Alright! Today I'm reviewing Breaking Bad, which centers around struggling chemistry teacher Walter White as he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Wanting to leave something behind for his children, Walter teams up with former student and druggie Jesse Pinkman to start cooking and selling meth. What follows is a tale of power, greed, vengeance, and corruption told through five seasons often viewed as the greatest television series of all time.
Now, does it hold up to such high claims? Short answer, yes. Long answer is that I still believe Avatar: The Last Airbender to be the all-time great, but Breaking Bad is the only show I've seen that could give it a run for its money. It's more a matter of preference - there's no doubt that Breaking Bad, with its complex character arcs, fantastic payoffs, and phenomenal acting is worthy of the title. I'm just more partial to the bright colors and more fun aspects of Avatar.
While I loved Breaking Bad, I can't deny the gritty, nihilistic feeling of it all is far, far less appealing to me than the kid-friendly, episodic Avatar that made me feel hope. Breaking Bad is like bitter chocolate - in small amounts it's fantastic, but otherwise, it comes on a little strong due to how phenomenally good it is.
The best thing about Breaking Bad, or one of them, anyways, was the acting. If I were to list every actor that deserved a special shoutout we'd be here all day because literally every single one of them is utterly fantastic. That being said, the biggest kudos go to the main characters - Aaron Paul is brilliant as Jesse Pinkman, the heart and soul of the show who anchors every emotional scene. Jonathan Banks was equally brilliant as Mike Ehrmantraut, whose inflection and line delivery singlehandedly made him a compelling character to watch and listen to. Giancarlo Esposito does what he does best by stealing scenes as the cooler-than-a-cucumber villain who would rather calmly intimidate his way through problems than start blasting. Anna Gunn plays one of the most well-written characters on the show brilliantly, and Bob Odenkirk is hilarious as Saul Goodman.
Also deserving of praise is Mark Margolis as wheelchair guy Hector Salamanca. His performance here was utterly fantastic. Despite the character's inability to talk or move, this man expresses every possible emotion through his eyes and breath alone. It was like dialogue unto itself, absolutely brilliant. I also loved Dean Norris as Hank Schrader, the plucky DEA agent that started as comic relief and turned into a bona fide hero. But what I found most compelling about Hank was how real he felt. The attitude, the laugh, the look, off-color jokes, the inflection on words. All of them are pitch-perfect for "that one cop you know," as if an officer walked on set and they just kept filming. For that, I cannot commend the actor and writing enough.
Speaking of the writing, I was frequently amazed at the dialogue in this show. "Write about what you know" is a common phrase, but the fact that they made talking about chemical balances, ingredients, and otherwise mundane conversations into riveting television was fascinating and admirable. As an aspiring writer, this aspect of the show was doubly fascinating. I can barely put together a script on my all-time favorite character Superman for crying out loud, and these guys are over here making me hooked on original characters talking about laundromats? It's almost unfair how great it is.
That greatness shines best in how the characters progress from start to end. No character is the same from when you meet them, each one has grown exponentially in ways that, while somewhat expected, still delivered rousing character beats and chilling lines. The story was likewise fantastic, a layered tale of hubris with twists and turns that shock and frighten. But nothing was more well written than the central protagonist.
Walter White is the best protagonist put to screen. Superbly played by Bryan Cranston, game to deliver the greatest performance of all time, expertly written with a moral decline showcased over five seasons, and with a fashion sense that consists of green and blue button-ups and occasionally a black hat and sunglasses, Walter White is not only iconic but also intimidating, pitiful, remorseful, heartless, understandable, unforgivable, independent, dependent, egotistical, and completely and utterly ruthless. All of those adjectives are adequate descriptions at various points in the show, but the special thing about Walter White is that eventually it builds up to a performance that combines all of them for a fantastic last three episodes.
The last three episodes of the series - Ozymandias, Granite State, and Felina - are possibly the greatest television episodes ever. Three episodes where five seasons of fantastic writing and build-up pay off in spectacular action-packed fashion with some of the series’ most iconic moments. Even characters just admitting to something the viewer has known since episode one feels incredible. The last three episodes are what cement it as a once-in-a-generation television show, the first modern Shakespearean tragedy… like Othello in shades of meth cooking.
While incredible, I don’t think the show is perfect. It’s impossible to maintain A+ quality over the course of 62 hours, so some moments and arcs are bound to lag. I thought Marie and Skyler had very little to do in the first few seasons, so random drama (Kleptomania) is thrown in so they have some minor relevance. I thought seasons two and four were weaker than their preceding seasons, and I found the yellow filter on Mexico scenes utterly hilarious. The first season also has the hallmarks of “prestige television” - the show’s only use of nudity in the pilot and three sex scenes, none of which are present in latter seasons.
And while this is more a testament to the quality of the show, it’s hard to watch. I point to one episode, “Peekaboo,” as being particularly hard. The episode consists of Jesse trying to get money back from two insane addicts and winds up befriending their neglected son. It was episodes like that where the full effect of sad and gritty storytelling can take a toll on the viewer. It’s often emotionally draining, especially when children are involved. Not necessarily a criticism, but it’s why this show won’t wind up on my planned “Ten favorite shows” article. While it’s beautiful, superbly acted, and has some of my favorite payoffs ever, it’s a hard watch. You can’t put on an episode and be happy like you can Avatar or Amphibia… Yes, it’s a Shakespearean tragic through and through. It takes the right frame of mind to enjoy.
It’s still fun at times, however. The chemistry between the cast is fantastic, fun little montages, time lapses, cold open intros, and wacky music make the pill easier to swallow. Additionally, the fact that it feels less like a scripted television show and more like an intimate view into how a teacher d/evolved into a drug kingpin is appreciated. The unassuming nature of Breaking Bad is what makes the moments it clicks so memorable - You’ll never see a show like it again. It’s the type of show that makes me want to get back into “Top 10 Best Episodes” articles because there are definite standouts that I can’t properly highlight in a spoiler-free review of the entire show.
Also worth noting is the Netflix spinoff film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story, which I ultimately liked but didn’t top the way the show itself ended. It’s like a pleasant footnote that was adapted into an hour and fifty-two-minute film, not leaving a bad taste in the viewer’s mouth but also not anything special when it’s not a showcase for Aaron Paul. I didn't really want to write a full review on it, hence its inclusion here (9/10).
Overall, Breaking Bad contains some of the finest performances, writing, tone, direction, cinematography, and anything and everything that makes TV great - it has it all. It’s a beautifully made show that has deeper themes and fantastic character moments that merit my undefinable praise of the “vibe,” or a world that you can see yourself living in. Maybe that’s because of how real all these characters feel. Maybe that’s because it’s set in Albuquerque instead of yet another big city. Maybe it's the deluge of memes trivializing and hilariously turning the characters into caricatures. We may never know.
Overall, I give Breaking Bad a 10/10. “Despite ultimately amounting to four bald men arguing, Breaking Bad is a show as fine as the meth they were cooking."
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| Syler White smoked while pregnant, yo. That's uncool, yo. |
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