Breaking Bad - Season 03 (3 discs)

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!

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.

What can be said about this spectacular saga that hasn't been said before? One of the very few series that competes with the best films in history for achievement in cinematic storytelling. Like a great novel slowly unfolding, it's funny, heartbreaking, incredibly tense, deeply disturbing,full of brilliant plot twists, rich, compelling characters and a pitch-black sense of humor. A nebbishy high-school science teacher finds he has lung cancer, so becomes a meth dealer to make money for his family before his death. Often visually stunning, with a breathtaking performance by Brian Cranston in the lead, and great work from all the supporting roles, this portrait of a man's decent into hell couldn't be much better, and it just grows darker and more disturbing each year. In a way, thematically it recalls "The Godfather I and II" in how that epic charts Michael's journey from innocence to darkness, along with the moral murkiness of the endless drive for money and success - how we lose ourselves, so that succeeding and having ever more becomes an end in itself for which we will pay any price, rather than a route to happiness, trapping us in a game we can never win. This third season the story kicks into even higher gear. Every time there's a moment's peace, a new crisis come crashing in to raise the stakes yet again. This is powerful, important and utterly enthralling stuff.

This is definitely the series of movies to buy. I watched them non stop from the time I watched the first epicsode. I had to watch at least 3 episodes at a time unless I was absolutely unable to. It totally grabbed my attention and interest. A person can come from any background and still end up with a problem that involves meth. Even though one of them was not addicted to meth itself he sure became addicted to the "game" in selling meth and the fast cash potential that is available to a dealer. It gives us the inside scope to the deadly manner in which the crime organization is involved as far as killing, addiction, gangs, so forth. It is a very realistic situation and I have no doubt that there are similar real life stories, maybe not to the same degree, but the same environment focus. This series of Breaking Bad was the same non stop, action packed, attention grabbing as all the others. There is no let down from one season to the next. I would recommend this series to all interested individuals to suspense, drama, and action movies. There is no let down. It is impressive and interesting in all episodes. Unable to wait to see what happens next. Keeps you guessing and surprised at what is going to happen. Great gift idea. Would definitely purchase again! No regrets on adding this to my DVD collection.

This is one of the best dramas on television. The writing is absolutely top notch! While not all episodes are equally engrossing, the best of them are comparable to the best stuff ever written for the tube. The HALF MEASURES episode in Season 3 is without question one of the most powerful dramatic hours I have ever seen on TV! I found myself actually sitting there holding my breath throughout most of this hour. While Cranston and Paul together are flawless, I believe the real strength of this series is its terrific supporting cast! Anna Gunn is one of the most interesting and convincing actresses (sorry, I mean actors) I had never seen before. Dean Norris is simply marvelous as the driven, yet vulnerable, DEA agent, Hank Schrader. Betsy Brandt is so convincing as Hank's supportive wife, Marie. RJ Mitte is great as Walter's son, Walter Jr.; their relationship seeming so tender and genuine. The very funny Bob Odenkirk here does a wonderful turn as Saul Goodman, one of the sleaziest lawyers you'd never want to meet. But one of my favorite actors of all, whom I discovered while watching another great series many years ago, Homicide:Life On The Street, is the great Giancarlo Esposito, playing Gus Fring, a seemingly simple and quiet man, whom you soon learn you had best never make unhappy, in any way. He plays his part with a quiet menace that won't let you take your eyes off him. Jonathan Banks plays Gus' right-hand man, Mike, an assistant who does Gus' bidding almost serenely, no matter what mayhem might be involved. But I would be badly remiss without mentioning some of the greatest cast choices ever, playing the various villains Walter and Jesse are forced to deal with at various times throughout this series. Deserving of special mention, in my opinion, are from Season 1, Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca, one of the most scarily insane criminal minds ever depicted on television! Right behind him would be the two silent but deadly killers from Season 3 known simply as "The Cousins", played by Luis and Daniel Moncada. Their murder weapon of choice is a chrome plated fireman's ax. Real sweethearts! Many of the smaller parts in this series are filled by some of the most convincing Hispanic actors working anywhere today. And, lastly, I have to mention a real unsung star of this series and that is the city of Albuquerque itself. None of the episodes in this series would be nearly as convincing had they been depicted in any other part of the country. Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting July 17, the beginning of Season 4 for Breaking Bad. Don't miss it!!! My only gripe, which I feel strongly I must mention, is a technical one, involving only the DVD production, itself. How in the world can you put out a DVD in this day and age without including: ENGLISH CLOSED CAPTIONING FOR THE HARD OF HEARING!!?? Just inexcusable! There is some dialogue in many of these episodes I still haven't been able to understand no matter how high I crank up the volume. Very, very disappointing!!! Please, please don't let that happen again with the Season 4 DVD.

