Breaking Bad

            This week I literally have nothing to talk about, so I will just talk about one of my favorite TV shows, Breaking Bad. For any of you who don’t know what this show is, it is about a high school chemistry teacher who discovers that he has lung cancer. Since he is fed up with his crappy life and is now on the way out, he decides to take control of his life by cooking crystal meth. The plot sounds bizarre but this is one of the best-scripted shows to ever air. The main character, Walter White, is played by Bryan Cranston (the dad from Malcolm in the Middle).  This is nothing like Malcolm, through, since it is a very serious and frequently violent show. However, Cranston is amazing as Walter and has won the Emmy for best actor in a drama series three years in a row.

            While many people may be turned off by the shows heavy involvement with drugs and violence, both are used beautifully to progress the extremely interesting story. Walter gets into the game by finding one of his old students, Jessie, who dropped out and now tries to cook and sell meth. Walter blackmails Jessie by threating to turn him in to the DEA unless Jessie helps him set up his own meth operation. It turns out that since Walt is such a good chemist, he can make the purest crystal meth on the market.

            The plot is extremely rooted in real life situations and does an amazing job of showing Walter’s transformation from an honest workingman who has been screwed over one too many times to a man taking more and more control of his life. The camera work, script, characters and acting are all exceptional and the amount of awards the show has won mirrors their quality. Breaking Bad is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite shows along with Arrested Development, Dexter, Firefly, Lost, Mad Men, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Sons of Anarchy. I cannot wait for the fifth and final season to start this summer on AMC. (350)