The Art of Breaking Bad

As an avid watcher of TV series, I consider myself well placed to comment of a new (to me anyway) series Breaking Bad. Most TV series start with a firework or two and then degenerate into a glutenous mess of direction-less modernity. I got hooked on Lost only to twist agonizingly when it degenerated into a boring mulch. The same happened in Heroes, the plot twisted nicely when we were plunged into 17th Century Japan but then the water got muddied and the plot thickened into a opaque soup. I started watching The Event last night and whilst I continued to watch I was struck by the back-and-forward time line which frankly did nothing to engage me for the subsequent episodes, sometimes these series writers try too hard.

Breaking Bad (and I have watched up to the end of series three) has never failed to engage and enthrall. Vince Gilligan must be congratulated on the meld of script and plot which is beautifully wrought by the superb acting skills of the entire cast. The characters of Walt White and Jessie Pinkman are to be applauded on their depth and chemistry (pun intended), and both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul should be raking in the acting offers based on their performances.

What is best about Breaking Bad is its unpredictability. Just when you suspect where a storyline might be going it twists off into something else. I read recently that Gilligan allowed most of season three to self conceive its direction from the characters interaction. There was a start point and an end point but how they got their was the spontaneous collaboration between actors and writers. What I very much hope is that the series will not continue, it is far too good to screw up by eager commissioners wanting more. I hope that Mr Gilligan imitates the actions of John Cleese and kills it off at the zenith of its popularity. Hard to say when I love it so but I would rather that then the series end up like Lost or Heroes.

SG