@@noqualityassured5171 Lol ikr it's always you either love that episode or hate that episode. I get why people love it and what it means for Walt's character, but I will never watch that episode again lol.
I've never notice at the end how when Todd is pulling the gun on the kid, Jesse starts to panic and scream and Walt doesn't even flinch, even after Todd pulls the trigger. I love this show, you can watch it multiple times and see something you missed everytime.
Right. Walt seemed too chill with what Todd had done. Like I know Walt is a monster, but I didn’t expect him to excuse that and keep Todd around like he did. Jesse was the only one with a heart.
Just finished watching Malcolm in the Middle, and I can't wrap my brain around the versatility that Cranston has. Two polar opposite roles, one after the other, and he nailed both of them.
He's also great as Tim Whatley in Seinfeld. And he's not the only actor on BB with comedy experience. Gilligan went with them because they have a special understanding of timing and delivery.
When you think about it, this episode is the beginning of the end. Jesse totally quits after this, seeing Walts soulless reaction and condoning of the child murder. Its all been building to this. This is the worst thing they did. Complicit and covering up of a child murder. And from there the relationship disintegrates, causing Jesse to betray Walt and end his reign.
@@joshevans3421 well i mean mass producing meth is bad, but it includes the choices made by methheads. Killing other bad people is bad, but it was to save their own lives. Taking part in and covering up the murder of a kid, just to stay out of prison, is the worst. Then Walt goes full evil and kills 10 dudes for the same reason: so he doesnt face judgement.
@@billycostigan1247 the worst decisions are when walt does something not because he "has to" but because its more convenient for him like letting Jane die, or killing 10 prisoners in 2 mins.
@@joshevans3421 yeah thats what i mean. He couldve easily given Todd up to the police and not liquified the kid's corpse. Instead he and Jesse covered it up to keep the meth flowing
I watched it a while after it aired. And all I heard on the net was that everybody hated Todd. At first I was like: okay, he's kind of special. But I don't see why people hate him. Then I got to the end of this episode and it all clicked. :-O
First time I watched I replayed it like 10 times and was like damn that was fucking perfect laughter tension and to Walter character I never seen a show and replayed a scene because of how good it was
That was a great touch and it allowed you to imagine the scene where Todd retrieves the spider, giving more insight in his character. Masterful ‘show not tell’.
Something I've noticed that I've never seen anyone mention is that this episode is (iirc) the last time Jessie smiles in the series, right before the shooting -- unless you count his very final scene in the finale, but I can never tell if that's an anguished smile or an anguished scream personally
the show was basically the epitome of the butterfly effect...once walter and jessie hook up it never ends after that as far as misfortune and tragedy goes...he knows the dealing and walter knew the chemistry...the perfect storm especially when they get into bed with Gus
This seems more like cause an effect than the butterfly effect. If it was Butterfly Effect we would be seeing how other ppl not directly related to the crimes were being effected. Any one effected in this show is generally directly connected to the family or the crime. I’d say the one main example of butterfly effect is the airplane.
The train heist would have jumped the shark if it just happened. Most TV shows do this and they just become cyclical until their ratings drop and they call it an end... But instead of entering a cycle, Breaking Bad essentially set into motion the final stage of the series.
Breaking bad is great stuff but there are a lot of slow and boring moments that I think people forget in hindsight. A consequence of the broadcast format I'm sure.
This ending made me really feel for Jesse. All he has ever been was just a troubled child, that's why he has a soft spot for children like the addicts' son and Brock. Him seeing Todd murdering Drew made me feel the same anger as he had on the next episode
I thought this would be about “Confessions” which was an absolutely brilliant retelling of the whole series up until that point. I saw it as a gift for viewers who had been paying attention all along. All of my family’s mouth was left agape as every point in the story made sense, and it really left everyone guessing what was going to happen next.
@@SonicTheo For a long time my Dad thought Gliding Over All was the last episode of BB, because the season was split into two releases and he just had the DVD of the first half. As in, he thought the finale to the whole thing was just Hank on the toilet.
Anyone else glad this wasn't the 47th "super clever" video on why "Fly" is actually the best episode? I actually like that episode, and even I'm sick of all the videos that focus on it over better episodes...
Yeah I came here ready to drop a dislike if it was yet another video on how "deep" Fly was (yeah it explored the characters and their emotions we get it, its not as bad as people make it to be, but it sure as hell doesn't belong in the top 5 or even top 10 episodes throughout the series)
@@dutchvanderlinde346 I wouldn't put it in top 5 episodes, but I think the people who dislike are pretty wrong. It serves a good purpose, but it's got stiff competition for "best".
@@ThrottleKitty it add nothing. It is in fact the only episode that can be skipped. I always skip it and you never feel you miss anything. I'm not saying people can't enjoy it but it truly is just filler. Only saw it once.
Walt's greed is shown while him filling up the tank to full capacity even risking getting caught. Jessi's care for kids is shown by his reaction on kids murder. Similarly Todd's mindless criminal, Lydia's desperation, Skyler's detachment, Mike's criminal mastermind is shown so well.
Dont forget Jesse becoming smarter. The method of heist is his idea. First the magnet, now this. Jesse really shows hes gettin smart and not just some puppet in this season
I think he filled it completely because he did the math. If he didn’t stick to the plan, then the weight would be different and the crime may be traceable back to them. Jesse mentions it later
Breaking Bad's biggest victory was how adamant they were about doing something that was never seen before and to avoid cliches. A train heist in a TV show is a big feat in and of itself but then they raise the stakes and make it so that they rob and no one knows about it. Then they make it thrilling and then give us a seemingly cliched ending of a successful heist until Drew Sharp appears and Todd kills him and the whole show begins to unravel after that. Damn this show was too good.
"Like a freight train this episode links together cars full of deceit, betrayal, intimidation, desperation, greed, action, and tragedy" Did... did something happen you on a freight train?
Sorry to tell you- his parents were murdered by a freight train :( The 3 of them were just walking and it came outta nowhere. Right from the shadows it shot and killed in cold blood.
