Breaking Bad
| Breaking Bad | |
|---|---|
| File:Breaking Bad logo.PNG | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Vince Gilligan |
| Starring | Bryan Cranston Anna Gunn Aaron Paul Dean Norris Betsy Brandt RJ Mitte |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Vince Gilligan Mark Johnson |
| Producer | Karen Moore |
| Production location | Template:City-state |
| Running time | approx. 47 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | AMC |
| Release | January 20, 2008 – present |
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. The series is broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable network AMC. It premiered on January 20, 2008, and completed its first seven-episode season on March 9, 2008. The show's 13-episode second season premiered on March 8, 2009.
Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher with a handicapped teenage son (RJ Mitte) and pregnant wife (Anna Gunn). When the already tense White is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he breaks down and turns to a life of crime, setting up a meth lab with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in a desire to secure his family's future financial security.[1]
Breaking Bad has received critical acclaim and won two Emmy Awards for its first season in addition to numerous other awards and nominations.
Production
The title comes from a Southern United States colloquialism "to break bad" which is defined as "when someone...has taken a turn off the path of the straight and narrow, when they've gone wrong".[2] The series is set and filmed in and near Template:City-state.[3]
The AMC network, on which the series premiered January 20, 2008, originally ordered nine episodes for the first season (including the pilot), but the Writers Guild of America strike limited the production to seven episodes.[4]
Synopsis
Season one
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. |
Walter White, a chemistry teacher with a pregnant wife and a son with cerebral palsy, develops stage-three lung cancer. Looking to support his family before he is gone, Walter enters the dangerous world of drugs by using his chemistry knowledge to cook crystal meth with Jesse -- a former student -- as his meth-cooking partner. Use an RV to cook the meth out in the desert, they run into trouble when two dealers, to whom Jesse had tried to sell meth, appear and threaten to kill Walter when one of the drug dealers incorrectly associates Walter with the DEA. Walter offers to teach them his meth recipe, but he gasses them with phosphine before they can shoot him. Walter drives away in the RV with the two apparently dead men and the injured Jesse.
Walter and Jesse discover that Krazy-8, one of the two meth dealers, is still alive. They decide to kill him and dispose of the other dealer's body, flipping a coin to see who has to kill Krazy-8. They shackle Krazy-8 to a pole in Jesse's basement with a bike lock while they figure out exactly how they're going to dispose of them. Jesse, who had won the coin toss, tries to dissolve the dead dealer's body in hydrofluoric acid on Walt's recommendation, but botches this attempt by dissolving the unlucky dealer in his bathtub against Walt's wishes. The acid eats straight through the bottom of Jesse's tub and a mass of acid, blood, and body matter falls through the ceiling of his first floor.
Meanwhile, Walter cannot decide whether to kill Krazy-8, who knows Walter's name and workplace. Walt brings Krazy-8 dinner, but things turn bad when Walter collapses in a coughing fit, letting the plate fall to the ground. When he regains consciousness, he tells Krazy-8 that he has cancer and is hiding this fact from his family. After Walt cleans up the mess and returns with more food, the two end up talking about their lives while eating and drinking in the basement. After learning about Krazy-8's life, Walter decides to free him. As he grabs the key from the kitchen, he realizes that Krazy-8 kept a shard of the dinner plate and planned on stabbing Walt with it upon being freed. Walt pretends to free Krazy-8, but instead strangles him with the bike lock that they had placed around Krazy-8's neck.
Walter's brother-in-law Hank, a DEA agent, is trying to find the new kingpin of crystal meth (unaware that it is Walter). Walter's wife, Skyler, begins to cry when Walter tells everyone he has cancer. Meanwhile, Jesse goes to visit his parents, only to figure out that his brother is smoking pot. Jesse accepts the blame for his brother's using pot and is kicked out of the house. When his brother asks for the weed back, Jesse throws it on the ground and crushes it.
Walter, now willing to go through with the radiation therapy, is determined to pay for it himself using money made from cooking meth. Jesse, who has been cleaning up his act, sells the meth they'd made before and brings Walt the money. They then come to an agreement: Walter will cook the meth and Jesse will sell it. Jesse learns that Walter has lung cancer and realizes that he's cooking meth to help his family when he's dead.
Walt has Jesse try to sell in bulk to Tuco, a violent psychopath who has taken over Krazy-8's distribution. Tuco refuses to pay anything for what Jesse has brought, and proceeds to give him a brutal beating when he tries to flee. When Tuco attempts to take advantage of them again, Walt confronts him and earns his respect by blowing up the top floor of his hideout. Tuco agrees to go into business with them.
