Breaking Bad - Writing Characters into Corners
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2024
- This video essay breaks down how the Breaking Bad writing team create tension, using stakes, problem solving and consequences. Breaking Bad has some of the tightest writing ever to be produced on television, so if you want to learn how it works and why it's so engrossing then watching this video to the end.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:53 Season One
4:44 Season Three
8:53 Season Four
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You know, a forced reaction seems entirely appropriate for a show about a chemist.
The characters are all just molecules interacting and reacting based on each other
@@JonahNelson7 wild to think about relationships as chemical reactions
8
Oh that's smart
It's amazing that this show is over a decade old and still has an audience pouring over every theme and storytelling technique
If Better call Saul ends just as well, the next generation may be studying Gilligan-Gould in writing classes
Whether people like it or not, whether it’s their favorite show or not, this is as close to perfect as a show goes. Not a single episode is wasted, it begins, goes and ends exactly where it has to. It never outstayed its welcome, nor did it underwhelm us with its ending.
And it's amazing how I find this exact comment in every single video related to breaking bad
@@RANDOM_CLIPS_BY_OLDg it's amazing that it's amazing
@@qjames0077 it's amazing that you think it's amazing that I think it's amazing
I’ll never not click on well made videos about breaking bad
But how can you know if a video is well-made or not, without having watched it first?
Breaking bad is so good that any video made about it is good too
@@jordanbrooks8469 exactly what i was gonna say lol
dumb comment
@@jordanbrooks8469 because I know just an observation is an elite channel
Woahhh this breakdown made me realized that BB might just have the tightest writing ever. Many shows can construct the web of actions & consequences, but in a seasonal arc or two. Most will falter the longer they run. Consistency might just be the biggest challenge in the writing process.
Breaking Bad season 4 is a tour de force in ratcheting up tension. Incredible television.
Probably the best written series in history. Every second that I spend watching it or other people's analysis on it, I realize more and more how absolutely brilliant it is.
I agree with every word except "probably."
Maybe an unpopular opinion but I genuinely believe that Better Call Saul is a better written show. Each second of dialogue is important and the lawyer stuff holds up to truth surprisingly well. With that being said, I think Breaking Bad is more enjoyable just because of the high stakes of the drug trade. Basically what I’m saying is Better Call Saul feels like a much more personal and real show to me. Breaking bad has many top tier television scenes but I feel more for the characters in BCS.
@@vhampyre01 Yeah, maybe "probably" doesn't belong in my comment LOL
Sopranos would like to have a word
right?? I try to explain to people that the more you learn about and watch the show, the more amazing it gets!
Great work as usual. I'd point to the Sopranos as far as characters having consequences come back to haunt them. When Tony whips Zellman with his belt, it has a domino effect which ends up basically causing Tony's separation from Carmela after Irina tells Carmela about Svetlana.
Sopranos is the godfather of all the series after it
There are even more unintended consequences in the first season after Walt killed Krazy-8. Walt and Jesse are left without someone to sell their Meth to, so they have to sell it to Tuco. To make enough money they're forced to work with a psychopath, these deals lead to the deaths of No-Doze and Gonzo which then leads to Tuco kidnapping Walt and Jesse, Tuco's shootout with Hank, Walt pretending he lost his memory and ultimately Skylar finding out that he lied to her.
They fact that people are still analyzing the genius of this show speaks volumes
I feel like a detail that a lot of people miss is that the police only discover the offshore bank accounts Gus set up for his employees as a result of the photo frame of Gus and Max being damaged during the magnet scheme. That's an unintended consequence which forces Mike to work with Walt and Jesse while also making it nearly impossible to keep the DEA off of Mike and his guys.
I love this. That they have to create a believable headspace for Walt, a fictional person, and get inside there and essentially think as he would in order to solve a problem. You've got a believable set of factors and chain of events that governs how Walt's thought moves, and they have to abide by that. I can't articulate it properly, but it's so cool that they REALLY put themselves in his shoes like that.
Love how every problem always leads to another bigger problem, and the end doesn’t even avert this. Walter has to literally die to break the cycle.
Edit: The ending doesn’t even break the cycle! Who knows if the cops ever stopped investigating Skyler and Flynn? The whole thing with Hank and Gomey’s bodies was just a gamble.
