Monsters of Television

Well, it’s finally happening. I’m watching the first season of Breaking Bad.

I’ve never been particularly excited about the series, despite all the positive word of mouth and critical praise heaped upon it. I cannot explain the lack of excitement (I remember that when I heard the premise, I said, “Oh. So it’s Weeds. But with a guy. Who has a cancer. Hijinks ensue.”), but it was just never much of a priority for me, despite how really superb I think Byran Cranston is in anything.

But here I am, caving to peer pressure, like I was told never to do. I decided to split the difference in the normal way of covering a show for a DVD First Watch. I didn’t care for the season summary approach I took with Mad Men, but the Supernatural episode-by-episode approach was taking me forever to watch and then write about (I did finish season 1, by the way. Reaction: HOLY CRAP, GUYS. THAT’S INSANE. IS THE IMPALA OKAY?!).

Instead, I’m borrowing a page from Maureen Ryan’s playbook as she watched season 3 of Breaking Bad: After each episode she watched, she did a brief list of responses and thoughts about it and then went to the next one. Mine may be in paragraph form as opposed to a bulleted list, but the thought process will be the same: I’ll watch an episode, write some brief thoughts, and then go to the next one.

I should be able to get through all seven episodes today (update: I did not), so either check back here every hour or so for thoughts on the episode I just watched, or keep an eye on my Twitter feed for when I update this entry or have to take a break.

Here we go.

“Pilot” – “You’re a damn artist. This, this is art, Mr. White.”

As always, I work on a slight curve with pilots since they have so much to do (and normally in a short amount of time, but this episode has 56 minutes!) so it feels wise in many cases to adjust expectations and work through rocky patches. And, for me, while I enjoyed this pilot, it makes promises that I hope it can deliver on down the road since it’s pretty rife with typical mid-life crisis/trauma beats, ending.

And that’s kind of my problem with the pilot as a whole. Not only does the in media res opening annoy (such a huge sigh at “Three Weeks Earlier”), but since I knew where it was going (as would anyone who saw promos for the show, or read about it), it wasn’t terribly interesting. Likewise, watching Walter emerge from middle age, suburban ennui (and even tell us he’s “awake”), well, there’s nothing really new there, so I spent much of the episode just waiting for it to end so I could see how the series tweaks the concept.

Cranston and Paul have a great amount of immediate chemistry (I’m going to pretend I’m the first person to make that joke), even if Paul’s role is a little one note here. Cranston, on the other hand, moves back and forth between fear, rage, disgust, and brilliance so quickly (particularly before the firetrucks arrive (and where exactly are those trucks going? For the fire they started? Who called them?)) that he makes up for much of the script’s triteness.

Earlier this week on Twitter, some folks were talking about how wherever Walter is, he’s the smartest guy in the room (and that characters often comment on this), but he’s always out of his depth. I see that even in the pilot, and I’m eager to see how the show develops this massive intellect (“A brain the size of Wisconsin!”) copes with the stress of dealing meth.

“Cat’s in the Bag” – “Therefore, it seems to me, that our best course of action would be chemical disincorporation.”

Worst case of a zombie in the house ever. “Cat’s in the Bag” is a stronger episode in the pilot as I think the overall point of the show (or at least I’m guessing so far) crystallizes a bit (I’m going to try and make a meth pun every time now, I guess): What trouble has Walter White gotten himself into in this episode, and how is he going to deal with it? Originally meth was just going to make Walter some money to keep his family afloat when he died. Now he’s killed a man and has to kill another. More than he signed up for.

I appreciate that the web around Walter’s actions have already tightened up around him remarkably quickly. Skyler doesn’t wait for multiple calls from Jesse or for Walter’s behavior to build and instead confronts them both in the same episode, ratcheting up the tension in already tense situations. Despite that, the episode paces itself well, not paying off the acid too quickly (but does so hilariously, with easily some of the the best line delivery Cranston’s ever done in his life) and allows the claustrophobic nature of the episode to really shine through (being able to hear Crazy-8’s breathing is a great touch, though I wish it had been more consistent).

