REVIEW: Breaking Bad: Season 1

Where to start? Granted I am only reviewing Season 1 here, as I have not watched any of Season 2 yet, but holy crap what a great show. And I don't think I know of anyone else who watches it but me. What a shame... I hate to rehash someone else's review, but Seth Amitin's review over at IGN.COM of Season 1 is right on cue. So instead of breaking my neck here is Seth's review. But please please people gotta get into this show. Buy the DVD's!!! It's great writing and brilliant character work from the entire cast.

Breaking Bad: Season 1 Review
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river on this show.
by Seth Amitin

March 19, 2008 - You were probably skeptical about this show, too. The promotional poster, the one of Bryan Cranston standing in his underwear, holding a gun, with the RV and the plumes of red smoke in the background, seemed forced, like they were aiming for a 14-year-old demographic, someone that had this gangster-like image of cool. To anyone who's past that phase, it looked, well … stupid.

Instead, we got something completely different. A dynamic and deep show with some realistic insight into the world of meth dealing, and creating characters you care about, too.



We don't want to discount the drama, but the science is what captivated us to start the show. When Pinkman says his stuff is the best, he's Captain Cook, he's the alpha and omega of cooking meth, but then Walt's stuff puts his to shame. Walt's decided professionalism about it (taking off his shirt and pants on his first try and telling Pinkman that "we don't use") is kind of cute, too, in the same way as watching a kid ride a bike for the first time. The idea that a chemistry teacher could so easily create high-quality grade of meth is flat-out awesome.

Then came the drama – the really nasty stuff, the deadly chemicals, the hydrofluoric acid, the complete and utter failures and the rest of the nitty-gritty details of trying to be a drug runner in the world and just how awful it is to be dealing meth (on both the creation and selling sides).



But what really kept us in the show was the depth of character. Walt's unwillingness to tell anyone about his cancer and his subsequent reasoning to not get treatment, Skyler's refusal to accept Walt's bizarre behavior and being proactive about it, Pinkman's time with his family (and especially his genius brother) … everyone has weaknesses and strengths; faults and virtues. Here's where this show gets really cool:

Walt was a simple character to begin with. He's book smart, but not street smart, and he gets involved in meth dealing because he wants to provide for his family after he's dead – he's in the advanced stages of lung cancer, by the way. He's the character to root for, the guy you want to see win, but at the same time, you know there's an oncoming train wreck and that this is perhaps the stupidest get rich quick scheme anyone has ever had.

There's also Jesse Pinkman, who's stupid, but street smart. He failed Walt's chemistry class in high school and now deals meth. He's a born loser, but happens to make a good team with Walt, who is aces when it comes to producing meth.

(There's a point coming up, I swear).



Skyler, Walt's wife, isn't a dummy. She's quick as a whip and loves her husband and son and is protective of both of them.

Then the secondary characters are the enablers: Hank, Marie, Walt Jr., Crazy-8, Emilio and Tuco. You can make a pretty strong case that the cancer is a character in itself because of its broad repercussions and affectations on the lives of each character, but we'll leave that out for now.

And then you throw all of these characters together and you see what happens. Walt with Skyler is protective (see: refusing to tell her about his cancer). Walt with Pinkman works, but it's highly unstable and dangerous. Skyler and Pinkman rarely interact, but when they do, they don't go together well. Walt and Hank work pretty well together, though you wouldn't think that, since Hank's a DEA agent. Walt's interaction with Crazy-8 basically changed his makeup altogether (for anyone who hasn't seen this show yet, boy howdy are you in for a surprise on that one).



If you read all of that, you might know what it sounds like: chemical reactions.

This is what we're talking about. Everything about this show was thoroughly thought-out and it's a true joy to watch a show that can be dissected so much and make it more enjoyable. If you haven't watched this show yet, it's time to get on the bandwagon.