Season two of AMC's Breaking Bad ended the other day with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman both losing people they held dear.
For those who aren't familiar with the story, Walter White was a hen pecked high school teacher who missed out on the good life long ago when his former business associates made millions without him. He was too proud to ask them for help when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, so he used his expertise in chemistry to cook a batch of meth of a quality not seen before in Albuquerque. With Jesse as distributor they eventually earned nearly half a million dollars each.
There's more to it than that, of course. And there is a cast of characters in the show that provide some excellent entertainment, not least of which is Hank, a mid level DEA agent hot on the trail of a drug kingpin not realizing that it's his own brother-in-law.
Bryan Cranston has gotten lots of critical acclaim for his role as Walt. But those critics need to take a second look at Aaron Paul. Mr. Paul really knocked the ball out of the park with his portrayal of Jesse, the drop out stoner who stumbled into the job of a big time drug dealer, the job of a lifetime for some, perhaps. But the Peter Principle applied, and it was way too big for Jesse.
So the second season ended with Jesse facing the horror of having his lover choke to death on her own vomit while he was in a drug induced stupor in bed next to her. And Walt is left alone as his wife takes off with the kids in disgust over the lies he told to keep his secret life secret. She doesn't even want to know the truth at this point. He could never say "no" to her, but she didn't have that inhibition. He was doing it all for the family, and he lost the family as a result -- an ironic punishment but a satisfying drama.
What next for this band of bad boys? We'll have to wait for the 3rd season.
Updated 6/8/09: Johah Goldberg liked it, too. "I recently finished the second season of Breaking Bad, and I have to say I think it's probably the best series on television since the demise of The Wire."
He could never say "no" to her, but she didn't have that inhibition. He was doing it all for the family, and he lost the family as a result -- an ironic punishment but a satisfying drama.
Some darned good writing in those 2 sentences.
Posted by: Redman | June 05, 2009 at 04:14 PM
Gee, thanks Redman. It was a darned good show, too.
Posted by: Geo | June 05, 2009 at 05:09 PM
I haven't been this hooked on a TV show since NYPD Blue went off the air! This show is such a refreshing departure from the garbage on the other 5,349 channels. Like Redman said, there is some amazing writing going on there. It took me a few episodes to take Brian Cranston seriously because I was also a "Malcom in the Middle" fan.
Posted by: Matt | June 12, 2009 at 09:32 AM
Matt, Cranston's role in Malcolm in the Middle was such a contrast to his role in Breaking Bad that it's almost hard to believe it was the same actor. I guess a good actor has to be able to play any role, and he certainly demonstrated that he can do it.
I hope the 3rd season is as good as the previous two.
Posted by: Geo | June 12, 2009 at 12:36 PM