Saturday July 16th, 2011

Captain's log... oh wait, scratch that. This ain't no Star Trek fan blog.

UWTL talking bout the best bald protagonist on TV since Patrick Stewart. That's right, Mr. Bryan Cranston (though mind you I never actually watched THE SHIELD). The best show that will air on television this year (as we continue on in the year without MAD MEN) returns tomorrow, or technically tonight. I'm currently on the home stretch of catching up to date with the series that goes to deeper, darker, and even occasionally funnier places than any show in recent memory, if ever. The transformation of a mild mannered father and chemistry teacher, into an increasingly powerful drug manufacturer and kingpin, all while battling cancer, has been an awesome thing to watch. BREAKING BAD is so damn good, that it wins fools over before they've ever even seen a minute (well, at least for this fool).

Like plenty of other great gems, I was definitely late to the party and I've also lagged behind in my arrival to said party. I got my hands on the pilot script and the first season of the show a good 12-18 months ago. I read and watched the pilot then, and was instantly hooked. Actually, in a weird way I'd felt as if it was one of my favorite shows before I ever even read a word or watched a frame. There was something about the hype, and the vibe of the show that just clicked with me before I was ever even exposed to it. The danger, the drama, the tragedy, the comedy, a show's got to be pretty unbelievably rich in these departments in order to win fans such as myself, at such an early stage.

After reading the pilot, I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail and care that was put into the portrayal of this man, Walter White. I loved the emptiness of the Ontario, CA setting, and how that really informed the direness of the characters predicament. When I sat down to watch the filmed version, I was pleased with the change of setting to Albuquerque, NM which is a choice that really opened the world up to endless visual possibilities that the previously scripted section of California couldn't really provide. One thing I found, and maybe this is a testament to great writing in general, is that the read was much stronger than the filmed end result. I was a little underwhelmed by the look and feel of the pilot, especially when measured against my imagination of what it would be like, based on the superb words. That being said, this was super low budget TV without a doubt, and with that in mind they did a really great job and have pushed and evolved the visual aspect of the show as it went on.

I'm sure I could talk about this stuff for days, but alas it's 2:17 in the morning, I plan to get another episode in at least to find myself 3 episodes closer to catching up before tomorrow night's season premiere. That and I'd like to get to sleep at a not too absurd hour.

I highly recommend this show for anyone who can handle a little edge, and who loves great television. From what i've read and heard, this fourth season is as dark and compelling as ever, which is a crazy awesome accomplishment considering the show has already had those two things in spades during it's first 3 seasons.