FARK.com: (6672545) Walter White's blue meth? In *my* new episode of The Walking Dead? It's more likely than you think (last paragraph contains spoiler for fourth-season finale of "Breaking Bad")

If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

		Walter White's blue meth? In my new episode of The Walking Dead? It's more likely than you think (last paragraph contains spoiler for fourth-season finale of "Breaking Bad") (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)		136
		More: Amusing

• • •

5204 clicks; posted to Entertainment » on 25 Oct 2011 at 12:23 AM | Favorite | share:

more» |

Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends!

shirt it!

Share this link:

URL:

http://fk.cm/go/6672545

Bookmark:

Article Comments close

136 Comments (+0 »)

First | « | 1 | 2 | 3 | » | Last | Show all

strangeguitar

2011-10-24 10:34:04 PM

I don't watch Breaking Bad (just haven't gotten around to it yet), but that's kinda cool.

Dinki

2011-10-24 11:04:10 PM

strangeguitar: I don't watch Breaking Bad (just haven't gotten around to it yet), but that's kinda cool.

Oh you gotta - but be forewarned, it will ruin television for you. I have a hard time watching any other drama now. I keep comparing those other shows to the acting, storyline, and dialogue of BB, and they keep falling short.

Snapper Carr

2011-10-25 12:29:43 AM

Dinki: Oh you gotta - but be forewarned, it will ruin television for you. I have a hard time watching any other drama now. I keep comparing those other shows to the acting, storyline, and dialogue of BB, and they keep falling short.

Yup.

Breaking Bad
The Wire
maybe Boardwalk Empire

then everything else.

ongbok

2011-10-25 12:30:03 AM

FTA
It's not immediately clear how crystal meth that is cooked in Albuquerque would make it all the way to Atlanta (carried over by an industrious zombie, no doubt).

Did they not watch BB? Gus was a major trafficker, so it is quite possible that the meth they were cooking was shipped and sold to other markets. With all of the meth they were cooking on a weekly basis it is impossible for it all to have been smoked in New Mexico.

Mad_Radhu

2011-10-25 12:44:44 AM

ongbok: FTA
It's not immediately clear how crystal meth that is cooked in Albuquerque would make it all the way to Atlanta (carried over by an industrious zombie, no doubt).

Did they not watch BB? Gus was a major trafficker, so it is quite possible that the meth they were cooking was shipped and sold to other markets. With all of the meth they were cooking on a weekly basis it is impossible for it all to have been smoked in New Mexico.

Also, meth is huge with truckers, so it's not like the meth sold in New Mexico is going to stay there. Even without Gus trafficking it outside the Southwest, it is going to spread around the country from truckers buying it on the road and reselling to their buddies.

Bunnyhat

2011-10-25 12:46:14 AM

ongbok: FTA
It's not immediately clear how crystal meth that is cooked in Albuquerque would make it all the way to Atlanta (carried over by an industrious zombie, no doubt).

Did they not watch BB? Gus was a major trafficker, so it is quite possible that the meth they were cooking was shipped and sold to other markets. With all of the meth they were cooking on a weekly basis it is impossible for it all to have been smoked in New Mexico.

Yep, in one episode the DEA office had a map of all the areas they found the blue meth sold at. It was like the entire Northwest and that was before they really got started on the mega lab I think.

Mad_Radhu

2011-10-25 12:48:18 AM

Also, you have to assume that the meth made its way around the country well before the dead rose.

farbekrieg

2011-10-25 01:05:50 AM

Snapper Carr: Dinki: Oh you gotta - but be forewarned, it will ruin television for you. I have a hard time watching any other drama now. I keep comparing those other shows to the acting, storyline, and dialogue of BB, and they keep falling short.

Yup.

Breaking Bad
The Wire
maybe Boardwalk Empire

then everything else.

subjective as tv preferences are

rome
deadwood
game of thrones
dexter
dead like me
carnival
venture brothers would all like a word.

