eric le roi's favourite past-time on here is reminding people how unrealistic this show is. To me it seems pretty clear that he went into the show hoping it would be another Sopranos/The Wire - in terms of having that same gritty, realistic style as well as having that quality writing - and just because it doesn't try to emulate those shows but instead has its own way of doing things then it gets criticised. If you buy into the premise of the show from the beginning - school-teacher has life-changing moment, abandons all of his principles (except caring for his family) and becomes a major drug dealer - then the behaviour is entirely consistent. Some of the other criticisms are ridiculous. It's not a top drama simply because it has a soundtrack - i.e. everything has to subscribe to the same format (e.g. the Wire/Sopranos) or its not good enough. Strange. They might've perfected one style but that doesn't mean that anything that can't recreate that same level of realism is subpar. Making an ultra-realistic TV program is not the pinnacle of writing, it's just one way of doing things. And I love slow-building, realistic, absorbing drama myself.
Breaking Bad is OTT. It has been from the beginning. That's a style choice not a sign of poor writing. As is the soundtrack - it's not there to cover up poor writing or acting, it's not there to manufacture a feeling or atmosphere that couldn't otherwise exist, it's just there to enhance it. Soundtracks done well don't get in the way of good drama. Does the soundtrack in the Godfather somehow take away any of its gritty, realistic feel? I just don't understand that at all. The storylines are well-crafted, the acting's excellent and it's shot perfectly - that's the substance. I'd like to see what other shows eric would call great TV and see how Breaking Bad compares to them.
It seems to me it's gotten to the point where because the Wire was so good at what it did that people now think that's the only way to make a great TV show. It's like when Barcelona became universally regarded as one of the best teams to play the game that loads of people suddenly decided that their way was the way to play football. They perfected their own style but that doesn't mean any other style is below par and all others must try to emulate it. When totaalvoetball was pioneered the rest of the world didn't try to play in the same way. They tried to emulate aspects of it, sure, but there was a unique set of circumstances that allowed them to create something special. The same I'm sure is true of the Wire. And you might love Ajax's unique style to the extent were it simply can't be surpassed but that doesn't mean Sacchi's Milan or Di Stefano's Madrid can't be considered similarly great despite having their own distinct styles with their own flaws that didn't exist in that Ajax team.
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