Breaking Bad Episode 407: Problem Dog

Ben Leuner/AMC

A common trait in the modern television series is the dreaded Setup Episode, in which major storylines and characters hold serve in an attempt to “set up” the basic conflicts for the rest of the season. In a 20+ episode season, one can expect to see 2 or 3 Setup Episodes. Breaking Bad has been, aside from the strike-shortened first season, a 13 episode show. It stands to reason that the setup episodes would occur around the 7 or 8 mark (and they have, such as last season’s “I See You”). Setup Episodes have a reputation of being slow moving, ponderous and unexciting. Make no mistake: “Problem Dog” was a Setup Episode.

But, by Bob Dylan, was it a good one.

One can be excused from seeing the episode’s first two scenes and thinking that this week’s fix of Breaking Bad would be knock-down, drag out action fest Season 4 seems to have been building to. As an aside, am I the only one who’s noticed how misleading some of the episode titles have been this season. “Thirty Eight Snub,” “Bullet Points,” “Shotgun,” “Cornered,” etc? It’s like the creative team is purposefully making all of Season 4′s titles into Action Red Herrings.

Anyways, aside from those first two scenes (Jesse playing Rage, Walter making the Challenger go all explodey), this was a low key hour of television, with more than one storyline being put into motion for the remaining six episodes. Here’s a rundown:

• Hank methodically hunting down and possibly destroying Gus’ Los Pollos Hermanos empire, with or without the DEA’s help (Merkert’s gotta be a Fring plant, right?).
• Walter possibly snapping out of his emasculated funk and making some potentially disastrous decisions, replete with requisite Heisenberg hat and various exploding chemicals.
• Jesse playing the part of company man in an effort to kill his boss with that old Breaking Bad standby; death by Ricin.
• On the other hand, Jesse’s loyalty, to everyone, seems to be in question. He obviously won’t be offing Walt anytime soon, but he doesn’t seem too keen on Ricin-ing Gustavo anytime soon. Oh, Aaron Paul. Your smoldering vulnerability will be the death of this show’s female fanbase.
• The cartel and Gus’ empire in an all out drug war, the type Hank and his DEA pals were so terrified of way back in Season 1.
• Skyler being vaguely bitchy, Marie being outwardly bitchy.

Alright, a couple of those aren’t exactly new development (the last one seems to have been a running plotline for about…40 episodes or so.), but they all took that exponential leap from Possible Future Concern to Immediate Problem. Gus, in particular, seems to have found himself  in a rea; Shit/Fan scenario, though it’s not like anyone in their right mind expected him to survive the season (which, this being Breaking Bad, of course means that he’ll be the figurative and literal Last Man Standing). Look for the Chicken Man to take out as many of his enemies as Fring-ingly possible, and also for Mike to switch sides when the inevitable collapse happens. The end is beginning, and if this episode is any indication, it’s going to be brilliant.

Completely Arbitrary Episode Score: A (or 94 out of 100)

15 Years of Gaming, Part 6 (2000)

2000

Apologies to the half dozen or so people who've actually read these. This week has been extremely busy.


Even though I spent a significant portion of the preface hyping up 2000 as the final salvo in the N64/PlayStation war, the truth is, that war had already been won. The PlayStation heavily out preformed it's counterpart after 1998, and what should have been an awesome, back and forth, ultra competitive year for consoles was sort of a disappointment. This, combined with what should have been the glorious debut of the Dreamcast, left gamers in the first year of the new millennium sort of confused and unsure of the future of the medium. Despite all that, there were still some seriously good games.


The Sims
Release Date: February 4, 2000.
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Maxis/Electronic Arts
GameRankings: 89.8%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 6.9/10 (Decent)

 
The Sims was, more or less, an experiment. What on the surface seems like a silly idea (and also possibly a symptom of a burgeoning American addiction to reality TV), the game works only because of it's overly kitschy vibe and overall suburban style. That is to say, it's extremely off putting to slowly torture your Sims with what sounds eerily like Home Shopping Network background music playing. The endlessly strange gibberish language the characters speak in is more than a little endearing, as well. I, at one time, wanted to be an architect, so the home design mini game was a blast. Yes, I am very lame.

