Breaking Bad - METHod to the madness

Breaking Bad by Vince Gilligan, is maybe the greatest show ever made. And that's a pretty small maybe. What defines the quality of a show? Is it the thrill factor which makes you keep watching the show, episode after episode, striving for story and closure, or is it the journey of the characters whose development and progression the show attempts to portray, or is it the absolutely beautiful work of cinematic expression that one cannot help but keep staring at?

I could probably come up with more factors, but that's besides the point as there would always be another opinion as to what constitutes the qualities of a good show, as well as agreements and disagreements. However, no one can prove otherwise that perhaps the most important factor is consistency. Time and time again, Breaking Bad shows us, that it is the master of sustained excellence in all facets of storytelling through television.

No show can be of considerable quality, if for a sizeable duration of its tenure, viewers could not bother to watch it because of the absolute degradation and waste of their time by doing so. Basically, if you hit the big moments, like the finales or the showdowns with exquisite execution, you're good. And if you miss? Well, I'm afraid then that regardless of how much excellent groundwork you've done into establishing a viewership and an interesting storyline, you aren't worthy.

Also, you're gonna need a pretty damn good premise to deal with. A cancer-ridden chemistry teacher turns big-time crystal meth dealer? Well, deal me in. Because there has never been a greater idea for anything, ever in the history of literally everything. (it's Methamphetamine, but that's not relevant) (Also, sorry you had to find out this way Dad, but I watched the show.)

Heisenberg and the Pinkman

Walter White may be the most controversial character in the history of television, and yet simultaneously, may be the most legendary performance by an actor ever witnessed. His journey from a bumbling, underpaid and suffocated man struggling to provide for his family, no matter how much dignity he must lose and however repressed his genius must be, to a man fearing looming death from an illness unsolved, causing a trigger of the selfish, loathing and despicable Heisenberg persona he develops, as his passion for chemistry harvests as a demonic outburst upon everything he encounters, as painful as it is to watch, feels like a secret realisation that the audience had already dawned upon but could never accept till witnessed. You'll hate how much you appreciate the monstrous genius.

Until 2008, Bryan Cranston had fallen into the recesses of Hollywood stardom, perhaps doted on the list of mediocre television stars with scattered sitcom roles, never capable of a powerful performance, or at least that's what critics thought. Within his first year of playing Walter White, it was easy to realise that his performance was going to be one for the books, and indeed three Primetime Emmys lie evident as so. As he reprised his role, season after season as the malicious Heisenberg we all came to despise, his ever so improving ability to convince audiences of the unwavering fear and respect he demanded in every scene, is just one of the few examples of the consistent yet unforgettable features of the show.

Say His Name.

While Walter White wasn't (see what I did there) the hero we expected, one might ask, well, how can a story have no hero at all? And indeed, that is a question suffice to ask as very rarely have we seen a show, hell a book, without a hero (maybe The Godfather series, although some might argue Michael Corleone but that's for another post). Well, one would have to look no further than Jesse Pinkman, as portrayed by Aaron Paul, the unconventional yet tragic, brave hero whose journey defines that which makes Breaking Bad thematically, the most normal story in all abstractness.

The show is dealt to us in a way, that Walter White is our protagonist, an antihero with no question and some might even say villain. We are expected to despise him but appreciate the tact, and still that is not enough for Breaking Bad to act as a catharsis (an elementary Greek drama type, which involves the purging of negativity for audiences). As an audience, we need empathy. We need to feel for our characters, and expertly so Vince Gilligan has managed to make us feel empathy, not for the chemistry teacher with cancer, but the drug dealing, failed student who comes from a well-off family.

Jesse Pinkman may start off as an unlikable, rude, drug-abusing criminal that needs to shut up at times, but soon the audience starts to develop a relationship with him, as we witness a neglected child trying to live up to his family and being unfortunately thrust away, always as a pawn in the schemes of others. We watch as Jesse's life is inflicted with blunt emotional pain by those around him, and yet he stands and watches helplessly by. And finally, when he is happy, it is always taken away from him. Jesse Pinkman is a character that deserves more. (Digression - El Camino - Well...was it necessary? Maybe the closure. Everything else? hm.)

Yeah Science!

This whole piece has been me simply been describing the two main characters and their stories, and while I could go on doing so, I will choose not to. Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston put in exceptional performances throughout the show, however the magic of consistency comes out thoroughly as every single other cast member does their part to perfection. No one could possibly imagine Saul Goodman as anyone other than Bob Odenkirk, or Gustavo Fring as Giancarlo Esposito.

But of course, a show's value lies in keeping people hooked to it. The complexities of a character's psyche or the literary devices and subtleties scattered throughout the show like the chromatic imagery (Walter's transition to Heisenberg by deeper shades of yellow, or Saul's love for purple, the colour of royalty) and the parallelism (Jesse and Mike, or Gus and Walter) are all probably irrelevant compared to the story of Breaking Bad. One wants to watch the next episode because one needs to know what happens next. Quite simply put, Vince Gilligan has created a master-plot.

With Breaking Bad, some might argue that each season was better than the last. Hell, the show crescendoes down to its 3 last episodes and no audience member has a single problem with it, because of the realism in the fiction. Through cinematic magic and some good science, Gilligan quite often develops his stories in hilariously silly ways (Magnets!) but it's believable. Each moment is a logical consequence of the prior, and I mean each. No show is devoid of doubt ridden plot leaps and deus ex machina, but this one manages to make you believe them to be obvious.

Ozymandias

Also, an avid reader of this blog might notice that my critical appreciation for a piece of art is directly correlated to the music represented by it. Breaking Bad, is no less. One legendary theme song. In fact, Dimple Pinch Neat (an obvious reference for a fan of the show), is one of my favourite scenes from the entire series, and no surprise, it's from the penultimate episode. There is no doubt in my mind that Breaking Bad will live on in fame as one of the best ever.