In this third of a three-part chat, TV Geek Army cohorts Eric (self-described “revered leader”) and Mike Proper discuss the return of Breaking Bad to AMC as well as “Box Cutter,” the fourth season premiere.
Eric: Now, onto a few other matters that are on my mind if you’re amenable.
Mike: Go right ahead.
Eric: First, I couldn't help but think that Walt's Kenny Rogers t-shirt get-up had to be some kind of shout out to Pulp Fiction's Travolta and Jackson looking like "a couple of dorks" after the diner hold up sequence. What do you think?
Of course, Walt is no Mr. Hipster even on his best/hippest day.
Mike: Oh most definitely. I totally thought of that about 20 minutes after I submitted my review. And I also loved the fact that while dealing with a fried chicken-slinging drug kingpin, they're wearing shirts featuring another former fried chicken slinger.
Eric: Ha, great point!
Now, on a more serious note and back to season predictions: what are your thoughts on Walt Jr. getting involved in the cross-fire at some point? I mean, the poor kid has to get dragged into dad's very naughty activities at some point, right?
Mike: Not just him, but Skyler and the baby as well (can never remember her name). What's stopping Gus from going after them to keep sending Walt the message that he has no control over the situation?
Eric: Yes, I can see that. But was looking at it from the standpoint that Walt Jr. is a major character who has yet to find out what pops is up to. And this is one loyal and loving son. Remember the Save Walter White website that mysteriously raked in so much money for that brief spell?
Mike: True. He's as close to an innocent character as we have on this show. And you just can't feel like he can stay that way for too much longer.
Whether that means physical harm or his own bad-breaking, I don't know.
Eric: Wow, Walt Jr. slinging rock at his high school... I don't think I could stand that!
Finally, what's up with Hank and his new obsession with "minerals"?
Mike: That was a strange character detail. The closest I could come up with is that maybe he's still thinking about going after Heisenberg and in his bed-ridden state, he's trying to find rocks that look a lot like the rocks that have been making their way through the streets of Albuquerque. Or maybe he just likes amateur geology. I really have no idea where the writers are going to take Hank and Marie's storyline this season though. I'm kind of afraid they'll just keep jumping back to them to remind us they're main characters but not really give them anything to do.
But if there are any writers I should trust, it's these writers.
Any closing thoughts about the pretty sensational start to Season Four?
Eric: I was going to offer that perhaps the minerals have something to do with healing, but your thought as relation to the blue crystal meth makes more sense to me. That is to say, who knows!
