Mrs S and I finished watching the final series of Breaking Bad the other evening having watched the whole shebang over the last few months. Gritty, gripping, and deserved of all the praise heaped upon it, this was an example of great writing and acting shining through. Let’s face it, the locations were no more than backdrops: the desert, the Whites’ house, a diner. Great stuff.
Favourites? Tough to choose but here goes (contains spoilers):
- Favourite line: “Someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family.”
- Favourite character: Mike. Or Hank. (I never really warmed to Skyler, you know.) There were many great characters in BB but for me the performances of these two actors in these roles were wonderfully understated.
- Favourite scene: when Walt is laughing hysterically under the floorboards when he finds out Skyler has given much of their money to Ted and the DEA are closing in. Or when Walt watches Jane die. These, along with many others, were beautifully set up, and demonstrative of the characters’ motivations, particularly Walt’s downward spiral.
Criticisms? There were a couple of episodes in season 5 in which there was an awful lot of whispering and breathy talk, and I couldn’t hear a word of it, frankly. (Maybe I should buy some better speakers.) There was also some backtracking, but I assume BB was made on a series-by-series basis so sometimes gaps had to be filled or things explained.
In the end everyone got what they deserved. But there’s a problem: what do Mrs S and I watch now, as Mad Men season 7’s not yet available? I’ve heard good things about The Sopranos, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Edge of Darkness – what do you suggest?
Martin Sketchley 