Breaking Bad
Starring: Bryan Cranston (62 episodes), Anna Gunn (62 episodes), Aaron Paul (62 episodes), Dean Norris (62 episodes), Betsy Brandt (62 episodes), RJ Mitte (62 episodes), Bob Odenkirk (43 episodes), Steven Michael Quezada (34 episodes), Jonathan Banks (28 episodes), Giancarlo Esposito (26 episodes), Charles Baker (15 episodes), Jesse Plemons (13 episodes), Christopher Cousins (13 episodes), Laura Fraser (12 episodes), Matt Jones (10 episodes), Krysten Ritter (10 episodes), Bill Burr (5 episodes), Raymond Cruz (4 episodes), Danny Trejo (2 episodes), DJ Qualls (1 episode), Robert Forster (1 episode)
Directed by: Michelle MacLaren (13 episodes), Adam Bernstein (8 episodes), Vince Gilligan (5 episodes), Bryan Cranston (3 episodes), Rian Johnson (3 episodes), John Dahl (1 episode), David Slade (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
2008-2013
Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Summary: A chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston) learns he has terminal cancer, so he teams with a former student (Aaron Paul) to get into the meth business to provide enough money for his family after he dies.
Review:
Tim: I don't know if I will fully understand the appeal of "Breaking Bad". I started watching it just because I heard so many good things about it, but I was certainly unprepared for how much I would love the show. The series at times would drag on and individual episodes sometimes frustrated me. However, the series as a whole is one of the most remarkable viewing experiences I've had on the small screen. This is a series that I grew to truly love.
Walter White is one of the most fascinating characters to ever grace the small screen. Bryan Cranston did simply remarkable work in bringing this complex character to life. His intentions start out purely enough, but the transformation Walter goes through over five seasons is nothing short of astounding. He slowly descends into evil and darkness, yet we never stop rooting for him. Some of the series' best moments show Walter doing the most despicable things, and yet, us never truly hating him. One of the lowest moments had to be when he stood by and watched another human being slowly die, when he could have easily prevented her death. Despite that inhuman behavior, Cranston never lets Water become a complete monster. There's always the hint or glimmer of hope that he could be redeemed. It's one of the great television performances of all time.
Cranston has a lot of help, but none as much as Aaron Paul. I'll always like Paul for his portrayal of Jesse Pinkman. His character frustrated me at times, but in some ways, he's the heart of the show. It was fascinating to see his battle for his soul and the good and bad influences all around him. Paul was pitted against a remarkable actor in Cranston, giving the performance of his life, and he more than holds his own. Anna Gunn is an actress I never felt comfortable with. I feel bad because she received a ton of hate for her character and her performance. I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon, but I never liked Gunn in this role. That was one of the biggest issues I had with the show. Dean Norris was wonderful and Betsy Brandt was fine. The show also had some great help from Bob Odenkirk who stole scenes as Saul Goodman and a sneakily wonderful performance by Jonathan Banks. The cast as a whole was fantastic.
Sometimes it's hard for me to believe this show wrapped after only five seasons. I feel like so much happened in this series. Some of that might be due to the nail-biting, incredibly suspenseful situations Walter and Jesse found themselves in. This was an incredibly thrilling show- Vince Gilligan deserves great credit for making this an exciting, memorable series in addition to a wonderful character study. I never thought I'd be interested in a show about methamphetamine, but Gilligan ensured the audience was brought fully into this world. As Walter gets deeper into the business and eventually becomes Heisenberg, we learn more and more about this fascinating yet deadly drug. I enjoyed that look into this dark world.
I also have to give "Breaking Bad" credit for its final season. So many great shows seem to fumble a bit in their final seasons- "Lost", "The X-Files", "Dexter", etc. That did not happen here. The final season was remarkable and the final episode was superb. It wasn't perfect, but it was an incredible way to end the series. If someone asked me how a television series could end on a high note and truly end well, I'd point them to "Breaking Bad".
I don't watch a lot of television, especially compared to movies, but I bow down at the medium for its ability to ingrain characters into our lives through a much longer time frame. I truly loved watching this show and Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are two of my all-time favorite characters. No matter the hype, "Breaking Bad" is truly something special.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A
If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Dexter