Top 5 Reasons to watch Breaking Bad
As a man who is psyched for
July 15th when part one of the final season of Breaking Bad debuts
(the season is split into two eight episode chunks in order to keep the show on
air longer) it’s time to convince others to watch the best show on television
(or at least in a tie with Mad Men for best show on television). Because of
that (and the fact that the show gets only average cable ratings) it’s time to
give the skeptics and the people who have never heard of the show five reasons
they need to watch the show.
#5. The Look
Breaking Bad’s look is fantastically cinematic. It’s one
of the only shows left that is shot almost completely with film and it definitely
shows. It’s big, bright, and colorful, really accentuating the look and feel of
the place Walt and Jessie live in. My favorite example of how well this episode
is shot is in the late season 2 episode “4 Days out” in which Walt and Jessie
are trapped in the Desert when the RV malfunctions. The color palate used in
the desert shots is simply stunning to look at. The look is definitely one of
the most fantastic things about this amazing show.
#4. The Risk Taking
One of Breaking Bad’s most defining features is how many
risks it takes. Things that feel like they should happen way later in a series
like this happen way sooner than expected. Also the show has not and continues
to not be afraid to constantly rip all the morality and “good” out of the main
character Walter White. His transformation (more on that in a few secs) has
been one with many twists and turns that not many people saw coming and that is
a magical thing that very very few shows can achieve.
#3. The Tension
If there’s one thing Breaking Bad knows how to do for
sure it is great suspense film making. Each episode has a constant tension to it
whether it’s a slower character building episode or a fast paced season ender.
Especially throughout the last two seasons there have been moments where I’m so
far on the edge of my seat and I forget to breath. We can site “Crawl Space”, “Box
Cutter”, “One Minute” and so many more for unbearable moments of tension that
haven’t really been achieved on any other modern television show.
#2. The Characters
Walt, Jessie, Skyler, Hank, and the rest of the cast are
such brilliantly complex characters; every last one of them! Walt goes from
good old relatable under achieving Chemistry teacher with lung cancer to hardened
criminal in such an amazing and full transformation that it is mind blowing.
Jessie has gone through so many amazing arcs it’s insane. Skyler is one of the
best handled female wife of an anti hero characters it’s amazing. Hank goes
from being a character that many thought would be simple and one dimensional into
one of the most complex characters on the show. That’s not even mentioning some
of the most compelling villains (everyone say Gus with me) and most interesting
side characters of any show. Characters are what make or break television shows
in this era and Breaking Bad has some of the best.
#1. The Acting
No other show on television has the sheer amount of great
actors and acting moments as Breaking Bad does, period. Brian Cranston currently
gives the best performance on any television show, period (and he has three straight
Emmys to show it). Cranston and his supporting man Paul (more on him in a moment)
make the show (that admittedly on paper sounds a tad over the top) make the
show entirely believable and compulsively watchable. I mean Cranston isn’t just
acting as Walt; most of the time Walter White just feels like an extension to
Brian Cranston’s personality (which is frightening considering how evil this
man becomes). Aaron Paul is equally as amazing as Jessie and plays all of
Jessie’s various forms with such believability that it’s scary. That’s just
scratching the surface as well as Breaking Bad’s entire crew is simply amazing at
every possible turn.
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