Josh

But what’s interesting about Breaking Bad is that Walt was never the protagonist, not really. Look back at the whole series. Is there a single character whose life improved because Walt decided to cook meth? No. Everyone around him had their lives ruined as a direct result of his actions. This was made clear as far back as the plane crash, which never would have happened if he had done the right thing and saved Jane. The ultimate twist of the series is that he never “changed” as a person. He was always this person, deep down. It just took these extraordinary circumstances to bring him out. I’d agree with you on the Matrix sequels. I always thought that they should have done a Dr. Manhattan thing with Neo, where he becomes so godlike that he questions why it’s worth it to save all the puny humans, and they have to bring him down. And at the end of that arc, boom, our hero is a relatable human character.

Anyway, what makes Breaking Bad so brilliant is that the characters are realistic, real people while also being conduits for the existential, thematic points that the show is driving at. And when I talk about how great Breaking Bad is, I’m almost always talking about that.

Søren

Interesting… I’ve heard a very different analysis from a lot of other people, including Cranston. He seemed to believe he was the protagonist in the beginning, and he loves how the audience has come to hate him over time (but still want to see what happens to him). I get that’s what you’re saying, I guess I just don’t care as much about these characters as you do.

Josh

Well, when he was filming those early episodes, no one knew just how evil Walt really was. I think the key moment in the first season is Walt refusing the money from Gray Matter. He could have had an easy out. He could have instantly had safety and security for his family without cooking meth. But he turned them down. Because his ego couldn’t allow him to take money from them.

Søren

True. Perhaps that’s when he really breaks bad. By the way, I argue with Mike Capodiferro weekly about Breaking Bad. He defends it with every bone in his body. It’s wild. I can’t ever say the show is like, a 9. It frustrates him that I don’t have it at a 10 where it “should” be. Perhaps that’s too glib. Basically he thinks my quibbles are nonsense.

Josh

Your quibbles aren’t nonsense. But I do disagree with them.

Søren

*Laughs* Woo-hoo! I’m usually picking on little things, like how Walt notices the Walt Whitman book is gone. That whole scene ticked me off. The only point of that was for him to learn that Hank knows… But I think it would have been more effective to not contrive to have him go to the bathroom, see through a pile of magazines in a basket, and find the book missing. Instead, since the point was to have him find that GPS, why not just have him drive down the road in his car, have the GPS fall off, and have him stop to check out what the loud clank was? He’d know immediately that the GPS was Hank’s. But I know why it was in there. It was so they could do the goofy Gus homage with the towel under his knees thing.

Josh

I think they needed to draw a clearer line between his suspicion and his discovery. I mean, if he just found the GPS, he’d know that Hank had figured him out, but I feel like it’s important for him to know how Hank figured him out. It comes back to his hubris, that he was bold enough to leave incriminating evidence out for anyone to see. The Gus homage was interesting because, obviously, Walt has no idea that Gus did that, so it’s not intentional on his part. It’s just a subtlety from a writing perspective. Fits in with the idea that Walt takes a personality trait from everyone that he kills. In an on-the-ground narrative sense, it’s not deliberate on Walt’s part. But from our perspective, subtextually, it totally is.

Well, I have to head to class, but this was a fascinating discussion. I hope to continue it in the future!

Søren

For sure, man! Take it easy.

For those who are interested, our “protagonist debate” has carried over into our True Detective and House of Cards podcasts. So who do you agree with? Are scummy protagonists ruining television, or do they represent a revolution that should be embraced? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below!

~ Josh