Like millions of Americans I am now suffering from post-withdrawal syndrome.
A sense of loss, discomfort, that occurs after withdrawal from alcohol, opiates or watching Breaking Bad.
After weeks of following the saga of Walter White, I feel an acute sense of loss after the series concluded on September 29, 2013.
My main frustration though stems from the fact that I am not privy to what ultimately happened to all the characters, and who will live and who will die.
Netflix has not yet released the last six episodes of the show and I don’t know when they will. Therefore my extreme annoyance.
Breaking bad (in the American Southwest parlance) means to turn against the system, defy authority and engage in criminal activities.
In the Netflix television series it tells the story of fallen angel Walter White, mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine dealer.
The fascination (should I say addiction?) with this show started innocently enough.
Utterly disgusted by the amount of commercials shown on television stations, I looked for an alternative to this endless misery and found refuge in Netflix.
Netflix is commercial free and this alone is worth the modest monthly fee that you pay to watch their offerings.
A few weeks after my wife started watching it, and despite some misgivings, I began to monitor Breaking Bad and soon became addicted to it.
Walter is financially squeezed and at the beginning of the show he is shown working after-hours at a carwash to make ends meet.
After being diagnosed with lung cancer and told that he has at most two years to live, Walt (using his chemistry knowledge) “breaks bad” and resolves to manufacture amphetamine (“blue meth”) to ensure his family’s financial security after he dies.
The story basically tells the story of an ordinary man who inexorably turned to cold-blooded killer. It is gradual, for Walter originally is a decent, principled man. But little by little he starts getting delusions of grandeur, becomes greedy and despite the danger and his wife’s pleas he refuses to quit the business.
My purpose here is not to tell you the entire story, but to let you know why America became so enamored with Breaking Bad.
Little by little we become involved with all the characters and long to know the ultimate fate of Walter, Skyler, Jesse (Bitch) Pinkman, Hank and Saul (Call Saul).
I won’t tell you since I don’t know myself, but stay tuned, I might be able to shed some light on this story later on.
As Jesse Pinkman would say: yo, later bitch!
Alain La Foudre