Gliding Over All

All of Walt's hard work finally pays off and he is all set to happily retire. This would have been a good ending because Walt worked so hard during the series. I hope in the end he prevails and is able to live in peace.

I think Gliding Over All is one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad for numerous reasons.

There are character moments involving Walt, Skyler, Hank, Marie, Jesse, and Lydia that all work brilliantly. Some of the more ironic moments, particularly the final shot are very memorable. The writers display constant awareness of previous episodes and keep great consistency with certain callbacks.

The evolution of Walter White is one of the main reasons to watch Breaking Bad and this is another classic depiction of how far down that road from Mr Chips to Scarface his has moved. Bryan Cranston is brilliant as always, but the cinematographers do for his physical appearance what Gordon Willis did for Al Pacino and make him an intimidating force of nature.

Speaking of The Godfather, there are some particularly well made tributes to some of its most famous moments in this episode. Plus it is generally visually stunning in most scenes, particularly the montages and transitions. I love the cut from Walt sitting down whilst leaning forward to him sitting back up in a different situation. The White family house drenched in shadowy darkness is incredibly effective.

Cranston, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, and Laura Fraser are all perfect in their scenes.

Walt has now become Heisenberg and does business like never before, surpassing Gus in terms of potential and distribution! We see a Walt who wants to be the best at what he does and leaves no loose ends!

This show has always been k own for its great montages, but I think the montages in this episode remains some of the best, iconic and most memorable! Extremmely well directed and the choice of songs are just perfect!

Some great scenes with Walt and Skyler as he finally admits that he has got what he wanted!

I qlso have to talk about that shocking cliffhanger! Just when you think qll.is good and all is safe you are left like "oh...no" when the episode ends!

Amazing mid-season-finale before the emotionally devestating second half!

'Breaking Bad' is one of the most popular rated shows on IMDb, is one of those rarities where every season has either been very positively received or near-universally acclaimed critically and where all of my friends have said nothing but great things about.

Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.

Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.

"Gliding Over All" is another incredible 'Breaking Bad' episode, one of the best of Season 5. The sizzling tension and emotional impact are only a couple of truly great things and even more the rich subtlety and a cliffhanger that will make one's jaw drop to the floor in amazement and shock, really is one for the ages.

Visually, "Gliding Over All" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.

The writing in "Gliding Over All" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and tense, while also have a darkly wicked sense of humour, nail-biting tension and heart-tugging pathos. The story is texturally rich, intimate, tense and layered, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but taut.

Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and Anna Gunn is affecting. The supporting cast are both intriguing and entertaining. The characters are compelling in their realism, likewise with their chemistry, and the episode is superbly directed.

All in all, another episode that is difficult to find fault with. 10/10 Bethany Cox

There was a short clip in the beginning of this episode of Walt getting a cancer check..First time in forever his sickness was blurbed, even ths small, I wondered when it would come up again..Maybe he's really sick now & doesn't let on to anyone? This may sound crazy, but maybe he's dying and that's why he quit cooking? Maybe he also left the book in the bathroom knowing Hank would probably take a look at it...I saw the Americans and the neighbor pulled a huge surprise at the end..WIll this series end similarly? Will Hank let him die and keep the secret? Just a guess* yes, it's my first time through this excellent series.