Breaking Bad

My new favorite TV show is Breaking Bad. It had been recommended to me by several friends, so finally during Christmas break I decided to watch it. OMG. I watched the first 3 seasons in a week. This show is incredibly addicting and amazing. Kind of like meth. (jk, I wouldn't know!)

Here's the basic plot: A high school chemistry teacher finds out he has cancer and only has a few months to live. He wants to provide for his family before he dies, so he decides to start cooking meth to make money. He enlists the help of a former high school student and enters the crazy world of a drug dealer.

The creator of the show, Vince Gilligan, said he wanted to produce a show where the protagonist became the antagonist. That's exactly what happens. Walt starts out being a sympathetic character, but as the show goes on, there is little to like about him. As he gets more involved with the drug business, he makes decisions which spur his downward spiral from beloved math teacher to hardened criminal. It makes you question what makes a person "good" or "bad". Gilligan says, "We want to make people question who they're pulling for, and why."

The acting on the show is amazing. Walt seems increasingly angry and heartless as he makes one morally questionable decision after another, yet he truly cares for his family and Jesse. The whole show is mainly about Walt's path to destruction. However, my favorite character is Jesse, who's a drug addict and Walt's meth-cooking partner. Jesse has been slinging meth on the streets for awhile, but now he has a chance to make some serious money by teaming up with Walt. I like Jesse because he doesn't seem to fit into any stereotype. I mean, he's kind of how you'd picture a meth head, but as you get to know him, he's a multi-dimensional character. Unlike Walt, who seems to be making fully intentional choices, Jesse seems to be trapped in a world from which he can never quite escape.

What I like most about the show is that you never know what to expect. Walt and Jesse are always dealing with the unforeseen consequences of their drug dealing, from murders to kidnapping, stolen money, arrests, and investigations by the DEA. It's somewhat hilarious how inept they are as criminals, but despite all their mishaps, somehow they always end up scraping through by the skin of their teeth. I never know what's going to happen next!  Breaking Bad is currently on its final season. I'm excited to see how it all turns out, but I'll be so sad when it's over!