Celebrated film critic David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, has edited the ultimate fan guide to Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad: The Official Book. The paperback covers the evolution of Breaking Bad from the pilot to the final episode and beyond. Adapted and expanded from Breaking Bad Alchemy, the interactive e-book for the iPad, it highlights the unique elements that made the series so magnetic.
Thomson shares an extensive interview with Vince Gilligan and provides an insightful introduction, arguing that Breaking Bad is not only a great show, but one of the most significant works of fiction in the new century. In addition to exploring how this epic series came to be, Thomson sets Breaking Bad in the context of both crime literature and long-form television. (Jon Brooks noted that The Atlantic called Thomson “the greatest living film critic and historian,” and the writer of “the most fun and enthralling prose about the movies since Pauline Kael.”)
The book includes insider secrets about the making of the show and the meanings behind its iconography, a complete Breaking Bad timeline, and in-depth looks at the series’ groundbreaking cinematography, music, and special effects, as well as the show’s influences, such as Brian De Palma’s Scarface.
According to Daniel Bubbeo in Newsday, the book summarizes all five seasons of the show and includes trivia like the Bad Chemistry Quiz (\"How many bodies have we seen dissolved in acid on screen?\"), and more.
So I'm late to the party. So it took me awhile to catch on. Still, it is impossible to avoid reporting on my awe.
"Breaking Bad," the AMC TV show that won all those Emmys, all that acclaim, all that morning gossip, has snared me.
The moral genius of it. The propulsive force of it. The entangling tangling complex complete story line. The text and subtext and collaborative creatives. Aaron Paul (
MisTer WhiTe). Dean Norris (
it was you). Betsy Brandt (acres of purple). RJ Mitte (give that guy a good car). Anna Gunn (New Mexico in her blood). Giancarlo Esposito (
because he's a man.) Bryan Cranston (
I am the danger).
And Vince Gilligan. A million Heisenberg hats off to Vince Gilligan, the guy who didn't study chemistry but who compensated for that by reading
Popular Science and hiring consulting experts and believing in the color blue.
Any writer out here, wondering how story gets done: Take the time to watch "Breaking Bad." Binge it, as I have. Banish your bedtime. Chart the course and count the risks. Consider all the "rules" you've been taught and how this show leaves them in shambles. You think the hero of your story needs to be likable? Think again. You want to give your characters a really long time to swat at a fly? Go right ahead, so long as you interlude and conclude with confessions that fall just shy of getting heard. You want to assert a theme without ever explaining a theme? The path has been laid. You want to go hog wild with the color purple? Tuck it into nearly every scene.
I had no interest in writing while binging on "Breaking Bad." I stopped serving real meals so that we could sandwich up and watch the Cook. I stopped thinking I knew something about poetry.
A team of journalists talked about the Emmy Awards on our video edition of the Morning Media Menu, exploring the unexpected winners, upsets and the “bold new era in television” that is bringing great storytelling to TV.
Press play above to listen. Our guests were TVNewser senior editor Alex Weprin and Dear Television writer Phillip Maciak. KCRW’s The Business reporter Darby Maloney joined us afterward with this commentary:
I’d argue that Breaking Bad‘s big win for Outstanding Drama Series– a win that some say is well overdue– is also a win for Netflix. It proved that Netflix isn’t just a competitor to traditional TV– it is a collaborator or adjunct to the medium. When part 2 of Breaking Bad’s Season 5 premiered on AMC last month it hit a ratings high of nearly 6 million viewers. Writing in Variety, Andrew Wallenstein said “with five seasons under its belt [Breaking Bad] made the kind of ratings quantum leap you just don’t see.” So how did all these people find — and catch up with this highly serialized show? In a word, Netflix.
continued…
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Celebrated film critic David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, has edited the ultimate fan guide to Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad: The Official Book. The paperback covers the evolution of Breaking Bad from the pilot to the final episode and beyond. Adapted and expanded from Breaking Bad Alchemy, the interactive e-book for the iPad, it highlights the unique elements that made the series so magnetic.
