For those who played the game, a key bit of information that is nice to know:
Showing posts with label Breaking Bad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breaking Bad. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Monday, September 30, 2013
Breaking Hearts, Ending Not Bad
I really enjoyed this final season of Breaking Bad. I will be to re-watch the last episode to gain more confidence in my assessment of how it stuck the landing, but given the stakes, I really cannot complain much. It was so much fun, so much suspense and tension even as the last episode largely served as one of the most predictable. To beyond the break we go one last time:
Breaking Bad Semi Final Post
I have much to say about this show and how it stuck the landing. But I am tired from driving back from New York and I have much work tomorrow, so I am just going to report on the game (even though one of the most competitive folks will not be watching until tomorrow). I will post tomorrow at some point my thoughts about the episode and the series. In terms of the best drama ever, the question that will be forever argued will be scope/ambition vs. consistency as The Wire had the former and Breaking Bad had the latter with a better final season. But that is for another time.
Spoilers dwell below (and everywhere else):
Spoilers dwell below (and everywhere else):
Sunday, September 29, 2013
It Gets Better: Breaking Bad edition
The academic job market is heating up, and so the folks who are on the market are getting stressed out. As it turns out, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have come a long way. H/T to Mrs Spew for finding this one:
Love Hurts, Breaking Bad Style
Spoilers but so very good, combining a summer song from my youth with BB:
Just a few hours left but glad to be home from the college tour number 2 so that I can get set for the last night of BB awesome-ness.
Just a few hours left but glad to be home from the college tour number 2 so that I can get set for the last night of BB awesome-ness.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Breaking Principal, Agent Bad
With only one episode left of Breaking Bad, it is time to ask one of the most fundamental questions: is Walt a worse principal than he is an agent? That is, he is bad at both, but where does he really fall short: as the one issuing the orders or the one taking them?
In principal-agent theory, both sides can do stuff to screw things up. Sure, it might be in the nature of agents to shirk or be opportunistic if not properly managed, but it is up to the principal to hire the right people, give just the right amount of discretion, engage in sufficient oversight and provide incentives.
Walt has played both roles, as he was most clearly subordinate to Bogdan, the school district, Gus and even perhaps Tuco. On the other hand, he also was a principal, serving as the boss of Jesse at various times as well as Badger and Skinny Pete. And, of course, Todd and his friends/relatives.
So, let's ponder Walt as agent and then as principal. As an agent, Walt constantly tried to evade oversight especially as he sought to do both more and less than his principal, especially Gus, wanted him to do. This behavior ranged from contacting Gus or trying to get another agent, Jesse, to work against Gus. And, of course, the latter meant getting Jesse to kill Gale and then try to kill Gus. Ultimately, Walt kills Gus, which makes him a really insubordinate agent, right? He just couldn't stick to making meth, taking the money, and staying out of trouble. Walt also violated the rules of the first employer we saw in the series--the high school. He used its equipment to make meth and then, well, got creepy with his boss, so he got fired. Anyhow, it is very clear that Walt epitomized the worst case scenario for the agent dangers of opportunism and shirking.
But Mr. White was not that swell at being a principal either. In making his meth empire, he picked Jesse to be his primary agent, which was a mixed outcome given Jesse's addiction (to drugs) and distractions (his ladies). Plus Jesse turned out to be the drug dealer with a heart of gold or something, so he didn't always want to do what Walt ordered. More problematic were subsequent hires: Badger (who tried to sell meth to a cop) and Todd, who exceeded his discretion by shooting a kid. Yes, over-enthusiasm can be a problem. Oh, and Walt decided to hire Nazis to work for him, and they apparently do not take no for an answer. Smooth move. Sure, Walt hired Saul, who turned out to be an extraordinary agent, providing sage advice (even if Walt tended not to listen to Saul), doing what needed to be done, and ultimately sacrificing his own thriving practice. Otherwise, Walt was not so good at agent selection.
