I've watched Breaking Bad start to finish over 10 times, mostly due to introducing it to people, and these videos always tell me details I've never known about
OMG -- SAME HERE!! I'm currently working on my 8th watch through, and It's still thrilling every time. This channel has really given me a greater appreciation for a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that went on.
i absolutely adore jesses reaction to gus killing victor, the way he sits forward and challenges him with his body language instead of cowering away says SO much about his character
The box cutter scene is so brutal. I don't remember how long it left me breathless, I had to walk away from the episode for a bit after I first watched it. I don't think any piece of media has given me such a visceral reaction. But it's exactly why Gus is my favorite.
Totally agree. Every time I rewatch, even during editing this video, it leaves me feeling a bit queasy. Actually I might *finally* be immune to it (for now) from the ~100 times seeing it while finishing this video. 😅
Gus drops the box cutter on the floor after killing Victor in the same manner that Walt drops the gun after killing the henchmen in the lab when he goes to save Jesse in "Face Off" and I believe in the same spot too. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing it but thought it was a neat detail.
EDIT: Oops, never mind! I found it. You're right! That's a cool detail! [Hmm, what scene does Walt drop the gun in? I'm having trouble remembering or finding that scene in Face Off!]
@@betterwatchtv the actor said it was his choice to smile after nacho's death because he thought it would put a bit of personality into his character. partially why he's such a dick in BCS actually.
The fact an episode as iconic as Face Off only received around 2 million viewers is crazy. It's easy to forget this show really did take time to become as huge as it was, and still is. That fake Sauls office is hilarious, again one of my favorite facts. Hank being obsessed with a different type of crystal is a genius joke I never caught. Walter saying nonsense could be interpreted as being intentional nonsense to throw him off, I like that so I'll go with it. You know things are F-ed when Mike is shocked too. Denny's is a fitting place, but Waffle House would have been even more fitting. The crazy stuff always happens there
I agree the viewership seems crazy! Yeah, and Walter’s nonsense could also be because he’s under duress, but throwing him off seems more likely! I agree about Waffle House!
If Victor didn't went into the crime scene and just went to Jesse's car to make him drive back to the lab. As well as not cook, just waited like Mike. Maybe he'd be sparred.
I always viewed Victor's death as him getting three strikes. Strike 1: failing to save Gale. Strike 2: Getting seen at the crime scene. Strike 3: over stepping his bounds by trying to cook. So maybe Gus would have been willing to forgive Victor if he only had one strike. Then again, I could totally see Gus still killing him for failing to save Gale.
But also part of the reason Gus killed victor was to keep Walter trapped, making sure Walter knows he’s stuck in this since he’s the only one that knows the recipe
During the first public showing of this episode, Bryan Cranston's daughter actually fainted during the scene where Gus kills Victor, so the staff had to interrupt the screening for a moment and asked for a doctor in the room. For some reason, the scene became a lot more gruesome to me after I heard about this...
After 10 years obsessing with Breaking Bad, I didn't think there was any more trivia about it I still didn't know. I have watched every single "top 10 things you didn't know about BB", I participate in on-line discussions about the show, read the official backstage guide-book and STILL, I was wrong. You are sharing with us ACTUAL unknown facts. I know it's the result of the researches of several people, but even so, THANK YOU for your work!
just want to say that even though i can't financially support the channel i tune into and look forward to these episodes weekly, they're so well paced and i'm glad you're getting the growth and recognition you deserve
I remember when I was watching these episodes for the first time on Netflix, I literally watched the end of season 3 and this episode without knowing they were different seasons
Are you talking about the "Truth" song (which I do love now) or the real credits music (a variation of the BB theme that I didn't actually include in this video like I normally do)? "Truth" grew on me so much that I decided to use that to end the video. It's always tempting to end the video with more upbeat songs like this, versus the credits music which can sometimes sound depressing!
I love this episode because there's an analysis by Lancelloti on it (and more specifically the box cutter scene) between Breaking Bad and the Latin American adaptation of Metastasis that goes extremely in depth into how all of the subtle details, camera work, and actor roles all combine to make such a vast difference in an otherwise identical scene.
