My favorites from “Breaking Bad”

Given that this is my last passion blog of the semester, and due to the fact that “Breaking Bad” ended nearly two months ago, I will forego my usual character or theme analysis in exchange for a review of some of my favorite moments, episodes, and the like. So, without further ado:

Favorite character other than Walter White:

Badger: no one can not like this lovable, yet entirely incompetent, drug peddler. Whether he’s messing up a new batch of meth, getting shot by a ten year old on a bike, or being arrested for the umpteenth time, Badger is always doing something wrong. However, we applaud his effort and humility in face of failure. Further, these shortcomings often serve as dramatically effective comic relief in between important sets.

Favorite episode:

Dead Freight: This episode more closely resembled a high-drama action movie than a television show. In it, the usual cast assembles to steal tons of methlyamine off of a moving freight change. Unlike other episodes, the entire 45 minutes is essentially one scene, that maintains its tension throughout. It’s an impressive feat of directing, cinematography, and acting combined to form my favorite episode.

Best moment:

Without question, the death of Gustavo Fring was not only the most intense, harrowing moment in the show’s run, but, in my opinion, it was one of the most gripping moments in television history. Here’s the YouTube clip:

I think one thing that often got overlooked in “Breaking Bad” was its cinematography. The show’s dramatic storytelling would be nothing if the show wasn’t shot the way it was. This clip is a perfect example. Right before he dies, Fring looks composed and stiff, as he always does. However, as the camera pans across his body, we quickly see the right half of his face is completely decimated. It’s a dramatic, memorable moment, aided drastically by the way it was shot.

Favorite Quote:

“I am the one who knocks,” Walter White. I appreciate this quote not for its meaning within the plot, but because of the deep, philosophical influence it connotes. On its surface, the quote shows Walt is a man in total control, aware of the danger around him, but totally unfazed. On a deeper level, however, this quote puts White in the realms of other great, historical philosophers. In fact, there’s this cool website that shows how other famous authors, thinkers, and scholars would have delivered this speech (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/walter-whites-i-am-the-one-who-knocks-speech-as-written-by-other-authors).

In all, I’ve enjoyed writing about “Breaking Bad”. While my interest in this blog has waned the past weeks, I believe it has been a good experience as I’ve come to more fully appreciate such an impressive television series.

Let’s not forget about Jesse!

As my “Breaking Bad” blog has transcended the socially accepted length of time to write about a television show proceeding its final episode, and as, accordingly, my substantive topics about which to analyze have dwindled, I dawned upon the fact that I really only write about one character, the main character, the esteemed chemistry instructor Walter White.

However, nary one television show amounts to anything without its supportive supporting cast. And, as I have neglected them for the past two months, I feel that Walter’s right-hand man, his (meth) cooking buddy, his “rescue dog” (as Vulture’s Matt Zoller Seitz labeled him), Jesse Pinkman deserves the esteemed honor of being blogged about by yours truly.

I have compared White to countless literary and film heroes – Raskolnikov, Gordon Gekko, Frankenstein – but Jesse’s case is arguably more interesting. Jesse is a constant loser. Nothing goes right for him. While top meth producers are scouting Walt due to his highly potent blue product, Jesse’s ice posses a hazy transparency, doesn’t sell to even the most strung out meth heads, and can’t even eclipse eighty percent purity — loser. And while Walt makes off with millions of dollars, fresh cars, and pretty woman (only the former two are true), Jesse is stuck grieving the death of his girlfriend, his friend, and ultimately his dead girlfriend’s friend.

A few weeks ago, I suggested that Walter White was comparable to Meursault, the protagonist from Albert Camus’ “The Stranger”. Though the two do share parallels, I have since realized that Meursault is more like Jesse. I’ve come to this conclusion for two reasons. First, everything ends up going poorly for the two of them, more on that in a second. And secondly, I’ve read “The Stranger” four times, in two languages, and at least once in each of the past three years – I can find Meursault qualities in everyone.

Yes, everything goes terribly wrong for Meursault and Jesse. “The Stranger” begins with Meursault being informed that his mother has died. His mother’s funeral is in North Africa in August, so Meursault suffers from the heat. To escape, he takes a walk on the beach, where two Arabs approach him. Ever the gentleman, Meursault kills them, and is consequently executed by the guillotine. It’s a rough week for an unlucky man.

That, however, is where the similarities end, in my opinion. Meursault exhibits absurdist tendencies; by that he shows very little emotion. He doesn’t really care that his mom died, and he’s only upset about being incarcerated because he can no longer smoke his cigarettes. Meanwhile, whenever something goes wrong for poor Jesse, we’re always in store for a temper tantrum, violence streak, or an utterance of his catchphrase: “Bitch!”

I see little inference to be drawn between these two characters other than the observation that everyone deals with misfortune differently. Which is more effective? If the fates of Meursault and Jesse are any indicator, the evidence points towards anger: Jesse is the only primary character in “Breaking Bad” to walk away a free, living man while Meursault is guillotined back to the French Revolution.