Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul

(2008-2013 / 2015-2022) 

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Created by:

Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould 

 

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It’s Bubble time again on Shoulder of Giants, as we discuss in spoilery detail the finale of TV phenomenon Better Call Saul, as well as some deep delves into the show as a whole, not to mention the Mother Ship, Breaking Bad. 

 

These are shows which personify the concept of compulsive (or, if you like, addictive) viewing. 

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Both are arguably flawless in concept, construction and realisation, with ingenious direction and spellbinding storytelling. 

 

Add to this some performances and characters that are at once iconic, lovable, hateable, frustrating, self-destructive and painful to watch, and you’re left with an experience all too human, making viewing in complete comfort an impossibility. 

 

The shows basically boil down to stories about deeply flawed people; the two leads showing the corrosive effects of negativity- selfishness, immorality, egotism, unchecked ambition and greed. 

 

The terms Gold Standard TV or Modern Classic are often thrown around with wild abandon- here are two cases of absolute merit. 

 

Hubris was never so calamitous.  Loveable characters never so irredeemable. That’s chemistry for you. 

 

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“I am the one that knocks.” - Walter White 

 

“It’s all good, man!”   - Jimmy McGill