Walt also was bad at providing incentives to his agents. Sure, he paid well, but he also constantly berated Jesse, making him feel inadequate. Jesse would have been a fair more responsible and responsive agent had Walt treated him better, but that would have required way more patience and empathy than Walt was capable of. At least Walt did not try to kill his agents unless he really, really had to.
So is Walt as Principal > or < than Walt as Agent? Well, given that Walt as agent killed his boss and destroyed his agent's meth empire, I would have to go with Walt as agent < Walt as principal. But he made it close. Walt as bad human being made him bad in either capacity, of course.
Who was the best agent? Mike, of course. He followed orders and stayed within his boss's intent when granted the discretion to make decisions. Gus didn't have to engage in intrusive oversight over Mike's behavior. No, he had to use Mike to monitor Walt--this was expensive as Mike could have been used to deal with other problems, so the opportunity cost here was pretty significant.
Who was the best principal? Gus, of course. He tried to be careful in hiring, reluctant about hiring Walt given his inherent unreliability, but hired Mike and others who were very good at staying within their lanes. He tried to develop alternative agents (Gale, Jesse) so that he would not have to rely on an unreliable agent. He used Mike as well as technology to oversee Walt--the camera in the lab to name the most obvious one. Gus provided excellent pay as an incentive, but also demonstrated with a box cutter how he would punish bad behavior.
Is this too much over-thinking? Of course, but it could be worse--I didn't even apply chapter two of Dave and Steve's new book to the collective principal in the first part of the last season--the Mike-Jesse-Walt troika.
In principal-agent theory, both sides can do stuff to screw things up. Sure, it might be in the nature of agents to shirk or be opportunistic if not properly managed, but it is up to the principal to hire the right people, give just the right amount of discretion, engage in sufficient oversight and provide incentives.
Walt has played both roles, as he was most clearly subordinate to Bogdan, the school district, Gus and even perhaps Tuco. On the other hand, he also was a principal, serving as the boss of Jesse at various times as well as Badger and Skinny Pete. And, of course, Todd and his friends/relatives.
So, let's ponder Walt as agent and then as principal. As an agent, Walt constantly tried to evade oversight especially as he sought to do both more and less than his principal, especially Gus, wanted him to do. This behavior ranged from contacting Gus or trying to get another agent, Jesse, to work against Gus. And, of course, the latter meant getting Jesse to kill Gale and then try to kill Gus. Ultimately, Walt kills Gus, which makes him a really insubordinate agent, right? He just couldn't stick to making meth, taking the money, and staying out of trouble. Walt also violated the rules of the first employer we saw in the series--the high school. He used its equipment to make meth and then, well, got creepy with his boss, so he got fired. Anyhow, it is very clear that Walt epitomized the worst case scenario for the agent dangers of opportunism and shirking.
But Mr. White was not that swell at being a principal either. In making his meth empire, he picked Jesse to be his primary agent, which was a mixed outcome given Jesse's addiction (to drugs) and distractions (his ladies). Plus Jesse turned out to be the drug dealer with a heart of gold or something, so he didn't always want to do what Walt ordered. More problematic were subsequent hires: Badger (who tried to sell meth to a cop) and Todd, who exceeded his discretion by shooting a kid. Yes, over-enthusiasm can be a problem. Oh, and Walt decided to hire Nazis to work for him, and they apparently do not take no for an answer. Smooth move. Sure, Walt hired Saul, who turned out to be an extraordinary agent, providing sage advice (even if Walt tended not to listen to Saul), doing what needed to be done, and ultimately sacrificing his own thriving practice. Otherwise, Walt was not so good at agent selection.
Walt also was bad at providing incentives to his agents. Sure, he paid well, but he also constantly berated Jesse, making him feel inadequate. Jesse would have been a fair more responsible and responsive agent had Walt treated him better, but that would have required way more patience and empathy than Walt was capable of. At least Walt did not try to kill his agents unless he really, really had to.
