I don’t usually blog about TV shows and movies, but I believe AMC’s Breaking Bad has made such a huge impact on so many people that I wanted to put my two cents in about this TV series of epic proportions.

For me, the last few years of watching Walter White’s transition from Mr. Chips to Scarface has been like witnessing the pinnacle of a Golden Age of TV. Netflix, DVR and torrent downloading have all been key factors in the perfection of the TV serial drama. Gone are the days when you would have to wait for reruns or try to fill in the gaps of episodes that you missed. Viewers have the luxury of picking up exactly where they left off and getting to appreciate the entire story arc. And while I appreciate several other dramas like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, no series has been able to take advantage of the storytelling possibilities of this technological advancement better than Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad.

In case you’ve been living under a rock and STILL haven’t watched a single episode of this amazing show, it’s the story of a brilliant but frustrated high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and tries to support his family by turning to a life of crime: cooking and selling crystal meth. What follows is a domino effect of conflict, deception and violence within Walt’s inner circle and an intense manhunt for Walt’s criminal alter-ego, Heisenberg. 

Of course this is simply the framework for a much deeper story. The real battle here is an internal one, not one fought with bullets and homemade bombs, but one between morality and desire, ego and conscience.

The reason why I love this show so much (besides the fantastic script, excellent story and brilliant acting) is the sheer complexity of its characters’ philosophies. Sure, there’s the kind of fan who flat out says “Walt is pure evil” or “Walt is a good man who had pure motives.” Sure, they’re entitled to their opinion…the way someone is entitled to say “It’s nice” or “It sucks” while looking at Rembrandt’s Night Watch. (Haha)

But to the rabid BrBa fan, it’s much more complicated than that.

In this 21st century existence, a world where the line between black and white has been blurred into so many shades of grey, Walter White/Heisenberg is the perfect antihero. This is a world where protectors have become hunters. Where morality is a mere abstract concept rather than universal truth. Where people say the ends will always justify the means.

Breaking Bad became a hypothetical environment, set against the bleak, dreary desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in which we could test our personal moral beliefs. In that sense, Walter White is a representation of the best and worst of our own humanity. When we first met Walt, he wasn’t a high-profile mob boss or a powerful public figure. He was every man. We could put ourselves in his shoes, a man disappointed with his lot in life and suddenly faced with his own mortality.

That is why – through the masterful portrayal by Bryan Cranston – we simultaneously sympathize with and loathe Walt. We can’t help but hope that despite all of the terrible things he has done, there is still hope for redemption. We can’t help but try to excuse the destruction in his wake with the thought that he was motivated by unselfish reasons. But at the same time, we can’t help but squirm at those moments when you know that he’s driven by so much more than that. His pride, his thirst for respect and admiration, the smug satisfaction at his own notoriety and genius; these are things that ring a bell for us. We cringe when we recall the innocent lives that he (directly and indirectly) destroyed by his actions, regardless of his motives, because it reflects the reality of the consequences of our own choices – no matter what the excuse may be. 

This show has made me laugh, cry, gasp and watch through my fingers. It has stabbed me in the heart, punched me in the gut, tripped me up and sent me sprawling head-first. That is true art. It is not necessarily pleasant or easy to look at. But it will always make you feel something. Art does not leave you untouched.

Now, as this story barrels toward its inevitable end, and I have stopped trying to figure out what kind of climactic finish Vince Gilligan has cooked up in his twisted and beautiful mind-laboratory for the last 2 episodes, I find myself in mourning. This TV series isn’t going to be soon forgotten, by myself or the rest of the world. People are going to be quoting “I am the one who knocks” and “Tread lightly” for years to come. All of us BBaddicts are going to be suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms after next week’s finale! 

Thanks for 5 wonderful seasons, Vince Gilligan! You have set a new standard for TV writing, and I hope the next few years will see many shows following in your footsteps. I predict that Breaking Bad will go down in history as one of the greatest stories ever told, and the name Gilligan will be right up there next to Shakespeare and Coppola. 

¡Salud!

(Note: Sorry, I couldn’t help making some inside puns!)