By: Elena Donatone
Although there are many great TV series out there, none of them usually combine all the factors that make a show truly magnificent. The only exception to that is the one and only Breaking Bad (2008-2013).
Breaking Bad focuses on Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a family man and high school chemistry teacher, who “breaks bad” and starts a meth empire with former student Jesse (Aaron Paul), when he finds out he has stage-three lung cancer. Although at first Walter cooks meth to leave money for his family after he’s gone, he soon finds out how good he is at it and how that dangerous world makes him feel alive for the first time…
The popular and highly praised American crime drama has won over 100 awards during its running time and it is still considered, by viewers and critics alike, the best TV series ever created.
But what makes Breaking Bad such a masterpiece? And what makes it shine way more than many other successful TV series?
As a great fan of the show, here are 5 reasons why Breaking Bad is the best show ever! (But there are way more than 5, trust me!)
1. The Character Arcs
Skyler: "Walt, please, let's both of us stop trying to justify this whole thing and admit you're in danger!"
Walter:"Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. Disappears! It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!"
What I usually admire in a TV series and what Breaking Bad successfully achieves is great character arcs. I love watching how the characters change over time and how different situations affect them, and turn them into better and worse people.
Breaking Bad offers more than a few wonderful character arcs and in my opinion not many shows have succeeded just as well.
From the amazing arc we witness with Skyler (Anna Gunn) and Hank’s (Dean Norris) characters, to the personal growth we see in Jesse.
And of course, above all, Walter White’s character arc, from an introverted and faithful husband and high school teacher, to a powerful and dangerous drug lord.
The transformation of his character leaves viewers with goosebumps and it is still, to this day, the best character arc I have seen on TV!
2. The Acting
"You know what, Walt? Someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family."
Although many TV series, such as Game Of Thrones and The Wire, have outstanding performances from their cast, Breaking Bad is still above all of them according to critics.
It could be because of the great plot and dialogues, which make the actors shine. Or it could be the passion the actors clearly have for their roles.
Although leading actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are surely the most talented and expressive ones, Anna Gunn is a very dedicated actress as well. So dedicated that she brought Skyler to life (Walter’s unlikable and quite nasty wife and one of the most hated television characters ever!)
The amazing acting was rightfully awarded and Bryan Cranston won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his role as Walter White, while Aaron Paul received 3 in total (in 2010, 2012, 2014).
3. The Symbolism
“Some straight like you, giant stick up his ass, age what, 60? He’s just gonna break bad?”
If there is one thing Breaking Bad is better at than any other TV series I have ever watched, that is the ability to add symbolism and meaning to every single scene.
Every detail of every episode of the show is carefully designed and nothing is ever random. If you are a hard-core fan like me, you have surely noticed how many small details play a big role in the series.
From the pink teddy bear from season 2, which symbolises the tragic loss of innocence and the point of no return for Walter, to the easter eggs the creator offers, I have always been blown away at how much work was put into the production of every season.
And above all, I have always admired how Breaking Bad uses colour to highlight a character’s personality or action in a certain scene.
A careful viewer can see how red is always used in violent scenes. As an example, when Jesse goes to Gale’s house to shoot him, he is wearing a red T-Shirt.
And how blue, the colour of purity, is employed in Skyler’s clothes, as a symbol of her innocence compared to her husband. If you love Breaking Bad and you never noticed the importance of colours in the series, there are many videos on YouTube you can watch about it! (Check this one out by ScreenCrush for instance!)
4. The Themes
“I’ve been living with cancer for the better part of a year. Right from the start it’s a death sentence. That’s what they keep telling me. Well, guess what? Every life comes with a death sentence. So, every few months I come in here for my regular scan knowing full well that one of these times—hell, maybe even today—I’m gonna hear some bad news. But until then, who’s in charge? Me. That’s how I live my life.”
I always look for themes when watching a TV series and I remember being highly impressed at the amount I found in Breaking Bad.
Although somebody who’s never watched it could argue it seems a shallow and even weird show, every single fan knows that is far from the truth.
Breaking Bad’s creator Vince Gilligan had the imagination and talent to transform a simple story into a journey through life and death.
The series greatly deals with themes such as illness, death and what people leave behind when they pass. It also focuses on the importance of family and how good and bad can coexist in a person.
But above all, Breaking Bad is the story of a very talented high school teacher, who realises his true potential and starts feeling most alive when he finds out he has lung cancer. Ironically, the time Walter feels most alive is when he knows he will die.
5. The Perfect Ending
“I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really…I was alive.”
Although many TV series are wonderfully written and generally great, many of them fail to give fans and critics the very anticipated perfect ending (any Game of Thrones fan out there will know what I’m talking about).
But Breaking Bad wraps everything up in the last episode of season 5 “Felina” in what is considered, both by fans and critics, as the perfect ending for the perfect show.
Not even a single detail of the finale is out of place. From the characters to the plot, every aspect of Breaking Bad finds its conclusion in the most brilliant way.
Spoiler Alert!
Jesse finally breaks free and drives away towards a better and hopefully crime-free life, which is shown in the Netflix movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019).
And Walter finally gets to the end of his journey, with the unforgettable notes of “Baby Blue” by BadFinger. Although bittersweet, the finale is what every fan needed, and it once again proves how much Breaking Bad has changed television history forever.
Comments