'Breaking Bad'

[John Dicus]

Well now..... can we speak of series on TV also?
If so I'd like to put my two-cents in for the AMC series 'Breaking Bad'
They are down to the last season
It's a strange blend of intrigue, drama, intense suspense.....
the odd dichotomy of extreme characterizations accentuates the psycho-drama tinged with narcotic frenzy.
We also have such extremes in the loves of the people involved, because betrayal seems to run hand-in-hand with high-risk/high-ROI criminal enterprises.
How, just how does 'pencil-necked geek' Bryan Cranston as High School chemistry teacher Mr. White turn into 'Heisenberg' the arch-criminal mastermind of a vast methamphetamine empire? By turning his loving family upside down with lung cancer requiring massive amounts of cash for his treatment and his family's eventual needs. But like an adrenaline fueled rush, the meth frenzy induces a hypnotic need for more, and more and more all the time. There is no end to the 'cooking', the dealing with the people that have the millions for forty pound loads weekly, and the killing when death or incarceration is omnipresent.

Yes, when this series is done I'll have to watch it again from the beginning to let myself 'come down slowly', as I fear a 'Cold-Turkey' approach just might do me in.

[Ben Chiu]

I haven't seen BREAKING BAD, but I do know about the plot line. In general, I'll say that I'm against glorifying criminals in media (I guess I don't have much faith that people won't be swayed by or become desensitized to exposure to sociopathic behavior--even when fictionalized. Thankfully, most people who consider themselves intelligent can compartmentalize, but the slow creep towards indifference or acceptance is how society becomes dysfunctional.)

That said, what makes BREAKING BAD interesting is the same as what made TWILIGHT ZONE interesting--normal people stuck in extraordinary circumstances. What keeps you hooked is watching how they handle it all. It makes you think what you'd do in the same situation(s). Good stuff!

Unfortunately, with these kinds of series'--when you go down these kinds of "dead end" roads (pardon the pun), like THE WALKING DEAD, there is no future and it all must come to an end eventually. What I find interesting is it's the ride that matter to viewers, not the destination. Great for repeat viewing, but without closure will it be as satisfying? I can't help but look back at LOST. How many watch/watched LOST again?