zwolanerd

This is a list in progress, as we’re only halfway through season three, but it’s occupying a lot of my brainspace these days. I don’t know that there’s anything I can say about the show that hasn’t already been said, so instead of trying I thought I’d do a list. I don’t think there are any spoilers here, other than a couple of these characters don’t show up right away.

Again, these are based on 3.5 seasons, so I know these characters have a long way to go. Maybe I’ll revisit the list after we’re done with the series.

7. Hank – Hank’s very single-minded in his pursuit of drug dealers, and you really have to respect him for that. Yes, he makes bad choices here and there, but show me a character on this show that hasn’t. In spite of it, Hank’s the sort of guy I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time around.

6. Walt, Jr. – Okay, I take it back: I don’t know that Walt, Jr., has made any bad choices — at least, not on the level of everyone else. He’s angry a lot, but it’s hard to blame him for that since no one’s telling him what’s going on ever. I feel really, really bad in advance for when (I assume) he finds out what his dad’s been doing. It’s going to hurt him a lot.

5. Saul – I knew a lot about the show before ever seeing an episode, but Saul surprised me. I knew who he was so I knew (sort of) his role in the story, but I didn’t expect that he would crack me up so much. I’m sure he comes to a bad end (just like I assume most characters in this show will), but he’s cracking me up in the meantime.

4. Mike – I knew him first from this season’s Community, but for most people it was the other way around. Here’s a guy who gets things done, and I like that about him. And that “things” encompasses many, many different jobs, but he’s matter-of-fact, no-nonsense, and appears to know more than he lets on.

3. Gus – I’m just now starting to see how ruthless he is, but setting aside the things he’s doing, I like the way he does them, if that makes sense. His calm exterior and his desire for things to be “just so” make him very compelling. I already know how things turn out for him, but I’m very, very interested in learning more about him and seeing how he gets there.

2. Jesse – Hardly have I ever felt worse about a TV character than I feel for Jesse. Sure, I get that most of his problems come from the choices he’s made, but, man, this guy!  Who has had worse days than him?

1. Walt – Walt is the reason this show is so amazing. How the writers have made me not only care about him but root for him in the middle of him making terrible decisions will forever make me jealous. He’s a criminal who is hurting everyone around him, but I just want him to escape from whatever his current predicament is so he can get back to making meth, and that’s a terrible thing for me to want him to do.

I know there’s a severe lack of female characters on this list, but it’s not my fault. Marie is fine, but she’s not really affecting me one way or the other, and there’s no way in the world Skyler is making any list that isn’t titled “Characters that are the worst, the absolute worst,” even if I can’t fully explain to myself why she’s the worst. Aside from the two of them, there are very few other females on the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Breaking Bad, Tuesday10

Written by: Mark