On Mon, 30 Sep 2013 05:26:09 -0700, Marie Helweg-Larsen wrote:
Some Breaking Bad humor
http://media.salon.com/2013/09/BB.jpg
A similar point was made in the opening of this past Saturday's
"Saturday Night Live" where a faux Obama tries to explain what
the Affordable Care Act is about and Aaron Paul shows up at
about the 4 minute mark to talk about his friend with cancer
who would now be covered by Obamacare; see:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/obamacare-cold-open/n41321/
Of course, long time viewers will know that Walter White did
have health insurance but it was not very good coverage and
his wife and sister-in-law wanted the best treatment that he
could get to treat his lung cancer. Similarly, Walt's brother-in-law
(the DEA agent) also had health insurance but his coverage
would not allow for the best treatment possible which is why
Walt paid for additional services (to the tune of about $170K) --
making it additionally embarrassing for Hank when he want to
bust Walt because he was unaware of this until he got Walt's
"confession tape".
On a separate note, now that the series is over and we know
who was killed and who was spared, analysis of the underlying
plot or theme can be meaningfully analyzed. Vince Gilligan
has referred to "Breaking Bad" as "Mr. Chips becomes Scarface"
but that can now be seen as misleading or just fundamentally wrong.
For more info on the series; see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_bad
There are two versions of the movie "Scarface": (a) a 1932 starring
Paul Muni at "Johnny Lovo" (closer in character to Al Capone who
served as the model for the character Scarface) and directed by
the great director Howard Hawks -- see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarface_%281932_film%29
and (b) the 1983 movie starring Al Pacino (as Tony Montana) and
directed by Brian De Palma and updated to reflect the cocaine problem
in Miami in the 1980s -- see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarface_%281983_film%29
In both cases the Scarface character has family issues with a key
member (his sister) dying. The Scarface character is also (a) not
what one would call academically "gifted" but through good old
American opportunism and ruthlessness, becomes a kingpin, and
(b) a psychotic murderer who has little reluctance in killing others,
often by himself (the 1932 Scarface may have been manifesting the
effects of long term syphilis infection reflecting the illness that
Capone had -- see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone --
while the 1983 Scarface suffered from cocaine fueled rages)
Walter White is not a Scarface-type character, at least not
in the form that Scarface was previously portrayed. As his
brother-in-law (Dean Norris as Hank) says to Walt as Walt
negotiates with the Aryan Uncle Jack who is about dispatch
Hank: "You are the smartest guy I know but you're too stupid to
realize that he made up his mind 10 minutes ago." Walt has
deluded himself into thinking that he can out-think anyone,
problem solve his way out of deadly situations, and when all
else fails, buy his way out. But he has no street smarts, he
really is not clever and devious in the ways that Scarface was.
He is in over his head and does not really know what to do.
His confused sense of family and family loyalty has destroyed
him. Neither of the previous Scarfaces would have acted
like him. Michael Corleone knew that family would have to
pay for their betrayals (NOTE: compare Diane Keaton's
character in the "Godfather" to Anna Gunn's Skylar who
has become a target of fan's derision -- see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/opinion/i-have-a-character-issue.html
--
then decide which character plays a "strong, nonsubmissive,
ill-treated woman").
The original Scarfaces had no hesitation in killing others in
a direct, face-to-face manner. Mr. White can't. He has other
people kill for him (e.g., Jesse killing Gale Boetticher, the other
"cook", as well as you know whom from the finale; the Aryans
killing the 10 potential witnesses against White and the "enterprise").
The only time he is "hands on" in his killing is in the first season
when he garrotes Krazy-8 but from behind with a pole between
him and K-8. His other killings are from a distance (e.g.,
killing Gustavo Fring with a bomb, remote controlled machine
gun, etc.)
No, Walter White is not Mr. Chips turned into Scarface -- the
ending shows this. He is a family man who provides for his
children and takes measured action those that he believes have
wronged him. Not all of those who have committed evil acts are
punished nor the murdered innocent given justice. Mr. White
is just a middle-class, chemistry teacher who turned bad and
developed delusions of grandeur that he had powers far greater
than that of others. Just an egomaniac who strayed outside of
his range of abilities?
Ozymandias plays a role in the series but in what way? For
one view of Ozymandias, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias
For an analysis of the poem's relationship to the "Breaking Bad"
series see:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/08/01/ozymandias_poem_breaking_bad_trailer_raises_question_about_percy_shelley.html
For Bryan Cranston's reading of the poem Ozymandias, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3dpghfRBHE
NOTE: The Slate article points out that Ozymandias refers to
Pharaoh Ramses II and that interest in what he has accomplished
has long been an area of study and interest, continuing to today.
Is the use of the poem ironic or a failure of insight into one's
character or a defensive delusion to maintaining one's perception
of oneself? Dads breaking bad all over the place want to know.
-Mike Palij
New York University
[email protected]
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