In the season finale, Walter and Jesse cut over-the-counter medicine out of their recipe, planning and executing a heist for a more potent chemical replacement. They begin steady business with Tuco.
Season 1 is available on DVD. To purchase via Amazon, [1]. To purchase via iTunes, [2]
Season two
Although AMC hasn't revealed a solid plot for the second season it will reveal more about Walter's life, Skyler's baby girl, and finding the kingpin. Season Two premiered March 8, 2009.
(ED 2 MARCH 9, 2009)
Walter and Jesse make a delivery of a large amount of Meth to sell to Tuco. High on Walter and Jesse's latest product, "blue", Tuco beats one of his henchmen to death. Scared of Tuco's actions and 'rep' for killing people at will at random, Jesse secretly buys a gun to protect himself, and plans to 'take Tuco out' before Tuco can kill he and Mr. White. Skyler is now feuding with her sister over the fact the gift she got from her was stolen. This brings to light the sister's problem with shoplifting, and how Hank has gotten Marie to seek help. Hank vists Skyler and pleads with her to talk to Marie and make amends. However, Skyler becomes angry of the preferential treatment Marie receives and sends Hank away. Walter and Jesse decide that the best way to kill Tuco would be to process ricin out of Castor beans and plan to give it to Tuco in a 'special batch' of meth. Skyler is becoming very concerned that her family is falling apart. She is especially frightened that Walter does not talk to her, and is away for hours on end (of course, dealing drugs). The episode ends with Walter being forced into Jesse's car at gunpoint by Tuco, having left a box with Jesse's gun and piles of money in an open box in the middle of the baby's room.
Characters
- Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) is a 50-year-old high-school chemistry teacher who has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The diagnosis causes a change in Walter's mild-mannered nature. He decides that in order to provide for his family after his death, he will use his extensive knowledge of chemistry to manufacture and distribute crystal methamphetamine. He has a wife named Skyler and a son named Walter, Jr.
- Skyler White (played by Anna Gunn) is a published short-story writer who sells items on eBay. She and Walter have one son (Walter Jr). She is pregnant with the couple's daughter, Holly. She cares for Walter very much, almost to the point that she is making all the decisions in his life for him.
- Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) is Walter White's partner in his meth business under the nickname "Captain Cook." Walter taught his high school chemistry class, which he failed. He comes from an upper class family but was kicked out of his home presumably because of his drug use. Jesse lives in his late aunt's house that he inherited. He has a much younger overachieving brother named Jake whom he gets along with, despite their age difference and Jesse's reputation in the family.
- Walter White, Jr. (played by RJ Mitte) is Walter and Skyler's teenage son. He was born with Cerebral Palsy, which causes some speech and motor difficulties in areas such as dressing and walking, for which he uses crutches as an aid. He looks up to his uncle Hank due to his status as a DEA agent but clearly sees through his boisterous and sometimes embarrassing attitude and embellished stories, and admires and shares his father's intelligence and growing independence as shown by his comment on his father's newly-shaved head ("Badass, Dad.").
- Hank Schrader (played by Dean Norris) is a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. He is also Walter's boisterous brother-in-law, and Marie Schrader's husband. He is currently investigating a possible new meth "kingpin" in the area, unaware that it is Walter. Although loutish and lewd, he seems to genuinely care about Walter and Walter Jr.
- Marie Schrader (played by Betsy Brandt) is Skyler's sister, Hank's wife, and Walter's sister-in-law. She doesn't hesitate to offer advice to others, but she often fails to practice what she preaches. She shoplifts and may be a kleptomaniac.
- Gretchen Schwartz (played by Jessica Hecht) is Walter's old college chemistry assistant and now co-owner of Gray Matter, a successful drug company. Apparently a former romantic interest of Walt's, she is currently married to Elliott Schwartz.
- Elliott Schwartz (played by Adam Godley) is Walter's old college science partner and co-owner of Gray Matter, a successful drug company co-founded by Walter. He is married to Gretchen Schwartz.
- Tuco (played by Raymond Cruz) is a sociopathic Mexican drug kingpin who becomes Walter and Jesse's meth distributor towards the end of season one. He is unpredictable and prone to violent outbursts, but surprisingly respects Walter because of his superior product, intelligence, business style, and guts.
