Breaking Bad FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Hustlers Bunsen Burners and Heisenberg

by Rich Weidman

Overview

(FAQ). Breaking Bad made its amazing debut ten years ago, revolutionizing television drama and joining the ranks of such legendary long-form series as The Wire , The Sopranos , and Mad Men as simply one of the best dramatic series of all time. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, Breaking Bad FAQ is an informative and entertaining look at how the show's creator, Vince Gilligan, honed his craft working on The X-Files and formed a highly talented creative team that brought his vision of turning a "Mr. Chips to Scarface" to life. Breaking Bad FAQ features a thorough synopsis and analysis of each of the series' 62 episodes, as well as detailed character and cast profiles. In addition, Breaking Bad FAQ provides in-depth information on filming locales, how the show depicts the crystal meth industry, classic films and TV shows that have influenced the series, literary references, the Seinfeld connection, scientific allusions and accuracy, top-10 most disturbing scenes, greatest songs from the soundtrack, homages and parodies, a comprehensive discussion of Better Call Saul , and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781495094897
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Series:	FAQ
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	1,088,121
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Rich Weidman (Ocoee, FL) is a writer and editor. His works include The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock, The Beat Generation FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Angelheaded Hipsters, and Guns N' Roses FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Bad Boys of Sunset Strip, as well as several regional travel guides. He serves as editor of the website Forgotten Movie Classics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 This Is My Confession: Vince Gilligan and the Creation of Breaking Bad 1

2 Unknown Entities: The X-Files Helps Give Birth to the Series 10

3 It Doesn't Compute: How Breaking Bad Got its Name 17

4 Say My Name: Meet the Principal Breaking Bad Cast and Characters 27

5 No Honor Among Thieves: Essential Minor Characters in Breaking Bad 44

6 I Am the One Who Knocks: A Profile of Walter White 62

7 Some Worthless Junkie: A Profile of Jesse Pinkman 67

8 She Stood by You: The Inexplicable Fan Hatred Toward Skyler White 71

9 Finding Myself Awake: Pilot Episode (January 20, 2008) 76

10 A Series of Very Bad Decisions: Season One (2008) 81

11 A Bit of a Learning Curve: Season Two (2009) 89

12 That Blue Stuff: Season Three (2010) 104

13 Never Give Up Control: Season Four (2011) 116

14 Falling Apart Like This: Season Five (2012-13) 129

15 I Was Alive: Series Finale (September 29, 2013) 143

16 Here in the Real World: Breaking Bad Filming Locales 148

17 All This Brilliance: Innovative Filming Techniques in Breaking Bad 162

18 Hide in Plain Sight: Top Ten Enemies of Walter White 169

19 Tread Lightly: Walter White's Most Evil Acts 179

20 Cooking Is Art: Breaking Bad and the Crystal Meth Industry 186

21 Nothing More Than a Bad Dream: Breaking Bad Symbols and Motifs 194

22 No Vito Corleone: Breaking Bad Film and TV Influences 203

23 A Man Provides: Breaking Bad vs. The Sopranos 220

24 Lies on Top of Lies: The Seinfeld Connection 230

25 Yeah, Totally Kafkaesque: Literary References in Breaking Bad 239

26 Nothing but Chemistry Here: Scientific Allusions and Accuracy 250

27 Let Me Clue You In: Popular Breaking Bad Fan Theories 260

28 Are They Punking Me? The Dark Humor of Breaking Bad 265

29 All the Sacrifices: Top Fifteen Most Disturbing Scenes in the Series 276

30 Just Marking Time: Greatest Songs from the Breaking Bad Soundtrack 283

31 Like the Rest of Us: Breaking Bad and the American Dream 302

32 The Study of Change: Dissecting the Talking Bad Aftershow 307

33 We Live to Fight Another Day: Better Call Saul 316

34 Never Give Up Control: Merchandising, Homages, and Parodies 335

35 Any Future That You Want: Whatever Happened to … 350

Selected Bibliography 361

Index 365