Breaking Bad Review

Vince Gilligan, known for his work in supernatural series, The X Files and superhero movie, Hancock pitched his contemporary show, Breaking Bad to AMC back in 2008, exhibiting a mission statement, which amounted to a monumental spoiler: he would transform Mr Average Joe into Scarface.

Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul is a thrilling new TV show which tells the story of Walter White (Cranston), an underachieving (but menacingly clever) chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico with his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his disabled teenage son Walter White Jr. (RJ Mitte) When Walter is diagnosed with stage three lung cancer and given a year or so to live, he decides to transform his life into the seedy world of drugs and crime, becoming a proficient cook of crystal meth along with his former student Jesse, (Aaron Paul) determined to build a small fortune and ensuring that his family are financially secure in the future.

Proving to be more then adequate in this new world as he begins manufacturing and selling some of the finest methamphetamine in the country aided by his expertise in science, Breaking Bad tracks the impacts of how a fatal diagnosis affects a regular hard working man and how far he will go to guarantee the safety of his beloved family. Commencing with chaotic improvisation, with Walt’s entry into the drug business seeing him and Jesse haplessly attempting to dissolve a corpse in a bathtub with acid that goes sensationally wrong, Breaking Bad, through a series of anarchic and turbulent circumstances sees Walt make incredibly difficult choices, evolving him with increasing arrogance and egotism and revolutionising him into a major player of the drug trade.  

Breaking Bad is an incredibly refreshing, original series and a great take on the “antihero” drama, brandishing a bad boy character in which we root for in spite of ourselves and daring its intended audience to understand and sympathise with a monster. It is a radical television show, in the style of The Sopranos and a must watch series with every explicitly addictive cliffhanger leaving viewers craving for more. Season by season, each new episode arrives laden with foreshadowing and with betrayal on the way: we know what has to happen, but not how it comes to be.

Where Breaking Bad comes into its own league however is the sheer brilliance of the acting with some incredible performances coming from Anna Gunn who plays Walt’s estranged wife and Aaron Paul as Jesse, the drop out student - turned junkie who becomes Walt’s trusted partner despite massive differences in personalities. However it is Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walt that simply steals the show. Once universally praised for his work in Malcolm in the middle, Cranston really blossoms with his rare gift of generating sympathy and manic – energy simultaneously, perfect for the role of Walter White. His idiosyncratic performance is truly a wonder to behold and completely deserves the Emmy award he won in 2010.    

With the last of its episodes scheduled for next summer, it has allocated Gilligan time to shape and perfect his ending allowing Breaking Bad to conclude at a rightful time, a commodity that so many multi season dramas don’t have, usually blemishing their effectiveness and success. Despite being only five seasons long, Breaking Bad has achieved everything it has set out to accomplish and will live long in the memories of fans and viewers alike with its ferocious intensity, realism and astounding acting. If you have not encountered this show yet and are a fan of nastily funny black comedy satires then this show is a must see.