6) The Almost Omnipresent Sense Of Tension
There’s been a tonne of digital ink spilled about Breaking Bad’s perpetual atmosphere. As a series, it generates a substantial amount of tension over its episodic run so that when the pay off arrives, and those signature confrontations occur, it’s like a dormant volcano awakening from its slumber – particularly in this decisive season, where the proverbial foundations have been rocked on more than one occasion. These crescendos – Walk and Hank in the garage, for example – are so effective precisely because they serve to unravel a four-and-a-half-season web of lies and deceit. A structure that has become so fragile, one simple disturbance would send vibrations searing through each of its intricate strands.
Though these pay-offs are suitably mesmerising when they detonate, Breaking Bad excels most in its cognitive approach to character continuity. It’s so precise and attentive, that as an audience member privy to the majority of information, witnessing the reveals is extremely satisfying because they feel consistent both tonally and in terms of narrative. Of course, these impressive, storytelling structures have to have a foundation: Walt’s over-arching secrecy; which is a plot device that acts as the lifeblood to the ubiquitous tension.
Keeping these dual existences separate is the fragile lynchpin in Walter’s illicit masterplan. With that said, part of the intrigue is when these identities begin to bleed into one another and the show poses the question: where exactly does Walter White end and Heisenberg begin? There’s such a palpable disparity between the unassuming family man and street-smart meth kingpin, that by the latter seasons of the show, the dramatic presence of Walter White on screen is enough to make you wring your hands with anxiety. This is perhaps best visualised during the domestic sequences that take the typical elephant-in-the-room trope to a whole new level. Plus, given the White family’s propensity to eat their dinner in complete silence, these scenes in particular are taciturn, even pensive, and stir the simmering cauldron of tension to great effect.
A key component to the enduring air of suspense, though, is Dave Porter’s versatile musical score. Having provided the non-diegetic soundtrack intermittently since the fourth episode of season one, Porter has helped channel the tone and theme of Breaking Bad with his stressed, on the nail vibes that not only accompany the crucial scenes, but compound the eerie and chilling atmosphere that defines Breaking Bad. From melancholy to apprehension, waywardness to betrayal, Porter’s compositions are as complex and multi-faceted as the show itself, and I for one can’t wait to hear how he complements the final hours of Walt’s tale with his score.
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