Oh yeah, I think I've seen that! To me it really underscores how it takes so many talented people to make Breaking Bad what it is. It's not just the writing or the acting. It's also the amazing music, lighting, ...
I love how you cut up the episode in such a way that the video doesn't become overtly long but we as viewers are always on track with what is going on in the episode without having to go rewatch it ourselves.
Man, Gus’s menacing demeanor is at a peak here. Giancarlo’s performance might be my favorite in the whole show, love how he can turn from Gus: Friendliest Restaurant Owner Ever to Gus: The Literal Scariest Man Ever
From a chemist's perspective: The line "I can't as of yet account for the blue color" could be due to a unique crystallization technique of the meth that Gale is unaware of (also possibly contributing to further purity), rather than it having to do with methylamine in the process
Walt makes that statement about victor later as a subliminal threat as he views Mike taking liberties that aren’t his to take. He’s planting a seed in Jesse’s head because it seems he’s flirting with the idea of eliminating Mike. Which he ultimately does.
8:52 I love Jesse, Walter and Mike's reaction when Gus killed Victor. Jesse was depressed because he killed gale and when he saw that Gus killed Victor he seemed to come out of depression. And Walter who thought Gus would kill him and when he saw that Gus killed Victor and not him then he said to himself in his head "Why didn't he kill me?". And Mike who thought that Gus would kill Walter or give him a punishment or something and when Gus killed Victor Mike was surprised and Mike said to himself in his head "Why did he kill him and not Walter?". (sorry for my long text i don't know how to make this short). (and sorry if maybe you didn't understand).
Don't know if it was a reference point for the writers, but the dynamic of Gus killing Victor reminds me of the Coke bottle scene from The Long Goodbye. "That was someone I love. You I don't even like."
I’ve resisted because I’m sure I’m missing a ton. But I suppose it’s still something to count the ones we find. Maybe I’ll do it if I find another one. :)
Thanks!! It’s a combination of details others have found over the years, listening to and watching behind-the-scenes stuff, and watching each episode very closely (zooming in on things, etc.)!
I read this on a wiki sometime ago so take with a grain of salt, but apprently it was supposed to lampshade the fact that the way they are cooking doesn't work in real life because of those qualities.
@betterwatchtv even bigger, chirality is referenced all the way back in Cat's in the Bag when Walt is lecturing his class on thalidomide. He pauses at one point and it seems like he's going to mention meth instead, because he just started cooking. Chirality is one of the big differences between street quality meth and what Walt cooks.
Something to note about the eye: Vince himself has stated they knew the eye had significant symbolic meaning, but he couldn't quite say what it was. He said, feet to the fire, I'd say it represents the Eye of God looking down on Walt. The first time we see the eye after Walt snags it, is when the twins come to axe him. At this time, Mike has Walt's house under surveilance (a watchful eye). Walt then stashes the eye in the drawer, and we don't see it again until Skyler finds it in box cutter. The eye, like Gus is to Walt after Box Cutter, is constantly there, but out of Walter's (and the audience's sight). Skyler finding it in Box Cutter, and then Gus storing himself away from Walt is a parallel. Skyler also learns about Gustavo Fring and mentions him by name in the last episode of S4. I also like to look at it as judgement. The universe sends the twins as Walt's judgement, but much like Gus says Mike about not wanting Hector to die by a bullet from Mike because it would be too humane, the universe decides the twins are too humane a punishment for Walt and sends Gus his way as a crueler form of punishment. But Walt flips the tables on fate, and becomes Gus' judgement, which is why his death parallel's the bear, half burnt face, and missing an eye. Also, why Gus didn't have a menu item Chicken 'Fring'ers, I'll never understand.
Hahaha... We could definitely use a Hector emoji and that could be his best face (either that or his face when he detonates the bomb)! It's hard for these expressions to show up when in such a tiny image, but I'll definitely keep that in mind. We're getting close to the point where RU-vid will require me to gain 50(!) members for each new emoji, so these new opportunities may be rare!
