Breaking Bad

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Feanor

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I think that in any story the ability to empathize with a character is a key component of how to analyze the story. With each character in Breaking Bad, there is a base, uncharitable view you can take with them that comes from stripping out all nuance you'd get from empathizing with the character. In that read, Jesse is just a worthless burnout, Walt is just a monstrous sociopath, Gus is just a vicious warlord, Skylar is just a shrill harpy, etc. I think its a worse show if you strip out all the layers that make them complicated characters, and its hard to analyze the characters in a way to see their different facets without empathy.
As an actor, writer, etc. I think you have to empathize with characters, or inhabit them as best as possible.

As the spectator you can sympathize a little, understand character motivation and emotionally engage in storytelling but I wouldn't call it "empathy". Good characters resonate because they are lifelike. Identifying with them is more common in teenagers and children. Misplaced empathy weakens or clouds your perspective, producing less critical and more subjective shit, which isn't necessarily bad all of the time but I try to remove myself as much as possible when judging a movie and shit.
 

Alex

Still a Music Elitist
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Are you an AI or something? This isn't the best community for learning how to interact with humans.
 
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Ambiturner

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As an actor, writer, etc. I think you have to empathize with characters, or inhabit them as best as possible.

As the spectator you can sympathize a little, understand character motivation and emotionally engage in storytelling but I wouldn't call it "empathy". Good characters resonate because they are lifelike. Identifying with them is more common in teenagers and children. Misplaced empathy weakens or clouds your perspective, producing less critical and more subjective shit, which isn't necessarily bad all of the time but I try to remove myself as much as possible when judging a movie and shit.

All of this is wrong
 

chaos

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As an actor, writer, etc. I think you have to empathize with characters, or inhabit them as best as possible.

As the spectator you can sympathize a little, understand character motivation and emotionally engage in storytelling but I wouldn't call it "empathy". Good characters resonate because they are lifelike. Identifying with them is more common in teenagers and children. Misplaced empathy weakens or clouds your perspective, producing less critical and more subjective shit, which isn't necessarily bad all of the time but I try to remove myself as much as possible when judging a movie and shit.
Yeah, can't agree with that. My perspective is that you need both, to some degree, but empathy is more important. Taking Breaking Bad as an example, we all feel sorry for Walt of course. He's dying of cancer, his life didn't end up how he wanted, now all of these people are pitying him and shit, and he's just so incredibly angry. You'd have to be a legit sociopath not to feel sympathy for him. But when we talk about the characters and the actions within the story, empathy is more important, I think. Do the character's actions make sense within the story? Can I imagine that given a similar set of circumstances I might make a similar decision? Why or why not? Also, it exposes more subtle character motivations that are important to the story even if they aren't spelled out.

It's important, also, because underlying themes can really get lost in the storytelling. It's easy to forget that Walt is a villain. He's likable, he's the underdog, it's very easy to forget that he murders with impunity and poisons his community and has utterly destroyed his family's life, and that he didn't have to do any of it. I think that attempting to empathize with the character really highlights this, rather than clouding it. Removing yourself from the situation in the story makes it easier to tell yourself an altered version of the story where we aren't examining the themes, actions, consequences, or motivations throughout the story.

I'm sure it's whatever works for the individual, results are more important than the method used to get them. But for me, I don't know how you can get to the level of analysis needed to interpret a story without that empathy. And for some people, all that analysis shit isn't important. That's cool too.
 
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a c i d.f l y

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Yeah, can't agree with that. My perspective is that you need both, to some degree, but empathy is more important. Taking Breaking Bad as an example, we all feel sorry for Walt of course. He's dying of cancer, his life didn't end up how he wanted, now all of these people are pitying him and shit, and he's just so incredibly angry. You'd have to be a legit sociopath not to feel sympathy for him. But when we talk about the characters and the actions within the story, empathy is more important, I think. Do the character's actions make sense within the story? Can I imagine that given a similar set of circumstances I might make a similar decision? Why or why not? Also, it exposes more subtle character motivations that are important to the story even if they aren't spelled out.

