My Favourite Stories - Part 5: Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul

I’m sure you’ve had friends and family pestering you about just how incredibly made and perfectly acted Breaking Bad is since it started in 2008. For anyone that refused to jump onto the bandwagon (either from an overinflated sense of individuality or just bad taste), this pestering has likely plagued you even to this day thanks to the equally amazing sequel Better Call Saul. I’m sure you’d like even a moment of respite from the constant bombardment of die-hard fans to join their community.

Well too bad, get ready for some more.

For practical purposes, I’m combining the two works of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul into a single story which I’ll comment on as a whole.

For me, this story is a leading example in the power of a simple story told well. At the core of the narrative is a basic idea: an ordinary man who slowly turns into a criminal monster. 

I’ll mention that Saul Goodman’s character has more of his inherent flaws planted early on in the series, making his transformation seem like more of an inevitability. In contrast, we as the audience aren’t given much of an indication of what Walter White’s pathologies are. It’s something we discover throughout the series as he starts committing more and more heinous crimes. 

Anothing thing which makes this story so compelling is how plausible it is. I find shows like these can tend to lean into stylization and sensationalization to play up the violence and increase shock value. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul take a different approach of displaying violence in a very unspectacular fashion. Shootouts are short and lethal, without heavy-duty action music or unnecessary explosions, which is almost more horrifying to watch. It is totally conceivable and immersive even for someone who can’t possibly relate to life as a kingpin of a drug empire, and serves the theme of the banality of evil, which underlies the majority of the story.

And a final point: the production is a refreshing reminder that overloading something with CGI isn’t necessary to create a visually spectacular show, especially in an era where most Hollywood blockbusters are shot in greenscreen warehouses out in Nevada. A lot can be accomplished with good acting, practical effects, and Vince Gillian behind the camera.