Does Breaking Bad get better?

June 17, 2013 1:31 AM

I watched the first three episodes of Breaking Bad. The premise is interesting to me, but it was too violent for my taste. I was surprised it had a 12+ rating where I live, usually those shows are totally fine for me. I want to give Breaking Bad a chance (I like the premise and the person I'm watching it with does like the show so far) but not if it keeps going on like this, where the main characters keep killing people. Of course I understand that in a series about drug dealing people are going to die, so I guess I'm mainly concerned about the frequency, the way it goes, and the way it's handled. Also, at the moment I feel that nobody is really likeable on the show. Would like to hear if other people who felt the same way after the first few episodes think I should keep watching.
posted by blub to Media & Arts (35 answers total)

People rabidly love this show, so watch out. That said, I felt the same way you do. No one likable, constant killing, watched the first couple seasons and still wasn't into it.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 1:34 AM on June 17, 2013 [4 favorites]

I nearly dropped out at the same point as you. I think it's quite a common place to despair. I didn't find it too violent, but it did find it wasn't much more than violence. The bathtub scene in particular, I basically threw up my hands and said forget it. I'm glad I didn't. It gets much, much, much better, although it doesn't really hit its stride until season 3.
posted by caek at 1:35 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

It gets better, but not by your metric. It's a grim show. It certainly doesn't get any less violent.
posted by zanni at 1:41 AM on June 17, 2013 [8 favorites]

I like the show. I'm not sure you will.
posted by pompomtom at 1:51 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

You can safely stop watching as there are many more deaths to come, some of which are quite hard to take.
posted by acheekymonkey at 1:52 AM on June 17, 2013 [10 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all! I think I know enough. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like it's a show for me.
posted by blub at 2:17 AM on June 17, 2013

I think, against others here, that it does get less violent in future episodes, at least in terms of frequency. There are still plenty of deaths in the show, but they aren't as prevalent as those first few episodes would have you believe, and not frequently caused by the main characters. I remember being surprised that they had Walt kill someone so early in the show... I had thought they would have gradually built up to it, so his strangling that guy seemed to portend that he'd start killing all sorts of people. That's not really the case. It's a big deal when Walt personally kills someone in the show; he doesn't strangle people every couple of episodes. There are long plots about how strongly Jesse doesn't want to kill anyone.

That said, the deaths do tend to be played for shock and black humor laughs. If the first few episodes hasn't grabbed you, I'm not sure it's worth pursuing; the show took no time at all to find its feet, and the early episodes are mostly representative of the whole.
posted by painquale at 2:18 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

You are also not liket to ever just plain "like" anyone. Nobody is perfectly good or evil, but depending on your own drives you will find greater or fewer reasons to sympathise with various characters; there's bad guys I just can't side entirely against, innocents who partially have themselves to blame and all that jazz. But yeah, there's plenty of horrible stuff left to happen, sometimes for laughs.
posted by Iteki at 2:30 AM on June 17, 2013

My wife and I dropped it at about the same point you're at, for similar reasons, but I kept reading raves and several months later I suggested we try it again. Those first few episodes, which weren't quite as shocking the second time around, and we were soon hooked; we've ploughed through all the rest of the available seasons over the course of a few weeks.

Painquale is exactly right that actual violence becomes substantially less frequent, but the show is built around a mixture of actual violence plus the fear and threat of it. The plot grows out of how the characters respond to it, what choices they make, and where that takes them.

I'd say it does get better, but it gets better because the violence develops more meaning than it has in those first episodes when you don't care about the characters yet. It really is great TV, but I completely sympathize with the reaction you've had. I felt just the same way.
posted by jon1270 at 2:38 AM on June 17, 2013

If you need likeable characters to enjoy a show then Breaking Bad is probably not for you. It's a study of a seemingly moral, "regular" guy slowly turning into a monster.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:50 AM on June 17, 2013 [10 favorites]

By your metrics the show gets much much worse, now would be a great time to drop out
posted by Blasdelb at 2:58 AM on June 17, 2013

Don't worry, I felt the same way. From what I hear, I don't think the formula really changes all that much.
posted by phaedon at 3:20 AM on June 17, 2013

Also, at the moment I feel that nobody is really likeable on the show.

