Breaking Bad. Season One:Episode One

Season 1 Episode 1 of Breaking Bad is about a man named Walter White who is a high school chemistry teacher, a cashier at a carwash, a father to a son a soon to be daughter, and a husband. In this episode, Walter is just turning 50 years old and has people over for his birthday when his brother in law, Hank, who is in the D.E.A, shows himself on the news doing a drug bust. Walter seems a bit surprised on how much money you can get from it and at that point, it is noticeable that the idea of getting in the business is planted in Walter’s mind. From time to time in the beginning of the episode, you notice Walter coughing a lot and eventually he collapses at work and soon discovers that he has lung cancer but doesn’t tell his family. At this point, he goes along with his brother in law on a drug bust. When he is on this drug bust, he notices a former student, Jessie, coming out of the house next door, trying to escape the DEA because he is a part of the meth lab that was busted next door. Later, Walter finds Jessie at his home and convinces him to become partners since Jessie’s was caught and put in jail. Jessie doesn’t seem fond of the idea to become partners and rejects the offer but Walter threatens to turn him into the DEA if he didn’t. Jessie, having no choice, decides to become partners with Walter. 

Being the chemistry teacher at the high school, Walter steals supplies they are going to need to make the lab from the school’s science department. Once they have their supplies, they decide to make the meth lab in an RV so they can go into secluded areas to cook meth without being caught. When they find a good spot, Walter cooks some of the best meth that Jessie had every seen. Jessie’s decides to go to his old partners cousin to try to sell him the meth that was just cooked and discovered his partner who was caught, just got out of jail. They want to know where the meth came from and Jessie leads them to Walter where drama goes down and while Walter is trying to show them how to make it, he makes a toxic gas that makes them pass out in the RV, after threatening them. Walter doesn’t know what to do so he drives off and ends up crashing on the side of the road where he is sure everything is over when he hears the cops coming. He films himself saying goodbye to his family and even tries to kill himself. Eventually, fire trucks come around the corner, pass Walter, and go to the fire that was started by one of the dealers. They soon realize they are off the hook and they leave. 

One of the themes I noticed was the taste of power that is happening in this episode. Walter seemed to be a calm and gentle guy in the beginning of the episode, before everything happened. Once he finds out he has cancer and gets involved with the meth lab, there is a change in his personality and his attitude. He seems to be a family man but is under the whip with his wife. She seems to be unappreciative of him and expects him to do everything she says. There was a scene at his birthday party where he holds his brother in laws gun, and feels how heavy it is. At that point, I think aside from having the idea of getting in the drug business, holding the gun was a foreshadow of the power Walter will hold. 

There are so many issues in here that show the needs of this generation. No matter who we are or what he do, there is always something in us that wants power. There may be different aspects of it; such as money, but ultimately, even money can represent power to a lot of people. People will go to extreme lengths to get what they want in life to make them feel something. There is obviously a deeper need that is there. People are constantly trying to fill a void in their life with worldly things and until it is known that there is only one thing to fill the void, no matter what that void is longing for, their lives will only continue to go in all sort of directions. How do we show Jesus in these situations? How do we explain that Jesus is the ultimate provider? I doubt the first thing they want to hear is how Jesus can save them, but instead loving them in their brokenness.