Posted on 09/10/2013 11:21:52 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Last night's Breaking Bad left off in the middle of a gunfight, with Gomez and Hank trying to fend off two cars' worth of Todd's Nazi family. Gomez had a shotgun; Jack and Kenny each had some kind of assault weapon. But there were Hank and Todd, each with a handgun. Bang, bang, bang. It was just the most recent instance of Todd mirroring another character. We've seen him be like Walt, we've seen him mirror Jesse, and then last night we saw him mirror both Skyler and Hank. For a very late addition to the cast, Todd sure has become important.
Early on, Todd was a mirror for Mike. In his first appearance — as part of the Vamanos extermination front — Todd spotted a nanny cam in the house Walt and Jesse were about to use as a onetime cook site. It was an instance of Mike-style attention to detail (think of Mike cleaning up Jesse's apartment when Jane died), with the same kind of modest presence that disguises an intense dark side. Two episodes later, in "Dead Freight," Todd works seamlessly alongside Jesse and Walt, pulling off the great methylamine heist of '12. And then in one of the show's most striking scenes, Todd pulls out a gun and kills a child.
But dirtbike-riding, tarantula-trapping Drew Sharp is not the first kid to be shot on Breaking Bad. There was Tomás Cantillo back in season three, who was shot and killed in "Half Measures," presumably at Gus's behest. If Todd and Gus ever crossed paths, we didn't see it, but when he killed Drew Sharp, it was a total Gus move. At that point, Jesse thought Gus had poisoned Brock — so in Jesse's eyes, that was another Gus-style transgression. But Walt knew better; in his eyes, Todd was making a Walt-like move, and in its own sick way, that was flattering. Not unlike the Salamancas, Todd has an important professional criminal relationship with his uncle. Not a lot of solid father-son relationships on Breaking Bad! This is why so many characters seek out authoritative male approval and attention!
Since then, Todd's bounced between Jesse and Walt. He's a protégé — so he's Jesse. But he's very precise and committed — so he's Walt. He doesn't have a natural aptitude for meth-cooking — so he's Jesse. But boy, is he ever applying himself — back to Walt. When he helped Walt dispose of Mike's body, he channeled Saul: I don't need or want a full explanation; let's just get the dirty work over with. In this season's "Buried," Todd leads a blindfolded Lydia through a maze of corpses that she refuses to see or acknowledge, which is more or less how Walt led Sklyer through the first few seasons of the show. Denial's a hell of a thing.
So we've seen Todd channel the bad guys. But he's channeled the good guys, too. (Good being a relative term here; it's Breaking Bad, after all.) When he sat at breakfast bragging to his uncle Jake and associate Kenny about the train heist, he sounded just like a season one Hank bragging about his DEA busts; mostly telling the truth, leaving out the unsavory parts, and basking in the adoration of a rapt audience.
Todd's even able to echo parts of Skyler's story lines. Breaking Bad is a surprisingly desexualized show. Usually in this antihero genre that Walter White gets lumped in with, we see a tremendous amount of womanizing: We saw it from Tony Soprano, from Don Draper, from Vic Mackey. And often shows that have this much violence — say, Game of Thrones or Dexter — have a lot of sex and nudity to go along with it. Not so Breaking Bad. There's very little tenderness, very few loving relationships, and almost no eroticism. But then there was Todd's charged conversation with Lydia and his wistful examination of the lipstick stain she left on his These Colors Don't Run mug, and suddenly things were as sensual as they'd ever been. The only other time we've seen anything that overtly sexual was Skyler singing "Happy Birthday" to Ted, just before they rekindled their affair. And the way Todd cradled the mug felt like a direct callback to Skyler at the end of "Fifty-One," when she sat in the living room, ashing her cigarette into an Area 51 mug.
We see Hank in Todd, we Skyler in Todd, we even see Marie's perky telephone demeanor maybe sort of in Todd. We see parts of Walt and Gus and Mike and Jesse in Todd. And what they all add up to — Todd himself — is someone pretty awful. Oh, he's devoted, he's easy to work with, and he even seems to be enjoying himself at least some of the time. But Todd's also maybe a psychopath, or at least he's someone detached enough from the experiences of life that he's unfazed by murdering a child. He's a bad, bad guy. And with him, Breaking Bad is telling us that the bad side wins out — add up all the good things about the show's universe, and add up all the bad things, and guess what? The bad part wins. The dangerous part, the criminal part, the cold part, the cruel part — even when someone has goodness in them, when he or she is smart and passionate and reliable. Even then, the bad part is more powerful. Just ask Heisenberg.
