Give Me A Break

Breaking Bad, probably the best show around, starts its fourth season July 17th, a month from now.  (The long wait between seasons means the show missed its shot at this year's Emmys, so someone not named Bryan Cranston can win Best Actor in a drama.) To get my BB fix I've been watching reruns on AMC.  They show one late on Sunday and two or three late on Wednesday.  It's gonna be painful to go back to only one hour each week.

The show definitely holds up.  Even episodes I only thought were so-so at first are pretty good.  I suppose it's easier to deal with them knowing there'll be another soon.

The most recent episode I watched is "Phoenix," the penultimate show of season two, and one of its best.  This time around, of course, I knew how it'd end up.  It makes what Walter does (and doesn't do) less shocking, but just as terrifying.  And, if anything, everything leading up to what happens becomes more powerful.

"Phoenix" may have been a turning point.  Walt has certainly come a long way since then.  I'd guess season four will be darkest of all, though I'm not sure how much further they can go.  (Though as long as anyone remains alive, they can go further.)

Considering how we left everyone at the end of season three, there are a lot of questions to be answered.  As always, how will the relationship of Walt and Jesse go?  And now, almost as big a question, what part will Skylar play?  For that matter, how will Mike deal with things?  Is he an independent in this game?  Also, all along, we've been waiting to see what happens when Hank finds out.  He's actually quite good at his job, but he's got a huge blind spot.

If you haven't seen the show, here's a plan on how to catch up before Season Four.  Better start now--you're already a week behind.