We’ve never, individually or as a couple, watched an entire TV series for a second time. Until now. We just finished all five seasons of Breaking Bad, for the second time. And it was just as good, and perhaps better, than the first viewing. We noticed things that slipped past us before. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul seemed even more talented, if that’s possible. The finale, more haunting and perfect. Creator and writer Vince Gilligan is a genius. He leaves you with a cliffhanger and then comes back to start the next episode with something unrelated, making you wait, anticipate. There’s nothing predictable about Breaking Bad.
Because we are also watching the spinoff, Better Call Saul, in real time, it got confusing! A couple of times we stopped one show or the other and asked ourselves which one we were watching. Breaking Bad originally ran on AMC from 2008-2013. My brother convinced me to watch the pilot while Derek was on a motorcycle trip. I was immediately hooked. I watched season one and then started over with Derek when he got home. The premise – a high school chemistry teacher, who’s a total underachiever, becomes a meth producer to secure his family’s future when he finds out he has terminal cancer – didn’t read like something I would love so much. But I hadn’t counted on Cranston, Paul, Jonathan Banks, Betsy Brandt, Dean Norris and Bob Odenkirk.
As bad as Walter White becomes, you never lose sympathy for him. Even as you hope his wish to carry out some atrocious acts will be prevented, you still like the guy. It’s a journey and you can’t help remember the meek high-school teacher buried somewhere under the thick shell of a hardened criminal. We recently entered a 10th anniversary contest via Omaze where, for a charitable donation, we were entered into a draw to spend an afternoon with Cranston and Paul “cooking” in the motorhome. Obviously, we didn’t win. Yo, bitch.
Favourite episode: the finale.
Favourite Jesse moment: the uncomfortable dinner with warring couple, Walt and Skyler.
Favourite Hank moment: holding the “talking pillow”.
Favourite Marie moment: confronted by a realtor from whose clients she just stole.
Favourite Skyler moment: negotiating with the car wash owner.
Chance we’ll watch the whole series again in several years: 85%.
If you love Breaking Bad, you’ll love Ozark. Only two seasons so far but it’s fantastic.
We are several episodes in! Thanks for the tip.