bink_winkleman

He looks a lot older, too. Skyler is also slimmer. I say he aged a few years on the pot, there, like when people get so scared their hair turns white. Watching this again and just, man. You guys were right about Jesse. I wanted Walt to go down in so many different ways, but not this. I hate Hank so fucking much, and this is the only thing Jesse could do to turn me on him. I mean, I really do want Hank to see that it's Jesse, not Sky, who's been Walt's biggest (living) victim, but I'd rather it happen some other way. It's weird, I watched this show from the start of season 2 and it never occurred to me that Hank was supposed to be the hero until the masses started picking up around season 4 and told me so. Thought he was just an asshole racist lawbreaking narco that was in over his head. I will admit that I have no idea where this goes from here, though. I thought family was going to die, but now I'm not so sure. Hank won't win clean--nobody wins clean here--but he still might get the best of it all, and that sucks.

Fuckin Jesse man!!! At least they cut to black. I couldn't handle Jesse squealing AND the Orton cash in in one night.

Axel could ditch Heyman for theOrton spot. Might be hard to find another middle aged juicehead with a bellybutton tattoo. I've been a Flair mark since I was wee, but Evolution chased me away from WWE for the rest of the decade, so hopefully, well, Evolution without even Flair, fuck no.

Saw it coming, but man, what a buzzkill. Orton is such a channel changer that I don't know if I can keep up with the feud, and Bryan won't ever recapture those heights. Lesnar/Punk was great.

The family should be acting scared, Bray shouldn't at all. He's supposed to be nuts and fearless to the point that he was goading on the inferno match from the beginning. Then eventually, when someone does get under his skin (maybe some larger than life face, or a guy that he "pushes too far" in a good horror movie revenge porn angle, or a defected family member that breaks his brainwashing) it will be a big deal.

Some cool stuff here (Lou Barlow! Man Or Astro-Man!) Heard this today. Love this silly bastard. Local H does my favorite covers.

This latest issue was atrocious and pointless, so I'm not sure why they're dragging the story out unless they're out of ideas and need more filler like this. I thought I'd finally quit reading, but Project Runway is back on the air and I need something whiskey-friendly to do while the lady is glued in front of Lifetime.

Hogan & Edge was the only time I ever appreciated Hogan. Still begrudgingly, but it was hard to hate him then, and I'd hated the guy since literally (born in '81) before I can remember. Surfer Sting was wonderful when I was a kid, but I watch that stuff now and wow, what a dork. I almost don't like seeing it, because he was my favorite face as a kid. The early Crow stuff is still great theater, though. Non-goofy Angle never worked for me. In the 'rasslin tradition of trivializing 9/11, I'd say that it was the worst thing that could have happened to Kurt Angle's character. Heel Jericho from Souled Out '98 through the rest of his WCW run is my favorite character ever. Easily the most hilarious comedic heel run by a wrestler ever, and yeah, the matches were excellent. I remember being infuriated that they wouldn't even let Goldberg come out there and squash him. I was so hyped up for his WWF appearance that I lost my voice shouting at the TV the night he appeared, but it was never the same after that one amazing entrance.

I'm really getting the reverse vibe from Elysium/Pac Rim than most people are. I saw Elysium last night and really enjoyed it. I appreciated that it didn't try to be a smarter movie than it really was, like Inception, and let the audience ride along on the fun storytelling, themes and action. And the fact that it was only 106 minutes long. On the other hand, I thought Pacific Rim was exceedingly average. No balls, no soul, nothing weird, no suspence, nothing intense. I guess it had "heart" in the sense that it wasn't too cynical and was all feel good Robot Jox and wholesome flyboys. Action sequences were pretty boring, lots of water splashing everywhere and then cutting to people whoa-whoa-whoa!!!-ing inside of robots. There was nothing really awful, either. I couldn't have hated it if I tried. Though if it launches Charlie Day as the next Rick Moranis, then I guess it was all worth my money. And it did get me to dust off my VHS of the far superior Godzilla vs. Mecha-Zilla.

Wait, from the plane crash? Also, don't underestimate how much Jesse hates Hank. I'm still sold on the idea that someone in Walt's immediate family is going to die. Skylar is at least going to jail. I have this feeling, too. As much as critics like to harp on this idea, I always felt that the idea that this show was ever about Walt vs. Hank were really selling the whole thing short. Hank never was "the hero" of the story. Walt's been wanting Hank to find out for ages (he even told him that Heisenberg was still alive after Hank was finished with the case) and it's always felt to me that Hank never had any idea of the magnitude of what he was up against. I think Hank exposes Walt, but there's not going to be anything tough or heroic or Super Detective about it. And there was something, to me, about the punch to Walt that said "this is it. This is all the release Hank is ever going to get, and his vengeance just peaked." That said, I'm talking out of my ass as much as anyone here. I started watching at the beginning of season 2, and all of these episodes so many times over the years, and Gilligan still throws me for a curve every time.

