Breaking Bad = Best show ALIVE

[QUOTE=diamenz;15023405]who wins you over on the acting front?

bb or sopranos?

cranston or gandolfini?[/QUOTE]

Cranston is probably the better overall actor, but the Gandolfini (RIP) as Tony Soprano will probably be remembered more. The show got into his psyche in ways that haven't been seen before or since. Walt is smarter, Tony was far more entertaining and funnier. Also the first true anti-hero in TV history, there is no Walter White without Tony.

It's crazy how re-watchable The Sopranos is. I loved Breaking Bad and the quality of the show never dropped off the way shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, & The Wire did towards the end, but I don't think I've gone back to watch Breaking Bad since it ended, alot of their classic scenes relied on shock and surprise, which loses it's luster on 2nd viewing. The comedic value of The Sopranos makes it more re-watchable.

[QUOTE=ArbitraryWater;15023634]:kobe:

Season 3 is probaby the most popuar season lol and no one made any difference between the first seasons of BrBa and GoT.

Quite clearly BrBa has 5 spotless (or at the very least elite seasons, considering season 3 as weak is an insane take) seasons and GoT ends shit.

Its preference at the end of the day but its not exactly logical.[/QUOTE]

Season 4 to me was the best. Hard to top Walt vs Gus. Walt looking for his money in the crawl space then laughing like the joker when he realizes his wife gave it to someone else was peak television.

For The Sopranos I would maybe say Season 2 was the best. Great storyline with Tony vs Richie & Puzzy being a rat. Tony's mom was supposed to testify against him in season 3, but the actress who played Tony's mom died which is why the storyline in general was weaker, but still had some great individual episodes. I thought seasons 3, 4, and 6A were pretty weak in terms of story telling compared to season 1, 2, 5, & 6B. The focus on Vito being gay in season 6A was ridiculous.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers;15023704]Season 4 to me was the best. Hard to top Walt vs Gus. Walt looking for his money in the crawl space then laughing like the joker when he realizes his wife gave it to someone else was peak television.

For The Sopranos I would maybe say Season 2 was the best. Great storyline with Tony vs Richie & Puzzy being a rat. Tony's mom was supposed to testify against him in season 3, but the actress who played Tony's mom died which is why the storyline in general was weaker, but still had some great individual episodes. I thought seasons 3, 4, and 6A were pretty weak in terms of story telling compared to season 1, 2, 5, & 6B. The focus on Vito being gay in season 6A was ridiculous.[/QUOTE]
I felt like Breaking Bad got better every season, and just as impressive, they managed to end their seasons on complete high notes. The peaks of the show imo are the ends of Seasons 3 & 4, and Season 5 is honestly the best television I've ever seen, with Season 4 of the Wire a close 2nd.

I honestly disagreed with almost everything you said about the Sopranos :lol I thought Season 3 was the best season, in addition to so many classic scenes like the ones below, it has the best episode of the entire show in Pine Barrens. And I actually found the Vito being gay saga to be quite compelling, the only issue I had with it is I just never bought Johnny Cakes being attracted to him lol.

[video=youtube;eYDbiodGMKk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDbiodGMKk&ab_channel=TonySoprano[/video]

[video=youtube;1Lxk0PiYSqc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lxk0PiYSqc&ab_channel=DrewBrown[/video]

[video=youtube;bzVeLjj6Ao8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzVeLjj6Ao8&ab_channel=TheSopranosCrazy[/video]

I thought Ralphie was a great add to the show and Pine Barrens is probably the best overall episode which happened to be on season 3, but the overall storyline was kinda lacking to me, too much focus on Jackie Jr which no one cared for. The last episode of that season ends with him getting whacked. Kinda meh.

Season 2 and season 5 endings were much better for me.

What got me hooked on binge watching Breaking Bad was the fact it got better each season. Usually the opposite holds true for most tv shows. I don’t know why but True Blood first to come to mind. A great finale can make you forgot the overall season of that show. Breaking bad season 3 would be it. Sopranos season 6 would be it. One thing we can all agree on is these are amongst the best of the best, elite company when it comes to tv shows. Crazy to think Breaking Bad and Sons of anarchy were the two shows that got me addicted into binge watching.