Great unintentional video essay on why Crawl Space is lowkey the best Breaking Bad episode.
When I'm watching The Walking Dead or the late seasons of Game of Thrones: "Why the hell can I write a better story than this?"
Breaking Bad / BCS's writing team is one of the rare times today I am in awe of writing talent.
Highly doubt you can write something better than early GOT. If you want to prove me wrong I would love to read your work. This isn't me being sarcastic send your work it would be nice to read peak literature as it's getting harder to find nowadays. But I am skeptical so send a link to your story or something.
@@adrithmanvik1853 I would never dare to say I could write better than early Game of Thrones. A monkey with brain damage could write better than late Game of Thrones.
@Leo Collins-Janssen .. you think a regular person couldn't outwrite season 2? Seriously?
@@adrithmanvik1853 he said late not early, stop writing a whole damn essay.
Not to mention the ending is one of BEST ending I have ever seen on a tv series
Your videos are becoming my new addiction
Breaking bad writers were the absolute best tension builders. They’re also excellent in making the watching audience feel complicit in this crime enterprise🦹♀️
Excellent Video. This is why I love Breaking Bad so much. I would say that maybe Dexter also nearly reached that point of stakes and consequences. Would love to see a video about this show on your channel
Dexter season 2 was something else.
@@kylethefraggle30 pardon my tits
I watched Breaking Bad for the first time when el Camino came out, and bro its been 2 years and i still can't get over how great the show is especially on your first watch
Macabre Storytelling had a great video recently about the flawless causality in the storytelling of Zodiac. I think Breaking Bad is also one of the rare shows to have that unique quality.
His video on BCS is great as well
its new one
This seriously is the best show ever made just logically think about any other show that actually has a good finale and consistently good episodes 5 seasons in a row even the most boring episode about the fly has so much actually going on
I consider Breaking Bad & Prison Break the best TV shows ever. I never got bored watching Prison Break as well.
The fly episode was my favorite fing fight me
Idk why people hate on the fly episode I loved it
The fly is something we don't talk about. Literally nothing was going on.
@@lenosflarrethedragonking4300 where do you live
Absolutely the best show ever written and the best characters to ever exist.
When you watch it as just a show you don't really dig into a neatly woven writing, but when you analyze it you see what a great job writers have done on so many occasions.
Great show! Great video!
I just binge watched BoJack Horseman last month and I think the writing on that show is pretty amazing. They never knew if they were going to be cancelled so they put everything into each season individually but they still have a lot of interconnectivity and solid character arcs over the show's run.
They mix some really dark themes with hilarious absurdities in a way that makes you able to laugh at terrible uncertainty and utter failure and still hope for a better life and a better self.
Such a well made show and an excellent source for writing lessons.
Your analysis of the stakes was spot on! I’m curious what you think about their other show, better call Saul?
Great show, great video. Keep up the good shizz hamie
This is one of the best video essays I've ever seen
I love ur content
Beautiful break down and analysis!!!!
excellent analysis!
very well observed and organized! 🔥
Great video man
No other show has ever or will ever top Breaking Bad. Well written video you made to give some different insights.
Incredible video, keep it up!
I know you, back in the 90s you were in a very famous TV show.
@@Unti1tmrw I think you're referring to Horsin' Around
Outstanding video 👏
Great structural analysis!
I love this storytelling technique. I first heard about it in a conversation video with stephen king. He said he lets the character do things and that even he doesn't know what's gonna happen next.
Hard agree. Well done. You said it better than I could have
Just found your channel today and am impressed by your keen eye and observations. You asked if we had suggestions on shows/movies that had great writing. It's very different to your usual videos but I'd like to suggest She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for analysis.
The writing of the progression of the characters, themes and the story I personally find very impressive on many levels. Some are more obvious and others more subtle hints that set up and pay off later and they all intertwine and build on one other throughout the entire course of the show.
I would love to see your take on it and even if you find things I never noticed before. Don't be fooled by it's appearance at first glance, there is a lot more depth than it looks like.
