TPG's Chemistry Class: Season Finale "Face Off"

REST IN POLLOS!

DING! DING! DING! That is the "Holy Shit Got Dayummmmmm" bell ringing in my brain after last night's totally bananas season finale. I got multiple special guests contributing including the return of the REAL LIFE SCIENTIST and a new contributor JOHN MARSTON.  So let's call up Badger and Skinny Pete get some blue sky and get our river dance on with this finale!


1. This episode was called "Face Off" and right away I can think of multiple ways to interpret this title. The first obviously is that Gus Fring literally gets his face blown off. When he walked out of that room and I yelped because I thought he was alive and then the camera turned to show this. Cage and Travolta would have been proud. The second face off also pertains to a face getting blown off, but instead of literally like Gus, it's metaphorically, as in we know now Walter White's true face as a criminal mastermind. The third and final one is the future showdown that will be the final season of Breaking Bad. Jesse vs Walt, Hank vs Walt, Badger vs Skinny Pete, Gale vs Space.

2. Bryan Cranston appeared recently on the excellent WTF Podcast with Marc Maron where he revealed the whole plan for the show is to show how Mr. Chips becomes Scarface. We now are close to the end so if Scarface goes out in a hail of bullets, can we expect the same for Walter?

3. In addition to the deaths of Gus, Tyrus, Hector, and ambiguous henchmen, let's take a moment of silence for Gale's coffee machine. For all you coffee lovers out there, it was a real tragedy.

4. You asked for it, and now he's back, yes folks the return of the Real Life Scientist and he's hypothesizing and realizing shit that no one could have thought of, not even you Brandon (yes you!)

I'm sure you noticed that last week Walt spun the gun three times last week twice pointing at himself insinuating to kill himself and then to the plant! Also up for argument was whether big black took Jesse's cigs because some way Walt took the cigarette when he smoked it with Jesse which is why he only took a couple of drags. Also if you look at the paper being shredded, it looked like a school schedule, where someone wrote out Monday through Friday suggesting it was Brock's schedule and he was poisoned at school (WHAAT)

Dayum that's a mind melt with some blue sky crossed together with some Pollos Hermanos. Big thanks to the Real Life Scientist for all his insightful comments.

5. I loved how at the end Hector, just like Walt was motivated by his family. The Salamanca portrait was goofy considering what the family became but it was bizarrely touching to see crazy ol' Hector look to the portrait before he rang in the spirit of vengeance.

6. You ever notice how everyone on the show is also nice ass jackets.

7. At the start of the season we saw Gus getting dressed up to ice somebody. Once again he put on his best clothes to kill as well. And while the death of Gus was WILD, I still hope we learn more about him, specifically his probably Chilean background in the military.

8. When those guys in the van grabbed Jesse I had a flashback to Lost and I thought for a second that they were gonna ask if Jesse was a candidate. BTW if you care:

•  Walt  = John Locke
•  Jesse = Sawyer
•  Gus =  Ben Linus
•  Saul = Jacob

9. I've been watching this season with "THE GUY" over at the excellent Lifting Fog blog. A major TV junkie I tracked him down at the car wash. Since he's an avid fan of the western genre and this season has had a particular Western flare to it, let's call him John Marston! Here are his thoughts on three potential "Breaking Bad" spin-offs for network television:


- 'Love Thy Neighbor': A game show wherein contestants are offered increasing amounts of cash/drug power to inflict potentially lethal harm on the people who water their plants when they're out of town. It's like that sociological experiment at the university that I heard about one time in some class. Milgram? Something. Anyway, it's on after 'Biggest Loser'.


- 'Nursing Home Hijinks': In an alternate outcome to Tio's bell-bomb, Gus survives…but has lost the majority of his motor skills, and for whatever reason is also 30 years older. Anyway he and Tio are now roommates in the Casa Bonita Retirement Home, constantly trying to kill and/or out-stare each other. They are all bottle episodes.


- 'Hank 24/7': In which we follow DEA agent Hank Schrader through every lead, computer search, and jovially gruff repartee as he attempts to decipher the connection between Los Pollos Hermanos and the Mexican cartels (and get fidgety Marie off his back, good grief!). Hank is the best, and deserves the best show on television (besides the show from which he's spun off, and of course 'The New Girl').

