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A review by justinj42
Breaking Bad 101: The Complete Critical Companion by Alan Sepinwall
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Some of the best long-form film criticism I've read. Sepinwall doesn't just zhuzh up some old recaps, he fully contextualizes each episode of Breaking Bad, so a viewer can understand not just his take on what happened on screen, but the atmosphere the show debuted in. One of Breaking Bad's greatest talents is fully understanding its context—both within the larger story it's telling and how the viewer is receiving it—so unless you were watching the show as it was premiering, something like this is the only way to fully grasp what Vince Gilligan & co were doing.
When Skyler transitions from this satire of privileged white women to Walter White's conscience, it is meant to play as a confrontation to a specific type of viewer. When Walter poisons Brock, it's meant to play as confirmation that this man is as bad as all the people who pin Jane's death on him say he is. And then the last season in particular is basically fully in conversation with its audience, which just wouldn't land the same way if you're unable to get the broader context.
Sepinwall's book isn't just a great bit of criticism (though it has plenty of that), it's a vital piece of understanding what made Breaking Bad the most acclaimed show of the Peak TV era. Now please do a Better Call Saul book!!!
When Skyler transitions from this satire of privileged white women to Walter White's conscience, it is meant to play as a confrontation to a specific type of viewer. When Walter poisons Brock, it's meant to play as confirmation that this man is as bad as all the people who pin Jane's death on him say he is. And then the last season in particular is basically fully in conversation with its audience, which just wouldn't land the same way if you're unable to get the broader context.
Sepinwall's book isn't just a great bit of criticism (though it has plenty of that), it's a vital piece of understanding what made Breaking Bad the most acclaimed show of the Peak TV era. Now please do a Better Call Saul book!!!