Onward to episode 3, where I can only assume we try and dispose of Crazy-8 by putting him in a giant centrifuge (that would be kind of cool, admit it). Also: “THE STREETS, YO!”

“…And the Bag’s in the River” – “A bassinet is more of a specialty item.”

Well that’s much better (aside from Hank and Marie’s little subplots and some bad digital de-aging of Jessica Hecht, who I think has never looked that young since I’ve seen her on TV). In fact, that was pretty riveting.

I like things that tell me about characters. And while much of what I need to know about Walter has been fairly effectively doled out, a man who has to make a list of reasons why or why not to kill  a man is a beautiful bit of business that really lays out Walter’s emphasis on rationality and deliberation. This is a man who isn’t impulsive (even when he’s high), and when finds himself at a loss when rationality conflicts with his morality and desire to keep his family alive (though he does plunge into meth making fairly quickly).

So the prisoner bonding sequence isn’t a new thing, it happens all the time, but the connection between the two men allows the scene to crackle. “The paths we take” indeed, allows for an odd sense of destiny to pervade the scene, but one that the show (wisely) chooses not to dwell on. Instead, concerns of survival take center stage. Crazy-8 learns nothing from his talk with Walter, but Walter learns a valuable lesson in trust. The piecing together of the plate left me confused for a moment (though clearly pivotal since we were granted a lingering shot on them in the trash a couple of times), but had had me leaning close to the screen in an effort to draw the connection.

So Crazy-8’s death is by his own hand, as I’m sure Walter will justify it, as Crazy-8’s stories, while true, were just a ruse to get the dying, guilty white man’s trust. But the steeliness, the ruthless determination in Walter’s face as he begins to choke to Crazy-8 with the bike lock…Wow. There’s a glint of the man Walter is forcing himself to become there, and it is scary and worrying, as he immediately collapses in tears and apologies. Can he maintain this if he has to? Does he have that much nerve?

“Cancer Man” – “Thanks for not telling on me.”

So I think I was wise to take a break after episode three since the show itself decided to take it “easy” as well with its fourth episode. Which isn’t to say that “Cancer Man” is relaxing, but rather it gives everyone (really the audience) a chance to breathe after the intensity of the past three episodes.

Despite that, I don’t feel like the show entered into tonal whiplash land by becoming a full-blown domestic drama in this episode. It gives some time to flesh out Jesse (wasn’t super-surprised by him coming an upper class family), allows Walter’s family to be in on the loop, and, most importantly, to provide the proper motivation for Walter to go back to cooking meth ($90,000 out of pocket. Right. I know I have that, why don’t you Walter?).

But let’s be honest. The real reason to watch this episode to watch Ken lose. Douchebag.

“Gray Matter” – “All right, I’ve got the talking pillow now.”

I think I relished every moment of “Gray Matter” more than any episode so far. While “Cancer Man” pushed the show into the domestic sphere, and it felt like a bit of a breather (not a criticism), “Gray Matter” was a meaty bit of hinting at backstories and character development, two things that I love.

I was wondering why a man who contributed to a Nobel Prize was working at a  high school, and I was happy to see the information trickle in. I figured it had something to do with the de-aged Jessica Hecht from an earlier episode, and I was happy to have that somewhat confirmed by the episode. And how humiliating is that party overall? I mean aside from the life that Walter could’ve (should’ve?) had being thrown in his face (that library was gorgeous, but probably never used), but other things like, ” Which university?” when Walter says he went into education, are just painful.

The intervention family meeting was likewise heartbreaking and funny at the same time, something the show is demonstrating it has an excellent understanding of. The scene is, thankfully, not overplayed in either regard, hitting a nice balance, with all the performers working off each other naturally, including reaching for bits of fruit and cheese. And while they mean well, the sequence is still a tad humiliating for Walter, and having Gretchen call him is just icing on that cake, a reminder of the failure of that drove him from the company he founded (or so I assume).

