Cancer Man

I like the bit where he blew up the bmw by shorting the battery

Walter's medical condition comes to the forefront of the storytelling, but in a cleverly deceptive way.

There is a level of half-truth manipulation portrayed in Cancer Man that works incredibly well for the irony and humour of the plot. I love all the scenes of Walt's family interacting as they are made so cringingly funny by the viewer's knowledge of the full truth. Some scenes are also quite ominous, particularly the dialogue exchange with the oncologist and the sequence showing Walt's perspective is very well done.

Jesse's scenes include good backstory and depth to the character. You cannot help but like him for taking certain actions to protect a particular individual. Plus it makes his personal circumstances feel more interesting and surprising.

It gives a hint of all the irony to come in relation to the ignorance associated with the character Hank. You can see from this early episode the amusement that is to come.

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are both on top form along with the supporting cast.

It includes more great cinematography, editing and visual storytelling. Jesse's paranoid moment is hilarious. Likewise Walt's guilt ridden angst shown in when barbecuing meat and his imagined police chase. You also have to admire the final few minutes.

For me its an 8.5/10, but I round upwards.

Breaking Bad continues to surprise me after every episode, and this was no exception.

The episode explored the family life of Jesse, which in all was very heartbreaking to see how a family is destroyed because of a drug habit. Walter also confessed about his problem, and it ran emotions through the house. Like always, the show continues to be a drama but very well written humor put in, like the ending of the episode. This is a joy to watch, and along with that Aaron and Bryan give great performances that revolve the show and give it what is needed. I will diligently continue to watch.

...but a more character-driven episode. Terrific performance from Anna Gunn. Definitely an underrated episode with a hilariously awesome ending.

'Breaking Bad' is one of the most popular rated shows on IMDb, is one of those rarities where every season has either been very positively received or near-universally acclaimed critically and where all of my friends have said nothing but great things about.

Very few shows in recent memory had me so hooked from the very start that before the week was over the whole show had been watched, especially when for a lot of shows now airing watching one episode all the way through can be an endeavour. 'Breaking Bad' had that effect on me, and its reputation as one of the best, consistently brilliant and most addictive shows in many years (maybe even ever) is more than deserved in my eyes. Its weakest season is perhaps the first season, understandable as any show's first season is the one where things are still settling.

Actually everything is established remarkably from the very start, but once the writing and characterisation becomes even meatier the show reaches even higher levels.

"Cancer Man" is not quite as good as the exceptional pilot episode, one of the best television show pilots ever, and "And the Bag's in the River". It doesn't quite have as much of the tension and tautness of those episodes. It is still a wonderful and hugely compelling episode, even though one of those setting things up and putting it all into place episodes it does that incredibly well.

Visually, "Cancer Man" is both stylish and beautiful, with photography and editing that are cinematic quality and put a lot of films today to shame, where there are a lot of visually beautiful ones but also some painfully amateurish looking ones. The music always has the appropriate mood, never too intrusive, never too muted.

The writing for "Cancer Man" is a fine example of how to have a lot of style but also to have a lot of substance. The dialogue throughout is thought-provoking and tense, while also have a darkly wicked sense of humour and heart-tugging pathos. The story is texturally rich, intimate, tense and layered, with the pace of it consistently deliberate but taut enough. The direction couldn't be better.

Can't say anything bad about the acting. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal as one of the most fascinating anti-heroes, or even of any kind of character, in either film or television. Aaron Paul has never been better and shines in this episode and Anna Gunn is affecting. The characters are compelling in their realism.

Overall, wonderful. 9/10 Bethany Cox