34/28

Who do you think you see?

Scenario

A chemistry professor diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer starts producing and selling meth with a former student to secure his family’s future. Celebrate fan favorite series Breaking Bad by revisiting the most memorable scenes that were originally supposed to have Jesse Pinkman written into the ninth episode. During the hiatus due to the writers’ strike, creator Vince Gilligan, impressed with Aaron Paul’s portrayal of Jesse and the fact that everyone liked Paul, decided to bring the character back and pass Jesse’s fate on to another character in the season one finale, in the opening credits, the letters of the cast and crew’s last names are highlighted in green, representing the symbols for chemical elements. However, the “Ch” in Michael Slovis’ name is underlined in several early episodes, even though Ch is not a symbol for a chemical element. In later episodes, only the letter “C” (for carbon) is highlighted. Walter White: Who are you talking to now?

Without me, it ceases to exist

Do you know how much I make in a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going to work? A company big enough to be listed on the NASDAQ goes bankrupt. Disappears. No, you clearly don’t know who you’re talking to, so let me give you a hint.

I AM danger

I’m not in danger, Skyler. A guy opens the door and gets shot, and you think that about me? NO! I’m the one calling! The opening credits use chemical symbols from the periodic table as part of their names: bromine (Br) and barium (Ba) in the title, none for creator Vince Gilligan (except when he gets a V for vanadium), one for the cast and crew. All episodes have been rerun in some areas on cable on demand, commercial-free, but with additional scenes not seen on AMC.

Dead Fingers Talkingby Working in a Nuclear-Free City

Edited from CollegeHumor Originals: Breaking Bad/Walking Dead Mash-Up (2013). Breaking Bad is one of the highest-rated shows on IMDb, one of those rare things where every season is either critically acclaimed or almost universally acclaimed, and everyone I know has nothing but great things to say about it. There aren’t many shows in recent memory that have hooked me so much from the start that I’ve watched the entire show by the end of the week, especially since it can be difficult to watch an entire episode of a show on streaming shows these days. Breaking Bad had a huge impact on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant, and most addictive shows in years (maybe ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is probably its first, which is understandable, since the first season of any show is the one where things are still settling in. In reality, everything is set up incredibly early on, but as the writing and characterizations become even more substantial, the show reaches even higher levels.

The direction couldn’t have been better

Visually, Breaking Bad is one of those shows that is both stylish and beautiful, with a cinematic quality to its cinematography and editing that puts many contemporary films to shame, many of which are visually beautiful but others that look painfully amateurish. The music is always in the right mood, never too intrusive, never too muted. Breaking Bad’s script is a good example for all shows of how to have style but also substance. The dialogue throughout the film is thought-provoking and suspenseful, while also possessing a dark, wicked sense of humor and moving pathos. The stories are richly textured, intimate, tense, and layered, and the pacing is consistently thoughtful yet tense. I have nothing bad to say about the performances.