The image of a show's main character in the middle of the road, without pants, ready to shoot it out with the approaching police . . . that's some ace cliffhanger material. Yet it's the first thing anyone sees!
An exhilarating hour of television, this pilot deals effortlessly with the unenviable amount of setup that "Breaking Bad" requires. Portrait of a man beaten down by mediocrity suddenly liberated by a cancer diagnosis, Walter White is the guy you feel sorry for, but you also desperately want the guy to snap out of his suburban malaise and grab life by the balls (played with no shortage of intensity by Bryan Cranston). This intro lays out the conflict and colorful supporting characters and laces it with excellent dark humor. As fun as it is to see this guy at the end of his rope, it also demands that you return for next week.
I've been telling people for years to ignore the hype and just give the first episode a shot. And for good reason; it's one of the best pilots I've ever seen.
9/10
An exhilarating hour of television, this pilot deals effortlessly with the unenviable amount of setup that "Breaking Bad" requires. Portrait of a man beaten down by mediocrity suddenly liberated by a cancer diagnosis, Walter White is the guy you feel sorry for, but you also desperately want the guy to snap out of his suburban malaise and grab life by the balls (played with no shortage of intensity by Bryan Cranston). This intro lays out the conflict and colorful supporting characters and laces it with excellent dark humor. As fun as it is to see this guy at the end of his rope, it also demands that you return for next week.
I've been telling people for years to ignore the hype and just give the first episode a shot. And for good reason; it's one of the best pilots I've ever seen.
9/10