tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post6570000805222142504..comments2024-03-09T15:57:02.770-05:00Comments on Oy with the Articles Already: How Breaking Bad Subverts the Masculine Power FantasyAntonio Whiteheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683849518766835378noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post-33193584465714944552013-08-27T16:47:20.577-04:002013-08-27T16:47:20.577-04:00Fair enough. Maybe its just because I haven't ...Fair enough. Maybe its just because I haven't watched enough of these but I really enjoyed Kevin Spacey's manipulation and moments where he would talk to the audience. <br /><br />Keep in mind I haven't yet watched The Sopranos or The Wire and I have no interest in Ray Donovan (clearly just riding off the final season of Dexter at the moment) and Sons of Anarchy.Dexteroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209492147020176188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post-70852449907656628692013-08-26T20:37:43.164-04:002013-08-26T20:37:43.164-04:00I finished it and I felt the same way about the re...I finished it and I felt the same way about the rest of it that I did of the first 10 episodes. I feel like maybe my opinion of the show has been a little warped -- I don't think it's a bad show. It's just really generic. Like a prestige drama without the soul or subtlety. And because I'm so baffled by the enthusiasm some people have for it, I have occasionally over-exaggerated my dislike.<br /><br />Like when I said there are no good characters. Peter Russo is indeed a great character. But as a whole, I think many of the characters are paper thin.Antonio Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04683849518766835378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post-80401372458014819992013-08-26T19:58:01.345-04:002013-08-26T19:58:01.345-04:00I'm curious, did you finish House of Cards yet...I'm curious, did you finish House of Cards yet? What did you think of the rest of it? <br /><br />In my opinion Corey Stoll's character (Peter Russo) is very good. Dexteroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209492147020176188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post-25769973314860395052013-08-21T12:56:18.435-04:002013-08-21T12:56:18.435-04:00I think that sometimes at the end of season 4 and ...I think that sometimes at the end of season 4 and in the first half of season 5, the show teetered into the territory of being "the cool show where cool stuff happens." I like explosions and bullets and train robberies as much as the next guy, but I'm more into the ideas of morality that the show plays with. One of my problems with season 4 (which I still love) is that the storytelling felt a little too neat. Breaking Bad has always been a show that has a very clockwork, every-fits-in-place style of storytelling, but I feel like when they rely on that too much, it can feel mechanical. On the other hand, I found season 5a (that's what I'm calling the first 8 episodes of season 5 from last year) to be a tad too messy. Like I wasn't wholly satisfied with Mike's death or Hank finding out about Walt, because it felt kind of rushed due to there only being 8 episodes. Basically, I'm impossible to please!<br /><br />The first two episodes of 5b have been terrific, fearless television though.<br /><br />As for House of Cards, time dedicated to a character does not mean that the character automatically becomes interesting or three-dimensional. Full disclosure: I'm only on episode 10 of House of Cards so maybe I'll change my mind when I finally get around to finishing it later this week, but I don't find any of the characters to be that great. I think House of Cards falls more into the idea of "male fantasy" because it feels so much like a show that's just constructed from the spare parts of every other male anti-hero show that's ever existed. But still, I'd merely call Claire an okay character. Zoe, on the other hand, is a pretty problematic character -- inconsistently written, and serving more as a plot device than an actual person.Antonio Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04683849518766835378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395748504986705619.post-31000137974418476652013-08-20T23:39:39.571-04:002013-08-20T23:39:39.571-04:00Missed this when it was first posted, although I&#...Missed this when it was first posted, although I'll be curious to think what you think of what I believe to be two of the best episodes of the entire series thus far that have aired. <br /><br />I agree; especially now, about Walt not being who to root for anymore. At this point I'm full tilt on Hank and Jesse getting out of this, but I'm not so sure either will. I'm curious what those "weaker" moments you are specifying from Season 4 and 5 are, so if you don't mind getting specific I'd like to know (does this get into the hate you had for the way they handled who poisoned Brock?). <br /><br />I know you don't like House of Cards but I don't think you can say that Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) is a weak female character. At the very least she was definitely given a lot of time dedicated to her stories. I'm guessing a better example would be Zoe Barnes? (Kate Mara)Dexteroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209492147020176188noreply@blogger.com