Me and Aimee started watching Breaking Bad recently, and it's a show I've tried to watch with her over the last few years, but she was never interested in it, based purely on the subject matter of the show.
Drugs, and The Danger
It shows the dark side of narcotics, shines a light on addiction, and kind of peels back the glorification of that sort of lifestyle and shows the ugliness of the world of drugs. It makes you see many aspects of the criminal underworld, from dealers and distributors, to the agencies trying to stamp it out, and to the victims of that sort of lifestyle.
The story is presented through the ideas of an amateur dealer, and - basically - a complete noob who has been sheltered from that side of life, apart from the odd stories shared by his DEA agent, brother-in-law.
Psychopaths fill the world, and the main characters are forced to stare them in the face. The unpredictability of these people, induced in chemical rage is just one of many obstacles they need to overcome.
The psychopaths are on the other side of the law as well, and I think the show does a great job of showcasing the fact that the law enforcement - who are completely desensitised to the victims of this lifestyle, and the plight they have to face.
They're shown to be completely careless, and merciless in their pursuit of bringing people to justice. To the extent of taking pictures of dead bodies, and sharing those images with the likes of Walt is one example of the ugliness in their own minds. Even though they're the "good guys."
I don't know where the saying is from, but "to hunt monsters, you have to become a monster." - it could be the Witcher?
That quote comes to mind when seeing how the DEA in the show, acts and is portrayed.
It Starts Slow
I never realised just how slow it is, but the first season was kind of boring in a typical sense. Aimee was kind of drifting and not interested, until we reached the second season, and things started to happen.
Writing and storytelling are a thing I always enjoy. I could happily watch a show based around compelling characters in an interesting situation, having a conversation and revealing details through dialogue. If you like that type of stuff check out Inside No. 9, it's a great show which has some amazing writing.
The situation, the characters, and the hidden tension underlying each conversation in Breaking Bad are compelling and keep me interested, but I can see why Aimee was kind of getting bored during the first season.
I not only liked all of that, but the camera work is also great, as is the editing. All in all, the show really does feel more like a film, rather than a TV show. I watched it before going to college and gaining an understanding of blocking, cinematography, lighting, and editing. With a new eye for all of that stuff, it's good being able to revisit this show and enjoy an aspect that I didn't pay much attention to before.
We'd just come off watching Sons of Anarchy, and I really wanted a good show we could both watch and enjoy, and luckily Aimee trusted me and sat out the first season because now she's interested in it and is enjoying the show much more. She hasn't outright said she likes it (because she doesn't want to give me the satisfaction of knowing I picked a good'en) Instead, she lets me know she likes it by not rolling her eyes when I scramble for the TV remote once Kaleb falls asleep.
Being Corrupted
It's amazing as far as character development goes, I mean, we're pretty early on in the show, but it's so interesting seeing a slight and subtle time where Walt slowly adapts to his new world and slowly becomes something that would have terrified him during the first season.
We just finished one of the episodes where one of their dealers is shot and killed, and Walt kind of flippantly brushes past it and says something like, "let's just hire more."
Since the dealer was one of Jesse's friends, it's easy to see why a comment like that sows some seeds in his mind that starts to make him distant toward Walt.
I remember certain things about the show, and the story, so I'm able to notice these little things on this re-watch, and I'm also enjoying it because there is so much of the show that I don't remember.
All in all, we're having fun watching this one, but Skyler is annoying.