So is Walt as Principal > or < than Walt as Agent? Well, given that Walt as agent killed his boss and destroyed his agent's meth empire, I would have to go with Walt as agent < Walt as principal. But he made it close. Walt as bad human being made him bad in either capacity, of course.
Who was the best agent? Mike, of course. He followed orders and stayed within his boss's intent when granted the discretion to make decisions. Gus didn't have to engage in intrusive oversight over Mike's behavior. No, he had to use Mike to monitor Walt--this was expensive as Mike could have been used to deal with other problems, so the opportunity cost here was pretty significant.
Who was the best principal? Gus, of course. He tried to be careful in hiring, reluctant about hiring Walt given his inherent unreliability, but hired Mike and others who were very good at staying within their lanes. He tried to develop alternative agents (Gale, Jesse) so that he would not have to rely on an unreliable agent. He used Mike as well as technology to oversee Walt--the camera in the lab to name the most obvious one. Gus provided excellent pay as an incentive, but also demonstrated with a box cutter how he would punish bad behavior.
Is this too much over-thinking? Of course, but it could be worse--I didn't even apply chapter two of Dave and Steve's new book to the collective principal in the first part of the last season--the Mike-Jesse-Walt troika.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
With Fans Like These
No spoilers
Bryan Cranston should just have a new series where he reads his old fan mail.
Bryan Cranston should just have a new series where he reads his old fan mail.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Pentultimate Breaking Bad: The End is Nigh
Damn, damn, damn, that was an episode where little happened but managed to elevate heart rates across the land. The game as it stands after the break
Pentultimate Preview: Breaking Bad is Almost Done Breaking
We have, alas, only two episodes left, so I thought I would review the current standings in the Breaking Bad game beyond the break:
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Antepentultimate Breaking Bad Breaks Many Hearts
Jeez, every time I think: "ok, they got that much plot done, surely they will save x for the next episode," they go ahead and do x and then y, too!!
Spoilers and condolences for those who lost players beyond the break:
Spoilers and condolences for those who lost players beyond the break:
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Joy of the Internet
The joy of the internet is that a TV critic (such as Alan Sepinwall) can ask for a gif or video and the folks "make it so."
BB spoiler below
BB spoiler below
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Breaking Bad Goes Rabid
Interestingly enough, the episode with the word Rabid in the title actually has less violent, less crazy behavior. But some implications for the game, so beyond the break we go:
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Breaking Bad Confessions
This show is finishing so well, amping up the tension so brilliantly. The update continues after break with heaps of spoilers below.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Breaking Bad Game Buried Update
Holy cow, this show is on the fast track! Below spoilers await as I consider the implications of last night for the Breaking Bad dead pool:
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Breaking Bad and IR Theory
I saw a post that sought to apply IR theory to Breaking Bad, and developed some strong opinions. Check out my guest post at War on the Rocks.
Oh, and the post did cut out my footnote that referenced The Wire. I am sure Wire cognoscenti can figure it out.
Oh, and the post did cut out my footnote that referenced The Wire. I am sure Wire cognoscenti can figure it out.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
BB Game After Blood Money
The game is afoot! Check out the state of the Breaking Dead game below the break:
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Breaking Bad, the Game Begins
Folks, the game starts tonight with the first episode of the last part of the last season of Breaking Bad (sob). We can chat here in the comments or on twitter, but not on my blog please, as there are folks who will not be seeing the episodes tonight at 9pm.
So, use the comment section here or go to twitter. And be prepared for the awesome that is about to come, as the reviewers have really liked this ep.
So, use the comment section here or go to twitter. And be prepared for the awesome that is about to come, as the reviewers have really liked this ep.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Getting Close to the Game
Tim Goodman has a scouting report that is too late for my Breaking Bad game, as the draft is complete. But check it out. Perhaps it can provide some clues about who will win our game.
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