Change Your Image
Esselleee
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Breaking Bad: Ozymandias (2013)
One of the Finest Hours of This Series...or of Any Series, Ever!
There will be a few spoilers in this review, so if you don't wish to be spoiled...stop here.
After the fast-paced and wickedly entertaining 4th season of "Breaking Bad," which featured such stellar, intense installments as "Box Cutter," "Crawl Space" and "Face Off," I found the first half of Season 5 to be a bit less thrilling than I had expected or hoped upon first viewing (subsequent viewings have changed my opinion a bit).
Add to that the fact that there was nearly a yearlong gap in between the end of the first half of Season 5 and the start of the second half -- which seemed like a sadistic exercise in torture to loyal viewers -- and I was beginning to get impatient, and feel the loss of momentum. I actually doubted for a brief moment that this series would finish in any kind of jaw-dropping, dramatic way...and wondered if it would bow out with a whimper.
Collectively, the final 4 episodes of this entire series and of Season 5b (aka the Second Half of Season 5) turned out to be nothing short of spellbinding mini-masterpieces. "Ozymandias" is the finest of the group -- quite possibly, the finest of all 5 seasons of "Breaking Bad" -- and it is one of the most breathtaking hours of fictional, episodic, dramatic TV that I have ever seen. I was riveted from beginning to end, as one startling event after another took place (none of which will mean anything to those who haven't watched the show).
As Walter White's empire crumbles in every possible way, Bryan Cranston's portrayal of this enigmatic, cerebral -- dare I say, sometimes likable -- antihero has never been better. I never realized how talented this man was pre-"Breaking Bad," but he is truly mesmerizing in this role, and especially in this episode. His phone call with his wife, Skyler, at the beginning of "Ozymandias" is simultaneously poignant and tragic, and quite a bookend to what we see of Walt and Skyler later in the episode...
...Such as the scene with Walt and Skyler at the house.
And then there is the scene with Hank and Gomez...
And then there is the scene with Jesse and Walt, as long-hidden truths rise to the surface and Jesse's world is shattered once again...
And then there is baby Holly, her sheer innocence a gut-wrenching reminder of the decay of Walter White's life and all that he has lost and will lose...
I could go on and elaborate more, but you really have to see the episode for yourself.
By the end of "Ozymandias" I was drained and also thrilled by the brilliance of the writing, acting and overall pace of the episode. It wasn't a fun ride. It wasn't a pleasant little romp. Far from it. But I wanted to be moved by it. I wanted to feel something, or to care about what was happening to the characters -- and I did. This episode shook me to my TV-viewing core.
"Breaking Bad" has one final chance to secure another Best Drama Series Emmy Award this coming September, and Bryan Cranston has one final chance to earn his 4th Emmy for playing Walter White. Although some may say "He's already won 3 Emmys; let someone else have a shot at it," I would argue that there were probably no other performances by a Lead Male Actor as good as Bryan Cranston's performance in the final stretch of "Breaking Bad," and in this particular episode. If he were to be nominated again -- which must be a sure thing -- and win, it is because he is truly deserving for his masterful work.
Snow Bride (2013)
Hallmark Has Another Winner! Enjoyable, Predictable Holiday Fare with Appealing Leads!
I have to admit that I am a sucker for the Hallmark Channel's holiday movies. I look forward to their annual, 2-month long "Countdown to Christmas" extravaganza with the giddiness of an excited child waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Hallmark's movies are warm, inviting and comforting, and they envelop me in holiday spirit, like a cozy winter blanket or a cup of hot chocolate. The plots are good-natured, usually a bit flimsy, and always predictable -- and yet I am drawn into the stories they tell as though I think something new and unexpected is going to happen at the end of each one.
In the case of "Snow Bride," I expected a standard, lightweight, family-friendly, thinly outlined romantic comedy -- and that's precisely what I got. However, it seems surprisingly modern and fresh.
One highlight of this movie is that the two romantic leads in "Snow Bride" (the striking Katrina Law and Jordan Belfi) are impossibly attractive, and they have genuine chemistry. This is not to say that other actors in other Hallmark productions are unappealing, but many times the couplings fall flat in the absence of any true sparks. The "Snow Bride" duo, however, sparks left and right.
Also, the repartee between "Greta" and "Ben" throughout this movie is fairly snappy, witty, and clever, which had me wondering if Hallmark hired some new writers...or maybe just better actors?
I suppose the only reason I am not assigning a higher rating to "Snow Bride" is that the circumstances under which our two leads meet seem a bit implausible and preposterous, although that is generally the formula for many of the Hallmark holiday romcoms that I already love.
Overall, though, "Snow Bride" is one of the better installments in Hallmark's pantheon of reliable, feel-good Yuletide fare. It's not going to win an Emmy, and it's not going to provoke deep thought, but it is as sweet and delightful as a sugary piece of Christmas candy, and that's all I need it to be.