I must first state that I am only on the first season, so with that in mind, I decided to take the plunge into the dark and dirty world of the crazily popular show “Breaking Bad”. Every person, whether I know them or not, is telling me to watch this show, and of course, “The Wire”. The only reason I don’t watch “The Wire” is because I would probably have to dedicate a few good months of my life to catch up with that show, so I decided to stick with the much less of a time suck, life of mister Walter White.
I have to admit outright, I thought this show was a little over hyped, and that it couldn’t be THAT good. Then, I saw episode one, and I had to hang eat my hat. It was good. From minute one you begin to like characters and start being annoyed and even dislike others. Now, this may be premature as this is just a first round review of this series. I’m not even finished with the first season, yet. I’m only two episodes away and so far, I’m hooked.
Just a little info on this show: “Breaking Bad” follows the trials and tribulations of a chemistry teacher who finds himself in a very precarious situation. He has inoperable lung cancer. A horrible position for any father and husband to be in, he struggles with his mortality and the desire to make sure his family is taken care of should he pass. But struggling with two jobs, suffering from coughing fits due to the cancer, and just not having the health insurance to take care of his condition, he tumbles into circumstances that lead him to a former student of his, Pinkman. Jesse Pinkman, a man/boy who failed Walt’s chemistry class in high school, ends up being a meth dealer and inadvertently, the answer to Walt’s prayers. This results in Walt White coming up with the “brilliant” idea that since he’s a chemistry genius, and meth looks pretty easy to make (for him), that well, why not help the kid make, what is considered, the most pure meth known to man and make some serious money! Throw in there a pregnant wife, a son who desperately wants his father to get better while at the same time struggling with his own issues, and a brother in law who works for the DEA, and you have a formula for one intense, television watching experience.
The acting is superb, with characters, as I said previously, are right off the bat likable and others, not so much. The situations that Walt find himself are both ridiculous and heartbreaking, as he tries to juggle everything that’s going on in his life at once. From killing people, to almost getting killed himself, to rubbing elbows with the wrong crowd, Walt gets in deep and does it fast. That’s a lot of story, a lot of character building, and a lot to remember sometimes. There’s a lot going on and it doesn’t seems to slow down. Okay, that’s not true, there was one episode where I was bored out of my mind for the first half of it, but then it picked up and has been addictive ever since.
Maybe one thinks that this is rubbish and that you can’t judge an entire show based off of the first handful of episodes, but I’m telling you, that the hype is apparently real. People were not kidding when they said this was a good show. I find people everywhere, that when I mention the words breaking and bad in a sentence, they perk up and just want to talk about it. That’s a pretty interesting phenomenon. What a fool I was to deny myself good entertainment, good story telling, and just an overall good show. I don’t watch much TV, but when I do, it’s for things like this.
If you find yourself out there much like I was, not trying to give in to all the praise of a single television show, I suggest you give in. I’m confident you will not be disappointed with what you see, what you experience, and what you feel when you watch this show. And again, this is only after the first 5 episodes. Those around me assure me that the seasons afterwards will be just as brilliant. So just a suggestion, but join me in enjoying the slow downward spiral of a mild mannered high school teacher who wants nothing more than what’s best for himself and his family. Well, and to serve up some, apparently, fantastic meth. And you can share some thoughts with me, and maybe tell me that it’s not as good as I think. Until then, check it out and uhh…don’t do drugs?
“Not Even Once.”
