I have been watching season 2 of Breaking Bad on Netflix for the last few weeks now. It’s difficult to find the time to get an episode in because my wife hates the show. Violence and drug use are a bad combination if you want to get her viewership. I on the other hand love this show. I don’t know if it is or could make Adult Steve’s Top 10 List of TV Shows but it is certainly an honorable mention and deserves your attention.
While I don’t want to ruin anything for you, I will say that season 2 is very strong. There is an elevation to the writing and acting that dwarfs season 1 and that was a truly excellent season. At this point Walt White and Jesse are dealing with a crazed meth wholesaler, a DEA investigation getting a little too close and the introduction of Saul Goodman.
The introduction of Saul as an ongoing character was a stroke of genius. The portrayal of this seedy lawyer by Bob Odenkirk is greatness. This guy is so sleazy that he even pretends that he is Jewish. Through Saul we also get introduced to Gus Fring, the meth kingpin and a far cry different in personality than their last distributor Tuco.
One of the thoughts that ran through my head as I watched the end of season 2 and the first episode of season 3 is how Walt’s lies to Skyler just built up. What makes it painful to watch is that you have just as much of an emotional bond with Skyler (Anna Gunn) as you do with Walt. Seeing him lie to her at every turn is heart wrench as she does nothing but love him.
For a lie to work the person hearing it has to trust you. That is what makes the lie even worse. When the lie comes out the trust is shattered. Trust and respect are the foundations of a loving relationship. I have often felt that, for example with adultery, that it is not the actual act of sleeping with someone else that hurts the partner as much as the breaking of the trust built between the two people. When the lies come out for Walt I expect the fall out to be catastrophic. Given the incredible actors of Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn I expect those moments to affect me emotionally. While I look forward to it in the scope of a dramatic TV show, I would never wish such a moment on anyone’s relationship (unless I knew the lie and disliked the liar, then I say “bring it on”).
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