Let's get all television on your collective peepers for just a moment, as we recap the superb first series of the hallucinogenic series, Breaking Bad.
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a middle-aged schmo, working as a high school chemistry teacher and moonlighting at a car wash to make ends meet for his pregnant wife (the preposterously named Skylar) and their disabled child, Walt Jnr. If you're not already depressed by the already EastEnders Christmas Special storyline, then things take a turn for the worst as Walt is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
It's when Walt chooses what to do with the last days of his life that makes this show so riveting, that you\’ll be clamouring for your next fix.
Taking his underused skills in chemistry, he begins to cook Meth with an ex-student drug dealer, Jesse (Aaron Paul), collectively putting together their combined skills to create the best product on the market.
By the time the second season has kicked off, Walt has already had to deal with the ramifications of his new profession, getting on the wrong side of drug lords and accepting the blood on his hands. Bryan Cranston in the lead has proven to be adept at providing a versatile performance that is full of sadness, repression and anger.
In the second season, he's already started to become proud, almost self-righteous, of his cooking skills; a respect for his chemistry, almost a never appreciated art form, is now getting due attention. Cranston flips from a man living under a woman to a full-on suburban Scarface.
His relationship with Jesse is constantly put under strain, with new power come new responsibility and it's evident that the danger that comes with their added exposure only proves their naivety. The two constantly bicker, but it becomes clear that Jesse see?s Walt as a father figure, constantly looking for acceptance which he can't find within his own family, while Walt is finally getting the respect that is missing from his own son.
The exceptional writing doesn't just come through from the characters but the story is tightly paced that it constantly grips. It flirts with Walt revealing to his family his secret, and given his brother-in-law is a DEA high-flyer it's unlikely to end well.
The second season starts with a teasing shot of a chargrilled bear floating in the White?s pool; it's a teasing opening that is constantly referred back to until the final reveal at the end of the series. If the season has a weak point it's that the believability is somewhat lost in the final revelation but that doesn't taint the series as a whole.
The show has a lot to do with responsibility, family and death but if that all sounds too serious then it won't fail to make you laugh in its ridiculousness. ?The horribly misjudged poster for the series has Cranston on the front in his underwear holding a gun but the show doesn't pull cheap humour on the audience, instead coming from the characters and witty dialogue.
We can't recommend this show enough, and we’ve remained as cryptic as possible in fear of revealing too much. It's an exquisite drama filled with surprises and characters you actually care for. ?Then DVD for the second season is packed with features, behind the scenes clips and interviews, making for a more than worthy investment. Dive into this show now, although, we wouldn't be the responsible adults that we are if we didn't warn you one thing: It's addictive.
?Spray Rating: 5/5
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Kitsune says
This show is honestly one of the best Television shows out there right now. The writing is superb and the acting makes other shows look like childrens programming. I seriously have a hard time watching other programs after being so enthralled with the acting on this show.
Definitely worth a watch.