Most pleasant, however, was Jesse’s development. I’ve been hoping the character would move beyond his suburban white gangsta persona, and I was happy to see that Jesse is serious about getting clean(ish), but having a particular standard of product to sell. The APPLY YOURSELF message from the previous episode obviously sank in a little bit, and I’m eager to see that play out.

So even though the show essentially finds itself back at square one in terms of its plot, the journey back has been fruitful and productive so that square one isn’t really square one.

“Crazy Handful of Nothin'” – “The faster they undergo change, the more violent the explosion.”

And then there’s that. Holy hell.

I knew, at some point, Walter would shave his head and become a badass (I saw the promos), but I wasn’t expecting it to be in season 1. As a result the cold open, in which Walter walks through an obvious gang spot with a big bag and a red stain on it, took me a bit by surprise, although it was a totally welcomed one.

Of course I’m intrigued that it took Jesse’s beating and hospitalization to spur Walter to an actual action (he’s been largely passive through the series, of course). Admittedly, yes, Walter needs Jesse to make money, and there’s interesting division of labor issues at work here, but there’s also a clear emotional attachment forming: Cooking meth helps his family (and him) survive, but Walter enjoys it as an activity, a chance to flex his otherwise underused brain. It’s a thrill.

Not going to say too much more since I’m eager to get into the final episode of the season, but love how the episode’s title tied into the ending, love how Hank who still comes off as a dumb jock is actually a very competent  dumb jock, I love Raymond Cruz’s bigger than life-bordering on parody portrayal of Tuco (I know him from a radically different role in The Closer), and I’m glad that Walt is getting a break from school. Him explaining the lesson of the episode through the a lecture has become a minor pet peeve of mine.

Rest assured folks: this episode gets me to season 2.

“A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal” – “What, they close the mall or somethin’?”

Not a stellar way to end the season, but then again it wasn’t intended to end the season either (it was supposed to have a few more episodes before the WGA Strike, yes?). But the episode does a nice a job of making the pains of starting a new small business, such as it is, very clear. Location, supplies, customers: they’re all hard to come by and a little unpredictable (Tuco is krazy (not an unintentional typo)).

I do like Walter’s exploration of legality and morality coming into play a bit more, as he ponders the issues first with Hank and then with Skyler. He’s questioning his actions, but he also doesn’t see a reason to make a list as the pros and cons of heisting some chemicals (nor does he seem to have an issue with Jesse spending all his cut on supplies while Walter deposits his to the credit union). But he also gets taste of exactly what he’s in for with Tuco after watching the gang lord while on an underling. Walter got lucky that he caught Tuco off guard in the previous episode. I doubt he’ll be so lucky again.

Sadly, Marie’s shoplifting plot drags the episode a little bit. I don’t mind this trait going undiscussed for a couple of episodes, but it just feels like the writers are giving Marie something to do so that Skyler has something to do other than talk to Walter. It feels extraneous to the overall narrative of the series, but you know, only 7 episodes. They figure something out, I’m sure.

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All in all, I’ve enjoyed the season, moving away from my lukewarm reception of it to excited to start season 2(episodes 3 and 6 did all the heavy lifting to get me into the show). One of the challenges with watching the show has been the hype surrounding it, and being on Twitter hasn’t helped with that. I was regularly told “Patience! It gets amazing in season 2!” To which I say (and said), “Well. That’s great. But I’m watching season 1 right now. When does this get better? When does it justify my commitment? Telling me to hang in there until season 2 seems a bit silly right now. I mean, this isn’t Babylon 5 where there was a plan, and yes, you do need to be really patient.”

Admittedly, I’m to blame for the attention. If I hadn’t said I was watching it and blogging it, and just posted these thoughts after I finished the seven episodes, I wouldn’t have gotten all that through the weekend (instead, I would’ve gotten it after people read this).

On the upside, I do appreciate the feedback from folks, and I like this shorter blogging format I’ve adopted for it (writing about Supernatural just slowed me down so much, and I wanted to rush through it as quickly as I could). So when I do season 2, it’ll probably be done in this fashion, though I suspect it’ll be done on a disc by disc basis, as opposed to the whole season at once. Which will happen at some point.