited!
this was the moment when Saul Goodman became Walter White
honestly all of the first season episodes could be argued as the day the show was born. all of them are so good
I finished binging this yesterday and I watched the El Camino movie today.
Breaking Bad truly is a masterpiece. I'm so glad to have finally watch it after all these years 😭
I wish I could forget it and watch it for the first time again
I'm glad you brought up episode 3. The ending got me completely hooked.
The Howard Dean Yell in the background is the exact moment the show became Breaking Bad.
I think that Bryan Cranston had the prototype for Walter Whyte in Hal from Malcolm In The Middle. There are moments where Hal loses control and you see Walter Whyte/Heisenberg in embryonic form.
Breaking Bad is my all time favorite show and this was the best analysis ever given for it!!!
Great work as always. Gonna have to look for more Western nods on my next BB rewatch.
Thanks! Yeah tons of western influenced shots
Interesting hypothesis.
I happen to agree with you. I always looked at CHFON as being the episode where BB "hit it's stride", but the birth metaphor works as well. Especially since Walt's grunts after returning to the car sound like a mother-to-be pushing during labor.
I love that moment when Walt says “it’s time to break bad” and the avengers assemble
For me the best better call Saul episode is when he has the suits and gets fired from Davis and Maine
Best show of all time in my book. Awesome. No show has had me waiting all week for a new episode like breaking bad , since that 70's show .
Crazy Handful of Nothin' is the right answer. This was the episode that hooked me. After that cold open I immediately knew something had changed for the better.
“I like Stylized westerns mixed with other genres to make something unique.” Cowboy Bebop anybody?
5:00 what is that song? It sounds awfully relaxing given the background footage, such a stark contrast being drawn between the audio and visuals, I can appreciate it
All the songs in this video are from White Bat Audio. He's fantastic. Check him out on RUclips.
I think you nailed it as to the true beginning.
I chanced upon "Breaking Bad" while I recovered from being injured. I got to binge and rewatch. Gilligan and his crew really nailed it, they are among the finest storytellers.
I love how in the Heisenberg compilation you showed him throwing the pizza on the roof, truly him at his most terrifying
Yeah you're spot on. This is the episode that truly hooked me into the series.
Glad to know I'm not alone in loving episode 6!!!
*Walt went from awake, to alive.*
That is exactly the episode that got me hooked. Before that, it was interesting, but somehow failing to reach me. Now I've come to appreciate the show from the very beginning
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul (which just wrapped up) are the Master Class of Television Storytelling.
It's always exciting to see a fresh take on what makes a great show great. Thanks!
Yeah - I absolutely loved the Pilot and, well, all of the first season really.
Crazy Handful of Nothin' was the episode that made me realise that this wasn't just a great show that I was fully on-board with - it was actually something quite special.
The guy who gets his car squeegeed into exploding is the same guy Kim and Jimmy rip off with the expensive tequila in Better Call Saul.
Plot twist - Walter White is really an alien. Mulder and Scully are hot on his trail, but he somehow stays one step ahead of them. The blue was really a mind control drug, so he can create a drone army for when the mothership arrives.
Despite him becoming a villain I can only hope I can be as badass as Walt
Thanks to videos like this, I get to learn so much about this notorious and Hugely admired show-- that I didn't watch and probably never will. But a character like Walt is Fascinating, and Jesse is tragic. Learning about the inner workings and interpersonal dynamics of such character is totally worth the time spent.
I hope the Algorithm remembers to notice and promote Entertain the Elk. 😌
Love the idea for this. Focusing on the episode that each series became great is such a cool concept
Nice touch to post this when the Day Better Call Saul will end this whole Universe is in less than a week
This was truly the day when walter white became the day breaking bad was born
A really long way of saying “this is the moment that Walter white became Heisenberg”
i think the better call saul episode
maybe because we watching the final of saul now
What order would you watch Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and the film?
First video I’ve found of the channel, really well thought out and reasoned
Great video. I have to agree, but here's another question and I'm curious what yourself and others think - when did Walt truly become a villain? Or as the meme would put it, when did Walter White become Heisenberg?
My own opinion is when he let Jesse's girlfriend choke to death. Up until that point, Walt made choices, albeit bad ones, because he felt trapped or desperate. He killed people when he needed to protect himself, he decided to actually cook meth to pay for his medical bills and/or leave something behind for his family.
But the upside to letting Jesse's girlfriend die? To make things easier in terms of making Jesse work with him and cook meth. She was a distraction in Jesse's life, but she wasn't a threat herself to Walt. In fact if you watch that scene, you can see Walt almost going back and forth in his head on deciding whether or not to save her. It's almost like a battle in his mind between Walt and Heisenberg, with the latter eventually winning. Letting Jane die was easier than explaining why he was in their apartment and would simply make life easier with Jesse now free to continue cooking.
