Archive
Breaking Bad Tribute
Like many people, I’ve been completely sucked into the popular AMC TV show, Breaking Bad. With the final episode of the final season in the horizon, I wanted to share my favorite articles, videos, and podcasts that I’ve come across. Some are entertaining, some are funny, and some actually enhance the show. But, keep in mind – almost all of the links will include some kind of spoiler if you’re not caught up with the last season!
Also like many people, I “binge watched” Breaking Bad starting in 2012. I flew through the first 4 Seasons to catch up before Season 5 started in July of that year. It’s amazing how addicting the show is and yet it has still gotten better every season. Without further ado…
Breaking Bad Links
- Comprehensive yet funny recap of the first five season on Honest Trailers.
- The Breaking Bad Podcast – I’ve only listened to two episodes, but they were very interesting. Vince Gilligan and other people involved in the show discuss how they write it and how they shoot it. Very much behind the scenes, but no spoilers.
- This video explains why I can’t stop telling people about Breaking Bad.
- Hilarious, yet accurate, breakdown by The Oatmeal on what significance hair plays in Breaking Bad.
- Can you name all of the characters who have been in Seinfeld AND Breaking Bad? There’s probably more than you think!
- After I watched this video, I couldn’t stop singing the new version of this song. And despite the protests from my kids, whenever it comes on the radio, I sing this new version! “Breaking Swift” – Taylor Swift song parody “We are Never Ever Going to Cook Together”
- Another parody – very clever! Jimmy Fallon: Joking Bad
- One of my favorite websites, Quora, has numerous topics and questions on Breaking Bad like What are the best Breaking Bad memes and Breaking Bad (TV Series).
Breaking Bad Recaps on Grantland.com
Last, and certainly not least are the recap articles that Andy Greenwald writes on Grantland every Monday. I simply can’t recommend these articles enough. He dissects each episode and interjects some brilliant insight, all while waxing poetic. Unfortunately he didn’t start until Season 5, but for your reading pleasure, I’ve listed them all here. I would suggest going back and reading some of the old ones!
- 501 – Live Free or Die
- 502 – Madrigal
- 503 – Hazard Pay
- 504 – Fifty-One
- 505 – Dead Freight
- 506 – Buyout
- 507 – Say My Name
- 508 – Gliding Over All
- Final Season Preview
- 509 – Blood Money
- 510 – Buried
- 511 – Confessions
- 512 – Rabid Dog
- 513 – To’hajiilee
- 514 – Ozymandias
- 515 – Granite State
- 516 – Felina
If anyone has any other links they like, please add them in the comments! I’m sure there’s a lot of other great material out there and once the show is over, I know us fans will be craving anything we can to relive the show.
“I am the one who blogs”…
*Update*
Here are some additional links I’ve come across since the show ended:
- The Walter White version of the Frank Sinatra hit song, “My Way”. Insane how much time it must have taken to make this. Fun retrospective, though.
- Nice recap of Felina by SB Nation… especially #7!
- Website Vulture.com recapped their 11 favorite Breaking Bad episodes
- Grantland’s ‘Breaking Bad’ In Memoriam – comprehensive look back on everyone who died. Sad!
More Info on Cutting the (Cable) Cord
I got a ton of great feedback on my last post regarding my family’s choice to get rid of cable tv. Some people even said my post pushed them over the edge to finally pull the plug! However, some others had great follow-up questions that I want to answer here:
What broadband service do you use? How much is it? Details!
Time Warner Cable. We moved to Buffalo last year and got the introductory offer of $38/month for 20 Mbps download / 2 Mbps upload. This is their Turbo package and is twice as fast as their Standard package. After that offer expired, the bill jumped up to $54 but I was able to negotiate them down to $45.
What kind of router do you have?
Linksys E3200. Knowing how much I’d be saving on cable and how much I’d be relying on the router, I invested in a new one with some serious horsepower. It really wasn’t that expensive when compared to a month of cable. It’s been great – very easy setup and nearly flawless performance.
What is your setup like? Is your Roku wireless?
We have the Time Warner modem hooked up to our wireless router in our office so our computer can be hard-wired to it. This makes both of our Roku’s wireless and we’ve had practically no issues with this setup. Our main TV has our Roku 2 and it’s about 15 feet away from the router (through 3 interior walls). The kids playroom has our original Roku and is about 20 feet from the router and goes through 2 walls. Before upgrading to our current router, we’d have issues with the Roku freezing up, but since switching to the E3200 router 8 months ago, we’ve had zero issues.
I’m thinking about buying ‘brand x’ expensive antenna.
Don’t do it yet! Try out the cheap option first. Or at least research how good the over the air (OTA) signal is from your house: http://antennaweb.org/default.aspx I had a lot of luck with this website because it accurately stated our rental house would have bad reception while our new house would have great reception. Lucky for us!
Lastly, here’s a nice channel guide for OTA programming: http://titantv.com/.
What about shows for kids?
It’s really surprised me how much content for the kids is out there. Netflix online ($8/month) has tv shows like Dora, Diego, Curious George, Sesame Street, Super Why, Wonder Pets, Barney, and more. Of course they’re always adding more.
Also, we made a one-time payment of $15 for a full season (26 episodes) of Olivia on Amazon Video. Between those two video services and Hulu Plus (my favorite, but practically no kids shows), there are tons of entertainment options.
Don’t forget the Roku 2 has a fancy remote that lets you play Angry Birds! I would have thought my 2- and 4-year olds were too young for it, but both of them love it. It comes free with the Roku and has hundreds of levels. Plus, it shows great future potential for the Roku and it’s fancy remote.
How can you live without cable sports?
As a lifelong sports fan, this was the toughest decision by far. But, consider what sports are on CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox: multiple NFL games on Sunday, all day Saturday of NCAA football, over half of the NCAA basketball tournament games, all of the championships for NHL / MLB / soccer, golf tournaments practically every weekend, Olympics, World Cup – I think you get the point.
Keep in mind, though, that for a small fee Roku offers packages for NBA, NHL, MLS, UFC, MLB and more. Yes, you’ll still miss SportsCenter and NFL Network and specialized channels like that. But, it’s up to you what those are worth when considering money and free time with family / friends. Personally, I’m happy with my choice!
Lastly, here’s a good article from Wired magazine that discusses this same topic.
My Review of Roku 2 XS Streaming Player
Adds an enhanced remote for playing games, plus extra connectivity options.
Helped me painlessly cut the cable cord!
Pros: Great value, High quality picture, Easy to use, Compact, Reliability, Easy to set up, Built in Wi-Fi
Cons: Best to have great router, Need fast internet service
Best Uses: Secondary TV, Primary TV, Kids Play Room, Living room, Bedroom
Describe Yourself: Early adopter, Home entertainment enthusiast, Technophile, Power User, Family man
The viewing options on the Roku are fantastic! So many shows and movies, plus now they’re adding games so it’s becoming even more addicting! I know they’ll continue to add channels and content, so it’s going to continue to grow. Hopefully someday they get YouTube and some kind of NFL or NCAA football, then the device may be nearly perfect!
How to Excel 