Breaking Bad

I'm not entirely sure what to say about Breaking Bad; it's a brilliant show that deserves to be seen. I did not get started on the show until the half of the third season was on the air. At first, I got through a couple of episodes but shelved the series. Not entirely sure why that was: perhaps the show was inducing some kind of stress. You're always in fear that something bad is going to happen to the main characters, and by bad I mean: they are going to be caught. And perhaps the show will enter that territory some day, and I have complete faith that they'll handle it well. It certainly won't be another My Name is Earl, right?

Really, bad things are constantly happening to Jesse, Walt, and everyone around them. Not sure if things could go even deeper, then they do. People are getting shot, killed and other gnarly things: we have assassin's, DEA agents and criminals from all levels.You have Walt, a master chemist who can make the best meth around. Everybody wants a piece, making Walt an invaluable commodity.

You get to take the journey with him too; it all starts with Walt taking a ride-along with his DEA agent brother in law. Combine that with a recent diagnosis of a terminal illness and he has nothing to lose. We follow him as he starts low and in the later seasons, dealing directly with the big wigs behind the drug business. We get to learn about money laundering - cause I certainly had no idea how it worked, thanks Office Space - and the importance of running a front operation. This show has it all.

I was completely shocked that Bryan Cranston was this damn good: I've only really known him as the crazy dentist from Seinfeld and the whacky dad from Malcom in the Middle. Neither can prepare you for the role he's done here. The rest of the cast are compelling and have relevant stories. I'm amazed they are able to keep it this fresh for so long: it seems like some other shows *cough* True Blood *cough* disintegrate into mindlessness, while this one keeps sharp.

So now, instead of fearing the next episode and holding off on watching, I watch as soon as I can without overloading. This typically involves two episodes a week. Slowly but surely I'm finding that balance between not watching enough and watching so much that you get burned out on a show when it's over. As I watched the cliffhanger from season three, I was pleased with myself and the show, and realized I couldn't just load the next episode. I'll be patient and continue to watch casually when season four comes up.