Walter White: Breaking Good to Breaking Bad

Walter White: From Breaking Good to Breaking Bad

"Breaking Bad" tells the compelling story of Walter White, a man from New Mexico who, upon turning 50, finds himself at a crossroads. Despite having a loving, pregnant wife, Skyler, and a supportive son, Walter feels underappreciated and trapped in a mundane life as a high school chemistry teacher and part-time car wash employee. Walt's genius-level intellect only adds to his frustration over his unfulfilled potential.

This sense of inadequacy is partly due to his past involvement with Gray Matter Technologies, a promising pharmaceutical company he co-founded. After a falling out with his then-girlfriend, Gretchen, Walt left the company with a small share. Gretchen married the other partner, Elliot Schwartz, and the company became wildly successful, making billions—a stark contrast to Walt’s modest earnings.

Walt's life takes a drastic turn when he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer after collapsing at the car wash. The cost of treatment is astronomical, far beyond Walt's financial means.

Opportunity knocks when Walt's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, a DEA agent, takes him on a ride-along to bust a meth lab. Walt realizes that manufacturing meth could be a lucrative venture. During the raid, he recognizes one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman, fleeing the scene.

With his sharp intellect and lack of funds, Walt tracks down Jesse and proposes a partnership to produce high-quality methamphetamine. Despite Jesse’s initial skepticism, Walt convinces him with the promise of a chemically pure product called "Blue Sky." This illegal enterprise is the beginning of Walt's transformation.

Walt becomes addicted not to the product but to the criminal lifestyle. What starts as a desperate measure to secure his family's future quickly turns into a journey of ego and power. Walter adopts the alias "Heisenberg," inspired by the German nuclear physicist, and embarks on a path filled with danger and deceit. Despite his newfound "badass" persona, Walt often escapes peril by sheer luck, while simultaneously digging a deeper hole for himself.

The very family Walt aims to protect becomes collateral damage. His constant lies and increasingly heinous crimes create rifts, particularly with Hank, who remains oblivious to Walt's true identity. Hank, almost always one step behind Heisenberg, becomes both a mental and physical casualty of Walt's actions.

Skyler, initially unaware, grows suspicious of Walt’s behavior. Her intelligence and determination eventually uncover parts of his double life, though Walt never fully discloses the truth. This deception strains their relationship to the breaking point.

Walter Jr., their disabled son, remains mostly in the dark about his father's criminal activities but is deeply affected by his parents' erratic behavior. He adopts the alias "Flynn" to distance himself from the familial chaos.

Jesse Pinkman, initially the small-time criminal, evolves into a tragic figure. Walt's actions leave a trail of destruction, with many innocent lives lost. Jesse's growing moral conflict over the deaths of children and other innocents makes him a more sympathetic character than Walt, who descends further into his dark persona.

As the series progresses, new characters add complexity. Mike Ehrmantraut, an enforcer and cleaner, becomes a grounding force against Walt’s increasingly reckless decisions. Saul Goodman, a morally dubious lawyer, brings comic relief and crucial assistance. Gustavo Fring, the seemingly benign owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, emerges as a formidable adversary and partner, further entangling Walt in the drug trade. The Salamanca clan, part of a rival cartel, adds additional layers of conflict and danger

    

Despite its dramatic core, "Breaking Bad" often intersperses dark humor, especially in its early seasons. This balance of tension and levity is a hallmark of the show's writing, complemented by Bryan Cranston’s versatile performance.

Anyway, I’ll probably be writing more on Breaking Bad as time goes on, but here’s sort of the fundamentals, along with some of my own thoughts