I'm leaning toward the "Walt is going to save Jesse" idea. I also don't think it's fair to judge what Walt is doing by that point by what's going on now. Walt is irredeemable, but by the time the last event rolls around, he's likely to be a very different person with a very different perspective on his actions. I loved the Pete/Badger thing, and I HATE to be this guy, but, well, the ricin has always been (and consistently referred to by critics as) a Chekhov's gun, and blueberry pies are being transported from stomach to space until one distraction fucks the whole thing up. It'll definitely be something to pay closer attention to on rewatch. Oh and: http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/breaking-bad-badger-star-trek-story-animated.html

I completely agree. I also think that it was more Heisenberg who burned down the bridges with Grey Matter back in the day than Walt. Stuff like this is why I refuse to watch Talking Bad.

Wow, I couldn't (respectfully of course!) disagree more. I don't think he's "playing the cancer situation" so much as telling Hank that there's an easier way out of all this. Walt is the pussy in the sense that he lies (or used to lie) to himself and couldn't admit shit to anybody, but that's about it. There's that scene after the Cousins fuck up Hank where Walt gives Hank that pep talk about being empowered after his cancer, I think that's Walt being straight up about how much he doesn't give a fuck and how crazy and dangerous of a sociopath he is. Walter is a self-righteous blowhard that overestimates himself to absurdity, and his ego is his biggest weakness, but he's the real deal and everyone who underestimates him dies. Hank is just another cop show detective who loves to trash the law for his self-righteous hunches, but at the end of the fucking day, he can't even sniff out his own brother-in-law so clearly under his nose, and Walt, killer of Gus Fring and Mike the fucking Cleaner and perpetrator of train heists and all sorts of other horrible acts, knows this and is kind of annoyed by his shit. That's why he so boldly walks in there, confident that Hank is just the latest bump in Heisenberg's road. His reaction to Hank is much like Gus's reaction to Hank when he was finally going to finish him off, before Walt blew the whistle. I think Hank is going to be a bit crafty and maybe even expose Walt, but only after he admits to himself that this is a bigger fish than he's ever seen and he can't just punch the guy around in his garage and expect results. The thing that that makes the audience, myself included, hate Walt so much is that he's the real fucking deal. We want him to just be this whiny fucking asshole in over his head, but then HE WINS. Every time, over and over again because, well, he's a crazy evil genius bad motherfucker.

"I'm on like Step 5!" is somewhere between One Who Knocks and Tread Lightly.

Trying? I dunno, man, Hank finally met Heisenberg and he looked like he was about to shit his pants. And the last guy who punched Walt didn't turn out so well, and that guy actually knew who he was dealing with. This seemed to me to lay it out that Hank is in over his head and shit's about to wind down for the guy. Brilliant bit on that from the AVClub Review (which I would put in spoiler tags but I'm not sure how to do on the new board.) But there’s another side to Walt’s restful retirement and tiresome re-raveling of loose ends. Like most premature retirees, he’s bored stiff, and as is traditional, he copes by interfering in his wife’s business. Look at how he shows up at the carwash to bug Skyler about his elaborate plan for restructuring the displays to move more high-margin air fresheners. The man always got off on solving problems better than anyone else. Now the only outlets for his talents are penny-ante schemes to move money around, one $14.95 basic wash at a time. (“Please give this to your carwash professional, and have an A-1 day.”) So when he realizes Leaves Of Grass is missing, connects the dots to Hank’s discomfort, and confirms his suspicions by finding a tracking device on his Dodge Challenger, it’s both terrible and wonderful. Terrible: His secret is out. Wonderful: He has a project. And he feels fully up to the task, all but sneering at Hank for his clumsy use of the same tracking device the two of them planted on Fring’s car. “If you don’t know who I am, maybe your best course of action is to tread lightly,” he warns a shaken, awestruck Hank. Making meth was never what Heisenberg was all about. Having an enemy to crush, whether it be in business or in the struggle to survive—that’s the essence of Walt’s alter ego. And he seems to grow a foot taller when he’s able to set that side of himself free. EDIT: Rewatching now. Really hating that in the midst of all the Hank/Walt talk, the Badger/Pete fanfic isn't going to get its proper due.

Erikson does have some insane battle scenes. And magic in some part being used almost like nuclear weapons. The cannibalism in Memories of Ice is incredible, too. So far, so good with the second Esslemont book. Writing is clearly of a different caliber, and it helps quite a bit that there are more familiar characters.

This is basically what happens. I think the mistake made earlier is that when Saul goes in to meet Jesse, he has the wrong paperwork with him. I'm excited out of my goddamn head for this tonight. I'm pissed that the season is going to overlap with the NFL, though. Way too much TV in the fall. Andy Greenwald had a pretty cool article on how the show will probably avert a Sopranos/Wire style thud at the end because the show's narrative is so narrow and precise. I still think shit is going to come back around with Gus and "who he really is", and I wouldn't be surprised to see him show back up in some flashbacks. I think someone in Walt's family ends up eating the ricin. I really, really hope that Hank doesn't get to bust Walt (and then send him on the run or whatever) and I wouldn't mind seeing Walt take him out, but we'll see. As much as I can't wait to see everything cave in on Mr. White, Hank is the absolute last person on the show that I want to see do it. I'm hoping Walt's killers/people he's getting all gunned up for are something huge and terrifying. Also, Saul lives, and I can't wait for the spin off. Though I'd prefer it to take place before BB.

