When Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, its basic elements included a despairing tone and an underlying question of how far a man would go in a desperate situation.
The three ensuing seasons have maintained that sense of despair. And the end of the third season demonstrated that its main characters will go very far to protect themselves. But the fourth season, beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday on AMC, makes it look as if we still don’t know how far they can go.
For those of you tuning in late, the series stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White, originally a high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Determined to provide for his family before he died, Walt set up a meth lab in partnership with former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Of course, that put them on a collision course with big trouble, including their criminal competition; early on it was clear that they had entered a raw and violent world.
By the end of the third season, Walt’s cancer was in remission, and his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), knew about his new line of work. But his business — driven largely by the extraordinary quality of the drugs he produced — and his life were at risk from drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) who thought he had another capable chemist in the form of Walt’s former assistant. That made Walt dispensable — until, at the end of the third season, Jesse killed the assistant before Gus could dispatch Walt. (You can catch up on all this on DVD, where the first three seasons of Breaking Bad are available.)
The fourth season picks up shortly after the killing, with Walt bargaining for his life even as another possible replacement is lining up. It should not be a surprise that Walt survives. What is of greater interest over the three episodes made available for preview is Walt’s growing embrace of criminal ways, and the way that affects others around him. (Skyler, for example, becomes very involved in laundering Walt’s drug money.) And those actions take place in an atmosphere of continued despair for Walt, Jesse and the people around them.
The show remains very bleak, especially for the lost soul that is Jesse. It has a sizable number of admirers, including among TV-industry voters. Cranston, before this known mainly as the comedic co-star of Malcolm in the Middle, has won three consecutive Emmys for best actor in a drama. (Paul also won last year as best supporting actor.) It can be very funny, and brutally violent, and sometimes painful to watch. But I kept watching.
The three ensuing seasons have maintained that sense of despair. And the end of the third season demonstrated that its main characters will go very far to protect themselves. But the fourth season, beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday on AMC, makes it look as if we still don’t know how far they can go.
For those of you tuning in late, the series stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White, originally a high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Determined to provide for his family before he died, Walt set up a meth lab in partnership with former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Of course, that put them on a collision course with big trouble, including their criminal competition; early on it was clear that they had entered a raw and violent world.
By the end of the third season, Walt’s cancer was in remission, and his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), knew about his new line of work. But his business — driven largely by the extraordinary quality of the drugs he produced — and his life were at risk from drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) who thought he had another capable chemist in the form of Walt’s former assistant. That made Walt dispensable — until, at the end of the third season, Jesse killed the assistant before Gus could dispatch Walt. (You can catch up on all this on DVD, where the first three seasons of Breaking Bad are available.)
The show remains very bleak, especially for the lost soul that is Jesse. It has a sizable number of admirers, including among TV-industry voters. Cranston, before this known mainly as the comedic co-star of Malcolm in the Middle, has won three consecutive Emmys for best actor in a drama. (Paul also won last year as best supporting actor.) It can be very funny, and brutally violent, and sometimes painful to watch. But I kept watching.
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