@@justme-kr7lx That’s honestly kind of depressing, but in a good way. His life is just then again, monotonous and harrowing. Just like the beginning, no one has won by that point
"Jumping the shark" For a super well grounded and realistic portrayal of robbing A train who the fuck would think that, maybe if it had them stick up the train conductor or narrowly avoid the law or something but they even had it down to the science between how much water weighs vs methylamine but yeah totally jumping the shark
I don't think it was exactly "realistic" since robbing a train wouldn't be that easy in real life, let alone one containing chemicals used for drugs. But yeah, some people forget this is still a tv show, not a how-to guide on robbing trains
I think "jumping the shark" is extreme (that implies it was all worde from this point on) but it was pretty different from the show before it. I personally thought the big magnet was much less believable, but both are only a slight dip in quality for me before the incredible second half of the season.
eu fiquei 15 minutos congelado olhando para a televisão quando o episodio acabou, toda vez que assisto a sensação é a mesma, o melhor episodio na minha opinião
Even on a rewatch I was sweating buckets. And the beautiful thing about it (poss spoilers) is that there is no immediate payoff, no sense of relief, those pills are just sitting there…
I think the mechanics of the heist just being "some dudes pumping liquid" is an important element of grounding it. It's already a really WILD scenario, if the way in which they robbed the train and resoled it was also WILD, it would have risked actually jumping the shark, so to speak. The heist itself also taking up fairly little screen time and going off fairly flawlessly helped ground the scene as well, making it clear the tension was never suppose to be on if the heist fails or not.
I also love how this episode mirrors the overlying theme of the series in a nutshell. It shows how every "victory" in Walt´s and Jesse`s view, every overcoming of an obstacle in the criminal world just leads them deeper into breaking bad.
One thing I loved about this episode is once again, Jesse is the one with the master plan. Despite being in the company of a world class scientist and a veteran cop/hitman, it’s the former junkie who comes up with the brilliant idea on how to rob the train. He shows exactly the value he brings to the organization.
Amazing video, very well put together, The only thing missing was a comparison with Ozymandias (since the title directly establishes a comparison itself) but its a level of clickbait that's acceptable. I hold Ozy above this episode anyway, but like this video because it made me appreciate Freight Train in particular and Breaking Bad in general that much more.
@@djeddjole the bad guy. He plays a number of sociopathic roles. He plays the polite "good ole boy" who kills people and doesn't understand why it's a problem. For instance he also plays a white supremacist in Black Messiah.
Another thing about this episode that really gave me chills was when Walt seemed overall nonchalant about the prospect of murdering Lydia. Remember, this is the guy that, in season one, grappled with the possibility of killing Crazy 8, a guy who DEFINITELY would've killed his entire family
Yeah, in season one, he agonizes over killing a scumbag, because he has to get his hands dirty. In season two, he contemplates saving Jane but eventually lets it happen through his inaction, and you can tell it bothers him precisely because she's not a scumbag. By the time you get all the way to season five, he's full Heisenberg.
I wonder why people misconstrue the Krazy 8 scene so much. Walt was simply naive and he learned his lesson from Jesse talks and having to deal with Tuco. Tuco whipped Walt into shape. He became more in sync with what was going on around him ever since.
Just about to ball my eyes out when I remember how depressed Jessie gets through the death of this kid. And then I remembered the death of Jane. So yeah. Time to feel depressed and rewatch it lol
My favourite thing during the Lydia interrogation scene, is that when Lydia calls Hank she actually sounds extremely nervous. There's a very noticeable tremor in her voice. But it's just subtle enough that if you don't know her or her voice is distorted through the phone, you might not notice, or you might think that's how she always talks. That's skillful acting, to hit that balance exactly right.
I still remember the first time I saw this episode, the adrenaline rush I got watching this was surreal not to mention how shocked I was at the end of the episode. The writers are geniuses btw the way, when the scene started I was like "wtf, who the hell is this kid and what the hell does BB have to do with a kid collecting a spider"
Those are absolutely amazing episodes. I've watched this series 3 times now and I still dont know what my favourite episode is. There are so many good episodes, perfectly structured, color coded brilliance.
For me, it's "Half Measures". -The opening Wendy bit; -Walt easing up on Flynn trying to brake and accelerate simultaneously after seeing him be much more of a stickler about it in the previous season, foreshadowing that his previous strict rule about not straight-up killing people that aren't a direct immediate threat to him are about to go out the window; -Jesse and Walt's tense exchange at he bar, hopes that there is still a decent man left in the former; - Mike's "No half measures" speech, I can see many intermediate theatre arts students using this as their monologue to audition for the advanced class, and succeeding; - The meeting with Gus, his no-nonsense words to Jesse, literal chills; - The horrifying aftermath of Tomas' death; - The final scene where Walt decides to take matter into his own hands, even though he directly wouldn't have been impacted by what would have transpired between Jesse and the dealers. This was the thirty-second episode of a sixty-two-episode series, making it the very beginning of the second half of the series, and Vince Gilligan and crew let us know right off the bat that no punches would be pulled wit this show going forward, not that many were pulled in the first half...
BB is a masterpiece from start to finish. But if I should pick my favorite episode, it would be the final episode of season 4, Face Off, when Walter found the way to kill Gus.
Nothing mysterious, the guy was a sadistic fucked up pile of shit. The kind to burn down a whole city if his uncle Jack asked him to, just to please him.
Hands down, Vince Gilligan is one of the best directors to ever exist, and I cannot wait for more of his work. Every piece of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino is deliberate, precise, methodical. It all has meaning and impact.
For me, the episode also follows the arc of a successful criminal who has one brief moment of celebration only to see it turn to cold vomit. The heist is their greatest success as a team. But the wild card (that Opie-faced, pile of toxic waste) goes way off plan and commits probably the most heinous crime in the entire series. The aftermath is so industrial and lifeless it breaks my heart. The way every trace of the child is removed from the Earth (his clothes, each part of the bile ripped apart) is crushing.
