Breaking Bad

[Heisenberg]

on AMC.com on one of the behinds the scenes videos, VG said they recreated the scene recently.

[Slice of Life]

on AMC.com on one of the behinds the scenes videos, VG said they recreated the scene recently.

Well freakin' done. Well done.

[Beachcomber]

I listened to the Podcast last night about Season 5, Episode 14 (which was amazing - and is the 60th episode of the series).   This was the first podcast I've listened to where the writers and directors talk about the show (or any show for that matter - I've never listened to one of these)... And they went into some interesting details about how they filmed certain things, and pulled off different scenes using various techniques and methods.  It was pretty interesting, and they definitely gave me insight into the state of the characters, and what they wanted the audience to feel.

But one of the things I found the most interesting, at least in this sample of listening, is how much these writers seemed to forget/or didn't know the timeline of the story.  I'm mentioning this here, because while I think Vince Gilligan obviously is a brilliant mind behind this show, his cast of writers seemed to not truly know how much time has elapsed over the course of time.

So that got me thinking... And I've thought about this before... How much time has actually passed over the course of this show?

First, the pilot Walt turns 50 (Skyler places the bacon on the breakfast plate).  Ok.... So this is Day 1.

Then throughout the first season, Skyler is prego with Holly...  And in season 2, she has Holly in the 11th episode of the series... Holly is born while Walt is doing his first transaction with Gus for a whopping $1.2M.

I don't know how much time elapsed between Walt turning 50 (Episode 1), and Holly being born... But I want to use her birth as an important reference point which I'll come back to later.

Then in Season 5, Episode 50 - 'Fifty One' Walt turns 51.

During this time... Is when Lydia is worried about the DEA tracking their methlaymine.... And Jesse, Walt and Mike are all trying to find ways to shake the DEA - as Blue Sky is back on the streets being sold after Gus' death.

Fast forward to this weeks Episode, Ozymandia (Episode 60), an Amber Alert is reported for an 18mo girl - who is Holly.

So basically we have from Episode 11 to Episode 60 is a span of 18 months.... This is when Walt is leaving and going to New Hampshire (we know this from the previous flash forward, where he shows the waitress in the Denny's his ID)... And this coming weeks Episode is named 'Granite State'.... New Hampshire is nick named the Granite State.

Where am I going with this?  Well, in the Denny's dinner, during the flash forward of Season 5, Episode 47, Live Free or Die - Walt is seen with the New Hampshire ID, and he has hair, and it is his 52 birthday.

Lets recap now....

1.) Walt turned 50 in the Pilot (Episode 1)... Shit starts getting real.

2.) Holly is born in Season 2, (Episode 11).... This is where Gus is buying his first batch of leftover product from Walt and Jesse.

3.) Walt turned 51 in Season 5 (Episode 50)... The DEA knows about Gus - but is trying to find out who is running the meth op now that Gus is dead.

3.) Holly is kidnapped by Walt in Season 5b...(Episode 60).... It is reported in the Amber Alert Holly is 18mo old.

4.) Walt turned 52 in the flash forward in Season 5a (Episode 47).... This will be shown again, in present time in either Episode 61 (this coming weekend) or Episode 62?  (Only two episodes left)

Obviously, 24mo passes by from the Pilot to where Walt is back in ABQ after returning from the 'Granite State'. But how has all of this crazyness transpired over the course of 2yrs?!

The writers during the podcast was saying it was one year from the Pilot to Episode 60 - and Vince corrected them, and said it was longer... But he didn't specify how much longer it was.  As good as this show is... It just seems like it would've been more realistic (LOL - ok this is TV I know)... If this would've been like spanned over 3 or 5yrs.

So my question is.... Am I the only person that is bugged out by this?  Has anyone else thought about this?  Think of the insane shit that has transpired over the course of this show - which is amazing... I've loved the character development.... But squeezing it into a 2yr timeline seems really strange.

[Golfingdad]

So my question is.... Am I the only person that is bugged out by this?  Has anyone else thought about this?  Think of the insane shit that has transpired over the course of this show - which is amazing... I've loved the character development.... But squeezing it into a 2yr timeline seems really strange.