Freak of Nurture

2011-10-25 01:10:59 AM

Looks like Walt's special formula has a nasty side effect.

bhcompy

2011-10-25 01:14:55 AM

farbekrieg: venture brothers would all like a word.

Sorry, VB lost me after that abortion they called the first few episodes of the 4th season

Zulu_as_Kono

2011-10-25 01:22:45 AM

I'm rapidly approaching the point with Walking Dead that I reached about halfway through the second season of Dexter - I really want to like the show, but I f*cking hate every goddamed character on it. Daryl is the only one I don't want to yell "just shut up and stop being an total idiot" at.

Kung_Fu_Hamster

2011-10-25 01:24:48 AM

farbekrieg: Snapper Carr: Dinki: Oh you gotta - but be forewarned, it will ruin television for you. I have a hard time watching any other drama now. I keep comparing those other shows to the acting, storyline, and dialogue of BB, and they keep falling short.

Yup.

Breaking Bad
The Wire
maybe Boardwalk Empire

then everything else.

subjective as tv preferences are

rome
deadwood
game of thrones
dexter
dead like me
carnival
venture brothers would all like a word.

You forgot Mad Men and BSG.

GungFu

2011-10-25 01:29:43 AM

Dammit, I proposed my Gus Fring zombie making a Walking Dead cameo.

I want props.

/both kinds!

FunkOut

2011-10-25 01:38:04 AM

Yup, I hit rewind to point it out to my husband; he thinks Walt could somehow cause the zombie outbreak in season 5.

Mad_Radhu

2011-10-25 01:48:06 AM

Zulu_as_Kono: I'm rapidly approaching the point with Walking Dead that I reached about halfway through the second season of Dexter - I really want to like the show, but I f*cking hate every goddamed character on it. Daryl is the only one I don't want to yell "just shut up and stop being an total idiot" at.

Yeah, Rick's stupidity was staggering in that scene where Shane explained that Rick needed to stay by his son's side. It's really hard to get behind a protagonist that can't help but make the worst decision possible. Rick is a bit of an exception because he slept through the end of the world, but I would think that most of the stupid people would get weeded out pretty fast once the outbreak started because it wouldn't take long for their bad decisions to catch up with them.

Trackball

2011-10-25 01:52:14 AM

FunkOut

2011-10-25 01:53:10 AM

Trackball: Zulu_as_Kono: I'm rapidly approaching the point with Walking Dead that I reached about halfway through the second season of Dexter - I really want to like the show, but I f*cking hate every goddamed character on it. Daryl is the only one I don't want to yell "just shut up and stop being an total idiot" at.

That's the main problem with these types of shows. The characters are just too dumb and emo for it to be plausible that they are still alive.

Without stupid people, there is no drama.

Strolpol

2011-10-25 01:53:17 AM

Mad_Radhu: Zulu_as_Kono: I'm rapidly approaching the point with Walking Dead that I reached about halfway through the second season of Dexter - I really want to like the show, but I f*cking hate every goddamed character on it. Daryl is the only one I don't want to yell "just shut up and stop being an total idiot" at.

Yeah, Rick's stupidity was staggering in that scene where Shane explained that Rick needed to stay by his son's side. It's really hard to get behind a protagonist that can't help but make the worst decision possible. Rick is a bit of an exception because he slept through the end of the world, but I would think that most of the stupid people would get weeded out pretty fast once the outbreak started because it wouldn't take long for their bad decisions to catch up with them.

Well, in his defense, his son had just been shot and he wasn't really in the right state of mind to be making any rational decisions. That's even before considering the whole "zombie apocalypse" aspect to it.

Mentat

2011-10-25 01:55:19 AM

Strolpol: Well, in his defense, his son had just been shot and he wasn't really in the right state of mind to be making any rational decisions. That's even before considering the whole "zombie apocalypse" aspect to it.

