Breaking Bad - Season Two

Season one didn't really end on a cliffhanger so much as a moment of "oh crap, what did they get themselves into?", which is a great lead into the next season because for me the appeal of this show is watching Walt and Jesse try to overcome dangerous and/or unfortunate circumstances. Last season had a couple of episodes that, while still really good, were a little slower and less interesting than others because Walt and Jesse had parted for a while, and I think this season was better at managing that minuscule problem. I do still like it best when they are sharing the screen, because they're such an unlikely pair and while they may be business partners they are clearly not friends, so their dynamic fascinates me, but Walt and Jesse also had better individual story arcs this time around. Jesse had to deal with finding new living arrangements, having a relationship with his landlord, and things happening to his dealers, and Walt had continued trouble with the web of lies he was continuously spinning at his wife, including the payment of his cancer treatment.

At the beginning of the series I wasn't sure I liked Skyler because she seemed nosy and even a little fickle, but now I can empathize with both her and Walt, and that makes their arguments almost heartbreaking because I am siding with both of them. I don't know if he was playing dumb, but Walt didn't seem to get it when she turned the tables on him and started doing exactly what he had been doing to her (going out for long periods of time without saying where), and then he insulted her intelligence by pretending he wasn't hiding anything when she knew that he was. Maybe I am a little more on Skyler's side, but I can understand why Walt can't tell her and that he's doing it for his family. It was also interesting to see another side to Hank. Up until a certain point he had been a crass, tough guy jock type - and admittedly a bit of a douchebag at times - but after a couple of traumatic events he gets knocked down a peg and we see that he's not so tough after all. And I just want to randomly point out the coolness of a shot in the finale where Hank holds up a donation jar with Walt's photo on it, and the photo is positioned directly under the "WANTED" sign on the board in the background. Nice work.

Best Episode: There were several fantastic episodes, but I'd have to go with "Grilled", where Tuco holds Walt and Jesse hostage and they try to devise an escape plan under the watchful eye of an old man who communicates by ringing a service bell. Easily the most riveting, high-tension hour this season.