When I got to Season Five, Dead Freight was the episode I was looking forward to the most. I didn't get around to watching Breaking Bad until after the series had ended, and knew there was an episode with a train heist, so that was the episode I got excited about. It did not disappoint.
Just like the best episodes of Breaking Bad, there are multiple scenes where I was talking to the screen, begging for whatever was happening to just wrap itself up already! Like you said, the stakes are SO high during this episode, and the moments where characters act despite the risks, man are they some of the most tense moments I've seen in television.
This show got better and better with every season. Season 5 was genius every step of the way. He really destroyed the lives of his family by forcing Skylar to be his accomplice. It shows what a sociopath Walt became that Jesse cared more about kids than he did despite being a father. It shows you what a moral person Jesse is that he quit the business after this little boy was kiled.
I would say this episode was definitely a heartbreaker by the end, and a great episode overall, but I still think it's not quite as shocking since the characters are already so warped. I'm going to go with Phoenix in Season 2 as my favorite episode. It's maybe the last time I feel like the characters might just get away with what their doing, plus it juxtaposes Walter's lives and foreshadows tragedy too amazingly. There's a chance for Walter to have some moral compass in Season 2, but it disappears in that episode IMO.
This is a phenomenal video dude🔥 good shit🤙 and one of the eeriest parts of this episode is right in the beginning after the kid scoops the spider, he hears the train 😩and I get those goosebumps everytime(no Travis)
THANK YOU for this video! This episode has always been my favorite and I'm still on the edge of my seat each and everytime I rewatch it. This is what television is supposed to be!
This was such a good episode, I remember this arc being like 2 or 3 episodes, but they fit all this amazing storytelling in one episode. Such a great show
I remember watching this high at my peak of interest in the show and this is by far one of my favourite episodes man. The storu telling is phenomenal. I remembered the heist being at least 30 minutes long, maybe a little longer just shows how amazing they really did the last 15 minutes
I remember watching this episode for the first time. The suspense was so intense that I had the mild panic attack symptoms. Sweat, heart rate, dry mouth. It does make sense that it wasn't necessarily just because the heist was so tight (almost zero margin for error), but the pacing of the episode up to that point that build up the stakes.
Another episode I think is a masterpiece is Season 4’s “Crawl Space”. The lead up to the ending is amazing and when it comes to that amazing ending, it hits you like a freight train (no pun intended).
For me the best episode is the Season Four finale, Face Off. Gus Fring is not only easily the best antagonist on this show, but possibly any tv show. And that end reveal is definitely my favourite of all time.
I think the most interesting thing about this episode is you can perfectly see Walt's true feelings about Jessie and how he values him. Walt cares about and works well with Jessie, but not enough to sway from Walt's wants and desires. Not even a little. Walt was willing to put Jessie's life at risk (again) or possibly even kill him, just to make sure he got the maximum amount of methylamine. He refused to settle for less, even if it was for the best of the team not to get caught, or for the safety of Todd, and especially, Jessie.
Thanks for this nuanced comment. I hate when its people's takeaway that Walt doesn't give a fuck about Jesse, of course he does. Its just that he cares about what he wants more. It wasn't like this at the beginning of their partnership, but while his care for Jesse remained constant, his ego and drive for his own wants spiralled out of control.
This episode mirrors "Plan and Execution" on Better Call Saul. Detailed plan goes off without out a hitch...only to have an unexpected death at the end.
this episode is a rollercoaster of emotions and makes you feel the real impact of breaking bad. How this series goes from emotion and excitement and suddenly creates this deep hole in your heart, that's the magic of breaking bad.
Whoever said Breaking Bad every jumped the shark should have their TV privileges revoked. BrBa managed to have a whole spinoff series with no sharks in sight.
I’m glad this episode getting the recognition on RUclips for once. My favorite episode right next to episode 1 of season 4 and the entirety of season 3
5:25 I agree with your analysis of this episode, on point in every respect, with one small exception. I think there's a subtext to this show that isn't picked up on here, even though it's made explicit towards the end of the series when Walt is forced to confront it. Walt begins the show as a sympathetic character; we cheer when he stands up to the kids bullying his son, and when he blows up the car of the douchebag in the store. He's henpecked at home, he's not respected at school, and we learn in flashbacks that he walked away from a promising career, something for which he views himself as a martyr. But if you remove his actions from their context, you see a pattern of violent behavior disproportionate to the harms visited on him. The meekness he exhibits is because he feels the strictures of life and society prevent him from being the great man he knows he is inside. These outbursts are Walt testing the boundaries of what can happen if he just does what he wants and ignores the rules he lived by. And the longer it goes, the more he does and gets away with it, the more he feels powerful and untouchable. By season five he's completely consumed with himself: moving back into the house of his own volition, and restarting his meth empire instead of cutting his losses. He *tells himself* that he needs the money to pay what he owes and save for his family, but the truth is he thinks he can just step directly into the void left by Gus and the cartel and do it better. He ignores Jesse's concerns, Saul's warnings, and Mike's threats, rejects their reality and substitutes his own. His family has not been driving him; his ego has been driving him basically from the outset. While it's true that he wants to leave a nest egg for Skyler and the kids, the way he approaches his final stage of life reveals the truth of Walt's character. With Skyler, he cares about demonstrating that he is the man who can provide for his family; with Walt Jr., that he will be well remembered after he is gone; with Jesse, that he is the best at teaching chemistry; with his meth empire, that his knowledge makes him better than those who came before him. It's even more evident in the circumstances that remind him - to his face - that he doesn't measure up in these categories: Skyler going back to work for Ted, the way he bristles at Gus' efforts to control him, the fact that Jesse lacks his intelligence and expertise but followed his tutelage well enough to become competent at cooking blue. And at nearly every inflection point in the show, he makes decisions that take him further down this road of megalomania. Hundreds of people died because he allowed one girl to O/D in order to keep Jesse under his control. Gale gave him the perfect out to any suspicion from Hank but he just couldn't let it go, could not let someone else take credit for his genius. Walt was never a good guy; this evil had always been in him and simply rose to the surface. When he lost his marriage, all he really lost was his rationalization.
