Normally, when I hear all about some “critically acclaimed” TV shows and give them a chance, I find that the shows were overhyped. They’re rarely as good as the critics and fans say they are. Breaking Bad is one of the shows that is NOT as good as everyone says…. it’s even better than anyone can describe. But that doesn’t mean people won’t try to describe it!
This review is strictly SPOILER FREE. I will not give anything away that’ll ruin the show for anyone who hasn’t seen it. And, as I’ll say many times in this review, if you haven’t, then please do. I just finished this series the day before Better Call Saul, the prequel, premiered, so I’m reviewing it while it’s still fresh in my mind.
The series is about an overqualified chemistry teacher called Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, and the day after his 50’th birthday, he’s diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Treatment for it is going to be extremely expensive, and he doesn’t want to leave his family in a mountain of debt after he dies. So, he does what not many people would consider doing: he starts cooking meth. Walt’s brother in law is a DEA agent and one of his busts was on the news one day. In the meth lab, there was about $700,000. That’s when Walt gets the idea. His degrees in chemistry that overqualified him for being a school chemistry teacher seemed like the perfect set of skills he needs to make high quality meth and make a LOT of money off of it for his family.
Before I go further, I’d like to point out that this show doesn’t promote or glorify the making or selling of meth or drugs. It does quite the opposite. It only shows how destructive it can be when good people mingle in business like this.
He teams up with a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. The two of them form a partnership where Walter provides the cooking skills and Jesse handles the dealing and distribution. Jesse is a drug addict, true, but he’s not a careless jerk. He’s a good person at heart, but he just keeps getting screwed over. It really is depressing to see this guy go through all that he does.
At first, Walter only wants to do one or two batches and take the money from that. But, his skills attract some attention from drug empires… both wanted and unwanted. The Mexican Cartel, and maybe 3 different crime outfits, to name a few.
Pretty soon, Walter gets addicted. Not to drugs, but to the business. He can finally use his skills for something, and his ego goes through the roof. Throughout the series, he and Jesse try to make deals and partnerships with big time drug lords and other criminals. Pretty much each try goes sour. REALLY sour. Each predicament results in everyone both Walter and Jesse know suffering. Families get torn apart, people die, and lives change. Everything that happens to the other characters is a result of something Walt and Jesse either did, had a part in doing, or was somehow related to them. Nothing is irrelevant in this show. There’s things in each season that tie in with other seasons, and it all fits together perfectly.
Ultimately, it’s a show about the decline of Walter White from normal suburban life into psychopath. He’s not a blind psycho, either. He’s smart, and he has good intentions behind doing all the things he does. But in the end, the good intentions mean nothing. There are several times in the series where he could leave the business, but doesn’t. There are also times where he tries to leave but can’t, because once you deal in a business like that, there’s no getting out. You either stay in with it and get higher up the food chain, or fall so low that you’re not even recognizable by your own family anymore.
The strongest part of the show is how realistic it is. For a drama, nothing is overdramatic, which is what I like. I hate it when dramas try too hard to be emotional and ‘gripping’. It only ends up feeling contrived and portentous. By then, if a show is like that, the realism is taken right out of it. Breaking Bad was never like that. It is the most realistic show I’ve ever watched. The characters, the story, the acting, the emotions, all of it feels genuine. There wasn’t a single time I watched an episode where I thought “you know, I don’t think that would happen in real life,” or “I don’t think a person would react like that,” or even “I think I could have written it better”. Breaking Bad never made me think anything like that.
The writing has to be the best I’ve ever seen on any TV show, too. As I said before, it feels genuine. But also, it completely destroys my expectations. Whenever I thought a situation would turn out one way, the show apparently read my mind and said “Nope. I’m better than your feeble mind. I’m going THIS direction!” And it blew my mind. I swear, every time I watch some other TV show (especially dramas) I’m going to think it’s going to be smarter than me like Breaking Bad was, but I’ll be disappointed when it goes exactly how I would have predicted it IF I did not have Breaking Bad take me to school and teach me what REAL television was. I’m going to think “that character should not have gotten out of that problem so easily… or at all,” because that’s how it worked in Breaking Bad. Heck, that’s how it works in real life. Only fitting, since the show is closer to reality than anything else.
Do I even need to say anything about the acting? What CAN I say about it? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just repeat what everyone else has said. The acting is perfection. Not a single performance was weak nor over the top. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul will not be able to top these roles for the rest of their lives. The others… maybe a few of them… but not by much.
The other element I have to appreciate is the pacing. Scenes can go on for a long time, and some may even consider some scenes to go by too slow. But the slower pacing is how most of the magic happens! That’s how the series lets the emotions sink in, and sink in really deep. I will admit, season 1 does go pretty slowly, even for the show’s standards in the later seasons. But it’s all build up to great things, and you will not be disappointed. If you don’t think Breaking Bad is right for you by the end of season 1, then I’d suggest watching all the way through regardless and into season two. Season two is where I believe people will get hooked the most.
The very last thing I must draw attention to is the cinematography. I don’t know if that’s the right word I’m looking for, but I’ll use it for lack of a better word. It’s very effective and powerful in ways that would be annoying and contrived in any other show. The most prominent element of it is the sound. The sound used in some really intense scenes is just so… impactful. I don’t think it’s necessarily the music, but some type of sound effects. I don’t know how to word it.
In conclusion, Breaking Bad is the best TV show I’ve ever seen so far in my life. And I can both type and vocally say that without a second thought. Everything about it is simply perfection. I can’t think of anything that comes close. And I can’t stress enough how much this needs to be seen. It will teach you what great television is and what it should be. I can’t find a single thing wrong with it. I have no gripes, no complaints, and no skills to go back and look for mistakes that could have been made… even though not a single one was made. And I know it.
FINAL RATING: 5 / 5
If you don’t like it by the end of season 1, then move on to season 2. If you’re not hooked by then, then maybe season 3 will do it for you. If it’s still not working for you… then holy crap. Go see a doctor. Hey, if this doesn’t do it for you, then maybe you should give the prequel series, Better Call Saul a chance. By the time this is posted, it’ll be the day before its two night premiere. I HOPE it’s as good as Breaking Bad! If not, then I’m sure it’s the next best thing.
I never thought I'd want to watch this show until you recommended it. Netflix, here we come!
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