Sorry, there's something wrong with me, I think. But I watched the first episode of EMMY AWARD-WINNING Breaking Bad today. Not only was it one of the longest TV pilots I've ever watched (almost an hour long, and I mean an actual hour) but it was also one of the better ones.
I think I made it clear in my frightening Emmy Noms rant a few days ago that I'm not the biggest fan of dramas, but being someone who loves characters, I can occasionally get sucked into a really good one. (See: Dexter, that episode of Friday Night Lights, and heck, I've been known to watch House/Mad Men marathons if the need arises.) Breaking Bad is a really good one.
I'm not good at describing things, but I'll try. Walter White is a chemistry teacher with a super young wife and a son with cerebral palsy. Walter White is 50 years old and has to work two jobs to support his family (the other job is at a Car Wash run by a comically bushy-eyebrow'd guy). Walter White just found out he has inoperable lung cancer. Comedy ensues? Well, yes, sort of. After learning from his brother-in-law, a DEA agent, about the kind of awesome money that meth lab owners (is that what they call them?) make, Walt becomes fixated on them, soon convincing himself that this is what he should be doing. This is how he should be supporting his family. Once he finds out his former student, wannabe gangsta Jesse, is well-known for selling meth, Walt basically forces him into becoming his partner.
While Walter's change is dramatic and his prognosis sad (you know how the show's going to end, basically - he'll die), seeing him go from this meek teacher to a tough guy who beats up people who mock his son and kills meth dealers to save himself is kind of cool and occasionally funny (he wears nothing but his tighty whities when making meth). However, it remains believable because while Walt may become this seemingly heartless killing machine, when he kills the meth dealers at the end of the Pilot, you see him freak out, sobbing, thinking that he's going to go to jail. Instead of having some Jack Bauer-esque killer who just gets it done, emotionless, Walt has emotions, and a family, and it makes him a really strong main character.
If you're like me and you've been hearing constantly that Breaking Bad is one of, if not THE best show on TV, then I suggest you check it out. Amazon has the first episode up in glorious video quality for FREE. That Emmy that Bryan Cranston is definitely going to be winning in August is well-deserved.
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