Who’s the Good Guy Now?
It is a tough decision to decide who is genuinely good or bad in the AMC TV series Breaking Bad and a lot of fans realize this as the show comes to an end this year. The lack of an all-around “good guy” in the series sets Breaking Bad apart from the rest of television. Practically all of the major characters in the show are written to be hated to some degree, but the main character is the worst of them all.
Each character has a flaw that not only makes them unlikeable, but so very real. It is the inability to label any character solely good or bad that brings reality to this fictional storyline. Walter White, the main character, is at first driven to become a methamphetamine dealer to provide money for his family after being diagnosed with cancer. The original purpose and motive behind Walt’s decision originally made him an admirable character, but his actions throughout the series indicated that he’s not the good guy we thought he was. We find Walt obsessing over the money the business has brought him well after he made the minimal amount he needed to keep his family out of debt. After experiencing the awkward interaction with his old friend and colleague who has made millions off of the business he and Walt created, we then see that it is not the value of money but the validation it represents that drives Walt. It is in that moment we can determine that pride and jealousy are Walter’s main motivations.
There are other characters to be analyzed in Breaking Bad to be determined as “good” or “bad,” but it is most assuredly true that Walter can be ruled out as the show’s good guy or hero.
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