Analysis: Breaking Bad Death Count (Up-to-date - S04E05)

After the news that Breaking Bad has been renewed for a fifth and final season, why not take a look at an up-to-date (as of Season 4 Episode 5 of Breaking Bad) list of all the people that have kicked the bucket as a result of Walter White's (initially well-intentioned) actions.


Can you guess what the total death toll is? And more pertinently, what will it be at the end of the series?


(Thanks to friend of TV Wrap, Alex)

·      Emilio (Walt)

·       Krazy-8 (Walt)

·       No Doze (Tuco)

·      Gonzo (Accident)

·      Tuco (Hank)

·      The Convient Store Clerk (Robbery of the ATM that Spooge and Mrs. Spooge did after robbing the ounce of Blue Sky meth and cash from Skinny Pete)  

·      Spooge (Mrs. Spooge)


·     Tortuga (Cousins)


· DEA Agent (Tortuga's Head on Turtle Bomb Detonation)

·      Combo (Tomas)

·      Jane Margolis (Accident/Walt) 

·       Wayfarer 515 (167 lost) (Accident/Donald Margolis)

·      Donald Margolis (Suicide)

·      The Smugglers truck (11 + 1 unborn baby; woman in the right wearing red could be pregnant) (confirmed by the number of shots fired and a visual count) (includes the driver of the truck)  

·      Mrs. Pekatewa (Cousins)  

·      Bobby the Reservation Officer (Cousins) 

·      Man in the parking lot (Cousins) 

·       Cousin Marco (Hank)

·       Cousin Leonel (Mike)


·  Juan Bolsa (Gus-ordered hit - unknown assassin)


·   Mexican Gunmen x 4 (Mike)

·       Tomas (10 year old)(Rival dealer #1/Rival dealer #2)

·       Rival dealer #1 (Walt)

·       Rival dealer #2 (Walt)

·       Gale Boetticher (Jesse)

·       Victor (Gus)

·       Cartel gunman #1 (Mike)

·       Cartel gunman #2 (Mike)

Total = 205

Do you think this list is accurate? Anyone we have missed along the way? Let me know below...

Image credit: Unit9.com

News: Breaking Bad Season 4 Episode 2 Spoiler: Who Called Walt? Find out here!

Spoilers ahead (Australian viewers)!

UPDATE: Even though Alan Sepinwall reported that series creator Vince Gilligan said it was Tyrus, the official AMC Breaking Bad site has it that it was indeed MIKE:

Late that night, Walt approaches Gus's house, gun in hand, but loses his nerve when Mike calls telling him to "Go home, Walter." His every move is being watched.

I guess you have to go with that, then...


Here's my original post...


Fans of Breaking Bad would have been left in agony once again over the speculation of who called Walt before he walked up to his boss Gus' house...

And today, Alan Sepinwall at HitFix has revealed all after asking series creator Vince Gilligan.

So who was it? Gus- who may have been watching Walt all along? Or was it Mike? Trying to stop Walt from doing something stupid while simultaneously protecting his boss- his job?

Well, it was neither - it was newly appointed supervisor Tyrus; here's what Sepinwall reported:

"There's been so much debate in the comments about who called Walt - Gus or Mike - that I went and asked Vince Gilligan. I don't view his answer as any kind of spoiler (as it's info from an episode that's already aired), but in case you do, don't read the next short paragraph: 

So as it turns out, it wasn't Mike. And it wasn't Gus. It was, instead, the new third man in the operation, Tyrus (played by Ray Campbell), whom we saw earlier weighing the batch. And that explains why no one could agree on whether it was Esposito's voice or Banks's voice, I suppose."

Tonight's Pick: Conan - Special Guest: Bryan Cranston

Fresh from the record breaking premiere of Season 4 of Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston will be making one of many appearances on talk shows on TBS' Conan.

Conan has not only proved himself as a fantastic comic actor in Malcolm in the Middle, but has also rejuvenated his career by proving his dramatic acting chops in Breaking Bad.

This has led to a flood of movie roles, with parts in Larry Crowne, The Lincoln Lawyer and Contagion all having been filmed, with upcoming roles in the Total Recall remake as well as in Rock of Ages, among other movies.

He is always a very generous talk-show guest, and someone who never seems to take his success for granted and is passionate about his work.

Conan airs at 11:30PM on GEM in Australia.

