Breaking Bad - Season 03 (4 discs)

Description

Product Description Walt's (Bryan Cranston) cancer is in remission but his wife has filed for divorce, his DEA agent brother-in-law is out to bust him and a Mexican cartel wants him dead. But Walt cooks up a deal that will make him a fortune, a scheme with a terrible price. Executive produced by Vince Gilligan and Mark Johnson. desertcart.com Here's how things are going for Walter White, the central character in Breaking Bad, as this outstanding cable series reaches its third season. By the end of the fourth episode, less than a third of the way through the year, Walt (played by Bryan Cranston, who won three straight Emmys for this role) has been arrested and put in jail twice; has been served with divorce papers by his wife, to whom he has finally confessed that he's a crystal methamphetamine manufacturer; has had a serious falling out with his young partner in crime; and is the subject of a manhunt by two silent but very deadly members of a Mexican drug cartel. And it gets a lot worse. Of course, Walt is hardly the only character who's afflicted, conflicted, and "breaking bad." Wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) is in the excruciating position of knowing that she could blow the whistle on Walt and get him out of her and their children's lives once and for all, while also realizing what that would do to her family. Hank (Dean Norris), the DEA agent who's married to Skyler's sister, becomes obsessed with figuring out who's putting "blue meth" on the streets of Albuquerque, little knowing that it's his own brother-in-law and leading to near-tragic consequences. And partner Jesse (Aaron Paul, another Emmy winner) is haunted by the fact that it was his drugs that killed his girlfriend, whose distraught father may have caused a hideously destructive plane collision over the city when he returned to his air traffic controller job too soon. All of this is presented in an artful brew of black humor and frequently violent drama, with excellent acting, dialogue, and storytelling (the 10th episode, "The Fly," takes place entirely in Walt and Jesse's fancy new meth lab), and innovative film techniques (the opening scenes in episode one, and several thereafter, are shot with a beautiful, almost sepia-toned look). But it's Walt, portrayed so memorably by Cranston, who remains the main draw, as this brilliant but self-destructive, angry man, prone to making calamitous decisions, gradually realizes that he is truly becoming Heisenberg, his criminal alter ego, and is in way over his head--and may very well be losing his mind in the process. One can only wonder how much lower creator Vince Gilligan and his team will take him in season four. The bonus features are many and varied, with numerous offerings on all four discs. Audio commentary, available on the nine episodes, is provided by Gilligan, Cranston, Paul, and other actors and members of the team. Elsewhere, a variety of short but entertaining featurettes focus on behind-the-scenes details of individual shots (Walt deftly tossing a pizza on to the roof of his house), scenes (Walt impetuously torching a huge pile of cash, then trying to douse the blaze in his swimming pool), props (Walt’s custom-painted Pontiac Aztek), characters (an interview with the real-life brothers who portray the two murderous Mexican cousins), or the show’s music. Other offerings include pod casts, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a series of promotional pieces produced for AMC (which airs the show) under the banner of “Inside Breaking Bad,” in which members of the cast and crew discuss specific aspects of each episode (viewer beware, as these bits contain some spoilers). --Sam Graham Review: A great season in one of TV's finest shows. - After 3 years of BREAKING BAD, I'm still amazed and bemused that I've grown to care so very much about a meth manufacturer and his messed-up, addictive young assistant. In Season One, Walter White (Bryan Cranston, in one of the best performances of the decade) was a mild-mannered high school science teacher who finds out he's likely dying of cancer, and uses his knowledge of chemistry to concoct a really excellent form of meth. He turns to a former student and druggie, Jesse (Aaron Paul, in one of the other great performances of the decade) to help him sell the stuff. The two form an awkward bond, punctuated by nearly comedic moments when their ineptitude causes endless trouble for them. Walt struggles to hide his double life from his wife Skylar, his sickly teenage son and his brother-in-law Hank, who happens to be a DEA agent. In Season Two, the success of Walt's meth draws unwanted attention from various law enforcement types, as well as those on the wrong side of the law. Walt's secret becomes harder to hide, and Jesse and Walt grow estranged as several bad turns force a wedge between them. Jesse falls in love, but he and his girl, a recovering addict, don't exactly help each other out. Walt & Jesse are further "assisted" by a new attorney (Bob Odenkirk, offering probably the only comic relief to be found anymore) who tried hard to help these two launder their money. The season ends badly, with tragedies both personal and widespread...and Walt's marriage is in shambles. Season 3 introduces us to a new Walt, one that has been evolving since the beginning. He's now a hardened criminal, still showing his mild-mannered side...but also fully turned over to his darkness. In Season Two, he committed a couple of acts that were so horrific that he can no longer really look himself in the mirror and see the "good guy" he once was. He partners with a local drug kingpin (wonderfully played by Giancarlo Esposito) and begins to manufacture on a scale he had scarcely imagined possible. Jesse struggles with loss and addiction, and it's a long time before these two old partners come together again. There are many wonderful things about the show and Season 3. First, the character evolution is better