Too much thought.
Tod is a sociopath and would be a serial killer if inspired the right way.
one of the white power guys had an aa12 semiauto drumfed shotgun. that’s the first guy who started firing. that they have military gear not available to the public is an interesting point to note.
How can any one watch this vile crap?
Maybe?
I can.
He has a very odd ‘stage presence’ as an actor. You would probably not recognize this guy on the street.
Almost like when they added that long hair hippy guy on “That 70’s show” who fit in like a pair of sneakers on a tuxedo
Or the lame-o dog they tried to add to itchy-and scratchy. but then they had a spaceship take him to his “home planet” to get rid of him.
no. not a serial killer. you’re talking about someone who gets off on killing. todd’s mentality is just someone without a consicence and just dealing with ‘the sh1t’ that just happens. he’s not fixated on killing and getting off on it, he’s genuinely focused on being a better chemist, helping those he respects and admires as role’models, he has no God complex and doesn’t think he’s smarter/better’than anyone, doesn’t regard others as mere playthings.
they could have written him that’way but that’s not the character he is.
Says plenty about you.
Suspense, drama, and sharp writing well acted.
I don’t know
:)
The show and cast have done an amazing job of character progressions throughout five seasons.
i can tell you haven’t watched it. it’s a bigger story than the simple one’sentence decription of the show. it’s probably’the most realistic in terms’of’portraying characters, of a show i have ever seen. the characters are real and relatable. the storyline, given the characters own strengths and weaknesses, is plausible and believable. not choices i would make, but i can see’these people making them given their backgrounds and their own character. not supporting them, just saying i can see how they wind up doing what they do.
Because it’s one hour a week where we can watch something that repels skirt wearing prudess with big asses.
What does that mean?
It is a seedy, sleazy and disturbing show, but wow, what acting and what great writing.
I am not a meth user, nor partake in the drug trade, but I like Breaking Bad very much.
I am also a die-hard Redskins fan, but appreciate other talented players in the NFL, even (reluctantly) Dallas Cowboys players.
Roger that.
Too many tv shows have one-dimensional characters that don’t evolve or change over the duration of the series. Just the same old same old until the show limps to a finale.
Not so with BB. Dynamic characters, expert acting, complex scripts, and dozens upon dozens of “NO FRIGGIN WAY!” moments.
I’ve not enjoyed a program like this since The Shield.
At the start of this series, I had absolutely no wish to watch this show. The subject matter just turned me off. But, people I knew were watching it, and they kept telling me what a good show it was. I kept reading critics saying that it might be the best drama ever made. Now, I'm not a big fan of critics, but when they are fairly unanimous in their opinions, I think, maybe I should try it.
Well, Netflix had the first season available, hubby and I were bored, we tried the first season with the knowledge that if we didn't like it, we could just stop watching.
It was mesmerizing. You get very caught up in the story and the characters. Well written piece. The writer/producer said he sold it as Mr. Chips turns into Scarface. I have commented before that I think it is actually like watching a good person lose their soul. It is sad, it is painful, it is impossible to look away.
So, I understand why you would not think you would want to watch this; but, it really draws you in. Now, I don't understand people who are still rooting for Walt to "get away with it". Walt has turned into a horrible person. He has lost all humanity. And, therein, may lie a lesson for all of us. Even the most bland of people, has the capacity for great evil if put into a situation that will pull it out of him/her.
There is good. There is evil. This shows what happens to a good man, who is dealt a bad hand, and then becomes a very bad person. Someone who "breaks bad".
So, I guess I can understand your use of the word "vile"; but, this is a well written and terrificaly acted drama, so it is not "crap".
Definitely some spectacular writing and perfect casting.
He makes a good employee. Loyal, meticulous, and committed to doing what his employers need done.
It’s subtle, but I enjoy how he refers to his ‘elders’ as Mr. or Mrs. instead of using causal first names.
Bttt
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