Breaking Bad: Season 4 [Blu-ray]

Yes, I am a fan of Breaking Bad, however, there are major flaws in the story that just have to be addressed. Here are a few:l. Walt Jr. is far too cooperative for a 16 year old boy. When asked to do chores, he always says, "Sure, Mom!" like he is soooo happy. Most 16 year olds are sassy, self-centered, sleep all day-up all night, talk back, spend 99% of time with friends, NEVER do housework, and snap back at parents who ask them to do it. His grades would tank, too, if his dad was as much trouble as Walt Senior.2. Jesse's teeth are too perfect. A heavy meth user's teeth ground away with the constant use and gums are red, bloody, soft. Other users on the show have bad teeth, but not Jesse. NOT believable.3. There is hardly any mention of DNA. At all murder scenes in which Walt just walks away, his DNA would be everywhere. BOTH their DNA and fingerprints were all over Uncle Tio's house-case over.4. At Tio's when Tuco throws Jesse and Walt's phones into the back yard, police would have found them, found their fingerprints and case over. When there is a death like Tuco’s, law enforcement workers search miles around the crime scene.5. Jesse is not that attractive that super hot chicks would be after him. The actresses chosen to play his love interests are way too pretty for a guy who is a big loser. They are also too tall and too big for him. He seems overpowered by them.6. The theft of lab equipment would have been noticed. Other teachers would have complained that things were missing. Schools keep up with stuff better than that. Each teacher uses the equipment, so someone would have noticed. There is always a bitchy woman/man on the staff who keeps up with stuff right down to pencils and erasers. Gilligan shows that he is writing about how he thinks it goes in schools, not how it truly works.7. No one ever seems to be looking out a window to see murders and kidnappings. Just not realistic.8. Mike would have immediately killed Walt when Walt killed Gus. Mike would know he had to get to Walt before Walt got to him.9. Killing 9 in prisons? Come on!! Prisons have cameras everywhere. Someone would have seen something. NOT believable.10. Hank would have not only driven by the laundry once, he would have been driving by several times and he would have seen Walt's car. We cannot believe that a skilled detective would rely on one person to drive him by that place only one time. He would have driven by at all hours of the day and night, and sent others to do the same.11. Walt would have spent his money all along for basic household needs. They were barely getting by, so he would have been buying groceries, new shoes for Walt, Jr., baby clothes, gas, etc. He would have always had a pocket full of cash, to make Skyler's life smoother. She would have liked that and he could have eased her along better.12. Why did Walt make a pass at the principal? Does not make sense for him logically. We are to believe he does all things out of logic. This would only harm him.13. We are told over and over how he does this for his family. All right-----we get it. You do not have to remind us....enough already.14. Jesse throwing money away would not happen. He would be doing his best to show that he is a winner to his parents. He would have been buying things for his parents, sending his mom flowers on all occasions, and spending the cash on the girlfriends for diamonds, clothes, etc.15. Jesse would not drive a beat up car. He would have a Lexus or Mercedes. All drug dealers drive the best cars in town. The local car dealers rely on them to spend their cash and everyone turns a blind eye.16. Someone with the DEA would be on Walt and Jesse's side. The money is just too much of a temptation. They could have paid off their own informant. The DEA agents would have noticed one of their own acting suspiciously.17. Jesse and Walt's DNA would be in the UHaul Truck that did the magnet thing. DNA does not go anywhere. Also, the magnets would get traced back to the junk yard and case closed.18. All junk yards have to give account for cars that are smashed. Even though they got rid of the RV, there would be enough left for DNA, even fingerprints. Case closed at that point.19. Someone would notice that Walt was visiting Jesse in the hospital. Case closed. All hospitals film everyone coming and going because of having narcotics present in the facilities.20. The mask found in the desert would have had fingerprints or DNA from Walt. Case closed. It did lead them back to the school. DEA would have put in cameras and found Walt stealing more property. Most schools have cameras inside anyway. Case closed.21. Once Walt gets all that money, women would be after him.22. There are not enough female characters in this show. Women are always around where money is being made. Walt would have been tempted with plenty of 15 to 20 year olds. Hot chicks can sniff out cash.23. Walt would have been using cough drops with all that coughing.24. There is a mouth wash that cancer doctors prescribe for lung patients because of the dry mouth and odors. Walt would constantly be using mouthwash and cough drops.25. NO one with lung disease can run up and down steps. He would be on oxygen therapy with the air tanks needed at all times. Uncle Tio has them and he is sitting. Walt would not be that active with real lung cancer. Lungs determine all movement of the body. He would not be able to move like he does. Even driving a car is difficult with lung cancer and chemo.26. Nothing is said about the raids on Gus's delivery trucks. Law enforcement would have been involved, this would lead to Gus; case over.27. Ted would not be all goo goo over a 40 year old pregnant woman. He would have a long line of 20 year olds in his bed.28. Once Skyler found problems with Ted's books, he would have fired her. Men do not like bad news.29. They can pay $800,000 cash for a car wash????? How is that money laundering????30. Walt would have been traveling to the Cayman islands or other sites that will launder money for him. He could afford to hire a private plane.31. Walt would have an alternate plan of escape. With 80 million he would have many options.32. He would have been sending the family on long vacations, as in Europe or Australia. People with new money travel. He would keep them out of town and out of his way and out of harm.33. Most people who live in the West do speak Spanish. A person with Walt's intelligence would pick it up easily.34. Walt would buy diamonds and expensive shoes for Skyler. Woman can be bought off. Logically, he would appeal to her ego. As Ron White says, "Diamonds, that will shut her up."35. The baby does not seem to grow very fast. Most children will not fit into a bassinet at age 6 to 9 months. Is that a real baby? Looks fake. Why is it always wearing a hat in New Mexico with heat in the 100's to 110's?36. Skyler would have followed Walt to the laundry. case closed.37. Friends of Crazy 8 would have gone to see Jesse as he was last seen with him.38. The police are portrayed as bumbling fools. Not so. They are generally very thorough. Not believable that no police officer can put two and two together.39. There would have been a police report filed when Walt crashed the new car he bought for Walt Junior. No one gets away with that kind of damage without someone noticing. case closed40. Hank has plenty of chances to bug Walt's home or car. He would have done so in order to find out the truth, then, he could have built his case.41. Gus's operation was way to big for him to rely on one person to cook. He would have had cooks all over the place. He could have set up labs in his trucks. He was too smart to put all his eggs in one basket.42. Tio would not pee in a pool in front of the Don--never happen. Pee on flowers or people, but not the pool where gals are gonna be swimming.43. Walt Jr. never changes. A kid at age 16 changes in many ways. His hair style is not modern. His clothes are like circa 1995.44. Jesse's shirts never get dirty. The white stays the whitest. He sleeps in clothes, but they do not wrinkle or even look dirty. Not believable.45. Too many bullets fly in the shooting scenes. My brothers both use automatic weapons and I know plenty of law enforcement officials who tell me that when the bullets fly from an automatic rifle, someone dies. Oh, Hank falls to the ground as his defense against automatic weapon fire. Hank would be dead. He would have been hit with many bullets and his head would explode like a watermelon bursting open.46. Too many dead bodies and no one seems to be missing them. Too many ways both Walt and Jesse would have been seen with the ones they killed. All cities have cameras on the streets. All major roads have "eye in the sky" cameras. When people die, relatives know who the last person is that was with them.47. All in all, too many things just are not believable. Police are not that bad at their jobs and criminals are not that lucky.48. Yes, I know I will get those letters from die hard fans, but get real--DNA would have sunk them after the first murder.49. Good fantasy, but not good realism.