It doesn't bother me at all, because it doesn't seem that crazy to me.  (timeline-wise, I mean).

Crazy is all the shit that Jack Bauer somehow manages to do, and all of the real estate he manages to cover in 24 hours, but that is another story. ;)

I just thought of something amusing ... that I had to look up to confirm.  It was the day after his birthday that he passed out at the car wash and was rushed to the hospital.  He was EVENTUALLY (the website doesn't mention and I don't recall if that means 1 hour, 1 week, or 1 month later) diagnosed with "stage-three terminal lung cancer and given less than two years left to live."

Based on the current state of events and the flash forwards, I'd say that doctor was right on the money. ;)

[Beachcomber]

It doesn't bother me at all, because it doesn't seem that crazy to me.  (timeline-wise, I mean).

Crazy is all the shit that Jack Bauer somehow manages to do, and all of the real estate he manages to cover in 24 hours, but that is another story. ;)

I just thought of something amusing ... that I had to look up to confirm.  It was the day after his birthday that he passed out at the car wash and was rushed to the hospital.  He was EVENTUALLY (the website doesn't mention and I don't recall if that means 1 hour, 1 week, or 1 month later) diagnosed with "stage-three terminal lung cancer and given less than two years left to live."

Based on the current state of events and the flash forwards, I'd say that doctor was right on the money. ;)

Ok, I apologize... I wrote what I wrote, and then Google 'Breaking Bad Timeline of Events' and this is the first article that popped up...

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/09/after-year-youve-had-glaring-flaw-breaking-bad-chronology/68987/

After reading the article, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has some issues with the timeline of the show.

And GD, I had to laugh when you used 24 as a reference.... GOOOD POINT!!

Oh, and here is the question... Walt has a shaved head in episode 60.... Holly is 18mo old.

So going back to the timeline... Walt is 50 in the Pilot.... 11 Episodes in (Season 2 - after Tuco and all the crazyness went down in Season 1 - they sell Blue Sky to Gus) Holly is born.  18mo later, Episode 60.  Episode 61 or 62, Walt will be 52.... And here you go.... Walt has hair.

Walt grew a full beard, and a full head of hair in like a month or two?  I'm guessing a month or two (being polite) because Holly wasn't born until Episode 11 - where they had probably engaged in several months of badness after Walt turned 50?!?  LOL

Come on Vince.  I love your show, but your timeline sucks!

[Slice of Life]

Walt grew a full beard, and a full head of hair in like a month or two?  I'm guessing a month or two (being polite) because Holly wasn't born until Episode 11 - where they had probably engaged in several months of badness after Walt turned 50?!?  LOL

Come on Vince.  I love your show, but your timeline sucks!

Umm...give me two months and I'll have that hair and beard. Easy.

[Golfingdad]

Walt grew a full beard, and a full head of hair in like a month or two?  I'm guessing a month or two (being polite) because Holly wasn't born until Episode 11 - where they had probably engaged in several months of badness after Walt turned 50?!?  LOL

Come on Vince.  I love your show, but your timeline sucks!

I think your thinking waaaaaaay too much about this.  First of all, it doesn't take that long to grow hair and a beard.  The beard especially could probably be grown like that in a couple of weeks.  And as far as his hair ... I'm going bald and could grow my hair that long in a couple of months if I didn't shave it!

Secondly, you're basing everything off of Holly's age, which could be a minor plot hole, or could simply be a rounding error.  If you ask me how old my daughter is right now, I'd say "2" when in reality, she is actually closer to 28 months old. ;)

Umm...give me two months and I'll have that hair and beard. Easy.

Yup.

[JetFan1983]

Yea, who knows with this timeline...

The fact though that Walt doesn't come back until his 52nd birthday leads me to believe he isn't going to save Jesse in the next episode.

Or maybe he is. Who knows. This show rules

[Slice of Life]

Yea, who knows with this timeline...

The fact though that Walt doesn't come back until his 52nd birthday leads me to believe he isn't going to save Jesse in the next episode.

Or maybe he is. Who knows. This show rules

There's no way he saves Jesse. Jesse would murder him the first chance he had.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

Yea, who knows with this timeline...

