Over a decade ago, a crime-drama series met the airwaves and captured the attention of viewers worldwide. ‘Breaking Bad’ first graced the small screens on January 20, 2008, aired on AMC, and immediately drew a legion of fans. The creator behind the masterpiece was none other than Vince Gilligan; his creation ravished the fans for five searing seasons up until 2013. The unprecedented popularity and widespread critical acclaim it received allowed the franchise to expand with a prequel, ‘Better Call Saul,’ and a film titled ‘El Camino: A Breaking Bad’ movie.
‘Breaking Bad’ is more than just words and scenes from a script—it has seeped into popular culture, remaining ever-relevant and frequently consumed even after its final episode aired. Its impeccable cast—Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Anna Gunn, among others—delighted viewers with their performances, but immense credit is due to the genius of its creator and showrunner, Vince Gilligan. The inception of the series traces back to a desperate search for writing gigs by Gilligan and his co-writer on X-Files and NYU film school friend, Tom Schnauz.
As destiny would have it, it was during this period that Tom Schnauz happened upon a peculiar article in The New York Times. It featured an ingenious albeit immoral individual who had set up a meth lab in an RV, peddling his wares while on the move, mimicking the idea of a twisted ice cream truck. This sparked a conversation between Schnauz and Gilligan—an ordinary exchange that would eventually birth an extraordinary idea.
Despite its initial absurdity, the concept of a nefarious character operating a mobile meth lab resonated with Vince Gilligan. The seed was thus, sown for the creation of ‘Breaking Bad,’ a series conceived from a real-life incident reported in a newspaper article. As the lines of fiction and reality blurred, integral elements to the narrative found their way to the script: Walter White, the terminally ill high-school chemistry teacher turned meth producer, Jesse Pinkman, his former student turned accomplice, their mobile meth lab hidden within an RV, and numerous desert cookouts.
Yet, at the time, the storyline was only a bare-bones framework. There was no name for the protagonist, and Gilligan hadn’t yet conjured up a striking title for the show. But the concept was incessantly spinning in his mind, regardless of how outrageous it seemed—a middle-aged, cancer-ridden man resorting to crystal meth production. Gilligan confessed his astonishment at the idea taking off as it did.
Violence is an unruly yet prominent character in Breaking Bad’s narrative. Brutality is dramatically interwoven into the plot, propelling each episode forward irresistibly. Think of the shocking scene when Gus executes Victor in the first episode of the fourth season, or the gut-wrenching moment when Walt passively observes Jane’s death in the twelfth episode of the second season. Violence unmistakably stands as a significant element in the series’ DNA.
Who could possibly forget the iconic scene from ‘Breaking Bad’ Season 4 Episode 13, aptly named ‘Face-off,’ where we witness Gus, one of the show’s most prominent antagonists, with his face half blown off? Yet, it might surprise you to learn the creator of such intense, violent scenes has a pervasive fear of real-life violence himself. Yes, Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind Breaking Bad’s dramatic violence, is faint-hearted when it comes to the very notion of violence.
Gilligan, in a shockingly honest admission, revealed his personal aversion towards violence. He’s prone to fainting during violent scenes, whether in just a movie or real life. The reason behind this is unclear—even to him—though he often suspects it might be due to low blood sugar levels. This peculiar trait of his has led him to pass out even during comparatively less intense movies, like ‘Vincent and Theo.’
Yet, despite his personal apprehensions, Gilligan was able to construct some of the most powerful, violent scenes in television history for ‘Breaking Bad.’ When queried about how he managed to do so, Gilligan was quick to credit his team of co-writers. Furthermore, he explains that writing is about exploring those things that trigger the depths of your emotions, be it excitement or fear. In this context, it’s quite logical, then, how the violence in ‘Breaking Bad’ came to be.
The post A Decade of ‘Breaking Bad’: Remembering a Television Phenomenon appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
