Extreme Times Call For Extreme Measures
Bryan Cranston stars as Walter White, a fifty year old man who is a good husband and an excellent chemist. Walter teaches chemistry at a local high school, deciding to go the tougher route in teaching and educating instead of joining his college friends in the private sector. Walter’s wife, Skyler, is played by Anna Gunn. Anna is currently pregnant with their second child and tries to keep the home front in order despite financial troubles that have Walter working a second job at a carwash. Together Walter and Skyler have a handicapped son, Walter Jr., who is played by RJ Mitte.
From the outset of this first season, it’s established that Walter has a pretty tough life with both he and his family facing several challenges. Things only get worse for Walter though, and as a viewer you quickly come to sympathize and relate to Walter and his family’s situation, one of the most tangible aspects of the show. As if their current troubles weren’t enough, Walter discovers that, despite never smoking, he has lung cancer, and is likely going to die within a few short months.
Saddened and shocked, Walter decides not to tell his family or anyone right away. As a good husband and father, he thinks of his family and how they must be able to financially carry on without him. He takes up an offer to do a ride-a-long with his DEA agent brother-in-law, who routinely busts pot and meth cooking operations in the state of New Mexico (where the show is based). The experience helps open Walter’s eyes to the potential money that can be made in cooking crystal meth. With his knowledge of chemistry, the available equipment and supplies from the school, Walter decides he wants to cook meth – but he needs help.
Fleeing from the crime scene of the ride-a-long Walter was on is actor Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. Jesse is a former flunky student of Walter’s. Walter pays Jesse a visit, throws out the offer to cook meth, and their rocky but relationship begins to take form.
Over the course of seven episodes, this two man team begins cooking and selling the best meth the streets of New Mexico has ever seen. All the while, Walter must hide the fact that he is doing this from his family, who in the third episode find out about his cancer and convince him to get expensive treatments. Walter struggles with the violence and illegality inherent in the drug dealing trade, while trying to maintain a normal life at home while simultaneously battling the effects of lung cancer and chemo treatments.
Somewhere amongst all of the drama unfolding on screen, show creator Vince Gilligan manages to script in some comedy and other positive scenes. In sum, Breaking Bad manages to be a powerfully dramatic, sad, funny, and exciting show that keeps your attention from episode to episode.
Complete Season DVD
This three disc DVD set from Sony Pictures includes two thin keep cases with the first two discs in one case and the third in the other. The first disc includes episodes one through three, as well as an audio commentary track with the creator Vince Gilligan and actor Bryan Cranston. There are also three deleted scenes. I thought it was also unique although not terribly useful that you can play the shows with brief recaps enabled, i.e., when you launch episode two for example, a brief recap of the first episode is shown – by default, these recaps are disabled.
The second disc contains the next three episodes of the season, as well as audio commentary on episode six by, once again, creator Vince Gilligan and actor Bryan Cranston. There are also two deleted scenes included.
Disc three of three has the final episode of the season and several other extra features that cover the entire show thus far. The extras on disc three include:
-Inside Breaking Bad – Split into fourteen parts, this behind the scenes or making of feature includes cast and crew interviews, production footage, scenes from the show, talk of certain scenes, and so forth. All told this feature is roughly twenty-eight minutes.
-Making of Breaking Bad – This “true” making of feature is eleven minutes and again includes cast/crew interviews and footage of the show.
-AMC Shootout – A sixteen and a half minute clip of the AMC interview show in which Vince Gilligan is interviewed.
-Screen Tests – Four screen tests from the actors who play Skylar, Hank, Jesse, and Marie. These brief clips show these actors trying out for their parts by doing readings.
-Breaking Bad On AMC – A one minute promo for the show and the second season.
-Vince Gilligan’s Photographs – About twenty stills of the cast and crew in production.
And now to wrap up…