Ben Walker

Professor Kiewitz

English Composition 1

9/21/2021

Breaking Bad Evaluation(contains lots of spoilers)

Have you ever spent hours looking for a TV show to binge? There are many TV shows

out there to watch right now and finding a good one is something that can take time and lots of

effort. For me, after watching the first episode of Breaking Bad, I knew that it was going to be

good. I could just tell from there that the show was going to be very entertaining and keep me

engaged for a while. After finishing the show through all 5 seasons I found Breaking Bad to be a

near-perfect show. Although I am a movie person because I like the shortness, based on its

character development, plot, and ending, Breaking Bad is the perfect show to go out and binge

watch.

A good show needs to have good character development. This show has close to perfect

character development with each character becoming more and more complex throughout the

show. The main character, Walt, has to make many hard decisions throughout the show that

make the viewer think and try to understand what is going on inside his head. The show has

character actions that will surprise anyone and as the characters develop over time you start to

change your mind over who you “root for''. As the show is unique with the main character as an

antagonist, this show provides a side of a bad character that you don’t see in many other shows.

Some people may prefer a protagonist as the main character such as a show like Brooklyn 99 or

NCIS as they have someone concrete to root for. Breaking Bad provides an option for a viewer

seeking thrill while watching. At a certain point, you have to choose whether to root for Walt or
his brother-in-law Hank. After watching for a while the average viewer may have a very hard

time making this decision and this option isn’t presented much in other shows. The actors and

the way the story is written create a very realistic view of the drug business which makes the

development even better within the characters. Overall, the show has great character

development as each character starts to develop a dynamic personality, lots of depth, and the

person watching feels like they become involved with what they are watching.

A show should also have a great plot. Although some may argue the plot of Breaking Bad

may have a slow start, seasons 3, 4, and 5 certainly make up for the lack of action within seasons

1,2. As the person watching gets through seasons 1,2 they get a pretty good understanding of

what is going on and as the rising action goes on, a lot happens. As the seasons go on and more

characters are introduced, subplots are created with these different characters. These subplots

create a lot of action for the viewer and create even more drama within the show. The climax is

argued to be near the end of the show within the last 3 episodes when everything starts to begin

to fall apart for Walt and all of the subplots that were going on all collide into one massive plot.

This climax is a big moment for the viewer as everything collides. The falling action may just be

the final 2 episodes but a lot can happen in 2 episodes. The last 2 episodes contain a lot of the

story and tons of information as everything that was built up in the 5 seasons needs to come to an

end. With the subject of drugs being the main idea of the show, the story is definitely not for

everyone, especially younger viewers, people may not handle the subject well. Some people

prefer to watch comedies and this show is definitely not for an average comedy viewer. But, with

the number of cliffhangers and memorable moments within the episodes and plot twists, the plot

is perfect for a drama and someone wanting lots of action.

 Going along with the plot, a great show needs a great ending. An ending for a television

show is one of the most important parts of the show. For example, the ending of Game of

Thrones was heavily disliked, leading to an overall decrease in the liking of the show. Many

viewers think it should have ended a different way and debated how it should end. The ending

for Breaking Bad for the most part is not this way. The consensus view of the ending is generally

good in that it satisfies everything that was going on in a good way and didn’t leave anything

from any of the different plots and subplots out. We finally see the good side of Walt again in the

end as he gives millions to Walt Jr and he says his final goodbyes. As you see Walt die, the

viewer gets closure as Walt had done many bad things and finally faced the consequences for his

actions. As all television show endings go, nobody is ever fully satisfied. The way Walt kills the

group of bad guys may not be the best way to end it as it isn’t fully realistic and takes away from

the realism of the rest of the show. There were also some questions left unanswered in the end

such as the question of what happens to characters other than Walt as they aren’t mentioned

much in the end. But, for the most part, Breaking Bad offers an ending that satisfies most

viewers bringing the show to an end with the big questions answered.

As a viewer, there isn’t much to complain about when it comes to breaking bad. The

show offers a unique way to enjoy a dramatic, thrill-seeking, action-filled show. Overall, the

development of the characters, the action and plot twists within the story, and the ending make

Breaking Bad worth watching, especially if you have plenty of free time on your hands.