It is rather brilliant in the way it invests us in the set piece of the robbery as a mislead... we know these guys need this chemical, the methylamine being well established as crucial, beyond just a maguffin. To the degree that we still identify with these villain protagonaists, we feel exuberant at their daring and success of pulling off this crazy plan, thanks to Jesse's innovation, and Walt's calculation. But then the rug is pulled out, and we see the unacceptable collateral damage that a criminal act like this can necessitate. Which soon hurts the main relationship in the story (Walt and Jesse)
"It's just three guys pumping liquids while Bill Burr distracts the crew."
"jumping the shark"
Sounds like a circle jerk!
I think that's also how he described his last stand-up special.
Heyyy just checking in on yaa
Its just two brothers
I thought this was going to be about the fly episode 😂😂
so glad it wasn't
For real. The Fly was clearly the best choice here.
Fucking hate that episode lmao
@@noqualityassured5171 Lol ikr it's always you either love that episode or hate that episode. I get why people love it and what it means for Walt's character, but I will never watch that episode again lol.
@@noqualityassured5171 it's supposed to annoy us
I've never notice at the end how when Todd is pulling the gun on the kid, Jesse starts to panic and scream and Walt doesn't even flinch, even after Todd pulls the trigger. I love this show, you can watch it multiple times and see something you missed everytime.
he does flinch when the trigger is pulled, you can barely see it. but yeah its barely even a reaction which is pretty scary
@@Josh0639 Probably just a physiological reaction after hearing a loud sound like a gun shot too, not any emotional one
@@miguelpereira9859 yeahh
Right. Walt seemed too chill with what Todd had done. Like I know Walt is a monster, but I didn’t expect him to excuse that and keep Todd around like he did. Jesse was the only one with a heart.
True, imagine how S1 Walt would've reacted
Just finished watching Malcolm in the Middle, and I can't wrap my brain around the versatility that Cranston has. Two polar opposite roles, one after the other, and he nailed both of them.
He was also po’s dad in Kung fu panda. Which is kinda funny cuz I watched all 3 back to back to back on accident
He's also great as Tim Whatley in Seinfeld.
And he's not the only actor on BB with comedy experience. Gilligan went with them because they have a special understanding of timing and delivery.
Well, even in BB he plays drastically different people
@@BenDover-nh8ze there are no accidents
Which episode?
When you think about it, this episode is the beginning of the end. Jesse totally quits after this, seeing Walts soulless reaction and condoning of the child murder. Its all been building to this. This is the worst thing they did. Complicit and covering up of a child murder. And from there the relationship disintegrates, causing Jesse to betray Walt and end his reign.
Absolutely and it’s also sets the stage for what’s to come with Jessie and creepy Todd.
"Worst thing they did" has so many contenders that it's hard to pin it down to 1, but other than that, I agree
@@joshevans3421 well i mean mass producing meth is bad, but it includes the choices made by methheads. Killing other bad people is bad, but it was to save their own lives. Taking part in and covering up the murder of a kid, just to stay out of prison, is the worst. Then Walt goes full evil and kills 10 dudes for the same reason: so he doesnt face judgement.
@@billycostigan1247 the worst decisions are when walt does something not because he "has to" but because its more convenient for him like letting Jane die, or killing 10 prisoners in 2 mins.
@@joshevans3421 yeah thats what i mean. He couldve easily given Todd up to the police and not liquified the kid's corpse. Instead he and Jesse covered it up to keep the meth flowing
When Todd killed the Kid I was shook. My reaction was the same as Jessie.
I watched it a while after it aired. And all I heard on the net was that everybody hated Todd.
At first I was like: okay, he's kind of special. But I don't see why people hate him.
Then I got to the end of this episode and it all clicked. :-O
I instantly knew i wanted to see todd DIE.
It kind of ruined the actor for me in future movies lol. Every time I see him in something I’m like “oh this fuckin guy…”
@@DJColdCutz_ i understand but that's just really Dumb
I was so happy when Jesse killed him mainly cuz of that scene
The ending of “Crawl Space” still might be my favorite
The "I gave it to Ted" line has the best payoff I have ever seen
Absolutely!!!! “AHHHHHHHHH! Hahaha… haaaa…” crazy as hell
First time I watched I replayed it like 10 times and was like damn that was fucking perfect laughter tension and to Walter character I never seen a show and replayed a scene because of how good it was
@@albertoacosta6788 watch The Sopranos And yes crawl space was amazing
YOU GAVE THE MONEY TO BENEKE?!!!!!
I recently watched El Camino again, and didn't realize that the spider in Todds house was from this episode.
That was a great touch and it allowed you to imagine the scene where Todd retrieves the spider, giving more insight in his character. Masterful ‘show not tell’.
But then the spider bit Todd and he had an allergic reaction and his whole body swole up.
@@dexterwestin3747 or ... the spider did a backflip, snapped Todd's neck and saved the day?
@@lauravander how did Jesse kill Todd? It was super easy... barely an inconvenience
@@lauravander Ha!
Something I've noticed that I've never seen anyone mention is that this episode is (iirc) the last time Jessie smiles in the series, right before the shooting -- unless you count his very final scene in the finale, but I can never tell if that's an anguished smile or an anguished scream personally
He smiled in ozymandias too when Walt got nearly arrested
I think he means a "pure" smile, if that makes sense
It's very clearly a smile and you'd have to be brain dead to think otherwise
@@Estupid0TheMexit doesn't make sense, at all. A smile is a smile and he's wrong
@@GeorgeTropicana art is subjective, cry about it
I wish an episode that would get more attention would be the one where walt and Jesse get trapped in the desert .
It gets plenty attention. It’s probably the most known “character developing” episode of the series. It is great though.
