Back when I worked, I use to fantasize about being able to spend an hour on the couch watching t.v. before going to bed. However, I usually spent that time otherwise engaged with preparations for the next day. Now that there isn’t as much to prepare for, I can often get in that hour or so of television.

One show that I had heard a lot about, but never had the chance to watch, was Breaking Bad. Part of the reason I put off watching it was because I kept hearing that the first couple of seasons were hard to get into because they were depressing. Well, I finally got around to watching it, and I did not find those first seasons depressing at all.

Yes, he was fighting cancer, and, yes, he was involved with nasty drugs. So, why didn’t I find it depressing? Two reasons:

1. He went beyond expectations despite (or because of) the cancer.
2. That family cared deeply about each other despite their flaws. (And they each had flaws.)

It was also hilarious. Like the time Jesse dissolved that guy in the bathtub.  Thereby dissolving the bathtub. And the floor. And the ceiling.

Hilarious.

In later seasons, the hilarity was still there (from Saul), but, as the series went on, I found it increasingly sad (“depressing” doesn’t seem right) yet fascinating as the characters and relationships evolved.

Walter certainly continued to demonstrate capabilities and character strengths that went beyond expectations. Consistent with the series title, he transitioned from mild-mannered to determined to bad to evil (but never completely). My favorite scenes were when he was at his toughest. Like throwing the exploding “meth” at the drug dealers and running over the two thugs in the street. My favorite quotes, said with those steely eyes and grim face, include:

• This is not meth.
• Stay out of my territory.
• Run.
• I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. … I am the one who knocks.
• I won.
• Say my name.
• If you don’t know who I am then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.

Actually, all of the characters, not just Walt, went beyond initial expectations.

With respect to the relationships between the characters, the happy family that supported each other through the cancer dissolved much like the guy in the bathtub. Including some remaining fragments.

And that relationship between Walter and Jesse. I really wanted it to work out.

As I said, I watched each episode about an hour before bed. This didn’t really help improve my sleeping patterns. And as the series approached its end, I became more obsessed with needing to know how it was going to end, even though, at a high level, I knew what needed to happen. So, for the final two episodes, I did something truly decadent. While Nicole was at practice and Dave was at work, I spent a late afternoon totally absorbed in watching those two episodes. I was so glad I did.

I’ll leave you with my favorite Walter White quote:

I did it for me.