Yeah, that only gets worse unfortunately, which is what put me off.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:59 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

A few people get more likable, but that doesn't happen until you get waaaay farther into the show.

It never gets less violent.

This is the kind of show where I think a person should really, really watch the whole first season before throwing in the towel, but (and I can't believe I'm saying this, it's one of my all time favorite shows) based on what you're looking for, I don't think you'll be happy continuing.
posted by phunniemee at 4:49 AM on June 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

Some of us think Walter becomes more likeable as the seasons progress.
posted by Unified Theory at 5:07 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

I had the same reaction to it after three episodes. A lot of violence and no depth to the characters, other than it seemed evident Walt was suddenly acting uncharacteristically.

A couple of friends insisted I should give it another chance and I watched till the middle of season two. By the beginning of season 2 I think I got the "depth" of the story, which I think is definitely there, but I would side with the people who say that, while you may appreciate that it's a well made series, you probably won't suddenly start enjoying it if you haven't until now.
posted by ipsative at 5:08 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Also just in case you're using "violence" here to mean gore, rather than people getting shot and so on, it basically never gets anywhere near as gory as the bathtub scenes ever again (up to the end of Season 4 anyway).
posted by oliverburkeman at 5:09 AM on June 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

I haven't watched a lot of watchable what-not over the last decade or two and tend to find the violence in shows/movies now really jarring. I have abandoned violent movies mid-movie, I don't make excuses for it (but it comes with a first-rate plot!) -- I just don't like gratuitous violence; it doesn't improve my life to see it but it does improve my life to avoid it.

But I watched and thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of 'Breaking Bad.' Mostly seconding oliverburkeman here. More people will die, but not with spectacular CGI excess.
posted by kmennie at 6:41 AM on June 17, 2013

I watched the first season or so, and while it's well made, I'm really not liking anybody. I think the arc of the show - going from Mister Chips to Scarface - is ambitious and interesting territory, but it's not something I want to invest much more time in at the moment. Maybe later, but for now, I don't want that in my head.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:55 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Oh, and if you do decide to stick it out, I highly highly recommend reading the AV Club episode reviews as you go along. They're great.
posted by phunniemee at 7:11 AM on June 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

Oh, and if you do decide to stick it out, I highly highly recommend reading the AV Club episode reviews as you go along. They're great.

As are the recaps on TelevisionWithoutPity. They provide a lot of insight (and humor).
posted by Dolley at 7:39 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Breaking Bad is the most depressing show out there. It boggles my mind that people claim shows like Game of Thrones are upsetting or bleak. Breaking Bad makes me want to curl up on the floor and cry for a week. I promised a friend I'd watch it with him, which is why I plowed through each season, but... yeah. I can't wait until it's over.
posted by silverstatue at 7:53 AM on June 17, 2013

Best answer: If you want a complete picture, check out the infographic of the Death Toll in Breaking Bad. Each death is marked by a symbol and has some details underneath it. It's sorted in chronological order and it indicates the season, so you could look to see if you think it "gets better".

It also includes a Periodic Table of Death which summarizes the totals by Person Responsible and by Cause of Death.
posted by CathyG at 7:55 AM on June 17, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'm on the side of "don't bother." There are plenty of other good TV shows out there that aren't as bleak and filled with assholes.
posted by Etrigan at 8:23 AM on June 17, 2013

It's violent and ugly. Don't fill your mind or time with this. It will only detract from your life.

I love episodic television, but not this.
posted by jbenben at 9:09 AM on June 17, 2013

I LOVE the show, and when I recently re-watched, I found myself watching a few scenes from the first 2 episodes through my fingers. I agree that it remains violent, but SO FAR, it has never been as gruesome as those early episodes.
posted by peep at 9:53 AM on June 17, 2013

Best answer: Get out while you can.