It's important, also, because underlying themes can really get lost in the storytelling. It's easy to forget that Walt is a villain. He's likable, he's the underdog, it's very easy to forget that he murders with impunity and poisons his community and has utterly destroyed his family's life, and that he didn't have to do any of it. I think that attempting to empathize with the character really highlights this, rather than clouding it. Removing yourself from the situation in the story makes it easier to tell yourself an altered version of the story where we aren't examining the themes, actions, consequences, or motivations throughout the story.

I'm sure it's whatever works for the individual, results are more important than the method used to get them. But for me, I don't know how you can get to the level of analysis needed to interpret a story without that empathy. And for some people, all that analysis shit isn't important. That's cool too.
Agree save the part where you say he murders with impunity. He was very killing-adverse for a long time. And really tried to separate himself from that side of the industry he was placing himself in. There was definitely a turning point in his character where he becomes so numb and fully engages the Heisenberg persona. I'd say when he chemical bombs that dealer's building is when that happens. Been a while since I watched the series, but does that happen before or after he rings the bell on his distributor?
 

chaos

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Agree save the part where you say he murders with impunity. He was very killing-adverse for a long time. And really tried to separate himself from that side of the industry he was placing himself in. There was definitely a turning point in his character where he becomes so numb and fully engages the Heisenberg persona. I'd say when he chemical bombs that dealer's building is when that happens. Been a while since I watched the series, but does that happen before or after he rings the bell on his distributor?
You mean when he does the fulminated mercury thing in Tuco's building? That was in season 1.

He definitely builds himself up to it. He had such a hard time with Crazy 8. But by Season 3, he'll kill your ass if you're in his way. By Season 5 he's like numb to it.
 
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Chukzombi

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You mean when he does the fulminated mercury thing in Tuco's building? That was in season 1.

He definitely builds himself up to it. He had such a hard time with Crazy 8. But by Season 3, he'll kill your ass if you're in his way. By Season 5 he's like numb to it.
Walt goes Full Heisenberg after the magnet caper, which is pretty damned late in the series. before that he had flashes of Heisenberg, but he was still tied down to old Walt somehwhat
 

Aychamo BanBan

<Banned>
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Just finished the new movie....VERY VERY VERY GOOD

See it ASAP

I just finished it too. Wholeheartedly agree. This was excellent. I would have gladly paid to see this in theaters. It felt like "part 2" of the series finale. It gives you EVERYTHING you want, and it's done in the exact same style of BB. Fuck this was good. I teared up at the end with the two little heart strings it pulls on. Fat Meth Damon was a little weird to see! God damn I'm glad they did this. This was the finale the series ended.
 
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chaos

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Reviews coming in have been overwhelmingly positive. Reviews in general aren't great for specifics, but in general sure. CNN's review made me lol though. "It's like they made a movie for the fans" one would fucking hope.
 

Sterling

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Reviews coming in have been overwhelmingly positive. Reviews in general aren't great for specifics, but in general sure. CNN's review made me lol though. "It's like they made a movie for the fans" one would fucking hope.
I mean I sort of get what they were saying. Movie is fine if you haven't watched the show, but would lose a lot. It's kind of like how Serenity was in that way.
 

Jimbolini

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Aaron Paul did an excellent job showcasing the new harder Jessie and then switching gears completely near the end with Walter in the flashback
 
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Alasliasolonik

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Rip vacuum guy

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Blitz

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That was fun to watch. Definitely enjoyed it. Closure to the best entertainment tv has ever produced.
 
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Arden

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Fitting conclusion to one of the best series ever. They did it right. Two thumbs up on Arden's Overly Critical Movie Reviews. Reminded me of the Deadwood movie in what it sought to accomplish (and how well it pulled it off).
 
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