This show begins with a high school chemistry teacher--a very nice guy who never breaks the law--and after finding out he has a horrible cancer and mere months to live, decides to make meth (really pure meth) to take care of his wife, his high school-aged son (who has cerebral palsy) and his not-yet-born daughter after he dies. What began in season one with just drug manufacturing and distributing has spiraled out of control. Murder. Horrible choices. And lots and lots of lies.
As writers, we have to create interesting people when we craft fiction. We can't just have a person in our story go instantly from calm and rational to homicidal. Internal things have to start percolating. Tiny fuses have to be lit so when the explosion comes, the reader is left charred right along with the character.
What shows or movies did you love (or do you love) that immerse you in a different life? (And if you do watch Breaking Bad, don't tell me about how it ends. I don't have cable/satellite, and will have to buy the DVD once it comes out.)
Frasier has enough fracases for me. That Roz is a hoot, but then there's Niles and Martin and oh, that Daphne...you just never know which one of those characters is going to ignite. Now let me pry my tongue from my cheek.
ReplyDeleteBill will tell you exactly how BB ends tomorrow night. Hope to see you.
Linda--I LOVE the show Frasier. The characters--each one--were well-rounded and quirky.
DeleteIt can't be Seinfeld, because I see parallels in my own life. My all-time favorite show was ER. I know just enough about anatomy/physiology that I understood what they were talking about. I loved hating Dr. Romano. And of course, there was Goran Visnjic as Luka.
ReplyDeleteVal--
DeleteDr. Romano got just what he deserved. And (in my mind) I deserved Luka. OR George Clooney's character...
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. "Miiiiister Grant!!!" I want to live in that house with her and Rhoda (Phyllis not so much) and hang out. OR, if someone promises to edit out all the Buddy and Sally sequences, I want to go to New Rochelle and turn Laura Petrie. Sorry Dick, you early 60s sexist, but I want to steal your wife.
ReplyDeleteI love "Frazier", too. And "Will & Grace" and "News Radio." I also like "My Name Is Earl."
I want to watch "Orange Is The New Black" from Netflix, but apparently you have to have streaming, so I can't. It stars an actress I liked a lot in "Mercy". I want to see if it's better than The L Word, which started well but got so bad I couldn't watch it anymore. I still hate Jenny!
Shay--I've heard that "OITNB" is good, too. It's written by someone who WAS actually an unwitting drug mule (she did it for her girlfriend).
DeleteThat Laura Petrie in those capri stretch pants....
If you lived with The Boy, you'd see that he can go from calm to homicidal in seconds (he's always percolating on the inside).
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be in 'thirtysomething', just so I could experience the simultaneous experience of feeling angst while sporting a hefty sense of entitlement.
Oh, and I wanted to kick Elliott for being an ass.
Kim--I liked "thirtysomething." Your mention reminded me of it...I haven't thought of it in years.
DeleteGame of Thrones! Oh, how I miss it!
ReplyDeleteMama Zen--There are a bunch of folks who are addicted to "Game of Thrones." George R R Walker wrote one of my favorites, "Fevre Dream." It's a page-turner...
DeleteSuits! I LOVE that show! And Castle. :)
ReplyDeleteLisa--Since I had never even seen "Castle" until you slobbered about it (and now I LOVE it) I am going to poke my fingers in my ears about "Suits." I don't need another monkey on my back...
DeleteI love The Big Bang...and have grown to love Criminal Minds...I call the show Tee Shirt Man due to one character's tendency to always wear a plain tee shirt...I am watching old shows now and see he started in suit and tie like the others....
ReplyDeleteClaudia--I haven't gotten into "Criminal Minds" but I know lots of people who DO enjoy it. I like "The Big Bang" as well. The stuff Jim Parsons does with his facial expressions and body language--it's priceless...
DeleteCan you believe one of my favorite stations is METV? It's the one that plays all the old programs: sitcoms like Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, and even some old westerns like Big Valley and Bonanza. Those were the days...
ReplyDeletePat
Critter Alley
Pat--I like METV, too. Mary Tyler Moore (with Lou and Ted and Murray and Rhoda)...Dick Van Dyke and his rubbery body and elastic facial muscles...Those shows are still around because they're GOOD.
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