Monday, September 03, 2012

"Breaking Bad" - Season 5, Episode 8 "Gliding Over All"

"Gliding Over All", by Walt Whitman:

GLIDING o'er all, through all,
Through Nature, Time, and Space,
As a ship on the waters advancing,
The voyage of the soul--not life alone,
Death, many deaths I'll sing.


I'm continually intrigued by how "Breaking Bad" parallels Navajo origination legend (with Lydia cast as Spider Woman and Walt and Jesse as the Twins, helping them rid the Earth of Monsters). But as with all parallels, it's not exact: Walt is now more monstrous than any Monster he ever dealt with. BrBa is like Navajo legend as interpreted by Mafiosi.

There is an excellent book regarding the Navajo (also known as the Diné), portions of which are available online by Google Books for purchase: Spider Woman walks this land: traditional cultural properties and the Navajo, by Kelli Carmean. The Google Reader is here: below the Reader I quote from specific passages:


It is said that long, long ago, Monsters roamed the Fifth World and fed upon the five-fingered Earth Surface People, today called the Navajo. ....

It was in their time of greatest need that Changing Woman, impregnated by the Sun, gave birth to the Twins. Seeking to help their people by killing the Monsters, the Twins set off on a journey to visit their father and request his aid. Soon, they met Spider Woman, a small and often overlooked creature, but one with great power. Spider Woman helped the Twins by teaching them protective prayers and by giving them hoops tied with sacred life feathers, the power-filled plumes plucked from living eagles. ....

And who are the people being saved in "Breaking Bad"? The families, and the children: Flynn, Holly, and Lydia's daughter too. Very much in accordance with traditional Sicilian ways. Navajo legend, as interpreted by Mafiosi! And who are the Monsters? So many of them! The drug lords, and their henchmen!

Spider Women later also assists two women emissaries of the Navajo to learn the art of weaving (Marie & Skyler?) - once again, to assist their people.

And the Twins did eventually rid the Earth of Monsters. But at what cost?

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In any event, regarding locations, a few stand out:
  • Railroad crossing (Lomas at the railroad, looking west);
  • Reverse sunset (Unser Blvd. NW, under the power line intersection, just north of I-40: 35.105916, -106.730296);
  • Motel Hacienda (6214 Central Ave. SW).

The restaurant appears to be Grove Café & Market, 600 Central Ave. SE.

Interesting that they used film footage from airports outside of New Mexico. "Breaking Bad" almost never does that, but to convey international reach, it's certainly an acceptable use here. The jumbo jet takeoff is probably at LAX, in Los Angeles, California.

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