Post date: Nov 15, 2013 6:2:36 PM
Breaking Bad has come to a close, and given its fans a wild ride
by Jordan Smith, staff
When I first heard about Breaking Bad, I knew I wanted to watch it. Just hearing the concept could make even the most jaded person curious. A high school chemistry teacher turned meth cook? Count me in.
That is one of the best parts of the story; it’s just so original. And every time I thought I knew how the writers were going to try to surprise me, I was very, very wrong.
On the technical side of things, I can’t imagine things being better. The cast is perfect. I was a little nervous to see Hal from Malcolm in the Middle as the protagonist meth cook, Walter White, but Bryan Cranston has truly proven himself to be a master of drama. He earned every Emmy he won.
Not to be outdone, Aaron Paul, who portrayed Jesse Pinkman, was brilliant. He started as a simple meth cook, but ended up being so much more. Paul showed a seemingly endless amount of depth with Jesse doing everything. He worked as an honorary son, father figure, tragic hero, comedic relief, addict. If you can name an archetypical character, Paul was that character.
Anna Gunn, aka Skyler White, also proved to be a very grounded, at least, in her own way. What she did made sense, and it was because Gunn forced it to make sense. Gunn simultaneously produced sympathy and hatred.
The atmosphere is spot on. The theme song has become so iconic of the series, and the various sets all seem real. Not jazzed up to be more interesting, everything looks just the way you would anticipate. The various set workers and designers need to get more credit, an all too prevalent problem in television. To add another level of realism, no addict escapes without a great deal of harm.
It should be noted, none of the characters are made to look like the kind of individual viewers would want to become. One of the most prime examples would be the couple from the first season episode “Breakage.” They both bear the obvious physical signs of addiction. The woman looks like a cross between a witch from a fairy tale and a walker from The Walking Dead and the man isn’t much better off. Their home is filthy and looks uninhabitable.
To drive home the impact of the unsavory characterization, the couple has unfortunate son who appears so neglected that not only can he hardly speak, he also has nothing to do all day but watch a home shopping channel.
One of the dealers eventually goes to prison. In fact, there is a seemingly endless list of dealers who die either from the drug or from violence related to it.
The most powerful example of the dangers of drugs and their attached addictions, though, was when a character had to watch his love die from overdose. We saw him break. He became an absolute void. He was nothing. Then he went clean and tried to pull his life back together.
None of the people in the show who use drugs, whether it’s meth, heroine, or anything else, go unscathed. Breaking Bad definitely serves as a warning against drugs.
What really makes the series so amazing, though, is the writing. Vince Gilligan had an incredible brain child, and then saw it through to maturity. The story is exciting and breathtaking until it doesn't need to be. It doesn’t take the vice of some dramas of nothing but reaction at every moment. There is a definite ebb and flow, such as the infamous ending every season on the darkest note possible. At times, they even get down right hilarious, a much-needed break at some points, that really diversifies the story and keeps anything from getting stale.
It appears the goal of Breaking Bad is to show that everyone has some evil deep down. Walter White is the epitome of a middle class man. He works two jobs for too little money. He has a typical house, a good wife, and a child with a couple problems. Most men could identify with him, and if not, most likely a part of his family, who he is willing to break seemingly every moral barrier for.
It’s not just Walt with a bad side. We see a businessman as a coldblooded killer playing both sides of the law, police brutality, a wife broken. Everyone we think is good does some evil. In fact, the only people left innocent are the children.
Breaking Bad was, and is, one of the best television programs of all time. Whatever kind of viewer you are, watch Breaking Bad, and keep your mind open, your eyes wide, and tissues nearby.