DanSometimes

*This review may contain spoilers.* Review for the actual show. 9.6/10 A slow, bleak portrait of the morally dubious, charismatic conman for the right reasons: Jimmy Mc.Gill. From the hypersensitive rejection of his perfect, mentally ill brother, the loyally, morally, lovingly destructive muse of Kim, to Howard’s unnecessary character assassination, Nacho’s organised plea for freedom from the cartel, Mike’s cold escape from his own corruption; the lifelike pacing and lived in atmosphere of this desperate world dances with with the law, morality and responsibility in a way only real life could. Jimmy is finally left an honest man, burnt out like a cigarette you share, a toxin worth savouring, inhaling lies and exhaling truth before throwing it all away. He did it all for her, to see her face, so his other half knows he has never changed. The cigarette they share is mutual peace and understanding of what they are but Kim can’t put out his fires anymore, he can’t change, won’t stop playing the game but his soul is still good man. Saul was addicted to the game, the ego, the play and how much he could get away with. There are sheep and there are wolves, Jimmy becomes Saul after succumbing to his label of the naughty scumbag little brother. A wolf as opposed to a sheep stuck on the butchers’ farms land, grasping straws wherein you could just take from the factory. Why put criminals in jail when you could just work with them? From breaking bad’s masterpiece of dramatic irony, family and crime comes a modern, darker and more human insight into what a good man really is. His girl came back. He proved he is who he always been, someone who will do anything for what he thinks is right. As she walks away it cuts to black as his perspective is gone. He is at home with his criminals, a king amongst men, a lawyer to everyone. The law, his time, the deal will never compare to the regret of him snowballing the suicide of his own brother. You despise characters and take on the hatred of sabotage to be hit with grief, guilt and moral From the black and white flash forwards to his mundane, thieving escapades, to eggshell walking cartel drama, touching, cold, repressive moments from Mike Ermantraut, this show goes above and beyond the typical episodic formula. It justifies and expands Saul’s and the law’s existence. The shot composition, depth of field, texture, editing and air tight tension make this cinema. More boring? Yes. More realistic, raw and cinematically precise, astute yet expansive? Yes. Two different shows entirely. One legacy of personal, legal boundary breaking ends triumphantly compared to Walter white’s familial, tragic, moral downfall. An absolute nerve wracking, warm experience of emotional turmoil. I couldn’t sit in the awkwardness and reality of this failing lawyer struggle harder and harder to do the right thing. Howard didn’t need to die, Nacho didn’t need to kill himself, Kim didn’t need to turn the car around from justice to profit, Mike didn’t need to work and die by corruption, Chuck didn’t need to set his house on fire and Jimmy could have never been a lawyer. None of this would have happened. No meth would be made, no innocent people would have died. Every character is rich, Lalo’s twisted smile and charm is deeply unsettling. You set rules and expectations, they will be broken. Until there’s no going back. What starts as a law, family drama becomes a meticulous melting pot of perspectives of what make up morality, a fight for the good that law should stand for. The subtlety and symbolism, deserved shock and awe makes this one of the best shows ever made. Bob Obendirk deserves all the awards.

Review of the show. 9.6/10.  ‘I did it for me’. The worst parts of yourself will reveal themselves in the ugliest ways. Walter White was truly alive and in control of his last moments in mid life crisis. He had to become Heisenberg in order to keep living his life on his terms, no matter what it took. He is caught as Heisenberg, the man he always was but never could be. The cancer diagnosis brought out the true nature of power in our control over death, revealing how far we can go to justify the next hit. I will bawl if I think about Andrea, Jane, Mike, all the people lost over intoxicating greed. The American dream corrupts a family until there is no family left. This family soap is twisted until you want Walter White dead. I’m just happy Jesse escaped.  The pleasure of meth and money is immense but every action has an equal reaction. Karma is bestowed omnipotently as individuals suffer at the hands of ego. The stakes get heavier as does the emotional toll. Breaking bad psychologically goes to the lowest of lows and highest of highs. The performances from Aaron Paul and Hank are breathtaking. This is a titillating masterclass of dramatic irony, duality and greed. You will love or hate everyone all at once. I was captivated for hours. If you know the science, if you know what makes people tick, you can do anything. Worth all the hype.

Staying true to yourself and own morality is hard when it is forcibly taken from you. Being good for good’s sake has no purpose until a mercenary clan of rapists poison Kara’s dog and kill an innocent family; an introspective revenge quest begins. The stakes are heavy from the start, the action was air tight and satisfying, this this takes Gunn’s wit and quirkiness to a unique, ostracised female perspective. The sci fi elements and alien costumes ground you in this mythical refugee story. The kryptons are dead, their bloodline cannot be tainted as a trophy, Ruthye gives reason for Kara to be super again. This is a classic revenge story where you have to help those who cannot help themselves. To stop the cycle of revenge or drowning your sorrows, to take the physical, emotional toll of action in a just world that feels lost.  I would have liked to seen more of the Breggens culture, planet and all male race, backstory for Ruthye but this was a heart driven, well directed and paced story. I loved seeing Krypton, this fleshed out the greater universe of mythical powers that are basically biblical. This would be four stars but it lacked the depth that the visual, emotional journey required as a film. Needle drops went hard most of the time. The scale of the film was huge yet intimate and Milly Alcock’s was powerful and dynamic as drunk, apathetic ditz. Lobo took the space and attention from of every scene he was in, he was comically huge and on fire. A really solid superhero film, drastically better than any other female led or standard MCU offering.  7.7/10.