Breaking Bad - a Delight Among Television Shows

I am a huge fan of AMC's Breaking Bad. I have been watching this show from the first episode and consider it to be the best show on television nowadays.

Breaking Bad follows mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he begins to make crystal methamphetamine with the help of former slacker student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). The reason for this drastic change? Walt has a pregnant wife and a son with cerebral palsy, has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, and wishes to leave his family enough money to be able to survive.

Walter White is played terrifically by Bryan Cranston. We see White's hesitance to go into drug production turn into assertiveness. We see him begin to despise the former, law-abiding life he lived before he was diagnosed with cancer. Walter White is a conundrum, a high school teacher by day and a meth cook by night. I would say that the only time that Walter White feels truly alive is when he is making meth, as he is able to use his advanced chemistry skills for more than instructing disinterested teenagers.

One aspect of Breaking Bad that is absolutely phenomenal is that it paces itself so slowly. Normally, it would be frustrating for a show to take its time, more or less. However, Breaking Bad uses this to its advantage, as it has a much more "mature" feeling compared to other television shows. The short recap at the beginning of each episode of Breaking Bad is sometimes necessary to remember everything that they reference in the new episode. I feel like this is a welcome change from the majority of television shows nowadays, who have story arcs of five to seven episodes and never reference the occurrences afterwards. The slowly-paced writing makes Breaking Bad feel like a continuous story as opposed to a series of shorter vignettes.

Breaking Bad's writing is exceptional, as is the acting on the part of every member of the cast. AMC's Breaking Bad is a delight among television shows and as we near the season finale of Breaking Bad, the show displays no signs of slowing down. If you've never watched Breaking Bad before, rent the first season and catch up on the story. It's worth it.