Breaking Bad - Season 1

 "Say my name."

Spoilers For Breaking Bad Seasons 1-5 Ahead

I don't think any amount of articles are reviews for this movie will ever do justice to how great of a show Breaking Bad truly is. This is a show I definitely hope to discuss on the podcast. There is just so much to unpack here and discuss. I'm going to discuss each season starting with my thoughts on Season 1

Spoilers Ahead For Breaking Bad Season 1

When I sat down to watch this I frankly wasn't confident that it would live up to the very high expectations I had for it. The show has become a part of pop culture massively. It arguably paved the way for many of the shows we get now that are near and dear to us. While I don't think that this show has a single bad episode it took about three episodes for me to really get hooked into the show but by episode five I was all in. What I think the first five episodes do really well is show Walt's transition into this life of crime. The lies he has to create and the decisions he has to make to get out of sticky situations are some of the things this show does best. The drama they create between Walt and the captured dealer is one of the best parts of the early episodes and hints to even drama coming which is saying a lot because the drama we get here is still top-notch stuff.  The family meeting in episode five when Walt struggles with the decision on whether to do chemo or not was heartbreaking to watch and handled family drama in some of the best ways I've seen and the big element that makes the season and frankly the entire show so great is Bryan Cranston. You cannot understate how incredible Bryan Cranston is as Walter White. He deserved every Emmy he won playing this character. It's the glue that holds this show together and with a lesser performance, the show would be nothing but with Cranston playing him you just can't go wrong. His look has now become iconic and just that serious face that he'll become famous for all over the posters for the show gives me chills every time I see it. It's one of Jesse Pinkman gets better and better as the show goes on as well. Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman is such an iconic performance as well. Walter is the best character by Jesse's my favorite. Not in this season but in the later ones. He really doesn't get much drama to work within this first season. I've heard that the writers weren't always sure what to do with his character in this first season and it's kind of apparent here. He adds some comic relief which is one of the things that takes this show up to a whole new level. If this was just five seasons of bleak but well-written material I don't think I'd love this show as much as I do even if it still has some great writing and performances. The moments with Jesse and Badger in the RV are an example of some of the comedy that makes this show so good and funny at times. Some moments throughout the show are purely awesome as well. Many of them are with Walter when he shows some of his anger and actual power over the situation. Episode six has one of those awesome moments that will stick with fans of this show, like myself forever. I'm of course talking about Walter going to see Tuco, a great villain for this first season to have. Even though we'll have bigger and better villains to come Tuco remains one of the most iconic characters in the series and a lot of that is thanks to Raymond Cruz who's over the top performance makes for a great villain who we'll still remember even in later seasons to come. There are times where this guy is funny because of how nuts he is and there are times where he's scary as can be. Walt confronting him is the coolest moment the character's had up to that point and it remains one of his coolest moments. What I love about Gilligan's writing is that while we are enjoying this scene we see Walt's frustration with the situation and with him having to do what he did. Episode 6 is where I feel the show comes into its own and has some of the great stuff that I love about the show. The craziness from that episode continues into the season's finale. Tuco feels more menacing and chaotic and you really get the feeling that he'll be a problem later on. We also get the iconic Heisenberg hat! The last episode continues some of the best elements of episode six and also teases some of the obstacles Walt and Jesse are going to overcome in Season 2. It's a great way to start off an incredible show and while this didn't hook me instantly there are still some great elements at work. The great performances that we get here particularly by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, paired with the unique direction and writing by Vince Gilligan make for a strong first season with even greater things to come.

9/10

- Noah Newcomb