If there was ever a show to make me a TV enthusiast, Breaking Bad is it. I rarely set aside time for television shows, preferring the relatively concise artistic potential of film. But Breaking Bad has forced me to "break" this habit and surrender myself to its deep characters, nail-biting drama, and stunningly artistic presentation. I cannot recommend it highly enough. However, be warned: when watching this show you may at times exhibit what I like to call the "Breaking Bad Syndrome" -- awe-induced heart palpitations which may lead to sleep deprivation or temporary blindness (as you search the ground for your eyeballs, which just popped out of your head).Walter White is, in my opinion, one of the greatest fictional character portrayals of all time. The transformation he undergoes across all 4 (and soon to be 5) seasons is epic, moving, and at times very dark. Television has the privilege of being able to develop its characters across many seasons and the writers of Breaking Bad take full advantage, expertly constructing Walt and his companions with the precision of a surgeon. The sub-plots of each episode are individually engrossing, but Breaking Bad always keeps its primary focus on the long-term development of its story and characters, and rightfully so. While this makes for a "slow-burn" at times, the payoff is always worth it, and you'll be watching through your fingers as the plot-lines and characters converge in stirring climaxes. Breaking Bad refrains from desensitizing its audience with constant action, but slowly gets under your skin so that when it hits you, it hits you hard.What is most intriguing is the moral ambiguity shrouding the characters and their actions. The distinction between hero and villain becomes progressively blurred, making for a conflicted but engaging audience relationship with the characters. Despite this, the writers reserve a special ability to also make us sympathize with every character, even if we held hostile feelings just an episode ago. And the characters are as well acted as they are drawn. Obvious credit goes to Bryan Cranston, but he is matched at nearly every turn by his co-stars, especially Aaron Paul as his younger partner. Giancarlo Esposito also fashions a memorable and charismatic semi-villain in drug lord Gustavo Fring. The depth the actors give their characters causes the show to feel very real, despite the slight absurdity of some of the situations it presents. Breaking Bad's genius lies in this perfect balance of pop absurdity and chilling realism, which ends up leaving the viewer emotionally spent but hopelessly addicted. By tangling us up in the escalating internal conflicts of its characters, the show induces an emotional "high" that is irresistible. Somewhat inconceivably the show manages to form a very personal connection with the viewer, despite how far removed the story may be from our individual lives.So what of Season 4? Personally I did not find it quite as affecting as Seasons 2 & 3 -- it didn't have quite as many of those Breaking Bad "moments" -- but it is still, without a doubt, 5 stars. The episodes work together as one big build towards the climax, which does not fail to deliver. To be fair, the final twist of Season 4 stretched the plot's plausibility a little too much for my taste, but I forgive a show that consistently does so many other things exceptionally well. I could go on about how beautifully it is shot, the subtle metaphors, the tragic "American" themes, but I'll save you the time: pick up this show and experience the phenomenon that is... Breaking Bad.

