Breaking Bad has had an amazing run, winning Emmy awards and a slew of devoted fans. The story of a chemistry teacher turned crystal meth kingpin is riveting, and as we head to the final season there’s still a chance to catch up on the show via Netflix, and then enjoy some quality fan-made videos satirizing and summarizing the sheer awesomeness. And baldness.
Last fall, Sarah and I were looking for a new show to enjoy together. We sat down and watched the first two episodes of “Breaking Bad” on Netflix, and I was hooked. Sarah, not so much, so I pretty much mainlined all four seasons on Netflix on my own, and then bought the first half of Season Five from iTunes so I could watch them right away. Of course, I finished the show in April, leaving me with a long and agonizing wait to find out how it will all end. The wait is over this Sunday night on AMC, and I’ve been gorging myself on Breaking Bad news and videos all week. Need a few last-minute fixes before the big day? Of course you do!
If you haven’t caught the entire show up until this point, the (very simple) explanation is that protagonist, Walter White, is a chemistry teacher who finds out he has cancer and cooks crystal meth to pay for his chemotherapy and support his family. Unsurprisingly, the drug trade is not nearly as civilized a side business as Walter may have envisioned, and I won’t share more without spoiling you. Just be aware there’s violence, plot twists, and an incredibly talented cast supported by fantastic writing. Netflix has the whole series thus far up for streaming, or you can also pick up the DVDs from Amazon, or download them from Amazon Video or iTunes. Remember, the premier isn’t until Sunday night, so you have the whole rest of the weekend to catch up on everyone’s favorite chemist. Just be warned that marathon viewings of the show may lead to nightmares about Mexican cartels and the urge to punctuate every sentence with “Bitch!”
Please note that the videos below are SPOILERY, so if you haven’t watched the entire show proceed at your own risk.
Honest Trailers has a great summary of the show thus far, and really, when you compress it down like this, it’s both funny, violent, and horrifying:
Then, there’s Breaking Bad, the Middle School Musical (I would have LOVED to see the permission slips for those kids! Also, fair warning, I can’t get the “I am the one who knocks” song out of my head):
Finally, if you prefer to read analysis and discussion, Slate will be covering the final season, and you can see the initial discussions of the season here.
Every time I think I know what will happen on the show, I turn out to be wrong, so I won’t even begin to guess what the last 8 episodes will hold. Anyone care to start speculating in the comments on what Sunday night will bring?