I think Rick was due a bout of irrationality.

bhcompy

2011-10-25 01:59:34 AM

FunkOut: Trackball: Zulu_as_Kono: I'm rapidly approaching the point with Walking Dead that I reached about halfway through the second season of Dexter - I really want to like the show, but I f*cking hate every goddamed character on it. Daryl is the only one I don't want to yell "just shut up and stop being an total idiot" at.

That's the main problem with these types of shows. The characters are just too dumb and emo for it to be plausible that they are still alive.

Without stupid people, there is no drama.

Most. You can watch a show like 24 or The Unit and have drama without idiots. Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

Mentat

2011-10-25 02:08:37 AM

bhcompy: Most. You can watch a show like 24 or The Unit and have drama without idiots. Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

Wait, you're using 24 as an example of non-idiot drama? The show which annually played "Guess the CTU Mole"?

bhcompy

2011-10-25 02:22:24 AM

Mentat: bhcompy: Most. You can watch a show like 24 or The Unit and have drama without idiots. Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

Wait, you're using 24 as an example of non-idiot drama? The show which annually played "Guess the CTU Mole"?

It was a thousand times "smarter" than "I'm going to roam around the Atlanta while riding a horse during a zombie apocalypse"

I Am The Egg Matt Drudge Smears Upon His Body

2011-10-25 02:25:44 AM

Mentat: bhcompy: Most. You can watch a show like 24 or The Unit and have drama without idiots. Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

Wait, you're using 24 as an example of non-idiot drama? The show which annually played "Guess the CTU Mole"?

24 used to be revered in this part of the internet; only later to be openly mocked.

/am waiting for the day when Dexter, BB, et al meets the same fate.

//hopefully not too soon in the future.

Wretschko

2011-10-25 02:44:59 AM

Mrs. Wretschko and I thoroughly enjoyed Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

It had elements that appealed to our individual interests.

Her: The soap opera aspects of the backstabbing scheming shenanigans.

Me: The gratuitous sex and violence.

Guess it DOES say something about males and females.

/I, however, have no interest whatsoever in watching the "second" season.
//RIP Andy Whitfield. Your smoldering performance made my wife swoon and I enjoyed the ass-kicking you meted out. We are truly saddened at your passing.

Summer Glau's Love Slave

2011-10-25 02:50:05 AM

optional

2011-10-25 03:07:20 AM

Can't believe no one's posted this yet.

Pandora's Litterbox

2011-10-25 03:21:10 AM

Summer Glau's Love Slave:
///I just don't understand why [the characters are] suddenly behaving so foolishly.

The two main reasons:

(1) The (not terribly great [but far superior to what we see know]) first season's showrunner (one Mr. Darabont) was unceremoniously fired between seasons (for the crime of *gasp* attempting to create a decent show while under horrifically short-sighted conditions set by AMC's accountants) .
(2) The writing staff was completely overhauled between seasons 1 and 2.

Watching the show (for now).
Very (very) much beginning to second-guess my decision to do so with each new episode..
One day I hope to find the time to read the show's pen-and-ink source material.

Pandora's Litterbox

2011-10-25 03:22:27 AM

"Know" was to be "now."

omeganuepsilon

2011-10-25 03:26:28 AM

bhcompy: Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

This, I just finished watching Battlestar Soapoperica again, that much drama I can stomach, but I can't stomach Walking Dead for the complete unthinking idiots that the characters are. I'm not being snobbish here, I'll watch some serious crap as long as it's got some redeeming realism in human behavior.

It's not just the characters, it's the entire thing. It may work as drama, but it's really out of place. I watched an episode where a lot of it dwelt on flashbacks of a character and her sister(I think), and at the end, the sister dies. Why the fark did I have to get all that history for a character that would simply and suddenly die? On top of, Why the hell were they basically camping out with a fire and everything and zero security?

Characters that retarded aren't worth caring for, all the flashbacks in the world about fly fishing and the love of one's father won't help that at all.

Snapper Carr

2011-10-25 03:42:16 AM

Kung_Fu_Hamster: rome
deadwood

Agreed.

