As any budding Breaking Bad fan must have already realised, I am of course referring to our friendly neighbourhood meth cook Walter White. This thread is for all discussion Breaking Bad related!
For those that have not seen the show, it is about a Chemistry teacher that turns to a life of crime after he is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. To put it bluntly, it is one of the best TV shows ever made. Watch it. Do it now. Stop reading this thread. GO WATCH.
Ok. Good. Now, here is my take on the TV show. Breaking Bad is about change. It is about people, and how and why they change. The main question it raises in my mind is this: Is bad just inherent in some people, or more radically just inherient in the human race? Can one even define what makes a person bad? To what extent does ones motivation expunge them of moral responsibilty? Does doing what is best for your family at the expense of others make you evil? And does everyone have the ability to cross such lines when placed under such extreme circumstances, or is there simply just potential for innate badness in some people?
I dont want to go into detail in this first post as I dont want to spoil anything for anyone that plans on watching this show. I do however want to encourage discussion on the recent episodes of season five and the series as a hole.
So, Breaking Bad viewers, what do you think of the series so far, what other less obvious themes do you think it explores? And of course, where do you think this series is going? Personally I look forward to the most epic back and forth between Hank and Walt. I'm just waiting for Walt to make a big slipup and for Hank to spot it. The slow realisation that Heisenburg has been under his nose this whole time will be an extremely interesting one.
At least thats the direction I see the show going in. Perhaps I am unimaginative and something far more unexpected will occur. In fact I hope it does.
I love this show. I have a feeling that the people who love the show just understand it at a subconscious level. I think the show is about what's right and wrong vs what people think is right and wrong. That's just my bias though. There's a lot more to the show than just that. Far too much for me to type out here anyway.
Best show on TV. Since the beginning of the series with each episode passing Walter has been stripping away at his morality while struggling with his mortality. Also Jesse begins to find and align a moral compass, however small or insignificant one may judge it, as the series progresses. It's an insightful look at the human condition with repect to power and control. Like the old adage by Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." reminds of Walter White completely. One man's descent into darkened chaos, all the while he tip-toes the razor's edge of insanity and genius.
I agree. Also, without revealing too many details, I like how the show explores the "ends justify the means" mentality that Walter acts on as the show progresses. The longer he works toward the poorly defined end, the more means he has to justify, and in doing so, he completely loses sight of his original goal. He becomes buried in problems and complications from setting off in the wrong direction that eventually he ruins any chance of acheving his goal.
I'm in complete disagreement with the phrase "the ends justify the means". If you have virtuous intentions, you will not achieve your goal through immoral actions.
Also, I shouldn't have to say this, but the drugs aren't the problem. It's the killing, stealing, and violence that he is committing in order to achieve his poorly defined ends.
Right now I have been watching the show just for a few weeks. I started really late compared to some people, however I am currently on Season 3, Episode 9. I really enjoy the show and how it provokes deep thought. It also has many twists and turns and most of the time I don't expect them at all. I am extremely excited to finish Season 3 and move on to Season 4! I have heard that things get even more hectic in Season 4.