6. The Subtext
Theres an old saying in screenwriting circles: if the scenes about what its about, then youre in deep shit. Basically, if a scene is about say, a young couple picking wallpaper for their house, it cant really be
about that. How boring would that be? Instead, their discussion secretly addresses something else, maybe the fact that he's never given her an orgasm. All youd see if you were there with them would be the conversation about wallpaper. But as an audience were be privy to information from earlier in the plot, and so were able to pick up on the hidden meanings. If there isnt enough subtext in a piece of fiction, its flat, shallow. But theres plenty in Breaking Bad. For example, take the storyline in season 4, where Jessie starts working directly with Mike, Gustavos hired goon. Jessie tells Walter that hes just doing what hes told. And while in the text thats true, in the subtext, you can sense in him a twisted sort of satisfaction, that hes finally being respected over Walt. You can tell, because you know them both, and you know their relationship. This is just one example. Youll find subtext this rich and deep, and richer and deeper still throughout the series. While of course there are other shows currently airing that are good, great even in terms of subtextual content, theyre appetisers. Breaking Bad really is the main course.