Some time during the last week of August a spray-painted mural
appeared on a wall in town that caused quite a stir. It featured a close
up portrait of a bespectacled middle aged man with a goatee beard
accompanied by two chemical symbols. While this striking piece of
artwork was lost on some, many recognised the man to be Walter White,
the protagonist-turned-antagonist of cult US television show Breaking
Bad.
The award-winning series reached its climax on Sunday night
with a blockbuster finale that, judging by its reviews, went down as
favourably with online viewers on this side of the pond as it did with
those in the States.
My wife and I first got into the show last
year. As it was never screened on a terrestrial UK channel, finding out
about it was pretty much a word of mouth affair. After rave reviews from
friends we finally caved and four seasons were quickly acquired.
Evening by evening we brought ourselves up to speed and I’ve got to be
honest, it exceeded both our expectations.
The show centres
itself around mild mannered struggling chemistry teacher Walter White
who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Teaming up with a former
student Jesse Pinkman, Walt turns to a life of crime, producing and
selling the illegal and highly addictive drug methamphetamine, in order
to secure his family’s future before he dies. Breaking Bad’s creator
Vince Gilligan said his goal throughout the show’s five seasons was to
turn Mr Chips into Scarface. He certainly did that.
Without
giving too much away, the descent of Walter White into the murky crystal
meth underworld via his alter ego Heisenberg is an utterly gripping
affair. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does, and then
some. And to add a bit of flavour to the mix, Walt’s brother-in-law Hank
is a drug squad copper.
The show is shot in an incredibly
cinematic manner, with utmost attention to the most minute of details,
in the dusty setting of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city on the edge of
a desert lends itself brilliantly to the series and offers us a window
into this relatively under-chartered part of the US as well as an
insight into the country’s drug problems.
It was ultimately the
show’s main characters though that kept us hitting the play button.
Their interaction was heart warming and amusing at times and down right
shocking at others.
If you’re in the market for a new DVD box set
to watch, as the dark winter nights set in, you could do a lot worse
than get hold of this gem. It’s available on Netflix too. But be warned,
like Heisenberg’s crystal meth, it’s very moreish.
No comments:
Post a Comment