It airs at 11:00PM Monday-Thursday on TBS.

Being Erica to end after Season 4

Popular Canadian comedy-drama Being Erica has been confirmed to end after its fourth season.

Creator Jana Sinyor said on LiveJournal:

"Season 4 is the end. It’s important to Aaron and I to be able to finish the story in a way that is satisfying to our audience. This is going to be a big year for Erica, and by the end of it – she will have finished the journey she started…"

While it is unclear if the decision was network-influenced (in terms of ratings), what is certain is that they have decided to allow them one more season, and the creative team agree that it is the perfect length for them.

In other words, it's the old cliché: they want to end on a high. But funnily enough, in Hollywood, not many things do.

So, you always have to admire a show's creator who decides to end a show on their terms, and when they feel the show has run its course.

However, while this isn't always happy news for devoted fans, it can be looked back upon as a finely polished product, rather than a show which was flogged to death or jumped the shark.

Think the Simpsons during the past ten years and how many people lament the passing of the golden years. Then contrast this with Seasons 1 and 2 of the Office (the UK version), arguably one of the best comedies ever made, and only 12 episodes and a special. And the case could certainly be made that extending a show for too long can almost ruin its legacy.

For example, ironically, the US version of the Office hit its straps during seasons 2 and 3, and was still very good during seasons 4 and 5. However, of late, many commentators have been calling for the shows to wrap up, as it is not as good as it used to be.

Now, the overall opinion of the Office as a whole is lowered, due to not only an average run of episodes, but characters acting out of character and implausible plot lines, detracting from its realism that made it so appealing in the early years.

Having a defined end point can also allow writers to construct a more well rounded and balanced arc for characters. If the show was suddenly axed, there may not be sufficient time to design a satisfying ending.

Possibly the best example of this is in recent times when My Name is Earl was axed after its fourth season. The show not only had the rug pulled out from under it unawares, it also had decided to end on a CLIFFHANGER. There was even a "To be continued...", for Pete's sake.

(In case you forgot, Darnell- "Crab Man"- was found to not be the father of Earl Jr.)

So, in most cases, ending when the creator sees fit is the best option, as there is nothing more spirit-sapping in life than seeing a show which you used to love be a shadow of its former self for the sake of money. But, while ending on a high can be a triumph for the creative team, it robs the viewers of a possible 2 or 3 more guaranteed seasons of pure gold.

In this day and age it's just about finding the right balance between a show's integrity and making as much hay as you can while the sun is still shining.



Being Erica airs on ABC2 in Australia.

Breaking Bad Season 4 Info (Spoilers)

[caption id="attachment_19" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="One of these men will or may have something happen to them in the forthcoming season of Breaking Bad Source: AMC"][/caption]

UPDATE: Bob Odenkirk has been sniffing out other projects, with Adult Swim ordering a pilot from him. Granted, it will be a small project, but it is still another project nevertheless. Read into it what you will...

There's no better way to kick-off this blog than with pretty much the best show of all time (keepin' it objective). Bryan Cranston, who plays Walter White in the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad recently spoke to EW about some Season 4 happenings.

What he reveals isn't the most earth-shattering of divulgences, however, in Breaking Bad-terms, anything is worth reporting and speculating on.

Interestingly, Cranston states “It is hard to say something without tipping the hat on another and causing a domino effect..." And as all fans of Breaking Bad know, the theme of a "domino effect" is one of the underlying premises in the entire show.

However, he does reveal “...in the first episode of the season, there is a very unexpected turn of events, and one of our characters who has been on the show several times finds a possible demise."

The fact that he uses the word "possible" could be Cranston acting coy, or it could be a set-up for another storyline such as Hank's tussle with "the cousins", which many believed would almost certainly lead to his "demise", however, it was not to be.

But in terms of characters who would fit this criteria, it would certainly rule out the main characters (they have appeared more than "several" times on the show) in Walter, Skyler, Jesse, Walter Jr., Hank, Marie, Gus, etc. Without wanting to look too much further into the matter for fear of making this spoiler too potent, I'm sure you can do the math as to who is left on the proverbial chopping block.

For those of you who want to watch their TV in the conventional way and not know everything that is going to happen, here are some set photos of Season 4 being filmed, thanks to Alibi.com. They don't really reveal much, but it's a long time until July.

However... if you really want to know who it could be... read on.