Breaking Bad - the cult anti-hero show you cannot afford to miss !

ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch “BREAKING BAD” a cult series on Netflix that could actually have fifty reasons to watch. Created by Vince Gilligan in 2008 as a Noir show, the original plan was to have only seven episodes in one season. Walter White, the high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque played by Bryan Cranston went on to become arguably the greatest character on television and there was no looking back. Breaking Bad went on to air for 62 episodes spanning five seasons and, in the process, garnering 129 awards and 229 nominations! It is quite simply as addictive as the blue meth that White cooks 99.6% pure and keeps you hooked totally. If you are planning to begin watching the show, I would advise you to keep everything aside and surrender to the wonder that is Heisenberg!

1.       Breaking Bad is right up there in the shortlist of best TV shows ever. Clean characterisation, superb acting, fantastic casting, plot twists, black humour, great writing, masterful production design, music … pretty much everything about it is brilliant. Fans have often got into a debate on whether Breaking Bad is better than Game of Thrones and the jury is still out on this one. This show is classy slow poison; it ingests you smoothly and much like a python swallowing a deer keeps tightening and releasing the hold till fully ingested! 

2.       Breaking Bad boasts a cast that went on to weave characters that are loved the world over. Besides the enduring image of Walter White cooking meth in his white underwear, fans love Aaron Paul for playing Jesse Pinkman who plays White’s associate as they go on to build the biggest drug empire in New Mexico. Other characters like Gus Firing, Mike Ehrmantraut, Hank Schrader and Saul Goodman went on to become legendary and spur both a prequel “Better call Saul” and a film “El Camino- A Breaking Bad movie” as a tribute to the popularity of Giligan’s creation.

3.       One of the best things about Breaking Bad is the flawed characters and their drama that is true to life. And this is what sets it apart and possibly makes it better than GoT. Their lives are very normal, and it is the circumstances that prompt them to take to the hardened criminal life. Walter White suffers from lung cancer and is forced to produce meth in order to support his family. Now what can possibly be wrong about this? Pretty much the same philosophy as Gus Firing of the menacing looks and the friendly neighborhood chicken retail store.

4.       Breaking Bad is about breaking the law. But it is not about hardened criminals. The treatment of violence is sophisticated and does not take centre stage. The build-up, the circumstances and the motives are paramount.

5.       Breaking Bad is all about high stakes wonderful cinematography. Director of Photography, Michael Slovis, described the show as "real film-making, more so than even many films that you work on now. And because it's a told in a long, narrative arc, the visual elements of the show can be unfolded slowly as well, allowing it to take risks”. The humour is also an art here with the exchanges between White and Pinkman oscillating between bitter and funny. And finally, the sound tracks are mesmerizing. In summary, the package works!

Breaking Bad is the perfect anti-hero story. It combines humour, science, real life situations and flawed characters to put together a nail-biting tale. It leaves you asking for more and we don’t know what to expect. Nor can we wait to find out !