Perfect Dark
Release Date: May 22, 2000.
Platform: Nintendo 64
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Rare/Nintendo
GameRankings: 95%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.3/10 (Good)

Perfect Dark, GoldenEye's spiritual successor, was not as big a leap forward for the FPS as the aforementioned Bond shooter was (hooray, multiplayer bots!) That being said, it was better. Rare, it's creativity unbound from the 007 canon, delivered a Ghost in the Shell inspired futuristic dystopia. The only thing holding back PD from true greatness was the Expansion Pak required to play the campaign. Truly a strange decision, although one that did manage to pay off. Most people bought it for the multiplayer, which makes PD one of the first successful strictly multiplayer console games.

Diablo II
Release Date: June 29, 2000.
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
GameRankings: 88.58%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.5/10 (Great)

The original Diablo, while extremely fun, was pretty much standard hack n slash, dungeon crawling fare. The story was threadbare at best, the character selection was generic and uninteresting, and the whole thing ended right when it seemed to have found it's groove. Just not good enough to make this top 100 list. D2, however, is one of the most influential MMOs in history, if only because a significant amount of it's design was used in the juggernaut that is World of Warcraft. Unlike WoW, Diablo 2 was (and still is) free to play online. Seriously. Thousands of people still play this.

But what separates Diablo from Warcraft is not solely the fact that Warcraft isn't just WoW, but a series of superior games made before 2004, but the fact that the Diablo game world is much darker and more interesting than Warcraft's. Wonderfully creepy art design, balanced gameplay, superb audio design and a legitimately interesting premise makes Diablo 2 one of my favorite games in history, and the perfect culmination of Blizzard's 2D 90s gaming legacy. A great expansion didn't hurt, either.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Release Date: October 26, 2000.
Platform: Nintendo 64
ESRB Rating: E
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD
GameRankings: 91.92%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.9/10 (Very Good)

Behold! A direct sequel! In the Zelda franchise! The rarest of all things.

Majora's Mask holds an unenviable position in Zelda canon. By being both the direct follow up to the universally revered Ocarina of Time and the most experimental "modern" game in the series, MM was downright hated by some people (who shall remain nameless, but they should know they have shit taste in games). The game follows the infamous "Child Timeline," which I have neither the time nor the inclination to elaborate upon (only know that Wind Waker follows the adult timeline, while MM and Twilight Princess follow the child timeline, a split brought up by Ocarina's ending. Twitter me if you're actually interested (you aren't)).

Convoluted split timelines aside, Majora's Mask had one of the more ingenious plot structures of any game in it's time, and that alone makes it worth inclusion. Not to mention the fact that it's a Zelda game, which, almost by default, means it's fantastically fun to play.

Final Fantasy IX
November 14, 2000.   
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Square/Square EA
GameRankings: 93.32%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.6/10 (Very Good)

Final Fantasy IX (or 9) was the last of the PlayStation trilogy of Final Fantasy games, arguably the most successful and greatest era in the series' North American history. Fittingly, FFIX has more akin to the FF's of old, in it's setting, character design and plot. It's more high fantasy than sci fi, as opposed to VII and VIII. There's not a whole lot else I can say about FFIX. I like it, probably just as much as I do VIII, but I don't feel the same sort of devotion towards it that I do VII (or even IV or X), but still. Great game. Possibly the best of it's year.

15 Years of Gaming: Part 5 (1999)

1999

'99 was, for all intents and purposes, a "recharge" year, a year in which the main gaming consoles hold off on major releases in anticipation for the "final" charge that would be 2000. Because of this, neither the Nintendo 64 or the PlayStation really did a whole lot. I remember convincing my mother to buy me a PlayStation this year, only to hold off and reconsider after realizing that not a whole lot would be coming out. That being said, PC Gaming is an entirely different industry, one rarely affected by console trends (PC gamers would have you believe that PC Gaming is the only type of gaming that is relevant, but this is hardly the truth).


Final Fantasy VIII
Release Date: February 11, 1999.
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: SquareSoft
GameRankings: 89.17%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.7/10 (Very Good)

 

Before I go any further, I would like you to know that FF8 is a great game, easily the best that came out in '99. That being said, it's my least favorite "core" Final Fantasy (before 2003), and is one of the few I've never beaten. On the surface, it seems to be an improvement in almost every way from it's predecessor. This is hardly the case. The party characters, for the most part, aren't nearly as interesting as their FFVII counterparts (Cid and Vincent > Zell and Irvine), though I will acknowledge FFVIII's plot being arguably the most female-driven plot in any Final Fantasy. The female characters are generally the most interesting and most plot important, and that's a refreshing change from most video games (though not necessarily Final Fantasy). The Junction system is unwieldy and not nearly as rewarding a system as it might appear to be. All this being said, FFVIII is a very pretty game, and is still a blast to play.

