HopsGuy

One of those rare examples is Louis CK and his show "Louie". He shoots on a small budget and takes the union minimum for himself. Of course, he does the show to promote himself as a brand so that he can sell-out theaters on the road. Matt Weiner & Vince Gilligan don't have a road-show to promote - this is it for them and they need to get paid. The good news is that Breaking Bad was renewed for 16 more episodes.

My $0.02: AMC went public last month. Speaking from my own limit experience, having to answer quarterly to shareholders can change the culture of any business. That can be VERY bad when it comes to creative folks, who (IMHO) are best left to their own devices.

I've seen at least 3 descriptions of Jesse as being totally nihilistic. That's probably apt. Also, he played that Jane-like girl in a go-cart related video game. Lots of call-backs there. Does anyone else have "Major Tom (Coming Home)" invading their brains? Gale had depth.

I saw it and had to rewind and slow-mo for confirmation. Nice nod to Dr. Paul's stance on the "War on Drugs".

Maybe we'll get more on that as we progress. What bothered me in season 3 was that Gus had built the Super Lab before he had secured Walt's services. I had wondered how he was able to do so without necessarily knowing the equipment he would need. The cold-open flashback in S04E01 showed that Gale had actually been the one that designed the lab. I guess that could have been inferred since Gale was the first person he met (love that they still have the coffee setup), but it explained a plot-hole for me. I never saw LOST, so I cannot comment on the character back-stories.

Remember the cold-open "call back" in the first season that shows a very young Walt with Gretchen as they flesh-out the chemical composition of the human body? It appears as though they were grad students. Later we see that Gretchen had married Walt's partner and were doing quite well. Further on we find that Walt had been pushed out of the business (as he saw it) and was now being offered charity to pay for his soaring health costs. Walk is a proud man and was willing to do anything to support his family - work two jobs, cook meth, etc. Gilligan stated that the "no going back" point when Walt "Breaks Bad" is when he turns down this offer of assistance. As for last night...

I agree with your assessment of Jesse's current state. The original story-line had Jesse dying in Season One. Once they saw what they had in Aaron Paul, they decided to keep him around. I don't know if they'd kill him off this season or wait around until Season Five (the final season). There was quite a discussion over who called Walt when he was in front of Gus' house. So Alan Sepinwall decided to call Vince Gilligan and ask. Turns out it was Tyrus, the new guy. Go figure.

Next the NY Jets will use an F-22 in their logo. We don't fly those, either.

Have you guys ever seen the minisodes they produced? Here's a link to my favorite one that is set on Hank & Marie's wedding day. You can easily find the others there on YouTube.

Insider Podcast for S04E01 Grantland Interview with Vince Gilligan about S04E01 Alan Sepinwall's Review (Tons of opinion in the comments) My obsession is probably bordering on "unhealthy".

Good God, that's horrible way to treat Crown. I'm sure that's a nice drink, but you can probably substitute CC or some other Canadian blended whiskey and keep the Crown for sipping over ice. /Not judging but, Sheesh!

PFFFFTTTTT

I'm a little disappointed by the left tackle. He's posing instead of protecting the Blind Side. Michael Oher really should have been part of the wedding party.

Drinks by the pool: 1. Vodka & Diet Orange Soda (Pop) - Careful as the orange flavor is so strong, you'll never taste the booze. Go with Triple distilled Smirnoff. Only use the high end stuff for vodka martinis. 2. Mojito 3. Sangria - I like the juice of 1 each lemon, lime, navel orange with 1 bottle of red wine & 1 tsp sugar. Marinate in a pitcher overnight. Add a dozen cut up strawberries & 20oz of ginger ale. Back into the fridge for an hour. Good to go. Plenty of ice on hand. As always, drink from a plastic cup (no glass @ the pool). Wear sunscreen.

It doesn't bring actual tears, but a there's a mighty lump in my throat whenever I hear Ben Folds Five's . It's probably the saddest song ever, partly because it's something that actually happened to him.

Sort of related: An Oral History of "Major League" Lots of gems from Chaz.

I like your analysis. The comic relief in season 3 was the one scene outside the NA meeting where Badger admits to selling only one 'teenth' and it was to Skinny Pete. And both of them are reluctant to sell to the other folks in the meeting who are trying to get their lives together and - by the way - Skinny Pete is on step 5 and Badger is on step 2.

Miriam Webster states both octopuses and octopi are acceptable. It's probably because octopi has been used incorrectly for so long they just gave up. Next up: elimination of 'whom'.

And another suspect emerges in the Rosie Larsen case.

You have 24 hours: It's over.

I read through this thread and strangely enough I had this same conversation earlier today with a friend who asked if he should watch his DVR'd "Falling Skies". I watched the first hour and will get around to the rest later. My first impression is that it's like "The Walking Dead" rather than "V" because we're presented with people whose world has changed totally and something is after them and if they catch you, they make you one of them (or at least a mindless slave). I really liked "V" probably because of what Doc mentioned (especially Laura Vandervoot, wow!). The enemy side at least had some texture/personality and who doesn't love an evil villain? I'll probably keep watching because I need something to fill in the blanks now that "Game of Thrones" and (yes) "The Killing" are off for 9 months. Heck, I owe this show a few more viewings just for the line that Noah had comparing the evil aliens to the NY Yankees.

Since we're including commercials, the girls on the roof at 0:11 & 0:19 and the ginger in the red-checkered shirt at 0:16 in the Weber Grill commercial all seem rather friendly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajv69uEtKIs

Bill Simmons skewers the finale.