By now, chances are you’ve already heard of it. “Breaking Bad” is widely recognized as one of the best shows on T.V., and the show’s leading man, Bryan Cranston, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance. Cranston plays Walter White, an Albuquerque high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 50. Too prideful to accept any financial aid from friends or family, he decides to use his masterful knowledge of science to develop high quality crystal meth. He blackmails Jesse Pinkman, a former student and meth junkie, to help him deal the product. Walt has to deal with unrelated issues while concealing a massive secret from his family. His loving and pregnant wife Skyler is clueless, as is his son Walt Jr., who has cerebral palsy. Walt’s meth dealing career began five seasons ago, and a lot has happened since then.
Don’t continue reading if you haven’t watched up to season five of the show. Spoilers will follow.
This fifth season is the last season split into two sections: eight episodes, followed by eight more that will air 10 painful months later. Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you’re as caught up as I am. Season five begins a little over a year after Walt receives his diagnosis. Since then, a number of plot-lines have escalated. Walter White, known as “Heisenberg” by his drug associates, is now the kingpin of the drug ring. He has successfully scared off the Mexican cartel and murdered his former employer, Gus Fring. However, his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, a successful DEA agent, is hot on the trail of Heisenberg, thoroughly clueless that the drug dealer he is tracking down is none other than Walt.
The first eight episodes were incredible to watch, but very dark. The viewers who have followed Walt since he was a shy school teacher have now watched him undergo the final transformation into a ruthless, murdering dealer who has lost the morals that once preserved his normal self. The writers do an excellent job of making this transformation as heart-wrenching as possible. Jesse can only stand by and watch as Walt manipulates and bullies everyone he works with, alienating Jesse. Mike is also fed up with Walt’s belligerence, as Walt remains only a few wrong moves from getting caught by the DEA. Skyler, who has steadily lost popularity among fans of the show, is still seething with fear and anger. Lydia, a paranoid corporate criminal, was a new addition to the show, supplying Walt with methylamine (a key ingredient to the drug) and acting as a middleman to ship the infamously pure meth.
Summarizing the whole eight episodes in detail would be a grueling process, so I won’t. The tension was infinite, consistently building and winding in new and varied paths. From the confusing opening to the heart stopping cliffhanger, I loved every bit of this season and it will be a miracle if I can survive the next 10 months until the final episodes. #
