Nekravol

That scene towards the end of the first episode is everything you need to know about this show. No, wait, you don't need to actually make it that far, thank God. The first scene of the first episode is everything you need to know about this show. Disney have seemingly chosen to ditch any and all subtlety and now it's a no-holds-barred approach. The dialogue is basic and bland. The CGI and pacing are terrible. Mark Ruffalo is just going through the motions as they assassinate his character in favor of Tatiana Maslany's better and stronger version. All of that just in the first episode. I can't imagine having to make it through an entire season or more. That would be a cruel and unusual self-punishment.

Is that even a word?

Anyway, Season 1 is one of the best pieces of television ever. It's deep. It's philosophical without being pretentious. The characters are complex and appealing. The acting is authentic and natural. I watched it as it came out all the way back and it was out of this world. The good thing is it can be viewed as a standalone story. Watch it and stop there.

Season 2 is... decent. A far cry from Season 1, but not yet terrible. The story is confusing, some of the good characters are gone and the remaining ones are lesser. Passable effort overall.

Season 3 is awful. The show degrades to a feminist power fantasy, a continuation of what started back in Season 2, but it's all the show is about by this point. Characters are completely one dimensional, old characters that were previously amazing are debased and destroyed in an almost ritualistic fashion. Aaron Paul's character is one of the worst characters I have seen brought to television. You could replace him with a bag of potatoes and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The story is dreadful, which is such a shame, because the issue at it's very core is actually very interesting and could itself one day become a reality.

Watch Season 1 and stop.

I was pressured for a very long time to see this show. I kept hearing how amazing it is. Basically, the pinnacle of television. I put it off for a long time to make sure I have enough spare time to appreciate it, and also I've been a bit bored lately, so I finally decided to give it a shot. I went in it completely blind as I somehow have managed to avoid seeing any spoilers for it since it has come out.

So let's start with the positives:

• The acting and dialogue are amazing! 10/10. The scenes feel very naturally flowing and I can feel myself being pulled into them as if I'm in the same room. The interactions between the character are organic, the issues they are facing feel familiar and down to earth, making it very easy to empathize with them. Bryan Cranston in particular is amazing at portraying all the feelings and struggles of Walter White.

• The setting feels like a character in it's own right. It does a great job portraying some of the depressing and sad ways life can go wrong. The junkies, the backstreet deals, missed opportunities and regrets, all thrown together into a giant dust bowl.

• Scientific accuracy is something I will always appreciate

Now onto the not-so-good parts:

• The pacing in this show absolutely atrocious. Definitely one of the worst examples I have seen so far. It starts fast, then grinds to an absolute halt, then starts again, then grinds to a halt again.

• This, coupled with the story. It's just... not that interesting. At times it's overly indulgent, some scenes really overstay their welcome. I often found myself reaching for my phone or going for snacks, because it was just so... boring. Something interesting happens, and then for long time nothing happens. It's what feels like 75% of the show is people just discussing what happened, but they rarely say anything interesting. Think of a slice-of-life series, but without the entertaining parts of a slice-of-life series.

It pains me to say this, it really does, but it seems "Breaking Bad" is a victim of the emperor has no clothes phenomenon. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent show with some really strong points, but it's being pulled down by a lot of issues people seemingly don't want to talk about. So much so that I got tired of waiting it to become good and eventually dropped it halfway through Season 2 and only remembered to write this review 2 weeks after the fact.