Creators:
Vince GilliganComposer:
Dave PorterCast:
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, Jesse Plemons (more)VOD (3)
Seasons(5) / Episodes(62)
Plots(1)
To "break bad," as says the old colloquialism from the American South, is to go so wrong it's almost impossible to do what's right. Walter White is breaking bad. Recently diagnosed with Type III lung cancer, raising a son with cerebral palsy, and in need of a way to support his family, Walter uses his skills to transform himself from nebbishy high-school chemistry teacher to neophyte crystal-meth cook in the blink of an eye. Things become problematic when, not long after Walter and his former student Jesse put together a lucrative cooking operation, the two of them of are assaulted by a pair of drug dealers who accuse Walter of being affiliated with the DEA. But that’s just the beginning of his problems: he soon has a dead body on his hands and has yet to even reveal his cancer to his loving wife. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
Season 1 – 90% – All expectations turned upside down. Potentially annoying scammer Jesse is my favorite character from the first scene onwards, potentially annoying caring Skyler positively surprises me with every decision. I want to know as much as possible about both of them, I want to see more of the main hero's abilities to get out of the worst situations, and ultimately, I just want to see where such a series can go. I didn't find any superficiality or false glamour of the drug trade here, quite the contrary. It starts as a genuinely restless family drama set in the unfortunate/lucky backdrop it can unfold. My biggest wish is for it to continue in this humane manner. Season 2 – 70% – I enjoyed it when Walt fought with his own morals in the name of his family, but I don't enjoy it when he tramples over his family and their values and only uses his original goals as an excuse. As my sympathy for the main character decreases, so does the quality, because his constant arrogant and rude behavior towards his (no matter how silly and naive) partner breaks my heart, just like Walt's way of making decisions in key situations, such as the obvious moral dilemma in the final episode, Phoenix. It's a shame, because there is still a lot of potential, and the outlook is becoming significantly darker. Hank, on the other hand, is working his way up to become the most charismatic TV cop. Season 3 – 80% – Some actions lead down a complicated path, but others don't. After the events of the previous season, the main character is still the deserved attraction for me, but I can't root for him, mainly because of his lack of self-reflection and sufficient repentance. On the other hand, the underrated Pinkman, thanks to Aaron Paul's perfectly human performance, becomes the driving force of the series in every aspect. However, the creative and incredibly suspenseful level of the show is truly restored only in the final two episodes, during which I hardly breathed due to nervousness, and I truly appreciated Giancarlo Esposito's nearly anti-mimic acting performance. Season 4 – 75% – Most AMC shows, in their exploration of interesting topics, reach a critical point where breathtaking twists start to thin out, and the humane approach begins to border on boring stagnation. Breaking Bad reached this point precisely in the hype of the fourth season, and there were times when I thought that any further dialogue between Walt and Skyler about the "car wash" could kill me. Fortunately, the second half of the season, which again deeply delves into the relationship between Jesse and Walt and introduces Jesse and Gus and Jesse and Mike relationships, is completely different in terms of tension. The dramatic ending of the last episodes cleverly presents a great climax, and it is a pity that Vince Gilligan often can't restrain himself and lets impressive scenes go too far. The building of an overwhelming pressure from all sides is as claustrophobic, if not more, as the previous season. Season 5, first part – 80% – Walt is unbearable. I never understood his popularity, and now, when the inconspicuous psychological terror against the depressed Skyler has finally reached its peak, I am sickened by Heisenberg's boastful monologue to the point of nausea. Although Bryan Cranston still has surprises up his sleeve even in the fifth year, the development of his character has disgusted me for a long time. I praise Gilligan for it, as well as Jesse's definitive maturity and the pervasive sense of the inevitable beginning of the end, led by the episode Dead Freight, probably the best episode of the entire series. Season 5, second part – 90% – Saving the best for last. If it weren't for a few missteps that, nonetheless, reflect the development of the entire series, it might even be an absolute rating. Nevertheless, I was given eight episodes that leave such a strong impression that I could easily forget about the weaker periods. It is here, at the moment when everything is falling apart and literally all characters are on the verge of disaster, that you can best see who has grown closest to our hearts. And when I reminisce about Breaking Bad, I will always be grateful for giving me one perfectly complex character that quickly became one of my all-time favorite TV characters. Unlike most viewers (whom I will never understand), this character is not Heisenberg, Walter White, a self-absorbed villain, no matter how we may call him. In my eyes, it is the broken and perpetually stumbling addict and unfortunate soul, Jesse Pinkman.
