As a big fan of Breaking Bad (and, while we're at it, Better Call Saul), I want to talk about my biggest quibble with the show. It's actually about a scene that, judging from what I have seen on the interwebs, is a fan favorite. I'm talking about a scene near the end of season 4, episode 13. Gus Fring's death.
I won't try to set it up. Those who watched the show know the backstory, and I can't possibly do it justice for those who haven't watched it.
I get what people like about it. At that point, Gus was the major antagonist, the focus of the fans' hatred. And we all knew that he would kill Walt if Walt didn't kill him first. As always, it was fun to watch one of Walt's elaborate plans come to fruition. And we loved watching Gus -- gloating in his victory over Hector, the experiencing that moment of panic as he realized he was about to get blown up. Then the explosion. But somehow Gus manages to escape. He steps out of the room, seemingly unharmed. He even starts to straighten his tie -- such a classic Gus Fring move. But as the camera pans we, the viewers, see the injuries. Our jaws drop as we wonder how he survived. Then he collapses. And we breathe a sigh of relief, marveling at what we've seen.
Yeah, I get it.
But I really hate the way they did that. BB was a serious show. There were lighthearted moments that served to cut the tension. Remember when Walt threw the pizza on the roof? Remember when Walt spent a whole episode trying to kill a fly? But the show never descended into cartoonishness. Except for when Fring died. That was some major Wile E. Coyote vibe happening. And it didn't belong.
To be clear, my objection isn't just about the lack of realism. There are other places in the show where the science is wrong or things just don't add up. But these examples all serve the greater purpose of great storytelling. But this? Cartoony shit, and by far the worst moment in the series.
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