On the topic of other shows that have this Problem, Solution, Unintended Consequences Raise the Stakes, repeat, formula I would refer people to "The Shield". Great show in the same vein with 7 Seasons from 2002 to 2008, it ended the same year "Breaking Bad" started. Though there don't seem to be any writers in common it seems clear "Breaking Bad" took some of it structural and thematic inspiration from "The Shield".
REALLY REALY GREAT VIDEO. Thank you very much from an aspiring TV author.
Breaking Bad is a once in a lifetime show. It won’t happen again….
Yea more braking bad content and I'm a new viewer I'm happy I found this channel love breaking bad deeper looks
Glad to watch the steady, much deserved, growth that this channel has gotten over the past few months! Keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Greatly done
Excellent show
congrats on 50k bro
Cheers man!
Great video!! Loved it. The Russo Brothers I know also love writing characters into corners as a storytelling strategy, I think it's awesome!
Thanks again!
It is the best written show I have ever seen.
Its the best written show! I love shows like The Leftovers, Lost, and Hannibal, but those shows still need great music and cinematography for you feel them so deeply. Breaking Bad doesn't need music or great cinematography to make it great. The actual actions of the characters is creating great stakes that even the dumbest and lest emotional viewers feel til the end of the show.
Another time where I was really in awe of how well the stakes were raised was in Madmen seasons 1-3
SPOILERS
When Pete threatens to give up Don's true identity in Season 1, when Duck is trying to force Don to come with him without negotiation while selling the company, and when the company is being sold for the second time in season 3, S3E13 of Madmen is my absolute favorite episode of Madmen because everything comes together beautifully, when Don is forced to get a contract for his client causes a domino effect and makes it even harder for him to escape getting sold and brought along, but in the end, him burt roger and lane figure their way out and start a new company, bringing the entire gang back together, bringing Joan back and rapping up the season in a magnificent way. I've only seen the show once so there are probably some more fine details that I didn't see, but it still had me with my jaw dropped the entire time.
Shows about rich people doing business inherently have zero stakes. Like "oh no, what if they sell this guy's company? Then he'll have to...make another one...which he's totally capable of doing...because he's rich". It's like comparing the stakes of "how will I eat tonight?" to "Should we order Thai or Italian for dinner?".
@@lachlanstanding7386 You sound a lot like Walt. Having a interesting life and tense stories have little to do with money.
Mad Men as a show is all about giving Characters what they think they want, when all they get from it is dissatisfaction and disappointment. The actual stakes in the show are about addiction, human connections and exposing who they really are.
@@milddiffuse My point is the antithesis of Walt. Walt needed money to validate his existence. I'm saying that having money kind of invalidates your existence.
@@milddiffuse btw, I'm like 5 episodes deep and as I predicted, there are no stakes. Little Donny Diaper man has no problems, he just broods while he gets everything he asks for. His wife lives in fear but neither she or the story really admits or focuses on that. All of these people create their own problems in the most obvious way and could escape from them in an instant. There are no stakes, just male power fantasies with brooding. 0/10
@@lachlanstanding7386 Yeah that is a somewhat good point, although it isn't just about him "losing his company." I won't go into specifics because obviously you haven't given the show a fair chance, but you are wrong in a couple of ways. When people hate the rich, they are just unhappy with their circumstances and would rather blame the ones above them than make an effort to join them. Yeah, some are born into it, but others work hard at making their money and have actually earned their place. Building businesses take work, obviously, even if you have money.
Nice analysis. I've seen it only in a few shows. One of the least likely places was the comedy Anime: Konosuba. Both the protagonist and deuteragonist keep doing Russian solutions (trying to be smart by improvising but causing more problems down the road). It basically drives the entire plot!
If someone knows other shows with that concept, I'd be curious to know...
Perfection.
The Shield was equally good at ratcheting the stakes with every decision and creating unintended consequences that slowly closly the trap on Vic Mackey
Wait breaking bad is a decade old holy fuck I haven’t realized how long ago the last season was I was walking home from school and my brothers friend was driving home and he used too live with us at the time and I had jumped on the back of his car. And gripped the top rail frame and I remember we was racing home too watch the ore recorded finale season episode
Amazing video as always..! I just didn't want this video to end 😂 Without any doubt Breaking Bad is an incredibly well written show!!
