Fifteen Episodes into BREAKING BAD and…

…it’s even better than the hype. It’s not a pleasant viewing experience. It’s not uplifting or escapist. In fact, my jaws are clenched pretty much from beginning to end.

But it’s the best written television show I’ve ever seen. I mean, Seinfeld was brilliant in a different way, but that’s like comparing Jaws to The Big Lebowsi. The two belong in different solar systems.

Actor

Each episode my breath is stolen by something different:

–Bryan Cranston’s astonishing acting (like when he tells off an ex-girlfriend in a restaurant and packs more emotion into a famous two-word sentence than any actor ever has)

–A stunning plot twist (like when a tortoise goes meandering across the desert whilst loaded with a very atypical object and then…)

Perfect Casting

–A fascinating bit of direction (like a perfectly chosen overhead shot when an old man in a wheelchair decides to provide a surprising answer to a DEA agent’s question)

–An acrobatic feat of editing (like an excruciating cross-cutting sequence between the wonderful Dean Norris and his bloody standoff with a mad dog drug lord and the shocked/horrified reactions of Jesse and Walt)

Okay, if I’m being honest, I notice all of the above elements and more every week. Each episode is a masterclass of storytelling. I’ve learned more watching BREAKING BAD than perhaps any other television show. So while on one level I’m mesmerized by the show, I’m marveling at the writing on another.

Deserves to Have His Own Show

Gotta get back to editing now. A deadline is looming. Have a good night, friends.