Bryan Cranston stars as Walter White in Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is a show that restores my faith in the entertainment industry. In an industry so fixated on grossing money and entertaining with mindless musicals or crap cop dramas, Breaking Bad strays from this and culminates good entertainment through its storytelling, acting, and directing.
For those not familiar with Breaking Bad, the show revolves around a high school chemistry teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston (Malcom in the Middle), who turns to meth dealing after discovering he has cancer in order to provide for his family. Mr. White teams up with a former druggie student, Jesse Pinkman in order to manufacture and sell meth. Things have changed quite a bit since season 1 and for the better. Tonight's season finale of Breaking Bad gave a demonstration of the power of television and one of the best episodes of television ever created.
A common theme throughout Breaking Bad is that of morality. The stakes have risen in Season 3 of Breaking Bad. Walter White is no longer a man who has nothing to lose. Mr. White now has a baby daughter, a somewhat restored family and no longer has cancer. People are no longer relying without him but on him. It's interesting how the journey of our protagonists, Walter and Jesse, have changed so dramatically since Season 1. In Season 1, Jesse Pinkman saw himself as a criminal and Walter saw himself merely as an innocent man. Now, Walter is no longer an innocent man and Jesse pleads for Walter to go to the DEA. The dynamic duo originally were ones that wouldn't kill somebody without just cause. By the end of Full Measures though, Walt and Jesse are willing to take any measures in order to save their own lives even if it means killing an innocent man. While Gale is not an innocent man by any means, he has not done enough to warrant his death.
"I saved your life, Jesse, are you going to save mine?"- Walter White
I love how the relationship that has developed between Walt and Jesse throughout the series. Also, fun sidenote. The line about having three children in the flashback of Walt and Skyler looking at the ranch house was a nice touch (Walt Jr., Holly, and in a sense Jesse).
Just like past seasons, Breaking Bad ended the season with a cliffhanger ending. While we know that Jesse has shot Gale, there is much ambiguity as to the fate of Walt and Jesse. Breaking Bad is one of the finest shows to ever have been aired on television. Do yourself a favor and check it out on Netflix and then come back for Season 4 next year.
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