I'm so glad I got to catch this early. Everyone has seen the episode, but I think that your commentary and insightful detail really adds so much to it all. I've been binging content about the BrBa universe ever since I started watching BCS, and this channel always teaches me something new in a really funny and creative way, quite like no other channel does. I feel really blessed to still be along for the ride and I'll happily support this channel in the future in any way I can! Can't wait for more episodes and thank you so so much, really!!
i love the detail of mike pointing his gun at gus out of shock and instinct at the boxcutter scene. i half expected him to shoot when i first watched this episode.
@@betterwatchtv Hmmm I had no idea about that. There are so many little things here and there that apparently weren't scripted but ended up in the final cut -- and this is the only channel (that I've seen) that has been able to identify them.
One of my favourite things from this episode is Mike's reaction to Victor's throat being cut, where even he's so surprised that he aims his gun as Gus. Just a super cool detail.
Yeah! And apparently Vince was concerned when he heard they shot it that way because that wasn’t in the script. But when he saw the footage, he liked it!
When Gus kills victor, Banks was not supposed to raise his gun but the effect was too expensive to recreate. So they kept it but didn’t like it. However I think most do like it, myself included
Oh! I thought I heard Vince say that he didn’t like the sound of it when he heard that’s what he did, but when he saw the footage he liked it. But maybe he was just being diplomatic!
I remember seeing a video by Lancelloti who is greatly underrated go into detail about this scene 6:47 and how the Colombian remake practically misses the point of the scene showing you can have the same Vince Gilligan script but it’s the acting, cinematography, and sound/music choices that really make it great
Indeed, so true! Making these videos, I've come to especially appreciate the music. Not just the original score from Dave Porter, but the incredible and diverse song selection by Thomas Golubić!
Another amazing break down of one of the best episode . I watched a whole video about how Walt arrogance was the reason he was saying all that about Jessie and himself and when Gus slices his neck Mike also pulls his gun cause of the shock
I think the pink bear bought Walt back to reality realizing a kid died in the crash, maybe keeping the eye as a hint to Brock and his cuz that shot combo
Love your videos, have been bindge watching your entire series within a week, now caught up to the current Upload schedual. Thank you for the high quality content
I remember when I watched this episode, there was a frame in the scene where Gale is on the floor dead but his eyes opened right before the scene changed
While it is difficult to know exactly when Walt became Heisenberg (I argue he never became that until the very last episode btw) I think it is simpler to see where Mike ends his alignment with Gus. Even before his connection to Gus was shown to be much closer in the Better Call Saul prequel, he always seemed above Walt and Jessie. During the cutter scene, he is taken by surprise (obviously), but seems to lower himself to the level of the men who are sitting; even helping the men put the body in the barrel. That was the first dip in class until his involvement in the train heist, and eventually in his own death.
when walt asks gale "how can our product be enantiomerically pure if our reduction isn't stereospecific" is actually a really good question because it's impossible to make meth the way walt does it and get only one specific enatiomer
Oh, that's awesome! Thanks! What I read is that he shouldn't have said 1-Phenyl-1-hydroxy-2-methylaminopropane, because that's Ephedrine, and that P2P doesn’t have any chiral centers?
This is another one of my favorite episodes. Gus is just so chilling here. I do find the contrast funny when Walt is just going on and on and seems oblivious that Gus is acting out of character and gearing up towards something horriffic where in contrast if you watch Jesse here. Hes very on guard like he instinctively knows something awful is about to happen. You even see him flinch when Gus walks around them before gus does the Kill and everything seems somewhat normal. Also Im so dissappointed really enjoying this channel but about to be caught up. Boo. Lol. I know you have severance and bcs on the horizon. I havent seen either yet so need to watch them. After those would you ever consider Dexter for your channel. Its my favorite show of all time but understand that 8 seasons plus a one off season and an upcoming prequel and sequel is alot to work through
@@tammylee9617 Great insight! Thanks! And as much as I try to spread Severance awareness, I feel like your most urgent task is to get started on Better Call Saul!
I always like to think that walks comments before victor dies is him panicking since if Victor knew the cook he would be replaceable so he was just saying whatever to make himself seem smarter... also logically I think it was super dumb to kill victor.. not only did gus loss a loyal solider but he could have easily smuggled him out and had him do cooks or be a under ground guard... victor seemed like a loss end who didn't really have a life outside of his service to gus.. like Tyril