memorable media: breaking bad

Sumaira Alam

Hello everyone ~ This is the first installment of Memorable Media, in which I, (Sumaira!!), will be discussing and reviewing various pieces of media that have sparked my interest ~ From TV series to games to anime, if you’re itching for something interesting to get into, watch out for Memorable Media every issue ~ ♡

Produced in 2008 by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad is still one of the most enthralling, relevant, and successful television series to this day, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 98% and its season finale alone gaining the traction of 10 million viewers. It is rated MA-15+ and is intended for mature audiences, as it deals with themes such as substance abuse, and gore/violence. You can watch it on streaming services such as Stan and Apple TV, both of which provide free trials ~ Breaking Bad follows the storyline of Walter White, an overqualified and heavily underpaid chemistry teacher, who receives distressing news of a lung cancer diagnosis. Unable to pay his medical debts (due to America’s poor healthcare), he gets into the drug business by producing methamphetamine with his ex-chemistry student (and now drug dealer) Jesse Pinkman.

He encounters multiple other characters throughout the series, most of which spur him on to carry out depraved actions and ultimately destroy what was once his sinless identity. Through five seasons of pure heartache, deceit, and dubious morality, Breaking Bad will compel you to watch more with each episode

When I first came across Breaking Bad, it was through memes and random clips on Youtube The internet portrays it as such a light-hearted, goofy series, but oh god. Once you start watching it, you have to prepare yourself for this show’s emotional intensity. Breaking Bad depicts the greed and immorality that a man descends into once he is spellbound by the promise of money. The protagonist Walter White is introduced in the light of a saint. Right off the bat, so many pleasant qualities about him make it very difficult to believe that he is capable of the criminal activities he later enacts. He is renowned in his community for his intelligence and contributions, he is a good-natured man and most prominently, he cherishes his family. In fact, his fondness towards his family is almost too much, as he is willing to compromise his own moral code in order to afford protection for them

One aspect about Walter you will notice when watching this show is that he is obligated to his own corrupt moral system. In the beginning, his objective was to sell as much meth as he could to pay for his chemotherapy. However, this goal changes once he discovers how well his meth business is growing, and he then conspires to make as much money as he possibly can to supply his family with funds for the future As innocent as this aspiration sounds, the wrongful acts he commits to attain this money begin to damage not only himself but his closest relationships, as well as innocent people around him (ESPECIALLY JESSE PINKMAN). He swears to protect and provide for his family until his bitter end to cancer. Yet, his morals begin to degrade throughout the production and he ends up doing the exact opposite of what he originally intended. The protagonist of this series is a disconnected man with a severe lack of empathy, and this is precisely what makes Breaking Bad so disturbingly intriguing.

I hold Breaking Bad in high regard.

I immediately fell in love with the captivating storyline and writing, as well as its characters with that I formed an emotional connection (cough GUSTAVO FRING cough). It is so entertaining to analyse and grasp a wider understanding of Breaking Bad as a whole.

You’ll be astonished to see the underlying meanings hidden in this series. Gilligan largely utilises colour to symbolise and tell Breaking Bad’s story, as well as the ambiguity in some events which lead to the creation of multiple riveting fan theories. And even if you’re just wanting to watch it purely because you want to understand all the Breaking Bad memes online, LITERALLY JUST DO IT.

It may seem daunting because of how long it looks (5 seasons), however just take your time while watching it. I say this with everything in my soul, you will not regret it Breaking Bad is crucial, it is an extensive lesson that teaches you to control your greed for wealth and material gain, and hauntingly demonstrates what has happened to a man who failed to do just that.

The story of Breaking Bad doesn’t just end there either. There are other adaptations such as Better Call Saul and El Camino that build onto this universe, but I truly believe that as good as the prequel and sequel is, nothing can beat the series that started it all If you’ve read up to here, thank you so much for reading!! I hope you liked my review, and please do check out Breaking Bad in your free time ~

Happy Autumn everyone !! Until the next installment of Memorable Media

Sumaira Alam :3