We just finished watching Breaking Bad as a family and then we hyper-jumped right into Battlestar Galactica . . . these are two of my favorite shows and it's really fun to rewatch them with the kids, especially because they notice things that I missed (and the first time Catherine and I watched these shows, we were sleep deprived and logy because of these very same kids) and while I will claim responsibility for the juxtapostion of these two platinum era masterpieces, Ian is the one who first noticed that Walter White and Laura Roslin are two sides of the same coin, and I'd like to add my two cents as to why:
1) at the outset of each story, both characters are diagnosed with cancer;
2) they are both involved in education and both seem to have greater aspirations;
3) they are both thrown into positions of power far beyond their purview and they both adapt and become calculating and effective leaders;
4) the looming threat of imminent death from cancer makes them assume a different kind of logic when assessing problems-- because they know how to take themselves out of the picture;
5) both shows hinge on a yin-and-yang duality-- the Walter White/Jesse Pinkman rollercoaster relationship and the Laura Roslin/ Commander Adama philosophical and tactical discussions.
I’m stunned that you aren’t more critical of these two shows. Especially given their mainstream appeal.
ReplyDeleteRemix mad kick more than Metallica, all MCs fall like Battlestar Galactica. At least that's how I see it.
ReplyDeleteyou both perplex me.
ReplyDeletebreaking bad and battlestar are the best . . . and i'm not sure about their mainstream appeal-- we were shocked last weekend to be sitting around with a bunch of people our age who had seen neither show. i think they are popular with people who like excellent tv.
Or maybe just people who think they like excellent TV.
DeleteDon’t get me wrong, I think BB was very good but I struggle with the cultish blind love for the show which won’t acknowledge any flaws.
The only flawless show I've ever seen was Pi Lam pledge auction 1993. I've never seen Battlestar Galactica, mostly because I generally don't enjoy stories set in space (Star Wars being the exception) so I didn't give it a try. The Sopranos is still my favorite show, probably because of my innate Jersey bias and the fact that I recognize random places in the show.
ReplyDeletesopranos is great but falls apart at the end. battlestar galactica is star wars for people who aren't stupid. while the plot of Breaking Bad occasionally gets absurd, the acting is flawless-- you watch the show to see skyler, walt, pinkman and hank interact. and for tuco! you can never get enough tuco. and mike . . . and the chicken man . . . and gale. the BB writers were as adept at creating characters as shakespeare (and he didn't care all that much about plot either).
ReplyDeleteour pledge auction went south pretty fast. it definitely broke bad.
Unintentionally absurd plot lines but still “the best”.
ReplyDeleteWe perplex each other Dave.
the shield is also the best and it has lots of absurd plot lines. far more fun than "the wire," where it takes an entire episode to ask a judge for a search warrant. but again, you watch the show for the characters-- studies show that people who analyze plot too much are anal retentive and often have hemorrhoids.
ReplyDeleteSoD is like analytical Preparation H.
ReplyDelete