Breaking Bad & Breaking Bad 101

- Huffington Post

Long story short...I was judged by this guy who scorned at me for not binging Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and some of the biggest, most mainstream shows. Granted, I should. But it's just not my type of content.

Breaking Bad is one of the best shows written and produced in the world, but after binging for so long, all I can say is it's not my type of show. And that's not me not recognizing its brilliance, it's just not all shows are for everyone. However, at the end of the day, I truly admire this show. It has masterful writing that turned every fan into a detective of the show. It has impeccable acting that is clearly evident in the cast's numerous Emmy awards. It has wardrobe, music, cinematography, props that transport audience into that druggie world. It has iconic symbols and scenes that will forever reek in pop culture. It has catchphrases that will stick to our ringtones forever. It is a show that made its mark in television history. And if you are a true fan, I'd say get your copy of Breaking Bad 101. Sepinwall, the author of the book, analyzed every single episode of Breaking Bad with footnotes that I love (I usually skip footnotes because who gives a fuck...but in this case, please give a fuck).

One thing I do love about Breaking Bad is that nothing is coincidental. Every character serves as a purpose in the show. All the characters link to each other somehow. And this is only done because Vince Gilligan and his staff of writers really really put in the effort to write a complete story. None of the episodes feel like filler episodes and none of the seasons feel like it's just dragging on. The show, as much as it was done on the fly, was incredibly well thought-out. I have to say, early on in the series, those "in-between moments" that Gilligan wanted to capture were not my favorite scenes of the show, even though I'm a sucker for those kind of moments that give sympathy or at least a 3D-ness to the characters, because they were kind of slow in a show that is incredibly fast paced. As the seasons went on, it was clear that they were picking things up and expanding Walter White's little drug world to an intricate drug cartel story. World-building is one of my favorite elements in writing, and only a few shows out there have successfully done so: Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Walking Dead, The 100 (if you've watched The 100, you know it's not just a teen, chick-flick, CW show).

I'm almost done with the series and I'm enjoying it so far, albeit it not being my kind of content. If you are like me but you love television, I'd say get Breaking Bad 101 because it truly makes you so interested in every scene, motif, and symbol. I got very English-major-y with this show. I feel like every scene has significance, and it does - thanks to Gilligan's brilliance.