Better written show? Better Call saul is better or on par I'd say
8:40 - holy shit! The same thing is true for Gus at the same time - he's at risk of losing his empire, so he trains up Gale to take over. Walt forces his hand by taking out those dealers, so he's forced to go after Walt and Jesse, which has the unintended consequences of them taking out Gale instead.
The crawl space scene is so captivating and intense that you have no idea what Walt is gonna do
7:50 I think he was more worried about Jesse getting killed trying to take out the two guys (which he would have been if not for Walt showing up)
If you look in the intro the Br used for breaking next to it on the periodic table there’s a Kr if you put these two together The Br is for Brian and the Kr is for kranston
You should write about the character development in Vikings. I would love to see your analysis of the relationships between Ragnar and his different enemies/ allies
El Pollos? Really??? Dude your videos are so good, intelligent, and well-researched. How the hell.............
The writing for Breaking Bad is tight tight tight!
The Wire does this except with way more characters and more realistic
One show that I’d say also does this extremely well is Mr. Robot tbh
After re-watching the show recently I'm kind of debating whether or not Krazy8 was planning to kill Walt.
I know it is very very unlikely that he wouldn't but the way its depicted makes me think it was meant to be more ambiguous.
Krazy8 only took the piece of the plate because at the time he thought Walt was merely procrastinating on killing him and would use it as an emergency escape. Although he does say that he doesn't think Walt is made for this he still knows he could do it for his family as he's aware of Flynn and would be wary of his safety.
Also considering killing him would likely make his family search for him and the last thing Krazy8 would want is for them to be looking for his whereabouts and considering his brother was a DEA agent they would learn of his interactions with Jesse through Skylar and could easily lead them to follow his connections to him.
Even though he does act overly nice to Walt even saying he's forgiven him already anyone captive even under someone like him would still be afraid should they change their mind at any moment so it being used as a way to lower his guard before killing him I think is debatable.
But those are just my thoughts again its very unlikely considering his violence but even with knowledge from Better Call Saul we never see him commit violence and while he does carry a gun we've never seen him actually murder someone again very unlikely he hasn't but I think that was intentional.(Just realized this point is largely mute since he was clearly willing to kill Walt when Emilio recognized him with Hank)
Got has got beginning seasons with pretty big consequences, characters either get smar or get dead
Can you please do a analysis video on BoJack horseman. There’s so much to unpack in one show from perception that actions have consequences, change is hard, past trauma, depression, meaning of life. Etc. I really love the content!
YES. Bojack is my favourite show, it would require hours of analytic videos. Check out this one if you haven't already: th-cam.com/video/rORIDYHOFTQ/w-d-xo.html
That show offered some hard hitting, but powerful words of wisdom, few examples being:
"When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags"
"Everyday it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it everyday, which is the hard part"
"Time's arrow doesn't stand still, nor reverses, it just keeps marching on."
Excellent video, one small criticism though is that Brock is not Jesse's girlfriend's brother, he is her son
6:58 when you have nails for breakfast without any milk
*misreads title as Balding stakes and consequences*
Me, nodding: yes, of course, the true theme of Breaking Bad
I noticed a song your bg music at 4:50 ...is that a royalty free song? I heard it on a couple channels before.
Arguably, Walt indirectly saved Jesse. He would have escaped the DEA regardless of Walt in that bust; Emilio and Crazy 8 would have went after him since they determined he informed on Emilio.
Something I’ve always wondered is why did Crazy 8 want to kill Walt for thinking he was working with the DEA? I don’t think he did.
It was strongly implied that C8 was the one who ratted out Emilio (Hank referred to him as a snitch in BB and we learn in Better Call Saul [SPOILERS] that C8 was working with the cops after getting caught). So C8 knew it wasn’t Jesse who ratted on Emilio and also likely wouldn’t be concerned about Emilio/C8 getting busted for that buy, since confidential informants/snitches are often allowed to carry on their illegal activities in hopes of providing more important information. Only thing I can figure is that C8 needed to put on a show for Emilio so not blow his cover as a snitch, but even then what it seems there would be better ways to go about it than killing Jesse/Walt, which would get him a lot more trouble than making a buy (even if Walt/Jesse were also working with the DEA).
