Breaking down Breaking Bad: an amuse-bouche

Breaking Bad's fourth season begins July 17th. Sarah and I watched the first two seasons last year and DIEEEEEEEED. Other than The Wire, I have never heard the overwhelming amount of praise for a show I've heard for Breaking Bad. People fall over themselves trying to describe what a magnificent vision it is. From the first few minutes of the pilot it is obvious that this is no exaggeration. It has some of the strongest writing I have ever seen on a TV show, and the two protagonists are cast more brilliantly than words can describe. Bryan Cranston consistently gives the best performance by anyone on television (and winning an Emmy three years in a row is a pretty sweet vindication of that; there is just no competition - I'm looking at you, Jon Hamm. Pfft). Aaron Paul, who won a well-deserved Emmy this past year, is a considerable partner to Cranston. Their chemistry (more on that later) is palpable onscreen and it is one of the best things about the show.


If you will kindly take a look at the bone-chilling and endlessly satisfying poster for season four, you can see that the title card for the show uses elements from the periodic table. This simple yet clever artistic decision alludes to the fact that Walter White (Cranston) is a high school chemistry teacher who, upon learning that he has lung cancer, begins to use his considerable knowledge of chemistry to cook crystal meth. He goes into business with his former high school student Jesse Pinkman (Paul), who happens to be in the meth market already. Walter's ultimate goal is to earn enough money so his pregnant wife and son, who has cerebral palsy, can be financially secure once he dies.

As can be expected, Breaking Bad is, for the most part, a very heavy and intense show. The aforementioned brilliance in writing and acting make you incredibly invested in the characters, which can be quite emotionally draining. That said, the scenes with Jesse and Mr. White cooking meth and butting heads are so expertly done and contain such great comedic moments that you will never run the risk of burning out.

I don't want to ramble more than I already have. This is all a prelude to us watching and writing about the third season in preparation for the fourth season premiere in July. I do want to give a special mention to RJ Mitte, who plays Walt's son, Walt Jr. His portrayal of the character is stunning and his interactions with Walt Sr. are often some of the most emotional scenes in the series. Yet he's also often the source of much of the humour on the show. All this makes him, in my eyes at least, one of the best characters not only on this show, but anywhere on TV. Suck it, Jon Hamm!*

*I quite like Jon Hamm. On 30 Rock. And SNL.