Does anyone think it’s best to binge watch or wait week to week? Does it matter?

[QUOTE=ArbitraryWater;15023559]Yea but for best show ever? Thats a clear disqualifier. BrBa last season was GOAT. It was the perfect show.[/QUOTE]

BB has a higher batting average but that doesn't mean it was the better show. BB was more consistent than GOT but not better. Rewatchability has to be a factor I think when discussing all time shows.

GOT sucked towards the end but those first few seasons are still amazing. If I had to choose I would rather rewatch a great GOT episode than a great BB episode. It's like a really good burger being compared to gourmet steak dinner. GOT just has more subsistence.

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;15023604]Leave it to you to take it that way :lol[/QUOTE]

It's true. In the show Baltimore is run by democrats. You see the corruption and the stupidity first hand. You see why their version of criminal justice is a farce and why the government is incapable of truly making things better. You also see that when it comes to hood violence and hood culture it has nothing to do with evil white racism.

Making the hardest and toughest gangster on the show a literal gay is really the only telling sign that the show was made by a lefty. Btw I'm not even mad at that, Omar is a great character, just saying. A righty probably doesn't go in that direction.

Everything else on the show is an indictment on democrats and their shitty, unrealistic, fake, virtue signaling policies.

[QUOTE=1987_Lakers;15023710]I thought Ralphie was a great add to the show and Pine Barrens is probably the best overall episode which happened to be on season 3, but the overall storyline was kinda lacking to me, too much focus on Jackie Jr which no one cared for. The last episode of that season ends with him getting whacked. Kinda meh.

Season 2 and season 5 endings were much better for me.[/QUOTE]

Joey Pants is a great character actor and he was great (and funny) on the show, but he was more of a "hollywood" version of an italian whereas the other actors in the cast were authentic east coast italian. And yes there is a difference. Growing up in NYC there is a big difference between italians from the city and jersey compared to the ones in long island. Joey Pants reminds me more of a long island italian.

Ralphie still worked, he was a fun character, but imo he was nothing compared to Richie. He was the best villain on the show hands down and it really sucks they killed him after one season. Wish they could have gotten at least another season of out of him.

[QUOTE=Baller234;15023739]It's true. In the show Baltimore is run by democrats. You see the corruption and the stupidity first hand. You see why their version of criminal justice is a farce and why the government is incapable of truly making things better. You also see that when it comes to hood violence and hood culture it has nothing to do with evil white racism.

Making the hardest and toughest gangster on the show a literal gay is really the only telling sign that the show was made by a lefty. Btw I'm not even mad at that, Omar is a great character, just saying. A righty probably doesn't go in that direction.

Everything else on the show is an indictment on democrats and their shitty, unrealistic, fake, virtue signaling policies.[/QUOTE]

I've read David Simon's book and a lot of his work, plus had countless conversations online and in-person with people about this and not once has someone mentioned Democrats in those conversations.

If that's [I]your[/I] takeaway from the show then that's fine. I would expect nothing else to be honest. But it certainly isn't [I]the[/I] takeaway.

[I]The[/I] takeaway (at least the primary) is that individuals are largely powerless to the systems that be. Whether that's the drug business, law enforcement, politics, education, blue collar workers, etc. These people's fates are mostly sealed regardless of what they do.

[QUOTE=Baller234;15023742]Joey Pants is a great character actor and he was great (and funny) on the show, but he was more of a "hollywood" version of an italian whereas the other actors in the cast were authentic east coast italian. And yes there is a difference. Growing up in NYC there is a big difference between italians from the city and jersey compared to the ones in long island. Joey Pants reminds me more of a long island italian.

Ralphie still worked, he was a fun character, but imo he was nothing compared to Richie. He was the best villain on the show hands down and it really sucks they killed him after one season. Wish they could have gotten at least another season of out of him.[/QUOTE]

Ralphie was probably the sickest character I have ever seen on TV.

[video=youtube;djpi1HHQucM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djpi1HHQucM[/video]