 

Roller Coaster Tycoon

Release Date: March 31, 1999.

Platform: PC

ESRB Rating: E

Developer/Publisher: Chris Sawyer Productions/Hasbro Interactive

GameRankings: 87%

Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.3/10 (Solid)

RCT was more than a simulation game. How so, you might be asking? Well, it was fun, for starters. To this day, there might not be a game I've played more of than this one. Many a weekend during the summer of 2000 were spent playing this game. The game's appeal, for me, came from the gradual, meticulous build up of your parks, not as much the maintenance. Being able to build custom rides was also a plus, certainly. I'm finding it really difficult to describe what made RCT so enjoyable, and there doesn't appear to be any good youtube videos that would do it for me, so here's the intro video.

 

Super Smash Brothers

Release Date: April 26, 1999.

Platform: Nintendo 64

ESRB Rating: E

Developer/Publisher: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

GameRankings: 80%

Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.2/10 (Solid)

 

The original Super Smash Brothers was more or less a gimmick game. A silly little farce Nintendo seemed to green light as a little tongue in cheek self-tribute. Looking back, all it really seemed to do was set up the Killer App that was to come, but that doesn't change the fact that, for it's time, it was one of the most enjoyable multiplayer games on the 64.

Unreal Tournament and Quake III: Arena

Release Date: November 30, 1999 and December 2, 1999.

Platform: PC (Both)

ESRB Rating: M (Both)

Developer/Publisher: Epic Games/GT Interactive and id Software/Activison

GameRankings: 94% and 94.13%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.4/10 (Solid)

I can only have one, and I think UT has the better cover art.

These two games, despite the strangely contrasted GameRankings scores, were extremely similar experiences to me, and I mean this in a good way. They both came out within a month of each other, and were both the biggest online multiplayer shooters on the market. Direct competitors doesn't even begin to describe it. Telling a Quake player you thought Unreal was better (and vice versa) is a one way ticket to an argument, even today, 12 years later. I figured the best way to respect both of these games was to put them together. That, and I'm tired. Sue me.

Yeah, I used a video from UT99, too. It was the cleanest one I could find.

15 Years of Gaming: Part 4 (1998)

1998

Compared to 1997, 98 was a relatively small year. But what it lacked in quantity, it more than made up for in quality. All four of these games have been called, rightfully so, the greatest and most influential in their respective genres, and three of them have legitimate claims on the mythical "Greatest Game of All Time" title. I'm not going to debate such a subjective argument, but I sincerely enjoyed all of these games, and they're all worth their nostalgia.

Starcraft
Release Date: March 31, 1998
Platform: PC/N64
ESRB: T
Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
GameRankings: 93%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.7/10 (Above Average)

 

 You know, I almost didn't put Starcraft on here, as big a game as it is. I never really got as into it as I did Blizzard's other two main series, Warcraft and Diablo. I blame my lack of a personal computer until 2005. Still, what I played of Starcraft was generally fantastic, if difficult. Plus, it's a big enough game to warrant a place on any list. According to Wikipedia, Starcraft is still one of the most popular online game in the world; it's practically a national sport in Korea.

Metal Gear Solid

Release Date: October 21, 1998.

Platform: PlayStation

ESRB Rating: M

Developer/Publisher: Konami

GameRankings: 93.75%

Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.1/10 (Great)

Alternate covers are the best covers...

Depending on who you ask, the Metal Gear Solid is either the most underrated series of all time, or an overblown cutscene fest full of incomprehensible dialogue. Honestly, it's both. The quasi-political intrigue and complex, self-referential under plot that muddles the plotlines of some of the future installments (looking at you, Sons of Liberty) isn't really present in the original, though. The first MGS is, simply put, a self-contained experience. While there are references to the original Metal Gear games, past experience with the series isn't really a need.

And despite all that, the game remains arguably the most positively challenging and engaging of the entire series.

Half-Life

Release Date: November 20, 1998.

