Breaking Bad - Season Four

A year is a long time to wait for the next season of a television series, but when that series is Breaking Bad, it's always worth it. I don't know how many times I can say this show is flawless and grippingly addictive, but I will say that season four has so far been my favourite season. Tension was just ramped up across the board as Walt and Gus made moves to get rid of each other, Walt and Jesse turned on each other, Skylar became a badass and had her own struggles in helping keep Walt clean, Hank got uncomfortably close to catching "Heisenberg", and even Saul freaked and went into hiding. Additionally, every character got an awesome monologue moment. For Walt, it was his "I am the one who knocks!" speech to Skylar, which was one of the greatest things I've heard in a long time; Jesse had his outburst in therapy where he reveals what a horrible person he is, stunning the counselor; for Skylar, it was her sales pitch to the car wash owner where she tells him exactly how much his business is worth and what its profits are; and Hank had a couple of moments in his investigation highlighting what a shrewd detective he is in spite of acting like a tool a lot of the time. Seriously, does anyone not like this show?

In all honesty, Walt has gone from a good guy to someone who is mostly a dick, but I've never hated him because his actions are usually justifiable in some way, albeit often extreme, and he's just so damned good at "the game", as it's referred to on The Wire. Conversely, Jesse was kind of a scumbag punk at the beginning of the series but has developed some better qualities over time. Still very much a flawed person, but a more likable one. Part of what makes this show so entertaining is how Walt and Jesse have completely opposite personalities, and putting two opposites together always makes for the best scenes.

Next season is supposed to be the last, but I have no idea what's in store because the ending resolved the season and didn't leave a cliffhanger. But I'm thinking there could be an epic Walt vs. Jesse showdown, because if Jesse ever finds out that Walt let his girlfriend die and poisoned that kid, he'll be feeling murderous. I don't know how he could, though, as neither incident had any witnesses. There's also the possibility that Hank will finally catch his brother in-law, so maybe it will be a Walt vs. Hank showdown. Or both. Hopefully the DVD will be out sooner this time, as there will be no new season causing a delay for purposes of promotional proximity.

Best Episode: I think I liked "Cornered" best, in which Walt delivers his aforementioned badass monologue, buys his son an unnecessarily expensive car, and pays the laundry ladies to clean the lab for him, while Jesse impresses Gus and Mike by recovering their stolen meth, a scene which includes a very cool shot from a shovel's point of view.