It also makes little sense why C8 would want to kill Walt later (with the plate shard), since ratting out Walt (once he learned Walt wasn’t a snitch and had a brother-in-law in the DEA..I think he learned that?) would earn C8 a lot of favors with the DEA.
Probably because he killed his cousin
I'm highly sure Krazy-8 was also looking to clear out competition. Jesse & Walt's meth was better than his, so he oughta get rid of them, and when better than when his cousin thinks they informed on him, and are working with the DEA?
Ozark writers team does this too very well… not better but something worth taking a closer look too
Mr.Robot I feel has the firmest grasp of stakes ever
I feel like it would have stakes if I could ever understand what the fuck was happening past season 1.
The Sopranos, The Shield, Breaking Bad, the best shows of early 2000 and mid 2010's.
FX’s The Shield (2002-2008) is the king of this. Breaking Bad is also a masterpiece, but it took the spotlight from the original and slightly better version IMO.
The Shield is a program that get's forgotten, who like to hear your take on that show.
2025, I just finished the bb marathon. Thank God, people are still talking about it!
In that's why Breaking Bad is the best TV series ever.
They cooked well, and so did you
I wouldn’t say it’s “better”, but The 100 is fantastic at setting up stakes and consequences
Looks like a thumbnail to a cold ones episode
This is very Late but i think The Shield manages Stakes and Consequences on the same Level as Breaking Bad. A criminally underrated Show btw.
I would say the wire is the only show that has writing on part with this show
Though I hear it’s a very different kind of show.
@@callinater6133 Its like Game of Thrones in Ghetto
but non-fantasy
Better Call Saul might just have Breaking Bad beat
I know most people wont admit that BCS is on same level, But it is. The writers leaned so much from BB that they did an even better when given the chance to make more episodes inder the Better call saul series.
I think the biggest problem with BCS is that it's a prequel to, and in the looming shadow of BB. The worse parts are the show are when the BB references feel forced.
Another show I could think of is The Shield.
I used to think this show could never live up to the hype so I avoided watching it for years. Then I watched it all and it was fucking every bit as good as it was hyped up to be.
i feel like Suits is a bad example of "generally shows will present one problem per episode, they resolve that one problem, and life goes on"
there's a lot of stuff that comes back, problems that are half solved and ALWAYS come back to haunt them, and i mean, lets face it, the MAIN PREMISE of the show is a constant problem, stake elevator, no way out increasingly stressful possibility: mike being discovered not having a license.
i can agree that Suits isn't as good of a show or as well written, but in that aspects, i really feel like it's a bad example of "linear storytelling", i guess, because the conflicts are usually extremely deep and intertwined
0:57 bro thats called a sitcom
Rucka rucka ali - "ive got cancer" made me wanna watch this show and i finally did
In the beginning it does make you wonder about Crazy 8 and his wanting to know about Walter's meth considering the fact that he was a police informant. Was he gonna learn the process kill them both and try to start his own meth business? Would he have told the DEA? Been a decade and I barely thought of this and what might have been.
Ozark is similar, everything they do ends up making the situation worse for them
Only other show that comes to mind for myself is Cobra Kai.. I have a feeling season 5 is going to be bat-shit and badass at the same time.
Like Breaking Bad, I've been obsessed over Cobra Kai. And honestly, it comes across as a dramedy with karate sprinkled in because it's an extension of The Karate Kid.. but it almost becomes transformative when you look at different aspects of the show. What they're telling us.. vs what they're really doing behind the curtain.
But Breaking Bad has a special place in my heart, I'm gonna watch Better Call Saul when it finishes.. But Cobra Kai is on Breaking Bad levels of storytelling while disguised as a karate drama. I dunno. I've been thinking about this theory that when you look at certain events, and start to look at the details. It's hard not to say Cobra Kai, like Breaking Bad is very well planned out, but heavily controlled.
I'd call it Breaking Bad Light.. but light beer is for pussies 🤣
Hello sir, i would like to have your opinion:
Which is better show according to you, Breaking bad or Sopranos?
Breaking Bad
@@JustanObservation ❤️
Is there a meme of people discovering important information while sitting on the toilet? If not, there should be. :)