I finally had time to rewatch "Breaking Bad", and it has been just as fun as the first time. Definitely one of the best TV series ever made in terms of writing, direction, and acting. Popular series tend to grow stale over time, but the quality is uniform throughout the five seasons here. Everything is crafted so carefully that even the subplots and fillers are worth it. It's basically a crime drama with a lot of focus on exploring the depths of all characters. It's not a new formula but has the perfect balance between action, black comedy, introspection and tragedy. The cast is what makes this series so unique: even though the spot is on Walter and Jesse, the side characters are just as iconic and meticulously written that even potentially boring daily life sequences and family drama events are entertaining. Gus is one of the best villains in television history, but does he really count as a villain? I understand that he could not stay around forever, but after he is gone I couldn't help feeling the void that he left. Hank didn't get the same recognition, but I personally thought that in the end he was one of the most likable and multifaceted characters, and the one with the most realistic development.
Even though I enjoyed the whole series, the first two seasons are by far the best in terms of pacing, development and realism. It's impossible not to binge-watch mid-season one to early season three. Things get bigger and more complicated in later seasons, but basically rely on the same structure and situations of the first two. Season three and four introduce great characters like Gus and Mike, but season finales apart the pacing significantly slows down. A lot of situations also start to repeat themselves: Walter and Skyler have the same conversations every single time, Jesse gets manipulated by Walter and turns against him when finding out, Jesse loses himself and gets saved by Walter in some unorthodox way, etc. Season five tries to change the game a little and mostly succeeds, the second part in particular offers a lot of great moments as all storylines start to close. The ending was maybe a bit low-key, but it felt like the right thing to do without getting too unrealistic and leaving loose ends.
Review by manicureVIP 4BlockedParent2020-07-13T18:08:26Z
I finally had time to rewatch "Breaking Bad", and it has been just as fun as the first time. Definitely one of the best TV series ever made in terms of writing, direction, and acting. Popular series tend to grow stale over time, but the quality is uniform throughout the five seasons here. Everything is crafted so carefully that even the subplots and fillers are worth it. It's basically a crime drama with a lot of focus on exploring the depths of all characters. It's not a new formula but has the perfect balance between action, black comedy, introspection and tragedy. The cast is what makes this series so unique: even though the spot is on Walter and Jesse, the side characters are just as iconic and meticulously written that even potentially boring daily life sequences and family drama events are entertaining. Gus is one of the best villains in television history, but does he really count as a villain? I understand that he could not stay around forever, but after he is gone I couldn't help feeling the void that he left. Hank didn't get the same recognition, but I personally thought that in the end he was one of the most likable and multifaceted characters, and the one with the most realistic development.
Even though I enjoyed the whole series, the first two seasons are by far the best in terms of pacing, development and realism. It's impossible not to binge-watch mid-season one to early season three. Things get bigger and more complicated in later seasons, but basically rely on the same structure and situations of the first two. Season three and four introduce great characters like Gus and Mike, but season finales apart the pacing significantly slows down. A lot of situations also start to repeat themselves: Walter and Skyler have the same conversations every single time, Jesse gets manipulated by Walter and turns against him when finding out, Jesse loses himself and gets saved by Walter in some unorthodox way, etc. Season five tries to change the game a little and mostly succeeds, the second part in particular offers a lot of great moments as all storylines start to close. The ending was maybe a bit low-key, but it felt like the right thing to do without getting too unrealistic and leaving loose ends.