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Since the days of Rest in Peace, I haven't seen a new series that could entice me this much. In particular, the transformation of the main character (I'm not going to say protagonist) is something surreal, and the way in which the screenwriters cruelly mess with viewer’s sympathies and how they don't really give a damn, is admirable. Of all the episodes, not a single one seemed useless to me, there were no blank spots in any of them, although there was talk all the time, I enjoyed the precisely written dialogues as much as when the characters were just looking at each other and the tension thickened. It was an excellent fifty hours.
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Breaking Bad is a series that is beyond reproach. A perfect story with brilliant acting, completely unpredictable and, most importantly, perfectionist in every detail. Emotions were stirring in me after almost every episode. I didn't even know who to (shall we say) root for, because there are no good guys in the story, or there are, but the rate at which Walter White drags them down to darkness is unbelievable. There’s a very thin line between good and evil here, and it just blows your mind to see Walter White turn from an ordinary, humble guy into a complete monster, realizing that life can be too damn short, so he’d better enjoy his last months without taking any shit from anybody, and finally be the one in charge. The final episodes of each season are absolutely perfect, but I could watch the episode about the train heist every day. I don't know what else to add. No other show on TV comes even close to Breaking Bad in terms of story sophistication. S01: 9/10. S02: 9/10. S03: 10/10. S04: 10/10. S05: 10/10.
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Season one:An excellent story and absolutely great transformation of the main protagonist. That great swine, life is the main villain here throwing not just sticks, but reinforced concrete joists in our way to trip us up. Superb. Season two: To cut a long story short, this is the real take off. The creators set to work and drive Walt towards his unexpected future. + Perfect cameo by Danny Trejo.Season three: The slightly weaker take off makes fertile land for the final harvest. You can’t just end a season like that, can you? It’s cruelty. Season four: An unbelievably full-on season that sets the bar so high that I don’t know if anybody will be able to jump over it in the future. And adrenaline finale, the final revelation and masterful acting performances make this season a milestone in this series. "I won." Season five: Some darn good meth is going around Prague these days... Walt’s rise to the top and definitive transformation into a drug kingpin shows us that the end is nigh. And it’s going to end spectacularly... A year later. The second half of the season really floors the gas pedal and the last five or so episodes sets a new, higher standard for TV production. Faultlessly written, ingenious tension build-up with a very satisfying ending. Anna Gunn delivered one of the best female acting performances (well-deserved Emmy). And the whole thing stands on Bryan Cranston’s shoulders. The final episode is hosted exclusively by him and the farewell is classy. I enjoyed the final moments of the series with a satisfied smile on my lips and a chill down my spine all at once.
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Seeing Breaking Bad makes me want to extract the ricin from the beans, but that's essentially my only complaint. This is the first series since The Wire that honestly fascinates me with its attention to plot sophistication, fictional characters, and, most importantly, absolute unpredictability. I gave up guessing the storyline halfway through the second season because there's no point. The way in which Walter White, who learns the value and brevity of human life from one day to the next, functions on both sides of the law while (un)consciously pulling in people around him is perhaps even better than in Dexter. This is mainly because the moments when we realize that he is really becoming evil are conveyed by the filmmakers through complete banality. Like ordinary marital conversations: "I'm not in danger." I am the danger!"
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