I love the show and I'm not so squeamish about violence, but season two contains one of the most brutal depictions of violence I've ever seen -- I'm re-watching the series now and couldn't even look -- and [a later season] has the most shocking (albeit not bloody or gruesome) death scene I think I've ever seen. (I have a friend who loved the show and and quit watching the show immediately after that scene.)
posted by Room 641-A at 10:24 AM on June 17, 2013

I was turned off by the first three episodes, but powered through to partway through Season Two. It did not get better or more likable.

There are so many good shows, books, essays, and magazines articles - don't waste your time on something you won't love.
posted by quadrilaterals at 10:54 AM on June 17, 2013

There is a signficant level of violence throughout the series, though I do not think that in most cases at least it is gratuitous: that is, the violence is a logical outcome of the characters and the situations in which they are placed.

As far as likability goes, I can think of at least one major character who, however gradually, does make steady moral progress while maintaining an affable kookiness. Regular viewers will know who I'm talking about, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched.

In general, though, Breaking Bad doesn't offer much in the way of sympathy: it's more about pathos. It is very definitely a tragedy, and a dark one at that.
posted by La Cieca at 11:47 AM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks again! Interesting to see the varied opinions. Kmennie almost had me convinced to give it another go (because I just don't like gratuitous violence; it doesn't improve my life to see it but it does improve my life to avoid it is exactly how I feel), but I still think not. Perhaps I'll just read the AV Club or TWOP recaps so I can get an idea of what the series is about. CathyG's link is great. I guess I'll be back next week to ask for new tv-series recommendations.
posted by blub at 12:05 PM on June 17, 2013

If you get past the violence, you put yourself at risk for obsession, which can take a toll on relationships. Sure, there are plenty of BB fans who never tire of the subject (you can reach me via memail), but what would you do if your SO has a "meh" attitude toward the series? Could you ever feel the same about your Dad if you discovered that he didn't "get" it?

Plus, I'm sure you are aware that only 8 episodes remain - just 64 episodes to fill the time from 9/29/2013 until you leave this vale of tears.

Knowing what I now know, I would do it again in a heartbeat. (I'm weak.)
posted by she's not there at 1:00 PM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

I saw an interview of Vince Gilligan, the creator, and he noted that Meth is bad stuff and it does bad stuff to people. The series mimics Meth. No way it's going to be pretty.

I've seen all the episodes to date. He wasn't kidding.
posted by mygoditsbob at 1:10 PM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

I found the first half-season or so really hard to watch. There's just so much plot, and most of the story points are extremely intense. I would finish a 45 minut episode feeling like I'd just watched a film like The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, or Breaking The Waves. I think I started out watching one episode every month or so. Then I finally got hooked somewhere in the second half of the season and marathonned my way through most of the series within a matter of weeks.

That said, no, it does not get less violent. I did find that the show settled into a rhythm and a framework that made the violence easier to deal with, though. Like, by season 3 we're not watching Walt agonize about whether to kill someone, anymore. And in my opinion it's Walt's bumpy descent into crime/violence that is so impossible to watch, not so much a gangster getting whacked or whatever. Which you can see in any cable drama of the last decade.

That said, at least once a season a character we sympathize with, who is basically "good" in the moral arrangement of the show, will be violently killed. So make your peace with that if you want to keep going.
posted by Sara C. at 1:33 PM on June 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

I didn't find any of the characters particularly sympathetic at first, but there are several that I really like now. I began to enjoy it about 2/3rds of the way through the first season. Now I'm sad it's ending soon. However, it's a cringe inducing, gory show. What I like is that the characters are complex and real and seriously flawed. There are rare moments of tenderness and affection when you least expect them. I do get heartily sick of seeing Walt in his tightie-whities, though.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:44 PM on June 17, 2013

I really like Breaking Bad, but I'm very sensitive and I do find it rather disturbing. I can't watch it right before bed.
posted by radioamy at 7:46 PM on June 17, 2013