I have never, ever, watched a TV series that gripped me as much as Breaking Bad does. I was a huge fan of The Sopranos and Weeds and thought nothing could top those, but this show sure does. Every character is precisely molded to perfection. You love to love them and love to hate them depending on the character. Even with all of the illegal activity and wrong-doing, you still love Walt and Jesse and always hope for the best. Addicting doesn't even describe it. I've ordered all three DVD Seasons available and it's too easy to rip through them in one sitting. You really don't want to do that because it leaves you desperately wanting more and eventually, they run out and you're left hanging. I'm in the midst of waiting for Season 4 to be released and this is torture. As dramatic as the series is, you also have to love the humor that is thrown in here and there. The dialogue between Walt and Jesse is priceless, as they are as opposite as two people come. The thing that drew them together in the first place constantly threatens to tear them apart, but they seem to have a very deep loyalty toward each other that keeps them superglued together. Most people that I know have never even heard of the show; I am doing everything I can to change that. If someone had told me it was a show about a meth lab I probably wouldn't have bothered to start watching. I had no idea what the show was about until I actually started watching and by then, it was too late. It is a must see for those who love suspense and quirkiness.

Okay, as a writer you can watch the AMC TV show, Breaking Bad, purely for the plot twists, cliff-hangers, nuanced characters, foreshadowing, little bits of backstory that come in just the right places, the way a character will show and tell with actions rather than speech, and the goal motivation and conflict that is clearly spelled out for each of the main characters. But who am I kidding? I follow this show because it is spellbinding. I'm sucked in and totally invested in each of these characters -- players in a show with a premise I initially rejected because of the content: It is about a highschool chemistry teacher who becomes a meth cook. I am anti-drug and never seek out violence in anything I watch, but I do love complex drama and a show that digs deep on why people do the things they do. It's not what they do, but why they do it that drives this show. Like Mad Men (another favorite), which is also on AMC, Breaking Bad features a main character that is hiding something and will act with increasing desperation and creeping self-awareness to protect and justify his actions. The character changes, goes through turning points in his life and you respond on a visceral level, because you've connected with the gritty realism of his situation, which makes almost anything possible. Of course it helps that AMC has found extraordinary actors for the characters in Breaking Bad, but I do think it is the writing and the willingness to explore the human psyche that has laid the foundation for its greatness. Wow, what a show! If you watch it, start from the beginning. This show has one final season to come which I believe will be released in 2013.

Maybe its been mentioned elsewhere but its interesting to me that the dvd covers from season 1 to 5 go from 1-confused man in his underwear, 2-stable men in chairs, 3-white and pink standing, 4-white now a dangerous animal, 5-white a king, Fina-white a god like creature with his face obscured and light behind him . I watched the whole series a second time. Season three is where I started to see one too many events that were hard to believe (spoilers so at end of this review). But then I began to see that I shouldnt be expecting this to be realistic film noir. BB sure has elements of film noir crime films but i started to see a comic zaniness to it as well. Not that its all just silliness but it definitely is more expressionistic than realistic. So I enjoyed it more accepting its artistic dramatic flourishes. The characters motivations do not seem as clear as in the prior episodes and as mentioned some events are pure hollywood just in the nick of time stuff. But by now the characters had already gotten me too involved and they are definitely characters. Walt is impulsive, Jesse is directionless, Gus is too obsessed with some issues to really be an efficient kingpin. Ironically Saul Goodman is the most clear headed though he is straight out of Looney Tunes. So it can be more appreciated for these somewhat larger than life characterizations. That said season four has more creativity so season three is kind of the transitional one. In any case its unlikely anyone would watch breaking bad and skip this season. I would rate seasons two and four with five stars and the others with four so they are all above average. seasnon one is a bit slow and after season four it gets a little too crazy and is mostly about walt whites insane love of power and respect. parts hard to believe (poss spoilers): why did Jesse go back to drugs and selling them after his girlfiend od's? How did walt manage to be there just in time to crash into the homicidal drug dealers about to kill Jesse? Why is walt going out of his way to save jesse even though they are at odds so much?

Breaking bad es sinonimo de calidad, no queda mas que decir, la calidad de los blu rays es de 10 en sonido, video, extras. Una compra obligada para cualquier amante de tv.

Excellent!

