BREAKING BAD (TV SERIES): THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON - DVD review

Next to poverty, the drug problem is the biggest issue facing the United States today. Typically, this issue impacts the poor, illiterate, uneducated and helpless more than anyone else, but in reality, no one is ever totally immune. The one word that comes to mind more than any other around this issue is desperation, and if you want to see that first hand, visit your local state penitentiary. For a second hand approach, you should experience "Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season" on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

You know that old saying, "Desperate people do desperate things"? It's pretty accurate, and only enhanced when you throw greed into the picture. Those are the motivating elements for the main characters in "Breaking Bad," and it becomes pretty obvious after just a few episodes that only when one gets caught is one really doing anything wrong. The lies are plentiful, the deceit deep and the danger real. Heck, no one ever said desperation and greed were friendly to those who subscribed to them.

"Breaking Bad" was created by writer/director/producer Vince Gilligan (he worked on "The X-Files" back in the day). Season two received Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Single-camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, plus high praise for its unique writing and engaging storylines. I found the approach creative, fresh and entertaining much more than I expected. Season two spreads its thirteen episodes out in a four-disc DVD set.

You will probably rethink what it means to be down on your luck when you meet Walter White (Bryan Cranston). The man lives quite simply in Albuuerque, NM with his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his son Walter, Jr. (RJ Mitte). Walter teaches chemistry at the local high school, and his wife is pregnant (unexpectedly) with their second child. Without warning, Walter is diagnosed with stage three terminal lung cancer, and his medical bills quickly threaten to bankrupt the family. Having no where else to turn, he elects to begin cooking and dealing methamphetamine with some help from a former student named Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), who has a personal relationship with this drug and its distribution.

The series essentially follows Walter and Jesse as they enter this extremely violent and dangerous business. The problems they encounter aren't really related to producing the meth itself, but instead keeping it a secret from everyone around them. Both disappear for random amounts of time and reappear inconsistently. Walter keeps everything from Skyler, and Jesse struggles to maintain any structure to his daily life. The pair argue regularly about everything, from who to work with as street level distributors to whether or not their product is as good as it can be to keep its popularity. Mostly, though, they argue about money.

Supporting characters include Skyler's sister Marie (Betsy Brandt), who does little more than take up space and argue with her pregnant sister, and her husband Hank (Dean Norris), a special agent with the local Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) field office. There are also numerous drug dealers who come and go, a super greasy lawyer, other law enforcement personnel and a love interest for Jesse. They add to the storylines on a few levels, but rather than generate a bundle of subplots that go multiple directions, they push the main themes forward with reasonable force. They aren't near as deep as the main characters, and that's just fine because Walt and Jesse hold their own extremely well.

Season two begins with the pair on the run from a violent drug dealer named Tuco. They survive after being captured and driven into the desert, only to part ways and indirectly agree to stop selling meth. Jesse gets a new place to live and starts an intimate relationship with the woman next door, while Walter struggles to think of new excuses he can tell Skyler and Walter Jr. Hank gets a promotion to the El Paso DEA office, but can't hack it and is sent back to Albuquerque. Eventually, Walter and Jesse reunite to cook and sell. Their motivation is monetary, and the two cook up thirty-eight pounds. Walter soon discovers that his cancer is not as bad as originally diagnosed, and has a procedure to have his tumor removed, while Jesse falls back into drug abuse. The two learn a recently arrested former dealer might give them up to the local police and hire an attorney to help, only to be blackmailed and lose much of the money they recently made selling. Skyler gives birth to the couple's new daughter and catches Walter in a lie or two, ultimately leaving him to decide his future role with the family.

The elements you might expect to be strong in well-made television and superb in "Breaking Bad," especially the writing and character development. Lines are delivered with emotion and consistency, leaving little to the imagination when it comes to processing the messages in any given scene. Cranston sheds any perceptions you may have from his days on "Malcolm in the Middle." He is cunning, intelligent and deceptive, yet able to convince you that all is well with little difficulty. Paul is able to connote just how unstable he is through body language alone, yet his dialogue only enhances this sentiment. He has a bizarre insecurity to him and it shows pretty frequently, but never so much that you don't believe he can do what he has to in his line of work.

What sticks out about this series is that Walter basically tries to do the right thing. He wants his family to be happy, his wife to love him and his job to be enjoyable. Yet he is so caught up in his own personal pride that he comes to a place where he has to sacrifice his morals to save himself. It sounds complex, and it is, but not so much so you won't be able to relate. I did just fine, and I've never even thought about how I'd begin in something like the drug trade.

The series also has a greater authenticity than I thought possible, likely because it is produced and shot on location in Albuquerque. I can't remember the last film or TV series I saw that took place in New Mexico, where the desert conveys the desolation that weaves its way into Walter and Jesse's lives, despite their success as drug makers.

Lots and lots to enjoy in "Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season." It is an emotional series that generates its own unique tension, creating a far more convincing atmosphere in each episode than most hour-long shows do in an entire season. I greatly appreciated the character depth, the sharp writing and overall attention to detail. If this is what cooking meth does to your overall existence, it truly isn't worth it.

Video:
For some reason, TV on DVD always looks better than TV on TV. The video transfer is a sharp 1.78:1, so much so that I was pleasantly surprised. Being set in New Mexico, there is plentiful sunshine and a very nice reliance on natural colors to do their thing. Scenes are night are equally vivid, letting the clear and open desert skies push forward a softer, more authentic darkness. The cinematography is pretty good too, almost cinematic at times. I saw essentially no grain and appreciated the attention to detail that likely went into this transfer.

Audio:
The audio is also pretty strong for TV on DVD. It might only be a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but all dialogue comes through with no difficulty and background noise occupies its place without overstating its presence. The musical selections are at times pulse pounding, and at others peacefully serene. All are well placed throughout, as are the character's vocal tones. They rise and fall as action and emotion do, so much so that you can probably guess what a facial expression is without actually seeing it.

Extras:
I saw more here than I anticipated. Most episodes have a commentary of some sort with cast members or crew personnel, and the deleted scenes are plentiful. All thirteen episodes come with their own "making of" featurette also, and if you are like me and missed season one, there's a recap. A gag reel, some other fictitious music videos and commercials, plus a photo gallery, six original webisodes and a season three sneak peek are packaged together for your enjoyment. Dig in.

A Final Word:
"Breaking Bad" is an intense experience worth strapping in for. The characters are deep, the setting fits and the concept creative. I'd hesitate to call it either pioneering or groundbreaking, but at the same time I have little doubt it is better than most other programming on the air today. Its longevity may be an issue, so hopefully before the writers run out of ideas worth turning into episodes, the show hangs up its skates. Until then, enjoy away.