For me, that's the moment Walter White become a villian, become Heisenberg.
Better Call Saul is already stumbling these past few episodes... I'm not hopeful about the ending anymore.
How so?
all that for the series to conclude that with robot machine gun
now this is when walt became heisenberg.
Everyone always tells me this is one of the best shows out there right now, but for some reason I've never taken the time to sit down and watch it. Maybe I'll finally give it a go.
Shared a small RUclips "Thanks" as a thank you for doing that email interview for me :)
Wow thanks so much. Happy to help! :)
Is this guy Parallel Pipes?
Here from the future to say Better Call Saul didn’t die. It’s alive forever!
Crazy Handful of Nothing is where, not only Breaking Bad was born, but where Heisenberg was born.
Exactly!
can you do the day shrek was born?
Ha, that would be fun.
I haven’t watched the video yet, but this better be about Cancer Man.
Thanks! Looking forward to the final episode!
What bothers me in the “Born” -series is that you seem to be conflating three different questions into one: 1) when was BB “born?” 2) what was BB’s first perfect episode? 3) when BB truly became BB?
I think all three questions have different answers. And I think it hurts your argument that you present them as one.
I start with the last question, when Breaking Bad truly became the story we know and love. And for me that answer has to be in S3. For me, a big part of the endearing quality of BB is its characters and BB is not the same without Saul, Mike and Gus. While Saul was introduced in S2, Mike and Gus only had brief appearances and did not become characters until S3. And BB without them, is not the BB I love the most.
The question “when BB was born” needs to reflected in comparison to its counter-question “when did X die”. The latter statement (and your videos about it) implies that after that point the show is not the same, and one might have to reconsider watching it, as only diminishing returns are abound. Even though the story is not finished, I consider S6E10 to be the day that GoT died. You might as well stop.
So, considering that, we can say that the day something is born is the episode when the viewer really ought to jump in, the moment the ride starts. In BB’s case, that would be the pilot. It might not have all the elements that the show will have “fully formed” but it is a quintessential episode, not to be skipped for any reason. There is no great qualitative difference between it and rest of the episodes of S1.
What is the first perfect episode, to me, is simply a question of quality and individual taste. Any episode between seasons 1-3 could be it, and to this question, A Crazy Handful of Nothin’ is a perfectly acceptable answer.
Great video as always. With your comments about westerns at the end, so you think you’ll ever cover some John Ford movies?
I'd love to. Honestly diving deeper into film history would be so much fun, but those videos just don't perform as well. Look at my previous video on Rashomon. One of my worst performing videos... :/ Frustrating.
@@EntertainTheElk unfortunate but I get it. You got to pay the bills. Just hate seeing so many amazing films by the general public.
The two best series in recent memory.
Hell yeah, I love Mr Robot and The Leftovers!
Ahhh. I was looking for the best video on this sinking platform. Thank you for delivering amazing content to make RUclips worth a damn.
Agreed! Crazy handfull of nothing was the episode that made me realize I will watch this series to the end
S1;E1 00:00 of course, duh! Great video
I agree breaking bad was born during episode 6
Great video!
Thanks!
Great vid. Thank you.
funny how my top two favorite shows (breaking bad and full metal alchemist) both have the main character list out the contents of a human body and ponder it in some way
looking forward to your Better Call Saul video! :) How about - Day Buffy the Vampire Slayer was born?
Love your vids man
Thank you so much!
Where is 8:31 from? Never seen that shot in the show before.
A lot of people are doing around saying that BCS Season 6 is the day it died…
But Breaking bad isn't releasing until a week after the final episode of it's prequel Better call Saul drops?? How did you get this footage??
Man breaking bad what more can you say about this show they don't make television like this anymore
BB was special, but there is some good television out there. Just hard to find. Though BCS has reached BB levels of awesomeness in the past couple seasons.
@@EntertainTheElk thank you I appreciate that
Whenever I recommend the show to someone I tell them to watch until episode 6 before they give it up.
Terrific and well put
BCS definitely didn't miss with its last episode lol
My favorite show.
Great essay
I expect this video to be episode 1
We all know Better Call Saul was born, but let's all hope it doesn't die.
that show was 100% pure
The final episode was good, but … Walt rigging a machine gun to wipe out his enemies? The genius chemist rigs a booby trap machine gun like Rambo.
I wish the writers had come up with something less Hollywood and more Heisenberg.
I also love fly, its a great episode
I might have to rewatch the first coue seasons of Breaking Bad now Better Call Saul is coming to an end. Its been so long and i forgot a lot of details, I think I would pick up a lot more now
Yes, thank you!
I aim to please
Thanks!
Great video