than on almost any other show on TV. You can actually track the changes to these folks in a way that makes you realize that most other TV characters basically remain unchangeable. You see that Walt has become a crafty "bad" guy...he has truly broken bad. His wife has evolved. His son. Hank. And poor Jesse. They hardly resemble the characters we first met...and time has not been kind to any of them. And with the excellent writing, directing and acting...we can practically feel the guild and corruption pouring off of them. The show introduces some great new characters, and develops Esposito & Odenkirk to a great extent. I particularly enjoyed the two hit men from south of the border. These two cousins are vicious killers who never speak a word...and you'd be hard-pressed to find two creepier characters in recent TV history. They are introduced in the squirm-inducing first scene of the season...setting you up perfectly to be on edge for just about anything all year. Midway through the season, Hank and these two cousins have a brief scene together that is easily among the most exciting, tense, jaw-dropping few minutes in television history. I rarely find myself needing to yell at the television and the characters on it...but any viewer of BREAKING BAD will be hard-pressed not to jump up and down and yell. That five minutes alone make the season worthwhile...it's almost like the final 6 minutes of SIX FEET UNDER made watching that whole series worthwhile. I really don't want to spoil anything, but suffice it to say that Walt and Jesse are headed to some very dark places. Walt has few redeeming qualities left to him...but his concern for the moral life of Jesse is one very touching quality he retains. Because he feels so irredeemably corrupted himself, he "runs interference" against some of Jesse's self-destructive tendencies. And near the end, when that concern is also twisted by fate and circumstance...it becomes almost unbearable for the viewer. When was the last time you sat on the edge of your seat over a MORAL DILEMMA?!?! The quality of this show is nearly unsurpassed. It is very thoroughly only for adults though. There is almost no behavior to admire. It is brutal and blunt and gritty. (It also uses Albuquerque, my town, VERY well...which gives me an extra dose of love for the show. We see real locations, real local restaurants, even real local pizza carryout joints.) But it is so tightly constructed from both a plot and character standpoint that it provides intelligent, gripping entertainment. And the work of Aaron Paul, and particularly Bryan Cranston, is so superb that any appreciator of fine acting really should tune in. If you haven't seen the show before, PLEASE go back and start from the beginning. It truly has been like one long journey, and it begs to be appreciated from its starting point. But for heaven's sake, SEE IT! Review: Arguably the best season of the best show on TV - Season 3 is the peak of Breaking Bad. And I don't say this to mean that what came before it isn't great, it is! and that what came after isn't great, it is! It's just that, season 3--in my opinion, of course--has highs and lows unlike any other season of BrBa, and it ends with a BANG, literally! It left me on the edge of my seat and shaking with excitement through many episodes--I actually had to stop the disc and go for a walk around the block to calm down after watching the penultimate episode, Half Measures. I'd say that most of the greatest moments of the show happen right here. Two of the show's most beloved characters also become co-starring this season, Jonathan Banks (Mike) and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus), are a great addition to the show. They really are a treat to watch. And Dean Norris' Hank gains a lot of depth here and he really shows off his acting chops, you really come to love the character. Some say the first 5 episodes of season 3 are nothing but boring filler, and they couldn't be more wrong--I have to wonder, what do they love about this show if they can't appreciate episodes like these? This show needs time to work its magic, the slower pace--slow burn--works best and those episodes setup what is to come--and what's to come couldn't work so effectively without them--and the payoff is always incredible. It is a great ride, and if only I could forget the whole (show) season and watch it all again, like the first time. But hey, it lives up well on re-watches, too. You'll catch a lot that you missed the first time around. And I'd say that Breaking Bad is a show that for some people, they need to watch it again to truly appreciate its brilliance. Season 3 also contains one of the most polarizing episodes of the entire show, The Fly. "Oh it's needless filler," they say, "nothing happened," "it was stupid!" but I guess what came before it was so great, they weren't prepared for the slow-down, and it was time to slow-down, to let the characters (and us) recuperate for the next peak the show was climbing for. This is a character show with plenty of plot, but it's the characters that move that plot, so if you want non-stop action, it's not for you. But if you can appreciate the subtleties and the brilliance and the metaphors and the details in even the most mundane moments, then you ought to love it. And it is in these mundane moments that leave me in suspense, wondering, "when's the feces gonna hit the spinner again?" It could happen at any moment. That's the fun of the 'boring' scenes. But what am I saying this for, if you're looking to buy season 3, you already know how the show is--what the hell are you doing reading the reviews? You should be hitting that ADD TO CART button now so you can continue the great journey that is Breaking Bad. You're in for a wonderful ride, and I envy you for just now experiencing it for the first time. I can't express my love for the show enough. Breaking Bad is everything I wish other shows were. There really is nothing else like it, and probably never will be again.