Platform: PC (Later PS2)

ESRB Rating: M

Developer/Publisher: Valve/Sierra

GameRankings: 96%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.4/10 (Great)

 

While 1997's GoldenEye007 was an evolutionary step forward for multiplayer FPS, Half-Life was a revolutionary step forward for the single player experience, and for gaming as a whole. The game's use of scripted sequences added a level of cinematic flair that had not been seen in any game up to that time, forgoing the use of conventional cutscenes, a technique Valve still uses to great effect today. This decision ensures that the game's plot is seen entirely through the eyes of it's protagonist, Gordon Freeman, and adds a level of immersion that all first person games should strive for. 

The game's "boss" battles can hardly be called such, as such encounters are rarely one on one battles and more puzzle situations in which the player must destroy the enemy by using the surroundings. Finally, the game's plot, while obviously inspired by Area 51 and stories such as Stephen King's "The Mist," rarely, if ever, uses expository dialogue, ensuring that the overarching plot remains mysterious and enigmatic. The presence of the G-Man certainly helps with that.

There were two expansions to the original Half-Life, both illustrating the events at Black Mesa through the perspective of others, and while both are fun, neither is made by Valve, and neither really does anything better than the original. The added science puns (Opposing Force, Blue Shift) are neat, though. Still very much worth playing.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Release Date: November 21, 1998.

Platform: Nintendo 64

ESRB Rating: E

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD

GameRankings: 97.48%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.3/10 (Great)

1998 was a pretty slow year for the Nintendo 64. Thankfully, the greatest game in the history of the system was released, saving it from being completely overrun by Sony's PlayStation. Ocarina of Time is, for my money, still the best 3D Zelda ever released, and one of the purest and most unfailingly fun games ever released. By "pure," I mean that no third party influenced it's design. It's unpretentious, and told with the kind of confidence and charm that only something truly great can do. This is not to say that it has no plot, just the opposite. It's such a beautifully simple game, boiled down to three basic characters engaged in an adventure that spans seven years and the entirety of Hyrule, which is one of gaming's most iconic and recognizable settings, even if it's different in every Zelda. No other series, with the possible exception of Final Fantasy, has achieved the longevity AND quality that the Zelda series has managed. And OoT is, in my opinion, the greatest of them all. Ocarina of Time is everything that is good about gaming.

 

Breaking Bad Episode 402: Thirty-Eight Snub

Gonna change things up for this episode and just write my thoughts during the ep. I'll throw a couple pictures on here once I can find them.

Walt: "It's for defense."

Jim Beaver is wonderful.

Jesse is hanging out and HOLY SHIT IT'S BADGER AND SKINNY PETE.

And now they're discussing Resident Evil 4 vs Left 4 Dead. (Which RE wins.) "Nazi Zombies. You are historically retarded."

"Yeah man, it's quiet." Jesse seems to be trying to buy his way away from killing Gale.

And now we're back to Walt and that skeletal stare.

Stubble Hank is here. Nice shot with Marie rising into view.


I don't think Skinny Pete has ever not been wearing that hat.

It's really strange to hear Jesse say that he's "gotta go to work" and envision the SuperLab. For all Gus' professionalism, it really doesn't seem like a "job."

Apparently, Mike being present is a part of the "new policy."

"You'll never see him again." Mine and Walt's reaction were both "God, no," for very different reasons.

"Marie. Get out." Two seasons ago, I would have stood up and applauded. But now, after seeing how hard Marie has worked to get Hank out of the hospital. I'm not as sure. Seeing the reaction on her smug face was good, though.

Of course Party Jesse is listening to dubstep. Of course. It seems as if our little Stoner With a Heart of Gold's heart is still gold, despite his best efforts.

And here's Walt outside Gus' house from Season 2. And here's my heart, set squarely in my throat. And here's the Heisenberg Porkpiein all it's glory. And here's the trademarked Dave Porter suspense music. And here's...a phone call, from what sounded like Mike, telling Walt to go home. That's the power of this show.

THEY ARE MINERALS, MARIE.

And back to the car wash.Sup, Bogdan. Bogdan plays it high right of the bat, demanding 10 million dollars. "Walter White wants to buy my car wash. The price he pays is 20 million dollars." Nice usage of "the price he pays."

