“Breaking Bad” is one of the best drama action series on television which introduces Walter White, a middle-class chemistry teacher who calls himself Heisenberg. Due to the fact that the episodes in the series vary in their dramatic effect and tension, the episodes’ culminations and endings are always unpredictable, and this aspect, along with the focus on the antagonist as the main character, influences the audience’s great interest in the series.
Although the series started as the typical television crime show, it developed its dramatic effect in several following episodes. In the first episode, Walter White is portrayed as an ordinary chemistry teacher, and the viewer does not expect that he can become a cool-headed killer and the greatest methamphetamine dealer at the West Coast and in some European countries (“Breaking Bad: Official Site”).
The motives for Walter’s crime activities are in the fact that he is diagnosed with lung cancer, and Walter knows that he is dying slowly (Stanley). As a result, Walter becomes ‘bad’ and chooses the easiest way to make money for his family while selling methamphetamine with his ex-student Jessie Pinkman.
The former student Jessie Pinkman is the supporting negative character in the show who reflects the true nature of Walter’s actions. Pinkman was a terrible student in high school, and his parents punished him because of the drug abuse. Thus, Walter took Jessie under his wing and taught him how to cook and sell methamphetamine to become richer (“Breaking Bad: Official Site”; Stanley).
It is possible to state that Walter had no intentions to kill, but circumstances forced him to act in such a way. However, the show was in progress, and it became clear that there were no boundaries for Walter. Walter’s wife Skyler was also affected by the husband’s negative behaviours (“Breaking Bad: Official Site”). There are moments in the series when Walter can make the audience angry because he goes too far to protect his methamphetamine business, for instance, from his brother-in-law’s intrusion because he works for the DEA.
Even though Walter White is the protagonist, the other vivid characters are Saul Goodman, the dirty lawyer with a good heart, and Gustavo Fring, the international fast food franchise owner and the largest methamphetamine dealer in the North America. With references to these characters, the series can demonstrate whom a person can or cannot trust.
The show is interesting because of the preserved dramatic effect and manipulation of the audience’s expectations. It is almost impossible to stop watching the episodes because of the desire to know the characters’ fate and outcomes at the end. Thus, the chemistry teacher destroyed his family life because he did not know where to draw the line. The series can be ranked ten on a scale of ten.
The Checklist for a Research Paper
- The thesis is presented as the final sentence of the introductory paragraph, and the reader can refer to its main points as indicators of the essay’s direction.
- Topic sentences and body paragraphs are clear and well developed to provide the supporting evidences from the show’s plot and to present the discussion of the evidences.
- The thesis is completely supported with the necessary details and factual examples while referring to the show’s plot, examples from the episodes, and to the discussion of the episodes in The New York Times’ review.
- I have used the appropriate number of sources to provide the examples from the series with references to the show’s official site and to cite the critical discussion of the series in The New York Times.
- All the sources are properly cited according to the MLA format.
- The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and restates the thesis with presenting the personal opinion on the series.
- The paper is proofread and revised.
- The work cited page includes every source cited in the text in the correct format.
- The paper is formatted according to the MLA Style requirements.
Works Cited
Breaking Bad: Official Site. 2013. Web.
Stanley, Alessandra. A Clear Ending to a Mysterious Beginning: The Final Episode of ‘Breaking Bad’ Leaves One Question Unanswered. 2013. Web.