@@GusBoone well point to where its being talked about then cause I dont see it lol I see more people talk about "the fly"
4 Days Out! Great episode.
I love how there's no B-plot in that episode. It's just 44 minutes of Walt and Jesse.
i almost thought that was gonna be the one for this video lol i love that episode
IDC what the fans say. “Breaking Bad” has never “jumped the shark”
Never even heard that argument before, but if Breaking Bad DID jump the shark, it was definitely with the plane crash lmao
@@6WeeksTV or maybe when Gus poisons everyone in the cartel, including himself, and still survives
@@n8with8s hmm... He was prepared for it, though
@@n8with8s Didn’t he go in the bathroom and make himself puke it up?
@@jacksonray3596 I was about to ask the same question
I was expecting this to be a video essay on The Fly
Clearly the superior episode
Fly is the best EP in breaking bad but it isn't the most breaking bad EP in breaking bad if that makes sense
The fly added depth to the characters. Watch it a second time after watching the whole series.
There’s another video on that about why “the best episode is the most hated”
i watched similar video but it was about episode from season 1
the show was basically the epitome of the butterfly effect...once walter and jessie hook up it never ends after that as far as misfortune and tragedy goes...he knows the dealing and walter knew the chemistry...the perfect storm especially when they get into bed with Gus
what the fuck is that analogy and why does it make sense
They got into bed with gus😳
@@michaelwodz9807 and walter knew the chemistry...
This seems more like cause an effect than the butterfly effect. If it was Butterfly Effect we would be seeing how other ppl not directly related to the crimes were being effected. Any one effected in this show is generally directly connected to the family or the crime. I’d say the one main example of butterfly effect is the airplane.
@@michaelwodz9807 hook up
The train heist would have jumped the shark if it just happened. Most TV shows do this and they just become cyclical until their ratings drop and they call it an end... But instead of entering a cycle, Breaking Bad essentially set into motion the final stage of the series.
If your trap house has you robbing a train... Its over..
no they had technical ability. the train heist is about technical ability and they nailed it.
Breaking Bad was such a good show. Nigh on perfect.
Breaking bad is great stuff but there are a lot of slow and boring moments that I think people forget in hindsight. A consequence of the broadcast format I'm sure.
@@neutraltoxic Eh, boring is subjective. I watched BB for the first time last year and didn't find a single scene throughout the series, boring.
not perfect, if you think so rewatch it
Read the responses for the predictability in their contranianism.
@@andreseh87 what are you on about
This ending made me really feel for Jesse. All he has ever been was just a troubled child, that's why he has a soft spot for children like the addicts' son and Brock. Him seeing Todd murdering Drew made me feel the same anger as he had on the next episode
I thought this would be about “Confessions” which was an absolutely brilliant retelling of the whole series up until that point. I saw it as a gift for viewers who had been paying attention all along. All of my family’s mouth was left agape as every point in the story made sense, and it really left everyone guessing what was going to happen next.
Confessions is a top 5 episode and severely underrated!
Confessions was amazing. I think Gliding Over All was amazing though and a terrific cliffhanger. Better than Dead Freight for me
@@SonicTheo For a long time my Dad thought Gliding Over All was the last episode of BB, because the season was split into two releases and he just had the DVD of the first half. As in, he thought the finale to the whole thing was just Hank on the toilet.
@@peterfranklinrouth895 good shit lmao
@@gabrielsifuentes3762 literally
I love how season 4 and 5 slowly show Jesse adapting to his environment. He never becomes a genius, but he’s growing more creative and street smart
Anyone else glad this wasn't the 47th "super clever" video on why "Fly" is actually the best episode?
I actually like that episode, and even I'm sick of all the videos that focus on it over better episodes...
Yes
Yeah I came here ready to drop a dislike if it was yet another video on how "deep" Fly was (yeah it explored the characters and their emotions we get it, its not as bad as people make it to be, but it sure as hell doesn't belong in the top 5 or even top 10 episodes throughout the series)
Fly is the best episode in my opinion but I get why it doesn’t appeal to many
@@dutchvanderlinde346 I wouldn't put it in top 5 episodes, but I think the people who dislike are pretty wrong. It serves a good purpose, but it's got stiff competition for "best".
@@ThrottleKitty it add nothing. It is in fact the only episode that can be skipped. I always skip it and you never feel you miss anything. I'm not saying people can't enjoy it but it truly is just filler. Only saw it once.
Walt's greed is shown while him filling up the tank to full capacity even risking getting caught.
Jessi's care for kids is shown by his reaction on kids murder.
Similarly Todd's mindless criminal, Lydia's desperation, Skyler's detachment, Mike's criminal mastermind is shown so well.
And Shraders compassion for others..
@@03PaK unless they’re criminals.
@@ethanwalker3519 unless they’re minerals
Dont forget Jesse becoming smarter. The method of heist is his idea. First the magnet, now this. Jesse really shows hes gettin smart and not just some puppet in this season
I think he filled it completely because he did the math. If he didn’t stick to the plan, then the weight would be different and the crime may be traceable back to them.
Jesse mentions it later
Breaking Bad's biggest victory was how adamant they were about doing something that was never seen before and to avoid cliches.
A train heist in a TV show is a big feat in and of itself but then they raise the stakes and make it so that they rob and no one knows about it.
Then they make it thrilling and then give us a seemingly cliched ending of a successful heist until Drew Sharp appears and Todd kills him and the whole show begins to unravel after that.
Damn this show was too good.
"Like a freight train this episode links together cars full of deceit, betrayal, intimidation, desperation, greed, action, and tragedy"
Did... did something happen you on a freight train?
Nice. 👍
I once got bummed on a freight train
Yeah, I’m not sure what he means. Freight trains are simply for carrying cargo.
Wait wasnt that phrase from Berserk?
Sorry to tell you- his parents were murdered by a freight train :(
The 3 of them were just walking and it came outta nowhere. Right from the shadows it shot and killed in cold blood.
Dead Freight was a great episode. I also find Granite State underrated. That final scene with the whiskey glass gives me chills every time
🥃
the theme song extension playing is the cherry on top!
That's one of my favorite scenes ever!