10. With Gus dead and Walt/Jesse seemingly out of the business, where does the show go from here? Well, there are couple tantalizing set ups for next season that I've been thinking about. Hank is gonna learn that Walt and Jesse were at the laundry before it burned up, expect him to be 100% healthy and 100% on the offensive next time. Jesse is going to learn about the flowers plot and about Jane's death at some point and it's going to be full on Jesse vs Walt. The FBI is not done with Pinkman, no way. What was Saul's involvement in the finale events, who's side is he on? How does Mike factor into the end of this story? Who's going to run Pollos Hermanos? How will anybody last until the show comes back for it's final season....this show is so dayummm goooooooooooddddd.

A big thanks to everyone who read the Chemistry Class this season. It's been fun to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. I'll leave you with this parting gift. Yes that is Bryan Cranston as Hector.

TPG's Chemistry Class: Episode 1 "Boxcutter"

Welcome to my weekly recaps of AMC's "Breaking Bad." I got into this show thanks to all AMC's repeats of past seasons, so this will be my first season that I watch live. The recaps will be in the style of my previous ones for "24," "Lost," "Boardwalk Empire," and "Game of Thrones." Hell I might even throw in a "True Blood" reference if you're watching that to. But in the mean time, let's put on some red and blue outfits and get some acid huh?

1. This has gotta be one of the most dialogue free episodes of TV. Gus Fring (more on him later) said three words the whole episode and Pinkman barely said anything until the final scene. While some people found this to be underwhelming, I thought it was fantastic. It allowed the shows reigning Emmy titans to really dig in and get into it! It also showcased one of my favorite things about the show: it's deliberate haunting thematic imagery.

2. I watched the show with blogger/ TV wunderkind Henning of The Lifting Fog Blog and he pointed how incredible Michael Slovus's cinematography was in this episode. Besides Breaking Bad's obsession with bald dudes (see above picture) the show was really driving home this red/blue thing last night. Red floor, red chemical/murder suits, blue mood lights, red body after getting pulverized by acid, it goes on and on. What does this mean? Of course it's some statement of the shifting duality of the characters but also how patriotic the show is.

2.5 *BONUS* THISLALIFE reader and real life scientist Anthony Megamix had this to say about the real life science of red and blue

Now that you mentioned the blue and red imagery, being that the show focuses on the science, it could relate to the physics aspect of blue and red shifts in physics, in space. stars and objects appear blue when they are traveling towards you because the frequency they appear at is greater than their actual frequency so they travel at smaller wavelengths (blue), so a star traveling towards earth will appear blue and a star traveling away from you will appear red because its image is at a smaller frequency than its actual object and travels at a larger wavelength, its called the blue-red shift. anyway thought it could relate to the shifting of characters as they go further away or towards what we expect from them. walt going away from the righteous science teacher to moral less drug supplier and gus from the seemingly humble chicken restaurant owner to a no nonsense drug pin

3. As I was taking notes watching this episode, I wrote down what a great character Victor is. Had to cross off that "is" and put a "was"....but jesus....that was an extremely violent and gnarly death. I mean I watch HBO and even those shows don't compare in crazy violence to that. Dare I type that "Mike" is a great character for fear of what might happen to him.

4. Walt's vehicle of choice: an Pontiac Aztec is rapidly becoming a key part of the show's imagery. Who would have thought this funky looking SUV would become associated with running over drug dealers, breaking up cop stakeouts, and finally becoming symbolic for the shifting relationship between Walt and Skyler. Is that a good marketing for the SUV Brand?

5. Gus F***ing Fring! Can we talk about this dude? In addition to being a calm reserved negotiator, brilliant criminal strategian, and an exceptional chicken magnate, we can now add stone cold ice in the veins i don't care if i'm covered in blood evil killer to his resume. Naturally is next role is in a light hearted ABC series about fairy tale creatures. Giancarlo Esposito who plays the madman is an acting powerhouse!

6. MIND MELT WITH A SIDE OF BLUE CHEESE I know the last scene where we saw Gale's lab book on the table was ominous, but the real crazy foreshadowing scene took place in the driveway with Walt & Skyler. Take Walt, he's dressed in flashy white pants and red shoes (he's got blood on em metaphorically) and wearing a Kenny Rogers shirt. Skyler, who with her brilliant lying to the locksmith routine, knowledge to call Saul, and sweet face about paying Hanks medical bill with drug money is 95% corrupt is dressing COMPLETELY IN BLACK. In the world of Badger and Skinny Pete...."she's like evil yo!" And don't think I forgot about the significance of dear ol' Kenny Rogers. Check out the lyrics to his most famous song "The Gambler," they hold some serious significance to our characters...."know when to walk away....know when to run....."