Season 1 & 2 Recap
Breaking Bad is about a 50 year-old chemistry teacher named Walter White (played wonderfully by Bryan Cranston… he’s won an Emmy for both seasons). Walt has a pregnant wife (she’s younger - approaching forty) and a teenage son who’s coping with cerebral palsy. Walt woks part-time at a car wash after teaching high school everyday to try and provide for his family. He’s an admirable guy with really bad luck. We find out in the pilot that he has terminal lung cancer (although he’s never smoked). Season 1 is filled with moments of “this isn’t fair.”
Seemingly out of options, Walt decides to take matters into his own hands to provide for his family. He teams up with an ex-student turned drug dealer named Jesse Pinkman and decides to cook and sell Meth… he’s a chemist, afterall.
Breaking Bad may seem far-fetched, but the show is anything but. It’s incredibly realistic - every choice the characters make feels heartfelt and genuine. It’s also incredibly dark at times. Some of the choices Walt makes will cause you to cringe. But in the end, Breaking Bad is about one thing: a man taking control of his own life. At the start of Season 1, Walt barely speaks - all his emotions are told through subtle facial expressions. But by the end of Season 2 (only twenty episodes in), Walt is calling all the shots in his life. With each episode, you will find yourself torn between loving and hating Walt.
Breaking Bad has become one of my favorite new shows. Much of television has become delivering the most intriguing plots. While you may not fall in love with Breaking Bad’s plot, I suspect you will with its characters. I highly recommend you give it a shot.
Season 3 returns on March 21st.
-MP