Granite state is my favourite
What do you think about the theory that Granite State was the actual final episode? Felina was just a hallucination of what he wish he could've done.
@@justme-kr7lx That’s honestly kind of depressing, but in a good way. His life is just then again, monotonous and harrowing. Just like the beginning, no one has won by that point
"Jumping the shark" For a super well grounded and realistic portrayal of robbing A train who the fuck would think that, maybe if it had them stick up the train conductor or narrowly avoid the law or something but they even had it down to the science between how much water weighs vs methylamine but yeah totally jumping the shark
Yeah, I doubt many people think that, except for a couple of redditors.
I don't think it was exactly "realistic" since robbing a train wouldn't be that easy in real life, let alone one containing chemicals used for drugs. But yeah, some people forget this is still a tv show, not a how-to guide on robbing trains
I think "jumping the shark" is extreme (that implies it was all worde from this point on) but it was pretty different from the show before it. I personally thought the big magnet was much less believable, but both are only a slight dip in quality for me before the incredible second half of the season.
They should have put bandanas over their mouths, and rode around on horses firing their pistolas in the air.
@@TheSchaef47 and screaming “YEEHAW!” whilst swirling their ropes in the sky whilst riding
Nah I say Crawl Space is the best
Only time in the whole show I felt genuinely worried about Walt and his entire family
eu fiquei 15 minutos congelado olhando para a televisão quando o episodio acabou, toda vez que assisto a sensação é a mesma, o melhor episodio na minha opinião
@@DomZoom Vou comentar pq sou br tb. Mas de vdd, aquele som agoniante e horrendo no final, junto com toda a situação, me fez suar feito um porco.
I was convinced the video was gonna be about Crawl Space
Yeah, I fell Crawl space has more tension, my heart was about to come out during the finale
Agreed. That ending was fucking nerve wracking.
Literally the closest the series gets to a horror scene
FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THE TRAIN EPISODE
I remember watching this episode for the first time. There was so much tension built up during the heist it was triggering my nerves.
From the bb universe the most tense scene imo is bcs with nacho and the pill swap
Even on a rewatch I was sweating buckets. And the beautiful thing about it (poss spoilers) is that there is no immediate payoff, no sense of relief, those pills are just sitting there…
I think the mechanics of the heist just being "some dudes pumping liquid" is an important element of grounding it. It's already a really WILD scenario, if the way in which they robbed the train and resoled it was also WILD, it would have risked actually jumping the shark, so to speak. The heist itself also taking up fairly little screen time and going off fairly flawlessly helped ground the scene as well, making it clear the tension was never suppose to be on if the heist fails or not.
I also love how this episode mirrors the overlying theme of the series in a nutshell. It shows how every "victory" in Walt´s and Jesse`s view, every overcoming of an obstacle in the criminal world just leads them deeper into breaking bad.
Nerdstalgic and Breaking Bad is like mac and cheese. The notification of the video alone already put a smile on my face!
One thing I loved about this episode is once again, Jesse is the one with the master plan. Despite being in the company of a world class scientist and a veteran cop/hitman, it’s the former junkie who comes up with the brilliant idea on how to rob the train. He shows exactly the value he brings to the organization.
I love that walter previously said "There's nothing stopping this train"
A wild Bill Burr appears
Amazing video, very well put together, The only thing missing was a comparison with Ozymandias (since the title directly establishes a comparison itself) but its a level of clickbait that's acceptable. I hold Ozy above this episode anyway, but like this video because it made me appreciate Freight Train in particular and Breaking Bad in general that much more.
Love this episode. It’s non stop plot and action, they take something that seems impossible and solve each problem until they pull it off
So glad you made this, this episode has always been my favorite of the whole show.
I think this is the best shown I've ever experienced. Thanks for the insightful video.
This episode that made me realize Jesse Plemmons (Todd) was THAT type of actor. He has been great in everything since BB
What type of actor? Wdym exactly? Sry if im coming off as a dummy
@@djeddjole the kind of actor to shoot a child without hesitation
@@djeddjole the bad guy. He plays a number of sociopathic roles. He plays the polite "good ole boy" who kills people and doesn't understand why it's a problem. For instance he also plays a white supremacist in Black Messiah.
Another thing about this episode that really gave me chills was when Walt seemed overall nonchalant about the prospect of murdering Lydia. Remember, this is the guy that, in season one, grappled with the possibility of killing Crazy 8, a guy who DEFINITELY would've killed his entire family
Yeah, in season one, he agonizes over killing a scumbag, because he has to get his hands dirty. In season two, he contemplates saving Jane but eventually lets it happen through his inaction, and you can tell it bothers him precisely because she's not a scumbag. By the time you get all the way to season five, he's full Heisenberg.
I wonder why people misconstrue the Krazy 8 scene so much. Walt was simply naive and he learned his lesson from Jesse talks and having to deal with Tuco. Tuco whipped Walt into shape. He became more in sync with what was going on around him ever since.
"A satisfying climax is earned" amen brother.
Just about to ball my eyes out when I remember how depressed Jessie gets through the death of this kid. And then I remembered the death of Jane. So yeah. Time to feel depressed and rewatch it lol
“And everyone is complicit”
as Jesse is screaming
He is still complicit though lol
This is the only episode that i re-watched after i completed the whole series. Some frames of the train with the sky as the backdrop were stunning.
My favourite thing during the Lydia interrogation scene, is that when Lydia calls Hank she actually sounds extremely nervous. There's a very noticeable tremor in her voice. But it's just subtle enough that if you don't know her or her voice is distorted through the phone, you might not notice, or you might think that's how she always talks. That's skillful acting, to hit that balance exactly right.
I still remember the first time I saw this episode, the adrenaline rush I got watching this was surreal not to mention how shocked I was at the end of the episode. The writers are geniuses btw the way, when the scene started I was like "wtf, who the hell is this kid and what the hell does BB have to do with a kid collecting a spider"
Personally, I love Half Measures and Full Measure the most. That is the moment when things broke the most badly.