The fact though that Walt doesn't come back until his 52nd birthday leads me to believe he isn't going to save Jesse in the next episode.

Or maybe he is. Who knows. This show rules

There's no way he saves Jesse. Jesse would murder him the first chance he had.

Yea, you're probably right... however, if there's any shred of humanity left in him, he might.

Pretty funny though that Jesse's famous catch-phrase is saying variations of the word "bitch," and now he has become the ultimate bitch chained inside some nazi meth lab. Wow. Talk about a bad way to end up in life.

[Heisenberg]

Small tid bit about New Hampshire:

Season 5 E1 when he is in the Denny's: The name of the episode is Live Free or Die.

Season 5 E15 is named Granite State

"Its license plates carry the state motto: "Live Free or Die". The state's nickname, "The Granite State", refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries."

[Heisenberg]

also did you guys notice the fireman's game near the end of the episode when he drops off Holly?

[Golfingdad]

also did you guys notice the fireman's game near the end of the episode when he drops off Holly?

I'm trying to figure this out, but come up with nothing.  It's a game of chess and it's focused on the king.  What more?  As far as is shown, he's not check-mated, and for that matter, not even in check. (There could be rooks off screen that have him in check, but otherwise, I see nothing here) :(

Hmmm ......

[jamo]

I'm trying to figure this out, but come up with nothing.  It's a game of chess and it's focused on the king.  What more?  As far as is shown, he's not check-mated, and for that matter, not even in check. (There could be rooks off screen that have him in check, but otherwise, I see nothing here) :( Hmmm ......

The king and his two pawns? I dunno. There's also a knight there. Maybe it's just not very deep. The fact that there's a king could be it. Also not sure what Heisenberg is going for with the New Hampshire stuff. I already knew those little facts, but is there some deeper meaning? We already know the Mr. Lambert persona is from NH, it's not like that's a secret.

[Golfingdad]

Maybe it's just not very deep. The fact that there's a king could be it.

That was my thought.  It's firemen playing chess.  I don't see anything beyond that.  I could certainly be wrong, but that's all I see. ;)

Also not sure what Heisenberg is going for with the New Hampshire stuff. I already knew those little facts, but is there some deeper meaning? We already know the Mr. Lambert persona is from NH, it's not like that's a secret.

Yeah, I agree here too.  His fake identity that he got from Saul's vacuum cleaner guy has him moving to New Hampshire.  I don't see how that's relevant to anything.

P.S.  Nice to know you're not still "restricted" from this thread, dumbass. ;) (That was classic by the way)

P.P.S. Don't take any shit from me ... go back and read the post I wrote in who-knows-what thread several months ago (that Ernest remembers) where I confessed that after watching "Dave" I was really, really, impressed with the actor who played the actual president because "he looked EXACTLY like Kevin Kline."

[Slice of Life]

No Queen on that board...

[Heisenberg]

I'm trying to figure this out, but come up with nothing.  It's a game of chess and it's focused on the king.  What more?  As far as is shown, he's not check-mated, and for that matter, not even in check. (There could be rooks off screen that have him in check, but otherwise, I see nothing here) :(

Hmmm ......

Well in the scene it shows the White King move from the corner of the board to the left as we see here.

Also to note there is no white queen on the board. Only two pawns and a knight.

Could symbolize him being cornered and having a way out.

Or like suggested above, just to show the King which is White. Walter White etc.

furthermore: The man who owns Grey Matter is named Elliot Shwartz.

shwarz is German for the color black....

Walter White + Elliot Shwartz = Gray Matter

[nevets88]

Here's more detail about the chessboard from a chess discussion board:

http://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1mk5qt/breaking_bad_chess_symbolism/

Breaking bad fan here,

The board is most certainly set up wrong, the king is meant to be on the first rank and not the 8th rank. in film and television chess is notoriously poorly represented. I think it's symbolism that Walt is making desperate moves that aren't really accomplishing anything. He's defeated and he knows it, but his pride won't let him resign. He's playing entirely out of desperation and spite.

One of the greatest chess scenes on tv ever, although the pawn can also move 2 spaces from starting position.