Why is Breaking Bad considered one of the best series in history?

And no, it’s not because it talks about drugs. The genius of it lies in key elements such as screenwriting, acting and producing. The first element that distinguishes the series from others is the author: Vince Gilligan (X-Files: if you haven’t seen it yet, please do yourself a favor and do it! It’s a classic….) is the Stephen King of TV; he takes normality (as in middle-class WASP America) and makes it the main characters of his shows. Just like the author of IT, we’re set up to watch how society and individuals unravel into utmost chaos and violence, destroying all sense of comfort and uniformity. In this show commonality becomes monstrosity in the blink of an eye. Remember that this show was released before Donald Trump and his antics became the new normal on the news… Breaking Bad, tells the story of an average high school teacher in New Mexico and how he becomes an unbelievably complex, aggressive, ambitious, raw and compelling character, with whom you may identify (if you’re a sociopath) or who you pity and end up fearing and loathing. In the show we have a diversity of characters besides the iconic Walter White, in this small microcosm that is a small town in the New Mexican suburbia: a disabled teenager son, a bitter but overly capable wife, a bragging, annoying brother-in-law and a hysterical but insightful sister-in-law. Each character is given enough space to grow, be weak and vulnerable, all the while becoming threatening to our 21st century American “hero”, Walter White, aka Heisenberg. Even the villains (Fring, Mike, Tuco and the Salamancas) are multi-faceted, exist in a network of cultural contexts, family ties and relationships. The second element, after character development is the actors’ brilliant work. Everything about the plot is subtle and complex: the villains have their own villains forcing you to root for the underdog. The heroes are anti-heroes, the victims are abusers and the strong are weak. Nothing is really as it seems, everyone and everything is complex, the diverse becomes particular and the specific becomes divergent. Every time Walter White stands up for himself, it becomes an outlet for the viewers to release their frustration, but without them realizing that it makes him slowly turn into a monster, Heisenberg. Vince Gilligan casted Bryan Cranston (back then mostly known as Malcolm’s father – Malcolm in the Middle) because of his role in one X-Files episode, “Drive”, where he was able to be the most despicable kidnapper, all the while making you empathize with his suffering and vulnerability. Supposedly, Bryan Cranston’s performance caught the imagination of the future Breaking Bad creator. If you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly recommend you to… do your homework, get enough sleep… and then binge watch it on Netflix. Thanks for reading, it’s been a pleasure.

- Desconocido

"I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No! I am the one who knocks!" Season 4, Episode 6 “Cornered”

Editores: María José Muñoz y Daniela Leo Orozco