I also didn’t like Breaking Bad because a terminal cancer diagnosis does not morally allow one to become a murderous drug lord
That’s not the plot at all. His terminal cancer diagnosis had him confront the fact that his family was in dire trouble with him gone. He used his knowledge of chemistry (as a teacher) to produce and sell a little meth, as this was his only means of helping his family. The modern equivalent of “stealing a loaf of bread”, and all that.
His whole life, he was a bit of a square loser. Society didn’t respect him or his disabled son. Once he realized what this new world allowed, he slowly was consumed by the power it gave him. This corrupted him and snowballed gradually into a murderous drug lord.
The point is, we all have the potential to become that. You see it in rich people (especially billionaires). You see it in politicians. It’s a classic tale of power corrupting, coming from a slightly different angle. The writers and cast also corrupt the viewer by slowly making them root for the anti-hero, which ought to be a reality check for those watching.
Honestly what killed that show for me was in the like second episode or whatever when his rich friend offered to just pay for the cancer treatment and Walter refused because he was too proud.
I get that that’s the point of the story, to show that he chose all of this. But it made his character just too deeply unsympathetic for me. Just take your rich friend’s money, ya jackass.
Fair, and I guess it depends on how you view the world. Me? Yeah I’m not proud, I’ll take the money. But I also know people who absolutely would not. I think it comes back to him always being disrespected by society and thinking that charity would continue that disrespect.
That’s not pride, that’s deep insecurity and weakness turning into sociopathic selfishness and rage. That’s not a protagonist for me, but hey my wife liked the show so you know, it’s just a matter of sensibilities I guess. 🤷♂️👍
That’s not the plot at all. His terminal cancer diagnosis had him confront the fact that his family was in dire trouble with him gone. He used his knowledge of chemistry (as a teacher) to produce and sell a little meth, as this was his only means of helping his family. The modern equivalent of “stealing a loaf of bread”, and all that.
His whole life, he was a bit of a square loser. Society didn’t respect him or his disabled son. Once he realized what this new world allowed, he slowly was consumed by the power it gave him. This corrupted him and snowballed gradually into a murderous drug lord.
The point is, we all have the potential to become that. You see it in rich people (especially billionaires). You see it in politicians. It’s a classic tale of power corrupting, coming from a slightly different angle. The writers and cast also corrupt the viewer by slowly making them root for the anti-hero, which ought to be a reality check for those watching.
Honestly what killed that show for me was in the like second episode or whatever when his rich friend offered to just pay for the cancer treatment and Walter refused because he was too proud.
I get that that’s the point of the story, to show that he chose all of this. But it made his character just too deeply unsympathetic for me. Just take your rich friend’s money, ya jackass.
Fair, and I guess it depends on how you view the world. Me? Yeah I’m not proud, I’ll take the money. But I also know people who absolutely would not. I think it comes back to him always being disrespected by society and thinking that charity would continue that disrespect.
That’s not pride, that’s deep insecurity and weakness turning into sociopathic selfishness and rage. That’s not a protagonist for me, but hey my wife liked the show so you know, it’s just a matter of sensibilities I guess. 🤷♂️👍