Kung_Fu_Hamster: game of thrones

Needs more seasons to judge. First season was outstanding - if they can maintain that quality consistently after a few seasons, we'll see.

Kung_Fu_Hamster: dexter

Great for 2 seasons. Terribly inconsistent after that. This season I get a sense that the writers are just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

farbekrieg: dead like me

The post series movie ruined it for me.

Kung_Fu_Hamster: carnival

I only watched a couple of episodes and it never really grabbed me.

farbekrieg: venture brothers

Funniest thing on television by a wide margin but not a drama.

As you said though, it's all subjective.

Knight of the Woeful Countenance

2011-10-25 05:13:51 AM

you know, for a show that's suppose to be a big hit and beloved by everyone, I sure do hear a lot of people complaining about it.

MagSeven

2011-10-25 05:23:20 AM

bhcompy: Mentat: bhcompy: Most. You can watch a show like 24 or The Unit and have drama without idiots. Drama comes from character interaction based tension rather than is-this-character-going-to-get-killed-from-stupidity tension

Wait, you're using 24 as an example of non-idiot drama? The show which annually played "Guess the CTU Mole"?

It was a thousand times "smarter" than "I'm going to roam around the Atlanta while riding a horse during a zombie apocalypse"

So you're saying it's the smartest retard in the special math bowl?

Niveras

2011-10-25 06:22:37 AM

Snapper Carr: farbekrieg: dead like me

The post series movie ruined it for me.

There was a movie? Was it direct to DVD or what?

Already Disturbed

2011-10-25 06:47:23 AM

I've considered calling into "Talking Dead" to complain about the staggering gaps in logic, but end up going to sleep instead. The show still seems like a fine opportunity for some organized trolling, though.

Doctor Jan Itor

2011-10-25 06:51:49 AM

Kung_Fu_Hamster: farbekrieg: Snapper Carr: Dinki: Oh you gotta - but be forewarned, it will ruin television for you. I have a hard time watching any other drama now. I keep comparing those other shows to the acting, storyline, and dialogue of BB, and they keep falling short.

Yup.

Breaking Bad
The Wire
maybe Boardwalk Empire

then everything else.

subjective as tv preferences are

rome
deadwood
game of thrones
dexter
dead like me
carnival
venture brothers would all like a word.

You forgot Mad Men and BSG.

And Archer.
Good list, corkzucker.

Snapper Carr

2011-10-25 06:54:41 AM

Niveras: There was a movie? Was it direct to DVD or what?

Yes it was. I think you can stream it on Netflix. They pulled a Darren with Daisy since Laura Harris was committed to another project which is only one of the things wrong with the flick.

Jim_Callahan

2011-10-25 07:35:44 AM

FunkOut:
Without stupid people, there is no drama.

You can have drama with smart (albeit flawed) people involved. People have mentioned Breaking Bad and the Wire already.

The problem with a zombie movie/show, however, is that to have any kind of conflict with the core theme of the show, you have to have a cast of characters less intelligent than a shambling corpse with no cerebellum, both individually and in aggregate. Otherwise it'd be no contest whatsoever, since a realistic zombie apocalypse (in terms of average human intelligence) would make it maybe two or three days before humans started winning by a ridiculous margin and took most of the fun out of it.

manimal2878

2011-10-25 08:08:15 AM

Pandora's Litterbox: One day I hope to find the time to read the show's pen-and-ink source material.

If you are finding yourself not liking the show you prob won't like the comic.

While they have changed a lot of stuff from the comic, the overall tone and "stupidity" of the characters is about the same.

stebain

2011-10-25 08:13:27 AM

In the comic, are the zombies eternal or do they eventually decompose to a point where they are no longer a threat?

Znuh

2011-10-25 08:16:36 AM

Seriously - the amount of stupidity is getting to the point where it's shriekingly annoying to watch. For me the new season jumped the shark when the yelling-at-Jesus scene happened.

Or inviting the kid to come with.

