TV Tuesday: Breaking Bad

It is quite possible that my husband and I are the last people on Earth to jump on the Breaking Bad bandwagon, but we finally gave it a try, after this popular show finished five seasons and won 147 awards! And, of course we were immediately hooked. We are now coming to the end of season three, and we are loving it.

So, in case you - like us - have been living under a rock, here's a quick recap. Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a quiet, geeky family man who teaches high school chemistry. Walt's wife, Skyler (played by Anna Gunn), is expecting a new baby, and their teen son, Walt Jr., played by RJ Mitte, has cerebral palsy but is managing high school quite well. Then, Walter's world explodes when he finds out he has terminal lung cancer. Panicking and worried about what will happen to his family when he's gone (not to mention mounting medical bills), Walter remembers seeing loads of cash on the news when his brother-in-law, Hank, a DEA agent (played by Dean Norris), raided a meth house, and he also witnessed one guy escape from a raid when he did a ride-along with Hank. That guy happens to be an old student of Walter's, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. So, desperate to provide for his family before he dies, Walter partners up with Jesse, they get a rickety old RV, and Walter uses his expertise to set up an awesome meth lab. The two hapless criminals are surprisingly good at cooking meth, though they run into a LOT of challenges along the way.

I know this show sounds really dark - guy dying of cancer decides to cook meth - which is probably why it took us so long to try it, in spite of all the accolades, but it is really, really good - and has some surprisingly funny moments! It is definitely dark. Things rarely go well for Walter and Jesse, and there are some serious run-ins with major criminals in store for the pair, as well as other scary, unforeseen challenges. Both of them spin out of control at various times, as they get pulled deeper and deeper into the criminal world, all while Walt tries to hold his family together and keep his secrets. Most episodes, though, also make you laugh out loud, like the sight of straight-laced Walter cooking meth in nothing but his tighty-whiteys and an apron! This show is incredibly compelling - absolutely addictive. We kicked off watching it by binging the first season during Fourth of July weekend! Though you often want to shake some sense into Walt and Jesse, the characters and the show overall are complex and the plot is gripping. We are almost at the end of season three, and it just gets better and better.

If you also want to try Breaking Bad, all five seasons of the show are available on Netflix. But be warned, once you start, you won't be able to stop!