Those are absolutely amazing episodes. I've watched this series 3 times now and I still dont know what my favourite episode is. There are so many good episodes, perfectly structured, color coded brilliance.
For me, it's "Half Measures".
-The opening Wendy bit;
-Walt easing up on Flynn trying to brake and accelerate simultaneously after seeing him be much more of a stickler about it in the previous season, foreshadowing that his previous strict rule about not straight-up killing people that aren't a direct immediate threat to him are about to go out the window;
-Jesse and Walt's tense exchange at he bar, hopes that there is still a decent man left in the former;
- Mike's "No half measures" speech, I can see many intermediate theatre arts students using this as their monologue to audition for the advanced class, and succeeding;
- The meeting with Gus, his no-nonsense words to Jesse, literal chills;
- The horrifying aftermath of Tomas' death;
- The final scene where Walt decides to take matter into his own hands, even though he directly wouldn't have been impacted by what would have transpired between Jesse and the dealers.
This was the thirty-second episode of a sixty-two-episode series, making it the very beginning of the second half of the series, and Vince Gilligan and crew let us know right off the bat that no punches would be pulled wit this show going forward, not that many were pulled in the first half...
BB is a masterpiece from start to finish. But if I should pick my favorite episode, it would be the final episode of season 4, Face Off, when Walter found the way to kill Gus.
"The One Episode of Breaking Bad BETTER Than Ozymandias"
*You're goddamn right!*
I love this episode so much, glad to see your analysis on it
Love that Todd kept the tarantula, such an intriguing character. Underrated too imo
@@TheSchaef47 whose three Emmy’s?
@@tedcoles7894 Never mind. I wrote this at 3am and for some reason I read Jesse instead of Todd. Don't ask me why.
Todd was one of the most evil people in the show
Maybe as a trophy of the killing? He was totally fucked up
Nothing mysterious, the guy was a sadistic fucked up pile of shit.
The kind to burn down a whole city if his uncle Jack asked him to, just to please him.
We love a good nerdstalgic breaking bad vid
Ive watched both New girl and Atlanta recently because your videos. I'm going to see Breaking Bad now too
My 2nd favorite episode has always been half measure. The crazy end plus Mike’s scene explaining his mistake in taking a half measure.
Glad to see this masterpiece of an episode get some much deserved love! There’s even more depth to it than I remember
No one ever talks about Dead Freight! One of my favorite episodes for sure
Hands down, Vince Gilligan is one of the best directors to ever exist, and I cannot wait for more of his work. Every piece of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino is deliberate, precise, methodical. It all has meaning and impact.
This episode in specific was written and directed by George Mastras
For me, the episode also follows the arc of a successful criminal who has one brief moment of celebration only to see it turn to cold vomit.
The heist is their greatest success as a team. But the wild card (that Opie-faced, pile of toxic waste) goes way off plan and commits probably the most heinous crime in the entire series.
The aftermath is so industrial and lifeless it breaks my heart. The way every trace of the child is removed from the Earth (his clothes, each part of the bile ripped apart) is crushing.
When I got to Season Five, Dead Freight was the episode I was looking forward to the most. I didn't get around to watching Breaking Bad until after the series had ended, and knew there was an episode with a train heist, so that was the episode I got excited about. It did not disappoint.
Just like the best episodes of Breaking Bad, there are multiple scenes where I was talking to the screen, begging for whatever was happening to just wrap itself up already! Like you said, the stakes are SO high during this episode, and the moments where characters act despite the risks, man are they some of the most tense moments I've seen in television.
This show got better and better with every season. Season 5 was genius every step of the way. He really destroyed the lives of his family by forcing Skylar to be his accomplice. It shows what a sociopath Walt became that Jesse cared more about kids than he did despite being a father. It shows you what a moral person Jesse is that he quit the business after this little boy was kiled.
the change in narrator keeps me from watching this video in it's entirety
100% agree Dead Freight was absolutely incredible. I'd say it was probably my favorite episode
I would say this episode was definitely a heartbreaker by the end, and a great episode overall, but I still think it's not quite as shocking since the characters are already so warped. I'm going to go with Phoenix in Season 2 as my favorite episode. It's maybe the last time I feel like the characters might just get away with what their doing, plus it juxtaposes Walter's lives and foreshadows tragedy too amazingly. There's a chance for Walter to have some moral compass in Season 2, but it disappears in that episode IMO.
This is a phenomenal video dude🔥 good shit🤙 and one of the eeriest parts of this episode is right in the beginning after the kid scoops the spider, he hears the train 😩and I get those goosebumps everytime(no Travis)
5:46
"A satisfying climax is earned and pacing is the way to earn it"
Weird way to explain edging but alright
Its not weird its accurate
2:55 Walt is not in ANY way actually sad. He is all about manipulation. He just bought the cars and told Skyler he is the one who knocks.
My favorite episode is Crawl Space personally.
Ahh no wonder why this is one of my favorite episodes! I just rewatched the show since it’s been 10 years since I’ve seen it and it holds up even more
Great analysis, although to me Crawl Space is the best episode, there's so many gems in this series it really just becomes super relative
The viewer whenever A Child appears on Breaking Bad:
Oh no
En serio, el grito de Jesse al final del episodio lo sentí demasiado real
THANK YOU for this video! This episode has always been my favorite and I'm still on the edge of my seat each and everytime I rewatch it. This is what television is supposed to be!
Both this episode and “Ozymandias” are great, but to me the best is always going to be a tie between “Face Off” and “Felina”
Face off is not that good
@@sirchris6047 agree to disagree
@@BrendanPappas no I'm. Not gonna agree to disagree, fuck you face off sucks
Face off > Any chapter
i think i might be on board with that opinion
This was such a good episode, I remember this arc being like 2 or 3 episodes, but they fit all this amazing storytelling in one episode. Such a great show
This episode broke me at some level, I love it
I remember watching this high at my peak of interest in the show and this is by far one of my favourite episodes man. The storu telling is phenomenal. I remembered the heist being at least 30 minutes long, maybe a little longer just shows how amazing they really did the last 15 minutes
I remember watching this episode for the first time. The suspense was so intense that I had the mild panic attack symptoms. Sweat, heart rate, dry mouth. It does make sense that it wasn't necessarily just because the heist was so tight (almost zero margin for error), but the pacing of the episode up to that point that build up the stakes.