Video quality 10/10 Audio quality 10/10 Dts sound Included extras

Was die Serie als spannendes Stressprotokoll Walter Whites u. a. so charmant macht, ist zweierlei: Zum einen die an Hopper erinnernde Melancholie der Impressionen aus der Halbwüste New Mexicos, zum anderen eine damit ganz eigenwillig zusammenspielende Ironie hinsichtlich Typen und Handlung, die selbst die hohe Brutalität dieses Drogenkrimis mit einem Schuss Witz erfrischt, wie ich ihn so passend eingesetzt noch aus keiner der gängigen guten Krimi-Serien kenne. Man ist durchweg gefesselt, gleichsam aber ständig am Schmunzeln. Es wird unfreiwillige Komik inszeniert: Walters Missgeschicke, seine Ausraster, die linkisch-unbeholfenen Aktionen kontrastieren aufs Komischste mit seinem Szeneruf als König der Drogenherstellung, als 'Heisenberg', wie er sich seit der Schlacht gegen Tuco nennt. Walter White, 'Heisenberg', und sein 'Assistent' Jessie Pinkman, einst sein schlechtester Schüler, sind als dialektisches Paar, als charakterliche Antipoden angelegt. Während der Chemiker hochkompetent ist und zudem verbissener Perfektionist, dessen quasi protestantischer Arbeitsethos Max Weber abfeiern ließe, stressen Jessies infantile Blödheit und seine Hip-Hop-Nervigkeit. Nur seine depperten Kumpane und Dealer-Gefährten toppen das noch. Dennoch: Diese diametral verschiedenen 'Partner' scheinen symbiotisch aufeinander angewiesen, selbst wenn der Dilettantismus des einen die Professionalität des anderen permanent gefährdet. Ingenieurswissen und 'Generation Blöd' versuchen recht und schlecht das große Ding zu drehen, während den beiden Walters Schwager Hank Schrader, DEA-Bulle, der auch wie ein Bulle aussieht, dicht auf den Fersen ist. Ebenso wie die brutale mexikanische Drogen-Konkurrenz. Adrenalinüberschwemmender Stress. Walt ist seinem Wesen nach kein Krimineller. Er ist insofern sehr typisch Amerikaner, als dass es ihm vor allem darum geht, seine Familie zu schützen. Finanziell. Um das zu gewährleisten, bedarf es in seiner Lage krimineller Mittel. Kapitalismus ist in seiner Art der Wertschöpfung immer wesenhaft kriminell, einerlei, ob das nun ein Erdölunternehmen ist oder ein Chrystal-Meth-Labor. Gewissermaßen personifiziert sich in Walter also das Symptom einer gesellschaftlichen Krankheit. Auch der windige Anwalt Saul Goodman, ein köstlicher, ganz schriller Typ, stellt eine solche Karikatur libertärer Verhältnisse dar. Er interpretiert die bürgerliche Freiheit vor seiner Bürotapete der amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung als das Recht, den anderen zugunsten des eigenen Egoismus systematisch zu übervorteilen. ' In diesem 'wirtschaftsethischen' Zusammenhang: Interessant auch die Figur von Gustavo Fring, des Drogenbosses nördlich der Grenze. Ein Wunder ein Geradheit und Haltung und insofern das Gegenbild zu den stets ausrastenden mexikanischen Ganoven. Und trotzdem ist er der Tod, einer, der den Blick niemals abwendet. Starke Idee, dass der Chrystal-Meth-Ingenieur Walter und der Drogen-Jäger Hank Schrader so dicht beieinander, nämlich familiär verbandelt sind! Schöne Szene: Hank liegt nach einer Schlacht gegen die mexikanischen Killer im Krankenhaus, Walter sitzt an teilnahmsvoll an seinem Bett, während Hanks Partner Gonzales rapportiert, dass das legendäre 'blaue Meth', Walters Markenzeichen, allüberall aufgetaucht ist. Und Walter zeigt dazu, nach wie vor unerkannt, seine demütigste Miene, während seine verzweifelte Gattin Skyler alles weiß, ihrem Mann aber die Treue hält, weil sie alle anderen Möglichkeiten schon ausgeschöpft hat, einschließlich Ehebruch, selbstverständlich. So hängt tatsächlich jeder mit drin, so oder so. Nebenbei ein Tip: Die Folge 'Die Fliege' ließe sich isoliert ansehen. Sie offenbart aufs Charmanteste Züge des absurden Theaters, thematisiert aber absolut 'Fragen nach den letzten Dingen'. Es geht tatsächlich um die verzweifelte Jagd nach einer Fliege, von der der perfektionistisch-zwanghafte White das Labor 'kontaminiert' sieht. Diese Aktion und Jesses Unverständnis dafür bringt ihn auf ein tiefes Nachsinnen über Determination und Freiheit, über Kausalität und Zufall, über Leben und Tod und den richtigen Zeitpunkt, gewissermaßen den Kairos, für das eigene Abtreten. Spannend, still dramatisch, nie so gesehen. Und das Labor wie eine Bühnenkulisse dazu.

I don't have the time (or a PVR) to catch this show when it airs on regular cable, so I tend to buy the series a season at a time. It helps me to immerse myself in the show, by watching all the episodes, "marathon style". The writing in season three was very tight, and the character development was well paced and executed. The subject matter lends itself to numerous twists and turns, and the show is maturing nicely. Walt remains Walt, despite decisions he is making that take him further into the world of meth cooking, and the deeper ties (and consequences) he forms with his boss. Season three wraps up very nicely with a cliffhanger that hinges upon Jesse's ability to take care of business, after Walt strategically positions himself to avoid dire consequences. The lawyer, the P.I., brother in law Hank and Walt's wife all share decent screen time and add to the tension and balance in Walt's life. His son is still in the dark, but his wife has moved further into the picture as she negotiates her way into Walt's criminal life, despite their married/divorced status still being undecided. Looking forward to season four. Well worth picking up and watching all three seasons of Breaking Bad.