RWU faculty deconstruct, analyze AMC’s hit show about a man driven to drug dealing in the name of family – without spoilers

Wojtanowski, Alexandria

English

DOCS@RWU

Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger10-1-2013“Breaking Bad” Family Values: Survival and theSlippery SlopeAlexandria WojtanowskiRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationWojtanowski, Alexandria, "“Breaking Bad” Family Values: Survival and the Slippery Slope" (2013). Featured News Story. 158.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/158 News Archive“Breaking Bad” Family Values: Survival andthe Slippery SlopeRWU faculty deconstruct, analyze AMC’s hit show about a man driven to drugdealing in the name of family – without spoilers!October 1, 2013 Alexandria Wojtanowski '15BRISTOL, R.I. – Whether you’re a diehard fan or a casual observer, it’s been hard to escape theseemingly omnipresent pop culture phenomenon “Breaking Bad” in recent weeks. As the hit AMCdrama wrapped its series this past Sunday, scholars and armchair critics alike have o ered their insightsto the show’s deeper meaning.But  rst, for those readers unfamiliar with the show’s premise, a spoiler-free crash course:Faced with advanced lung cancer and just two years to live, unassuming high school chemistry teacherWalter White is desperate to support his family a er he’s gone. With the assistance of former student,Jesse Pinkman, Walt employs his chemistry acumen to create a pure and potent brand of crystal methhe calls Blue Sky. Over  ve seasons, Walt transforms from a desperate dying dad to a depravedmegalomaniac drug lord. The crux of the drama is whether Walt’s motivation remains his family’ssurvival, or an egomaniacal desire for power. Is Walt redeemable, or should he be written o ?Two RWU faculty members – Associate Professor of English Margaret Case and Associate Professor ofWriting Studies Paul Bender – investigated the Walter White “family defense”: the notion that illicit oreven illegal behavior is justi able if the motivation is family-based. Or, as Walt explains at the beginningof season  ve, “When we do what we do for good reasons, then we’ve got nothing to worry about. And there’s no better reason than family.” Case and Bender argue that, despite Walt’s posturing to thecontrary, “Breaking Bad” challenges the family defense.In honor of the series  nale, here are 10 ways “Breaking Bad” undermines its own “family defense”:Message about society: Case and Bender’s research reveals that the show explores a tension thatmany viewers don’t o en notice within American culture – the con ict between family morality andtraditional morality. As Case put it, “our culture is drunk on family ideology.”Questioning beliefs: According to Case and Bender, “Breaking Bad” is a critique of Americanculture, especially the degree to which we consider the family to be sacred. Their researchquestions how far it is acceptable to go to protect your family, and explores the moral de ciencies inthe culture’s relationship to family. “Here’s popular culture daring to ask a really hard question. It’sentertainment but it’s daring,” Case says.Self-searching: Viewers may breathe a sigh of relief to not be in Walt’s situation, but the show makesyou re ect on what you would do when faced with a similar fate – what is your obligation to yourfamily versus your own morality? Case asks viewers: at what point did you stop supporting WalterWhite? Was it right away, intermittently, or later in the show?Manipulation: The show puts viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride and some bad actions feeljusti ed. Even a er support for Walt wanes, and viewers question his motivations, the show swaysaudiences to root for him again. Though it may be deeply disturbing to root for the criminal, it issimultaneously engaging.Walt: sympathetic and loathsome: Audiences love Walt because he exempli es the extremes inourselves. As Case explains, “Walt is the epitome of what makes all of us evil, when we’re evil. I amnot judging him because he is us. Walter White is every man … I think I would say the opposite, too.He is also the epitome of what makes all of us good, when we’re good.”  Walt as arch-criminal Heisenberg: The idea that the average family man could spiral so far out ofcontrol makes viewers uneasy. The show refuses to make Walt a hero by demonstrating that thedamage he in icts far outweighs any good for his family. “It doesn’t let Walt get away with it – thedegree to which his family bene ts is questionable,” Bender says. “And it shows over and over againother families being destroyed by the choices he makes.” When Walt adopts the persona of arch-criminal Heisenberg, it becomes clear he is not simply acting to protect his family, creating a tenseturn for the show.Jesse as the moral center: Wouldn’t it be strange if the moral center of a show about family moralswere the one character truly divorced from his own family? However, when Walt starts to harm Jesse(in numerous ways), audience attitudes toward both characters shi . As Walt loses his moralcompass, Jesse is  nding his – and viewers have a new point of view for considering their ownmorality.Slippery slope: The show depicts moral complexities via several characters. Skylar White (Walt’swife) falls into some of the same traps as Walt when she sees the money he’s making. Walt’s brother-in-law Hank, a DEA agent, covers up his wife’s kleptomania. And, ironically, at the conclusion of the rst season, Walt comments on the arbitrary legality of drugs as he shares a Cuban cigar with Hank,who is unaware of his brother-in-law’s growing drug empire. The show leaves viewers pondering ifall crimes are the same di erentiated only by perceived degree.Call for action: Bender’s advice: If you want to make a popular movie, set up the hero as a characterwho stops at nothing to save his/her family. A er deconstructing “Breaking Bad,” Bender nowobserves this phenomenon in all kinds of popular culture. “It’s such a resounding argument withinour culture. It needs to be exposed, examined, dealt with.”New outlook: A er obtaining a di erent understanding of “family ideology” through “BreakingBad,” viewers are rethinking their interpretations of shows from “Smallville” and “Lost” to “Weeds”and “Prison Break” – all programs with a moral arc based on the premise of family  rst. “BreakingBad” might shi  audience attitudes toward entertainment – begging the realization that there is aline that shouldn’t be crossed, even for family.Each week, the 10 on Tuesday series provides a fresh take on interesting university initiatives, researchprojects, campus happenings and more. Have an idea for a 10 on Tuesday? Email pdq@rwu.edu. Share This: REQUEST INFO VISIT CAMPUS APPLY MAKE A GIFTMap & DirectionsContact UsDirectoryNewsEventsAthleticsrwu.eduUndergraduate SiteGraduate SiteSchool of LawSchool of Continuing Studies    © 2018 Roger Williams University. All rights reserved.GMAIL AT RWU BRIDGES MY RWU IT HELP SITE POLICIES WORK AT RWUOne Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 028091-800-458-7144

“Breaking Bad” Family Values: Survival and the Slippery Slope

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“Breaking Bad” Family Values: Survival and the Slippery Slope

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