This is one of the most memorable episodes in the whole show mainly because of the ending, great vid and analysis 👌
Another episode I think is a masterpiece is Season 4’s “Crawl Space”. The lead up to the ending is amazing and when it comes to that amazing ending, it hits you like a freight train (no pun intended).
This is a beautifully written video analysis
For me the best episode is the Season Four finale, Face Off. Gus Fring is not only easily the best antagonist on this show, but possibly any tv show. And that end reveal is definitely my favourite of all time.
6:27 the sound of the WHIRRing
I think the most interesting thing about this episode is you can perfectly see Walt's true feelings about Jessie and how he values him.
Walt cares about and works well with Jessie, but not enough to sway from Walt's wants and desires. Not even a little.
Walt was willing to put Jessie's life at risk (again) or possibly even kill him, just to make sure he got the maximum amount of methylamine. He refused to settle for less, even if it was for the best of the team not to get caught, or for the safety of Todd, and especially, Jessie.
Thanks for this nuanced comment. I hate when its people's takeaway that Walt doesn't give a fuck about Jesse, of course he does. Its just that he cares about what he wants more. It wasn't like this at the beginning of their partnership, but while his care for Jesse remained constant, his ego and drive for his own wants spiralled out of control.
This episode mirrors "Plan and Execution" on Better Call Saul. Detailed plan goes off without out a hitch...only to have an unexpected death at the end.
I’m on season 3. Gonna have to come back to this one.
I’m so excited for you. My first time watching BB was outstanding.
Bro don't write that people will spoil you
Don’t read anything below this reply there will def be spoilers
@@ranDOm9431 it’s so good.
Snape kills Dumbledore.
Sorry man, they were rightfully warning you.
this episode is a rollercoaster of emotions and makes you feel the real impact of breaking bad. How this series goes from emotion and excitement and suddenly creates this deep hole in your heart, that's the magic of breaking bad.
Yea yea we all know the perfect episode is Pilot..
Or Fly, if you're a memelord
Favorite youtuber uploads video about favorite show?? What a lovely day
The fly it's a masterpiece
"and Bill Burr distracting the driver" Hey I'm acting here geez!
I agree, Dead Freight is absolutely my favorite episode.
immediately subscribed and i’m only 10 seconds through the video just because of how happy u sound talking about breaking bad 😭
Whoever said Breaking Bad every jumped the shark should have their TV privileges revoked. BrBa managed to have a whole spinoff series with no sharks in sight.
Finished my 4th watch through recently. Brilliant timing on this vid !
The train heist is the best part in the series for sure. Never been so on edge at a TV show before.
Heyyyyy basically right on time for a GREAT Nerdstalgic drop!
If we were to analyze every episode of this show we would release that each one of them is the perfect episode 👌🏻
I’m glad this episode getting the recognition on RUclips for once. My favorite episode right next to episode 1 of season 4 and the entirety of season 3
5:25 I agree with your analysis of this episode, on point in every respect, with one small exception. I think there's a subtext to this show that isn't picked up on here, even though it's made explicit towards the end of the series when Walt is forced to confront it.
Walt begins the show as a sympathetic character; we cheer when he stands up to the kids bullying his son, and when he blows up the car of the douchebag in the store. He's henpecked at home, he's not respected at school, and we learn in flashbacks that he walked away from a promising career, something for which he views himself as a martyr. But if you remove his actions from their context, you see a pattern of violent behavior disproportionate to the harms visited on him.
The meekness he exhibits is because he feels the strictures of life and society prevent him from being the great man he knows he is inside. These outbursts are Walt testing the boundaries of what can happen if he just does what he wants and ignores the rules he lived by. And the longer it goes, the more he does and gets away with it, the more he feels powerful and untouchable. By season five he's completely consumed with himself: moving back into the house of his own volition, and restarting his meth empire instead of cutting his losses. He *tells himself* that he needs the money to pay what he owes and save for his family, but the truth is he thinks he can just step directly into the void left by Gus and the cartel and do it better. He ignores Jesse's concerns, Saul's warnings, and Mike's threats, rejects their reality and substitutes his own.
His family has not been driving him; his ego has been driving him basically from the outset. While it's true that he wants to leave a nest egg for Skyler and the kids, the way he approaches his final stage of life reveals the truth of Walt's character. With Skyler, he cares about demonstrating that he is the man who can provide for his family; with Walt Jr., that he will be well remembered after he is gone; with Jesse, that he is the best at teaching chemistry; with his meth empire, that his knowledge makes him better than those who came before him. It's even more evident in the circumstances that remind him - to his face - that he doesn't measure up in these categories: Skyler going back to work for Ted, the way he bristles at Gus' efforts to control him, the fact that Jesse lacks his intelligence and expertise but followed his tutelage well enough to become competent at cooking blue. And at nearly every inflection point in the show, he makes decisions that take him further down this road of megalomania. Hundreds of people died because he allowed one girl to O/D in order to keep Jesse under his control. Gale gave him the perfect out to any suspicion from Hank but he just couldn't let it go, could not let someone else take credit for his genius.
Walt was never a good guy; this evil had always been in him and simply rose to the surface. When he lost his marriage, all he really lost was his rationalization.
It is rather brilliant in the way it invests us in the set piece of the robbery as a mislead... we know these guys need this chemical, the methylamine being well established as crucial, beyond just a maguffin. To the degree that we still identify with these villain protagonaists, we feel exuberant at their daring and success of pulling off this crazy plan, thanks to Jesse's innovation, and Walt's calculation. But then the rug is pulled out, and we see the unacceptable collateral damage that a criminal act like this can necessitate. Which soon hurts the main relationship in the story (Walt and Jesse)