4. Greek Tragedy
Both Scarface and Breaking Bad follow literary dramatic conventions of old, as they feature aspects that are similar to a Greek tragedy. Both Tony and Walt start at the bottom before falling into adversity, following Aristotle's term of Peripeteia (where the tragic hero has a reversal of fortune). In Scarface, Tony becomes an all encompassing Druglord, only to eventually fall from his throne and into his demise. Similarly, Walter rises from a non assuming teacher into the dominant Heisenburg character and is feared and respected by everyone. However, like all tragic heroes, he eventually is defeated by his hubris (pride) when he is tricked into thinking that his money, his life's work, is being burned to a crisp. From then on the story spirals into a chaos until Walt's eventual confrontation with the Nazis at the end of the series. Ultimately, both characters have the potential to do good but fall because of their decisions. Both pieces also feature a cathartic element to their conclusions, "catharsis" is when there is a release of tension or emotion, typically found at the end of a play and that has an emotional impact on the viewer. In Scarface, Tony Montana falls to his death, mirroring his fall from grace, and into his lavish pool which is overlooked by a statue with the words "The World Is Yours" branded across it. The statue reinforces that Tony had the potential to be something else but instead went down a dark path due to his corrupt decisions. The score also creates an emotional impact on the viewer, leading them to reflect on what could have been.
On the other hand, Walter dies more peacefully and in a meth lab. Again the score of "Baby Blue" by Badfinger creates an emotional release and the shot of the camera rising from Walt's face is an impactful image that lives long in the memory. There is also a moment of catharsis for Jesse, perhaps the most sympathetic of all the characters on Breaking Bad, as he drives off into the distance crying and laughing to himself, whether Jesse is beyond repair due to Walt and the Nazi's actions is another question, but the ending is fitting for Jesse and we can finally feel some sort of hope for the troubled character.