Then the whole "I have to tell my wife" idiocy when his son is in the next room, being operated on.

It's slowly dawning on me (no pun intended here) - that Romeo and the rest really did have it right the first time, years ago. All we're seeing here is someone reinventing the wheel, and throwing in Facebook drama punctuated with random zombies.

Not trying to hate - really, really wanted to get into this series, particularly after such a great first season (and overlooking someone who takes a horse into a city filled with the undead), but it's getting really, really hard to not fast forward through 75% of the show.

Znuh

2011-10-25 08:17:38 AM

Romero. Damn my cold fingers.

t3knomanser

2011-10-25 08:28:10 AM

Znuh: Then the whole "I have to tell my wife" idiocy when his son is in the next room, being operated on.

That one I'm gonna forgive. First, Rick is in a total panic. Second, he's just given a transfusion, and he's not in the best of health to begin with at this point (that's simply implied by the state they're in). In fact, this is the first episode since the show started where I didn't feel the need to go, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Except for the editor, anyway. In one shot, the search party is having a little conversation, in the next, they're all knotted up in a group- except for Blondie McDiealready. Also, Mr. Director, if you're going to have a boring scene of dialogue while the search party is wandering the woods, can you at least have them wander the woods while shooting it? "Everybody, stop for a minute. We need a dialogue scene and I don't want to have to move the steadicam around. Instead, we're going to do Shot/Reverse Shot and shoot it like a soap opera."

Znuh: and overlooking someone who takes a horse into a city filled with the undead

I'm not so sure what's bad about the horse. Unlike a car, it's much quieter. It can travel over terrain no car ever could. It provides a better vantage point. It can easily outpace any human, especially the undead.

Znuh

2011-10-25 08:36:55 AM

All good points... the 1st season really held me a lot more than the second - the weak part seems (for me) to be just the levels of bad decisions, the incredible annoying behavior of pretty much all the women - then there's things like the 'bell' of the church still working...

Or it could be that I'm just noticing the bump between the change in writers.

Seriously glad I DVR'd it - holy fsck some of the interactions of the characters is getting to the point where I'm thinking I'm just being trolled.

Big Beef Burrito

2011-10-25 08:41:31 AM

t3knomanser: I'm not so sure what's bad about the horse...It can easily outpace any human, especially the undead.

Not in this show.

In this show, zombies are always 3 steps behind you no matter how fast or slow you go.

t3knomanser

2011-10-25 08:43:42 AM

Znuh: the weak part seems (for me) to be just the levels of bad decisions, the incredible annoying behavior of pretty much all the women

Part of it is the fact that the characters, by and large, are really just basic physical features and not much else. We have the ladies: Bangs, Crewcut and Blondie. Then we have Sheriff's Hat and his best friend, No Neck. Doofy Hat, Flannel Red Neck, Black Dude, and Short Round round out the team. Then we have the kids, who exist for no other purpose than to give our "real" characters something to be upset about when they're in danger.

As for the idiocy, when Herschel started barking orders, it was a wonderful moment for the show. "Oh my god! A competent person!"

NeoCortex42

2011-10-25 08:44:14 AM

I'm with the consensus that this season is a bit of a disappointment so far. I can deal with occasional character stupidity, but when that's how the characters behave all of the time, it just gets old.

Since plenty of people already brought up Rick's behavior in this week's episode, I'll go with another example. After getting the medical supplies from the trailer at the school (being careful to be dead silent the entire time), why on earth would you through the door open quick and loud instead of slowly opening it to check for zombies on your way out?

NeoCortex42

2011-10-25 08:46:33 AM

t3knomanser:

As for the idiocy, when Herschel started barking orders, it was a wonderful moment for the show. "Oh my god! A competent person!"

And as soon as Laurie shows up, she acts like "only a veterinarian?", as if she would rather get a second opinion from some other surgery-capable doctor that's somehow available in the apocalypse.

