The mild sound of chirping birds and the silence of the desert is just the calm before the storm. The music gains pace and you suddenly see a half-naked man in his white underwear driving a truck in the middle of nowhere.
The iconic scene of trousers falling from the sky is perhaps one of the best transition attempts I’ve seen. It takes a while for the perplexed viewer to understand what’s going on. They go through multiple emotions along with the protagonist Walter White. The opening scene keeps you gripped every second. Having watched all the seasons, the first one titled ‘Pilot’ still remains my favourite.
Do not dare judge Walter. The storyline is unpredictable and nothing like one could possibly imagine. Walter is a Nobel Prize awardee, a father, and a loving husband who struggles to make ends meet. He is definitely much more interesting than all the chemistry professors who have taught me, but his students seem to be less bothered. Walter is a little frustrated with his life, his cholesterol levels, and boring routine. The nerdy professor who struggles to hold a gun, even for fun, breaks bad. The question is how?
One fine day, he is diagnosed with lung cancer and his reaction to it is most unusual. He is lost, perplexed but not hysterical even after being told that his illness is terminal.
Bryan Cranston has done a fine job. I have always liked him, be it in Trumbo or All the Way. Kudos to Vince Gilligan, the director - he brings out the best in his actors. Walter takes out all his frustration on the car garage owner and gets sacked from work. Devoid of any hope, he is desperately looking for a way out. He accepts an offer to help the DEA but that’s not what he is actually looking for. Somehow he ends up becoming a partner with one of his students who is in the narcotic business.
It doesn’t take much time for Walter to make this big decision. It’s as if he has had this completely contrasting personality hidden inside him which then reveals itself. He is a bolder, stronger version of himself. Willing to take risks, he wants to support his family and make quick money for them before his cancer kills him.
Breaking Bad could have become one of those cliché drug stories in the southern states of America, but it manages to stand out. Every aspect of the story is genuine, novel, and interesting. It is definitely one of the best shows currently available on Netflix. I’m not a very big fan of this genre but I have enjoyed watching Walter White’s kingpin journey. Now that Bryan Cranston has confirmed a Breaking Bad movie, it’s not too late to catch up with.
