Review - Breaking Bad

I'm a little late to the Breaking Bad party… I totally missed watching this when it was broadcast; and to be honest, wasn't all the interested.  But - when your parents are the one’s to tell you how good it is, well, you have to listen. Right?

What’s more, it was my parents who bought us the box set!

So.  No more excuses.  

No more reasons (I don’t have Netflix, and it’s not on Amazon Prime)!

Not forgetting to mention my eldest son.  He’s been almost begging me to watch it; and I promised him that once I’d seen the first episode, I would write my review.  Ethan - this is for you.

For those of you who don’t know what the story is about; allow me to enlighten you.  Walter White is a chemistry teacher, who one tragic day receives some life-changing news.  Not wishing for his young wife, unborn baby and son to go without, he decides use his training to cook and sell crystal meth, in partnership with one of his former students.  That’s the brief synopsis - there’s so much more.

The box set contains almost 50 hours of the full five series and bonus material, across 21 discs!  I have watched the first 3 episodes… so I still have some way to go.  Other reviewers have also mirrored my own feeling, that the story-line is just too weird!  Which may explain my reticence to watch this at all.

I also agree that, having watched the first episode, I couldn't wait to watch the next.

Bryan Cranston, as Walter White, plays the part wonderfully well (he did win an Emmy Award back in 2008 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series) and he portrays this sorry character with real empathy.  I have no idea what’s coming up, but I expect he will grow as the series continues.

The first episode is 55 minutes (I thought it would be less, given the US television predilection for “commercial breaks”) so I was pleasantly surprised.  The following episodes were 45 minutes a piece, so with about 34 hours to go; either I need to take a week off work to watch them all, or at one episode per week; this will take me just over 6 months to complete!

Have you seen Breaking Bad? Did you enjoy it?