I hated the Nastys so much as a kid that it's really impossible for me to evaluate them with any sense of objectivity. Road Warriors had cool facepaint and crushed people and I was born in 1981 so yeah...the nostalgia value alone still makes me enjoy those matches. Not quite sure how relevant this may be to even a catch-all thread, but saw Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P) in Austin Monday night. Show was incredible. Before Mike broke into Ric Flair, though, he was talking about how he always hated Hogan as a kid and called him a fraud and a phony and shit. Had the sold out crowd chanting "Fuck Hogan!" at the top of their lungs. He was kind of using Hogan as a metaphor for the American dream (the actual thing, not Dusty), and if you listen to Killer Mike you'll know what I'm talking about. Then he threw up the Horseman sign and had a ton of fucking kids who'd probably never seen a day of pro wrestling in their lives Woo'ing. It was fucking amazing. Then he played the shit out of "Ric Flair." Show was amazing. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure you can hit up the Googles, but here's "Ric Flair": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzgejIcFauM&noredirect=1

He could do what Ed O'Bannon is doing and argue just that, but it's not as if it's anything that would be quickly or easily resolved.

I think he was in Miami, wanted some money for strippers and blow, and maybe the 'rents hadn't quite given him enough at the time. I'm almost positive that he did this, the question is whether or not he'll get caught. I agree that he's going to melt down, I was just hoping that they'd manage to keep him contained through this season. I sort of can't stand the guy, but would have liked to have seen him lead us to a title before failing miserably in the NFL.

I'm still loving Invincible, and have no idea how it stays so consistent while TWD has been crap for years now. You'd think that it would be Invincible that would have suffered more because of TWD show's success.

Cool, I'll give the second Esslemont book a shot, then. I'm still holding strong in marching through the series, but a change of pace would be nice. I'm reading these on an e-reader, so I tend to print out the cast and the glossary beforehand, and I always keep my phone nearby in case I need to consult the Malazan wiki. This gets, yeah, a bit tedious and sometimes I wouldn't mind a good ol' fashioned narrative. I do kind of love that after Memories of Ice, when you've finally got a grasp on who's who, he introduces a completely new plotline in the next book. I can see where that would have pissed off a lot of people who were reading the books as they came out, but I kind of loved it. And by The Bonehunters, I feel like I've graduated to the upper level Malazan courses, where things are getting more complicated but are still comfortably familiar. I'll probably check out the novellas at some point, too.

There were a couple of really amazing epic fantasy threads here, and I'd like to reignite that discussion. Those threads were what got me into the Malazan series. I'm now finishing book six and would rank them so far: 1. Midnight Tides 2. The Bonehunters 3. Memories of Ice 4. House of Chains 5. Gardens of the Moon 6. Deadhouse Gates I hear that the next few never reach the heights of the earlier books, but I don't trust anyone else's opinions because, well, no one seems to enjoy Midnight Tides as much as I do. I flew through that book. And I really think the first few hundred pages of House of Chains, with the Karsa focus, are far and away the most captivating part of the series so far. Gardens of the Moon and Memories of Ice have some of the most amazing, incredible scenes, but once the focus goes back to the grunts, I get pretty bored. I tried reading the first Esslemont book and it was fucking awful. Is the second one any good? I hear its got some important plot points, but really, I'd rather just Wiki it. When I finish these, I'll probably move on. I was a huge nerd for this stuff as a kid, but moved on and subsequently missed most of the great epic fantasy books of the last fifteen years. These days I read so much fucking theory and policy for work that I only want to read shit with spaceships or dragons, no more realistic fiction for the time being. I've got a lot of catching up to do, and refuse to dig into Martin until GoT ends. I do love Patrick Rothfuss and will be there day one when the next Kingkiller book drops. Anyway, use this thread for all things epic fantasy or even sword and sorcery.

I'm going to step in here and say come the fuck on, WCW 96-early 98 was AWESOME. It's hard to go back and rewatch because you have the basic idea of what's going on, but at the time, no one had seen anything like this. The NWO always winning eventually killed it, but man. Sting on the rafters and the NWO suspense was amazing television. It was exciting, and while the same shit kept on happening, there was still an air of unpredictability that is long gone in today's WWE. Plus, yeah, the extremely solid mid-card. And if you're watching it on WWE OnDemand, you're getting cheated, because you're missing all of the Horsemen feud and just about everything Flair because Benoit is edited out.

I really don't like the Negan angle at all. It just feels like the same ol' shit. I guess the tiger LARP guy is kind of cool? I'm still reading out of habit, but the comic has been off the rails for years now. I'd really like for a big shift in the status quo, and by that I don't mean killing off characters, but a completely new type of setting. Put them at sea, or throw in a character that's figured out how to control the zombies, bring in a surviving foreign military, let the zombie virus adapt to infect animals, just anything to really switch up the book.