If you've never seen this, you're really missing out. Strong language, drug & alcohol abuse, and violence from start to finish but beautifully filmed, great drama (and dark humour) and the perfect soundtrack (I'm a fan of 70's hard rock but the 21st century music chosen for specific scenes has opened my ears). Watch on BluRay with 5.1 surround sound turned up and you'll feel like you're in every scene with them. Many, many scenes (especially the cliff-hangers) take your breath away.The extras on most of the discs are great, too, although the sound and pictures of these are 2nd-rate. The menus could have been better, too, but overall, the best drama I've ever seen. Better than The Bridge and The Killing, which are excellent, too.Final tip is that when watching them, on the later discs, you can start to watch the next episode (for a second or two) and then pause it. If you then turn off your BluRay and go to bed, you can pick up there the next day without having to go through all the menus. Don't know if this is a later development and if it's now a standard but I found it very useful.Anyway, just buy the whole series now and watch it over the winter (we're now watching it now for the second time and it's still as good as the first time).

MGM are noted for making slushy cheesy films filled with unbelievable stories of rich man meets poor girl; falls in love; and the woman gets to live a life of luxury. Not so here - MGM have broken the mould - for what you have in a gritty 'tell life as it really is' story – the sort favoured by Warner Brothers.Here is a ‘story well told’ that is filled with twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat - a story that is a 'black comedy' full of pathos, juxtapositions, intrigue, murder, and much much more as it examines the ‘dark’ side of ‘the human condition’.These are not two-dimensional characters without any depth that one encounters in many many films and TV series - these characters are real and 'true to life. All of the characters are seriously flawed; all of the characters are 'two-faced'; not one of them is 'nice' - and every character has their own 'hidden agenda' - and while you find that you cannot 'warm' to any of them, these sleazy double-dealing, double-crossing characters will speak VOLUMES to you – and make you question YOUR integrity.It is a six-star production - but I am only permitted to award five.

This item only took a day to arrive. Amazingly fast! Very strongly packaged and came with a nice free membership to LoveFILM :DUpon opening, the item is brand new and sealed along with the delivery note inside. I unpackage the item to find a very nice slipcase for the DVD, and the DVD box itself inside the slipcase.Overall, I highly recommend purchasing this item as it is very good and the episodes are breathtaking and have you hanging on the edge of your seat wanting to see what happens next.I must warn you, Once you start watching, it's rather hard to stop. Highly addictive!Update: 21st January 2013:Just over half way through this series, the tension between Jesse and Walt grows and skylar finds it more and more difficult to keep Walt's dark secret safe from Walt Jr.Highly recommend to all. Cannot wait to watch the last 6 episodes and pre order Season 5.

What an explosive series season four is! The build up in season three really does come to fruition here. Each episode is blindingly gripping and the story rattles along faster than any series before. The downward spiral of Jessie and Walt's fractured relationship comes to a giddy head in this series.Full of twists and turns and double crossing this is superbly written. You never quite know what is coming next and who is playing who but to watch Walt become more and more of a criminal king pin is fascinating. Jessie also steps up to his mark with his rise through the ranks but in a much different way.Season four ends with a bang and a masterful double play which will keep fans hungry for the final season. Terrific drama played to maximum effect.

While BREAKING BAD is certainly good, it's not - as some would have you believe - the greatest show on television. I could name a few I thought were better. Sopranos, perhaps?Its chief flaw is that there isn't a single character to root for. They're all just terrible human beings. And I struggle to believe some of the behaviour the screenwriters asked the actors to portray. Too often while watching this series I found myself thinking, "He's not going to that, is he? Oh, he is."BREAKING BAD is good, better than 90% of tv series. I'll leave others to argue about which series is actually the greatest ... we all have our own ideas about that.