On the importance of Breaking Bad
AMC is currently airing a marathon of Breaking Bad episodes. I am gleefully watching them over again and finding that I enjoy them just as much the second time around.
There is no doubt that the show was (and, for many, still is) a phenomenon. Many people call it the greatest television show in history.
This got me to thinking, what is it about the show that reached so many people?
The acting is great. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul bring it in every single scene they are in, which is most of the show. There are no lulls in performance they are constantly at their best. The rest of the cast is equally brilliant as are the guest stars. I particularly love John de Lancie.
While the acting obviously is a big draw to the show, I don't believe that it's what set it apart. What made the show so different from anything else we've seen was the writing.
Breaking Bad was a well-crafted show with some amazing writing talent. There is plenty of excitement and action to go around and it does add something to the experience, but the writers wisely focus on the characters.
People desire stories about other people. Explosions may make for good trailer fodder, but people will always be drawn to characters. We love seeing other humans and we love examinations of the many facets of the human psyche.
The writers of Breaking Bad understood this and they never let the action get in the way of the story they were trying to tell. They were making a show about people and how they behave and what shapes them.
Walter White's character arc is probably the most fascinating in recent memory. Yet it is not manufactured for the sake of plot. Plot is a clunky thing that can often take away from character. Instead each one of his actions is informed by his character, his desires and the consequences of his previous actions. It all flows organically from the character and feels natural. In the end his stunning transformation from mild-mannered (if depressed) chemistry teacher to enraged and murderous drug lord doesn't seem so shocking. It seems like a natural progression from each decision that he makes. What he suffers informs and changes his character.
Too many writers in Hollywood have forgotten how to tell these kinds of stories. Indeed, many novelists has forgotten as well. What we see instead is the parade of action movies with thinly veiled promises of moral or ethical dilemmas.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a little action and ethical dilemmas can be fun, but they are constructed things. The heavy hand of the creator is visible when these things come up. Or, at least, it is when character is not developed.
Young writers should take a lesson from Breaking Bad, and could do worse than to aspire to that standard. Not that you should simply copy the form of normal guy becomes anti-hero--there is too much copying of that kind going around already.
No, what I want you to aspire to is how Breaking Bad handles characters. How they let the character shape the story. One example of this should serve for all. Vince Gilligan did an interview after the final episode where he spoke about how originally they envisioned a big scene with Walt storming in and murdering Jack's gang. As described it almost sounds Terminatoresque. Gilligan said that everyone realized that such a scene (while exciting) would go against Walt's character. That all the damage he did was based on intelligence and not brute force.
Thus they opted for an ending more in line with the character. It still proved exciting, but what is more important is that they let the character dictate the story and they didn't let the story dictate the character.
That is the lesson that all young writers should take from the show. Every story, at its heart, is about people, because people love stories about people.
Be true to your characters and let them write the story for you. It's more satisfying for you, and more satisfying for your readers.
There is no doubt that the show was (and, for many, still is) a phenomenon. Many people call it the greatest television show in history.
This got me to thinking, what is it about the show that reached so many people?
The acting is great. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul bring it in every single scene they are in, which is most of the show. There are no lulls in performance they are constantly at their best. The rest of the cast is equally brilliant as are the guest stars. I particularly love John de Lancie.
While the acting obviously is a big draw to the show, I don't believe that it's what set it apart. What made the show so different from anything else we've seen was the writing.
Breaking Bad was a well-crafted show with some amazing writing talent. There is plenty of excitement and action to go around and it does add something to the experience, but the writers wisely focus on the characters.
People desire stories about other people. Explosions may make for good trailer fodder, but people will always be drawn to characters. We love seeing other humans and we love examinations of the many facets of the human psyche.
The writers of Breaking Bad understood this and they never let the action get in the way of the story they were trying to tell. They were making a show about people and how they behave and what shapes them.
Walter White's character arc is probably the most fascinating in recent memory. Yet it is not manufactured for the sake of plot. Plot is a clunky thing that can often take away from character. Instead each one of his actions is informed by his character, his desires and the consequences of his previous actions. It all flows organically from the character and feels natural. In the end his stunning transformation from mild-mannered (if depressed) chemistry teacher to enraged and murderous drug lord doesn't seem so shocking. It seems like a natural progression from each decision that he makes. What he suffers informs and changes his character.
Too many writers in Hollywood have forgotten how to tell these kinds of stories. Indeed, many novelists has forgotten as well. What we see instead is the parade of action movies with thinly veiled promises of moral or ethical dilemmas.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a little action and ethical dilemmas can be fun, but they are constructed things. The heavy hand of the creator is visible when these things come up. Or, at least, it is when character is not developed.
Young writers should take a lesson from Breaking Bad, and could do worse than to aspire to that standard. Not that you should simply copy the form of normal guy becomes anti-hero--there is too much copying of that kind going around already.
No, what I want you to aspire to is how Breaking Bad handles characters. How they let the character shape the story. One example of this should serve for all. Vince Gilligan did an interview after the final episode where he spoke about how originally they envisioned a big scene with Walt storming in and murdering Jack's gang. As described it almost sounds Terminatoresque. Gilligan said that everyone realized that such a scene (while exciting) would go against Walt's character. That all the damage he did was based on intelligence and not brute force.
Thus they opted for an ending more in line with the character. It still proved exciting, but what is more important is that they let the character dictate the story and they didn't let the story dictate the character.
That is the lesson that all young writers should take from the show. Every story, at its heart, is about people, because people love stories about people.
Be true to your characters and let them write the story for you. It's more satisfying for you, and more satisfying for your readers.
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