DjangoStonereaver

2011-10-25 09:11:40 AM

Znuh: Seriously - the amount of stupidity is getting to the point where it's shriekingly annoying to watch. For me the new season jumped the shark when the yelling-at-Jesus scene happened.

Or inviting the kid to come with.

Then the whole "I have to tell my wife" idiocy when his son is in the next room, being operated on.

It's slowly dawning on me (no pun intended here) - that Romeo and the rest really did have it right the first time, years ago. All we're seeing here is someone reinventing the wheel, and throwing in Facebook drama punctuated with random zombies.

Not trying to hate - really, really wanted to get into this series, particularly after such a great first season (and overlooking someone who takes a horse into a city filled with the undead), but it's getting really, really hard to not fast forward through 75% of the show.

To me, zombie/survival horror is extremely repetetive. The monsters have literally no
personality, and exist only to give an excuse for grand guigon horror and gore, and
the human stories are really only compelling when they show how our innate distrust
of our fellow humans will be the cause of our downfall. Every bit of zombie horror I've
ever seen is basically a remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, even the 'good'
ones like THE WALKING DEAD or WORLD WAR Z (though that one at least
expands the scope from a small group of isolated survivors to encompass the whole
world). The reason it has gained asendancy, I think, is that it lends itself well to a
video game scenario. That, and unlike the previous horror tropes (the Universal horror
monsters), the original NOTLD fell into the public domain fairly quickly and was thus
able to be used as a direct source by less able film makers out to make a quick buck\
turning out gore fests that mistook shock for horror without fear of being sued.

I've got nothing against people who like it; its just that from what I've sampled I am not
drawn to it, and I'm sure there will be a chorus of people chastizing me for my 'closed
mindedness' and 'lack of taste'.

T.M.S.

2011-10-25 09:14:22 AM

After the much hyped "house cleaning" of the writing staff they had the premere of the second season to grab the audience by the balls and tell them they were serious about making this show kick ass.

What do we get? An hour of people standing around on the side of the road and wandering through the woods.

Second episode: An hour of standing around on the side of the road and wandering through the woods.

Oh, and the shooting fireworks into the air to distract the zombies was a poor idea the first time we saw it. If you have to crib ideas from Land of the Dead you may have hit bottom.

GameSprocket

2011-10-25 09:27:56 AM

DjangoStonereaver: Znuh: Seriously - the amount of stupidity is getting to the point where it's shriekingly annoying to watch. For me the new season jumped the shark when the yelling-at-Jesus scene happened.

Or inviting the kid to come with.

Then the whole "I have to tell my wife" idiocy when his son is in the next room, being operated on.

It's slowly dawning on me (no pun intended here) - that Romeo and the rest really did have it right the first time, years ago. All we're seeing here is someone reinventing the wheel, and throwing in Facebook drama punctuated with random zombies.

Not trying to hate - really, really wanted to get into this series, particularly after such a great first season (and overlooking someone who takes a horse into a city filled with the undead), but it's getting really, really hard to not fast forward through 75% of the show.

To me, zombie/survival horror is extremely repetetive. The monsters have literally no
personality, and exist only to give an excuse for grand guigon horror and gore, and
the human stories are really only compelling when they show how our innate distrust
of our fellow humans will be the cause of our downfall. Every bit of zombie horror I've
ever seen is basically a remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, even the 'good'
ones like THE WALKING DEAD or WORLD WAR Z (though that one at least
expands the scope from a small group of isolated survivors to encompass the whole
world). The reason it has gained asendancy, I think, is that it lends itself well to a
video game scenario. That, and unlike the previous horror tropes (the Universal horror
monsters), the original NOTLD fell into the public domain fairly quickly and was thus
able to be used as a direct source by less able film makers out to make a quick buck\
turning out gore fests that mistook shock for horror without fear of being sued.

I've got nothing against people who like it; its just that from what I've sampled I am not
drawn to it, and I'm sure there will be a chorus of people chastizing me for my 'closed
mindedness' and 'lack of taste'.

whatwouldtotowatch.com