Mike Otherz
All Star
general thoughts
i honestly think walter is the least interesting person in the show
people who i was more interested in:
skylar-one dimensional initially, but now fleshed out and more complex.
hank-most likeable person on the show. also seems to have integrity.
gus-most complex character on the show
mike-actually, is probably the most complex chaarcter on the show.
saul-like dude said in another thread, straight outta Grand Theft Auto
jane-
manolo from scarface.
the last two are minor characters but i felt they had charisma and intrigue that i would have loved to see explored further.
so yeah, kinda not interested even a little in walter. in the first two seasons i found him manipulative, selfish. which got in the way of the "cancer survivor/science teacher who cooks meth and sells it to provide for his family" message of the show. in seasons 3 and 4, kinda non existent. i mean, how great was season 4 episode 10. when gus and mike and jesse go to mexico and meet with manolo from scarface. that probably the best episode in the show. and walter was nowhere to be found. see how the show improved without him?
i actually started sympathising with gus once we saw the flashback of how he got his start and how that cartel killed his friend and ultimately, never respected him. i sympathised for a minute. i think there is a great show out there waiting for a Gus type character, a black godfather type show. to me, the contrast between his public persona (successful local businessman and patriotic citizen), and his covert drug empire operations was way more intersting than walters science teacher, secret meth manufacturer juxtaposition.
manolo was not in the show long but what an impact, looked like a fun guy to hang out with. when they brought the females to the party damn.
mike, dude from beverly hills cop, was a character i came to like. he is probably my second favorite character in the show after hank.
dont really mess with jesse either. just seemed to become a one note character, constantly angry or moody. dont get me wrong, dude has been trough crap, having to kill gale etc but still, it was a chore to watch him. did you find it realistic when he went to mexico and got in that mexicans scientist face? classic white supremacy fantasy brehs. also, walter taking down gus is another white supremacy fantasy. mexicans and ninjaz been in the game for years and here come mighty whitey to show them how its really done. this would have been a better show if walter was played by a mexican american.
season rankings:
1) 3.5 mics
2) gonna up it to 4.5 mics. seems better in hindsight.
3) 4.5 mics. visually just went to the next level
4) 4.5 mics. the mexican excursian was a perfect episode. and one of the best episodes on TV ever. great finish as well.
these rankings could be revised as time passes. these are just initial thoughts.
so as you can see the show gets pretty high marks, mostly for its storytelling form, coherence, interesting visuals, and the great characters i mentioned up post. if walter was more interesting and mexican, i'd prolly give it even higher marks. but dude is a relatively uninteresting character in a white supremacist fantasy. like seinfeld, the lead actor is the weak link.
what would make this show get even better, if walter were to die and skylar becomes the drug boss. sure it be ridicolous but entertaing and more important, interesting. we need more great women characters on TV who arent just the wifey, or girlfriend or sister. why Mad Men is so great, best women characters in a prestige show. skylar has that opportunity. fisrt two seasons she was a nightmare of a wife, kinda cliched, but i feel they improved her a lot in seasons 3 and four. her becoming complicit makes for a fascinating character.
i honestly think walter is the least interesting person in the show
people who i was more interested in:
skylar-one dimensional initially, but now fleshed out and more complex.
hank-most likeable person on the show. also seems to have integrity.
gus-most complex character on the show
mike-actually, is probably the most complex chaarcter on the show.
saul-like dude said in another thread, straight outta Grand Theft Auto
jane-
manolo from scarface.
the last two are minor characters but i felt they had charisma and intrigue that i would have loved to see explored further.
so yeah, kinda not interested even a little in walter. in the first two seasons i found him manipulative, selfish. which got in the way of the "cancer survivor/science teacher who cooks meth and sells it to provide for his family" message of the show. in seasons 3 and 4, kinda non existent. i mean, how great was season 4 episode 10. when gus and mike and jesse go to mexico and meet with manolo from scarface. that probably the best episode in the show. and walter was nowhere to be found. see how the show improved without him?
i actually started sympathising with gus once we saw the flashback of how he got his start and how that cartel killed his friend and ultimately, never respected him. i sympathised for a minute. i think there is a great show out there waiting for a Gus type character, a black godfather type show. to me, the contrast between his public persona (successful local businessman and patriotic citizen), and his covert drug empire operations was way more intersting than walters science teacher, secret meth manufacturer juxtaposition.
manolo was not in the show long but what an impact, looked like a fun guy to hang out with. when they brought the females to the party damn.
mike, dude from beverly hills cop, was a character i came to like. he is probably my second favorite character in the show after hank.
dont really mess with jesse either. just seemed to become a one note character, constantly angry or moody. dont get me wrong, dude has been trough crap, having to kill gale etc but still, it was a chore to watch him. did you find it realistic when he went to mexico and got in that mexicans scientist face? classic white supremacy fantasy brehs. also, walter taking down gus is another white supremacy fantasy. mexicans and ninjaz been in the game for years and here come mighty whitey to show them how its really done. this would have been a better show if walter was played by a mexican american.
season rankings:
1) 3.5 mics
2) gonna up it to 4.5 mics. seems better in hindsight.
3) 4.5 mics. visually just went to the next level
4) 4.5 mics. the mexican excursian was a perfect episode. and one of the best episodes on TV ever. great finish as well.
these rankings could be revised as time passes. these are just initial thoughts.
so as you can see the show gets pretty high marks, mostly for its storytelling form, coherence, interesting visuals, and the great characters i mentioned up post. if walter was more interesting and mexican, i'd prolly give it even higher marks. but dude is a relatively uninteresting character in a white supremacist fantasy. like seinfeld, the lead actor is the weak link.
what would make this show get even better, if walter were to die and skylar becomes the drug boss. sure it be ridicolous but entertaing and more important, interesting. we need more great women characters on TV who arent just the wifey, or girlfriend or sister. why Mad Men is so great, best women characters in a prestige show. skylar has that opportunity. fisrt two seasons she was a nightmare of a wife, kinda cliched, but i feel they improved her a lot in seasons 3 and four. her becoming complicit makes for a fascinating character.
