Breaking Bad 1

The cable tv series "Breaking Bad" is a literal journey into hell. The most striking image of all is that of the "pants" flying into the air and then landing. Then the driver, Mr. White, runs over it. The pants signify his old self, his bourgeoisie, middle-class self. He runs over the pants with an RV. His life is about to change.

Transformation themes abound in movies. Al Pacino's Michael Carleone transforms into a cold, heartless capitalist. The "hero" of "Breaking Bad" transforms into a cruel, daemonic drug maker and dealer. We see the fist hint of this transformation in his eyes. He is trying desperately to be a nice, sensitive teacher. In class at school, he tries to gently tell an obnoxious student to bahave. There is no response. Next, he yells it out. the student drags the chair to his seat. We can see Mr. White's eyes shifting a little. His anger is bottled up inside of him and it is strangling his creativity.   

Time and time again, we see our hero holding on to his anger. He sees an obnoxious corporate type speaking on his cellphone. This man is driving a BMW convertible. Again, the anger of Mr. White rises to the surface. We can almost imagine him saying, "Who the fuck does this guy think he is?" The hero is a brilliant guy obviously, but he is like the "Steppenwolf." He is going through his mid-life crises and he is discovering the wolf inside of him. The hero even looks like a wild wolf, uncomfortable with middle-class life and its infinite superficialities. At one point, his wife is giving him a handjob for his 50th birthday present and he couldn't care less. He looks bored, tired, and indifferent.