Breaking Bad: Season 1
Created by: Vince Gilligan
Written by: Vince Gilligan, Patty Lin, George Mastras, Peter Gould
Starring: Bryan Cranston (Walter White), Anna Gunn (Skyler White), Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman), Dean Norris (Hank Schrader), Betsy Brandt (Marie Schrader), RJ MItte (Walter White, Jr)
I tried this show once, many years ago. The very awkward (and, I still maintain, very unnecessary) sex scene in the pilot coupled with the gross body disposal in the second fully turned me off, and I quit.
FFW about ten years to the present, it's become a landmark franchise with near-universal critical acclaim, spawned an even-more-successful spinoff in Better Call Saul, and I pretty much haven't met someone who didn't like it. Considering this, and seeing how short the first season is, I decided to give it another whirl.
I'm glad I did. Like with many shows these days (see: The Boys, Game of Thrones) you have to go in knowing it's gonna get raunchy, horribly explicit, and we're gonna watch through characters making horrifying choices. Lovely mix. I'm still not a fan of these things and I wish it wasn't the case with so many shows, but I've learned that I just have to go in with something of a mental filter and my finger ready on the FFW button. For example, I'm personally against sex scenes, and if filmmakers/directors decide to put plot-necessary dialogue in the middle of them, I've already accepted that I'm missing it.
But enough of my soapbox! Point is: I went in knowing what to expect and ready to FFW through whatever I needed to.
Thankfully, Breaking Bad isn't nearly as sexually explicit as the other examples I mentioned. It's more heavy on violence and very dubious morality. That's kind of the crux of the entire series! Knowing that, I was able to enjoy what the series does offer.
And it offers quite a bit. At its heart, it seems to be a character study. How far will this character go to get what he needs? The answer ends up being, far beyond what's necessary.
Walter learns about the drug world from his student, Jesse
Before I get too far, here's a synopsis for the minority (apparently) of people who aren't familiar with the show: Breaking Bad is about a high school chemistry teacher, Walter, who's diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Knowing there's no way his family can afford treatment, Walter uses his advanced knowledge of chemistry and teams up with a local drug dealer to cook exceptional-quality meth and sell it for substantial profits.
I still struggled a bit through the first season because it spends most of its eight episodes getting Walter into the "appropriate" mindset where he's willing to "break bad" and fully commit to the gig. This is a necessary setup for a more effective series, but it wasn't fun for me to watch. The season explores the Whites' financial struggles, exacerbated by treatments they're already paying for with regard to their disabled son. It explores Walter's advanced knowledge of chemistry: he's not just any old high school teacher; he used to work with nationally-recognized research institutions-- and coupled with that, the show explores why he can't just jump back into a higher-paying job with these institutions.
More interesting was the exploration of Walter's mentality. This is equally foundational to the series as his meth-making because we need to know what drives this average middle-class white dude into a life of crime, and what keeps him going? Most of us would accept the monetary handouts he's offered and take the research positions he's also offered. Yet Walter rejects them, and the season spends plenty of screentime walking us through his mental space, the dynamics of his family and extended family, and how he views his own life. I think this is where the true brilliance of the series lies, because it's effective. Although the collective audience generally doesn't agree with Walter's choices, we can see where he's at. We can look at his life and think "Wow, the place he's at sucks, I can see why he wants to take control of his life and make his own money. I can see how he finds allure in the thrill of drug dealing."
Understanding his mental state gives more credence to the otherwise ridiculousness of the series. It grounds the violence and shenanigans that he and his partner, Jesse, get into. When we understand the desperation Walter feels, we root for him despite the horror of what he's doing. It somehow allows us as viewers to think, "Yes, he's got to dispose of this body he murdered and not let the cops show up because otherwise he has to return to his old life, and that's basically a spiritual death sentence." Somehow, our mindset shifts from recognizing this dead body as a person who deserves justice to rooting for Walter and his perverse quest to live, thrive, and take control of his life. Of course, it also helps that most of the time, these bodies were other corrupt drug dealers or murderers, themselves.
I've only seen through season 1 so far, but it ends with Walter shifting from one phase of drug dealing to another. He's already established himself as a respectable dealer, but now he's rising in the ranks. In the finale, his moral limits are tested and he has to discover for himself just how far he's willing to go to succeed in the underground. How much murder can he condone? How much murder can he commit? How can he defend himself from those who would take his own life? Can he protect his younger partner? The final season 1 episode leaves us with an ominous answer: Yes, and more.
We thus stride into season 2 with revised questions: What isn't he willing to do?
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