Episode listing
| Season | Episodes | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season one | 7 | January 20, 2008 | March 9, 2008 |
| Season two | 13 | March 8, 2009 | May 31, 2009 |
Season one
The first season consisted of nine episodes, but due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike only seven episodes were filmed.[4] The first season premiered on January 20, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008. Bryan Cranston won an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama Series for his portrayal of Walter White.
Minisodes
On the 17th of February 2009, AMC and Sony teamed up to offer original Minisodes of Breaking Bad that take place between seasons one and two. These episodes were made available on the Minisode's home Crackle and AMC's site.[5] On March 6th, Minisodes of each of the first seven episodes of the show were released on Crackle to help users refresh their memory of the first season before the season two premiere.
Season two
AMC announced on May 16, 2008 that Breaking Bad will be renewed for a 13-episode second season set to premiere on March 8, 2009.[6]
"From critical praise to strong ratings and devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television", said Charlie Collier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMC. "Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent thought-provoking series that clearly resonates with viewers and critics alike. We're excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with a new provocative storyline that will delve deeper into the next chapter of the life of Walter White".[7]
Reception
Breaking Bad has received critical acclaim in addition to two Emmy Awards for its first season. It won the award for best editing, and Bryan Cranston won for best actor in a drama series.[8]
Linda Stasi of the New York Post stated that "the acting is as good as you'll see on TV." Time said the series "has the elements of success".[9] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly rated season one a "B+".[10]
The pilot episode was watched by 1.4 million people, while the subsequent six episodes of the first season were watched by 1.1-1.3 million viewers each.[citation needed]
International distribution
Breaking Bad premiered in Australia on the Showtime/Showcase Pay-TV network on August 28, 2008. The show debuted its first season in the United Kingdom on FX commencing September 28. On October 9, 2008, it premiered on Turkey's on e2 and on October 15, 2008 on New Zealand's C4. It debuted in Italy on November 15, 2008 on AXN and later in Brazil on on Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America). On January 1, 2009 the show began airing on Finland's Nelonen.
Awards and nominations
The show garnered four nominations for the 2008 Emmy Awards, including Cranston for best actor in a drama series and Gilligan (Head Writer and showrunner) as best director for a drama series for the Pilot Episode.[11]
At the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, the show won two Emmy Awards. One for Bryan Cranston for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the show's top award for a male actor, and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for Lynne Willigham. The show was nominated and won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Bryan Cranston. Season received three nominations for 2009 Writers Guild of America Awards: Best New Series and Best Episodic Drama Episode for the Pilot and "Grey Matter". It won the award for Best Episodic Drama for the Pilot.
The show was nominated for the Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding New Program of the Year, but lost to Mad Men. The first season won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series.[12]
Online promotion
An online customisable video was used to promote season one. Users would receive a webcam message from Walt urging them to live their life to the full, at the end of which he would score their name from a list. The promotion is still live at www.waltswisdom.com. A viral marketing campaign has also been produced for season two, users can experience meeting Walt from a first-person perspective. The promotion is located at www.waltswarning.com.
References
- ^ "No. 93: Bryan Cranston." Esquire. Retrieved on 18 September 2007.
- ^ "Fans Chat With Bryan Cranston." AMC. 9 March 2008. Retrieved on 6 February 2009.
- ^ "Series 'Breaking Bad' to Begin Production at Albuquerque Studios." Albuquerque Studios. Retrieved on 23 August 2007.
- ^ a b AMC's "'Breaking Bad' mixes dark humor, drugs." USA Today. Retrieved on 16 January 2008.
- ^ ""Breaking Bad" hits the Web in mini episodes". CNBC. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ Gelman, Vlada."Breaking Bad Starts Shooting Season 2" TV Week. 8 July 2008. Retrieved on 6 February 2009.
- ^ "AMC Renews Breaking Bad for a Second Season" AMC. 8 May 2008. Retrieved on 6 February 2009.
- ^ "'Breaking Bad' Emmy Winner Brings Award To Albuquerque." KOAT. 23 September 2008. Retrieved on 6 February 2009.
- ^ "Downtime - Breaking Bad." TIME. 18 January 2008. Retrieved on 18 May 2008.
- ^ Tucker, Ken. "TV Review - Breaking Bad (2008)." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 6 February 2009.
- ^ "2008 Emmy Nominees." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 17 July 2008.
- ^ "AFI Awards." American Film Institute. Retrieved on 29 December 2008.
External links