I have to say, that I expected the "get me in a room with him" line to be to Jesse, not to Walt. And, despite the beating Walt got from him, I still expect Mike to "switch sides" at the end. I fully expect to be wrong.

I was wrong. According to the preview, it looks like Hank's old PI buddy from Season 2 will be the one to give him Gale's notebook.

15 Years of Gaming, Part 3 (1997, Part 2)

 1997, Part 2

Apparently I reached some sort of limit on the last post, necessitating this second part.


Final Fantasy VII
Release Date: September 7, 1997.
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: SquareSoft
GameRankings: 92.1%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.6/10 (Legendary)

There was a time, two or three years ago, when I would have said that FFVII was, unequivocally, my favorite game in existence. While this isn't the case anymore, that doesn't mean that my love for FFVII had diminished in any way. Final Fantasy VII was the first primarily story based game, as well as the first RPG that I ever completed. FFVII might not be the best Final Fantasy, but that is in no way a bad thing. Every FF before 2003 could easily be considered one of the best games in the year it came out in. FFVII was for me, as it was for a lot of Americans, the first "hardcore" game I ever played (by this I mean a long, story based game that takes more than 20 hours to complete). While the story may not break any new ground for the Final Fantasy series (corrupt corporation/government and "villain wants to achieve Godhood" aren't exactly new for FF), it told it's story well and memorably, with beautiful cutscenes, distinct characters and a still unique (for FF) steampunk edge.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Release Date: October 9, 1997.
Platform: PC
ESRB: T
Developer/Publisher: LucasArts
GameRankings: 87%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.2/10 (Good)

 

The first Dark Forces, while very fun, was not much more than a Doom clone with a Star Wars finish. The second, however, was easily the first GOOD Star Wars game I'd ever played. Not only was it a solid FPS, but it was the first Star Wars game to effectively use the lightsaber. Not only was it an effective weapon, but it was also a useful light source in the game's darker levels, and a good defense against incoming blaster fire. The force powers in the game added another level of ingenuity, and offered one of the first morality bars in an action game, complete with separate endings. The music was authentic, and the live action cutscenes were the first newly filmed live action Star Wars footage since Return of the Jedi. Added to all of this was a genuinely fun multiplayer mode, and you have the first Star Wars game that actually felt like Star Wars.

15 Years of Gaming: Part 2 (1997, Part 1)

1997, Part 1

1997 was, for me, the first so called "Mega Year" in games. A year that will forever live in the annals of gaming as one with multiple classics. 1997 was a good year.

Mario Kart 64

Release Date: February 10, 1997.

Platform: Nintendo 64

ESRB Rating: E

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD

GameRankings: 87%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.5/10 (Solid)

Not a whole lot to say about Mario Kart 64 that I'm sure you haven't said or heard said:

"Motherfucker got the blue shell AGAIN!"

"Who's the sonofabitch with the bananas?"

"Who got the lighting? WHO GOT THE LIGHTNING!?!?"

Mario Kart 64 makes you hate your friends, is what I'm saying. It's still remarkably popular in fraternities.

Star Fox 64

Release Date: July 1, 1997

Platform: Nintendo 64

ESRB Rating: T

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD

GameRankings: 90%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.0/10 (Above Average)

Do a barrel roll! (Z or R twice)

Star Fox 64 was, for all intents and purposes, just a rail shooter. One of the most linear and arcade-like styles of games, rails shooters are, for the most part, derided by gaming press and gaming fans. Star Fox 64 is generally the exception. With it's branching single player and underrated multiplayer, Star Fox 64 is as exciting and action packed as many dozens of supposedly superior games.

GoldenEye: 007
Release Date: August 25, 1997
Platform: Nintendo 64
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Rare/Nintendo
GameRankings: 95.18%

Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.9/10 (Very Good)

Fu*ckin Oddjob...

I said before that games like Doom and Duke Nukem defined the First Person Shooter in the mid 90s. GoldenEye has defined it since then. A lot of the  conventions seen in major modern shooters like the Halo and Modern Warfare series were first seen here. Zoomable sniper rifles, stealth based mission structures, context sensitive hit locations (headshots), and most importantly, four player deathmatch have all become building blocks for shooting games since 1997 thanks to GoldenEye (and it's spiritual successor, Perfect Dark). There was a Wii remake in 2010, but the makers of that game broke the one cardinal rule of remakes: the remake has to be more fun than the original.