by Emma Hieiholzer

“Breaking Bad”- two words that either evoke absolute exhilaration or utter confusion.

I can’t blame people for giving questioning stares when I freak out at the slightest mention of Walter White or Jesse Pinkman. I can’t blame my friends for giving me bored-to-death gazes when I go into ten-minute long explanations of the plot. And I certainly can’t blame my parents who give me worried looks when I stay up every Sunday night to watch a show about meth addicts and drug dealers.

Despite all this, I, like many other Breaking-Bad-philes, have learned to look past the questioning stares and accept that they will never come to fully understand our obsession until they watch for themselves. To truly apprehend the spread of Breaking Bad mania, one has to venture all the way back to early 2008; back to when the future ten-time award winning show was just a baby; back to when the average chemistry teacher decided to … break bad.

From the moment people across the country watched the first episode, everyone knew this wasn’t your ordinary television show. To start, the writing in “Breaking Bad” is absolute genius. To take an ordinary middle-aged chemistry teacher, Walter White, and give him a devastating case of cancer, then top it all off with him ending up as the most notorious meth dealer in the area with a DEA agent brother-in-law is what I call exceptional drama. Apart from the sheer brilliance the writers have created for the near flawless script, the acting is phenomenal too.

Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, and Jesse Pinkman, Walter’s partner in crime, played by Aaron Paul, are two of the most well developed characters in TV. Through the remarkable acting talents of Paul and Cranston, the depth of the show is transformed. Their development as characters allows an interesting aspect to take place. The audience not only sides with the bad guys but feels almost sympathetic towards their predicament. That kind of flip-flop of good guy/bad guy roles is what makes “Breaking Bad’ so incredible.

Outstanding acting, a riveting script—what more could a TV show ask for? Not only does “Breaking Bad” dominate in those aspects of great television, it goes above and beyond, incorporating marvelous cinematography, compelling plot twists and a killer soundtrack that always seems to heighten the moment just when you thought it couldn’t get more thrilling. And the best part is, all that excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed since the beginning.

Ten Emmys later and now one of the most watched cable shows in America, “Breaking Bad” has left its mark on television history. When it came to an end this past Sunday night, TV lovers mourned the completion of one of the best shows cable has to offer.

You can never fully appreciate the significance of the show until you watch it, but hopefully this has helped you understand why we Breaking Bad viewers are so passionate about our favorite pastime: watching the greatest TV show on earth!