Breaking Bad - Movie Review Example

[Supervisor Breaking Bad The television series selected for this essay is ‘Breaking Bad’ that ran on television from 2008 to 2013. The reason that this television series is chosen is because it shows intense emotions coming out from a small family comprising of a father (Walter), mother (Skyler) and their only son (Walter junior). The television series show how the family gets together when the father is diagnosed with cancer and eventually how they fall apart. The series shows how the main characters communicate between each other and how the lack of effective communication causes problems. Breaking bad is specifically chosen for this essay because it involves a lot of theory and examples that were covered in class. From the start of the television series, Breaking Bad shows that the White family is a matriarchal family. It shows Skyler as the head of the family making all the important decisions. For example, she was the one who forced Mr. White for considering chemotherapy when he was diagnosed with cancer and when Mr. White showed hesitance she said that she would take care of the finances. She is shown as a character that knows how to get her way out of a situation and someone who does not accept no for an answer. She is shown as someone who could make anyone do what she wants. There are countless of examples from the television series that proves that the house was dominated by Skyler, the woman of the house rather than Mr. White. There are many authors and researchers that have attempted to make their audience elucidate about matriarchy. One such author is D.K. Sarmah, who in his book Political Science writes that female members of the society rule 10% of the families in the world. Majority of these families are found in Asia, and these women have at times also been capable of handling the family very well. However, a matriarchal family that is dominated and run by a woman is successful when she also takes the advice of their husbands or other men in-house. Women who run the house by force or by setting up rigid rules and regulations do not do a fair job as wives or mothers. A house is something that cannot be run by intimidating others be it a man or a woman. The case in Breaking Bad seems quite different as explained by D.K. Sarmah in his book. Skyler is not shown as a type of woman consulting her husband nor does she set up any relaxed rules in the house. For example, she completely disregards her husband’s idea of having another child at first. She believes that it is not affordable to have more than one kid. Mr. White is shown pleading at times, but she completely ignores his pleas. She is shown as a woman to only do things that seem convenient to her. Another example of this is when she takes up a job. She doesn’t even ask her husband before and applies for a job. She only casually informs him after she successfully manages to get one. Her husband feels that she should not be working, and she simply says that she had to take care of the finances in the house. D.K. Sarmah describes that some dominating wife have a bossy kind of a character, and that is exactly how the character of Skyler is depicted in the television series. Skyler does not meet the most basic rule of a good matriarchal family. She ignores everyone only considering her thoughts and feelings in every situation that involves her family. There is no harm in families that run on patriarchal, matriarchal or child-centered family grounds. Communication should be effectively made and understood by the recipient. Also, the communicator must possess the power to be liked and obeyed by the rest of the family members. It was not the case in Breaking Bad. Although Skyler tried to dominate the family, her rules and regulations were not appreciated much by Mr. White and White Junior. Mr. White had raised White Junior with a lot of love and affection. White junior was accustomed to receiving this sort of affection from his father, and he preferred his way of nurturing him rather than his mother. For example, Mr. White believed that White Junior should have more friends and should try to socialize more often. On the other hand, Skyler believed that he should refrain from people outside family. She acted very protectively for her son that White Junior did not like. White Junior wanted to grow up like all the other kids in his college and neighborhood, but it did not seem possible under matriarchal style of running the family among the Whites. Breaking Bad shows no change in attitude coming from Skyler for her growing son. There is no shift from the ‘caretaking’ role to a ‘socializing role’. Skyler does not treat White Junior as a teenager and treats him like parents treat little children. Many sociologists like Jeanne Elium in her book ‘Raising a teenager’ explain that there are different levels in raising a human being. There are different ways of treating a child, adolescent, teenager, and juvenile. Some parents mix all these groups into one. Skyler is shown as the type of mother who does the same. She is shown as an over protective mother. It is evident in a part of the series where White junior demands for a car as most kids in his neighborhood and college have one. Skyler immediately disagrees to it as she thinks it is unsafe for children to drive cars. When White Junior tries to be more persuasive, she says that as a child neither she nor any of her siblings had one. She tries to apply the same rules in her family. Skyler simply fails to recognize that times have changed. She fails to admit the fact that the world has dramatically changed in the past few years. It might be true that she and her siblings did not get to drive cars, but that was the trend of the era when she and her siblings were raised. Even computers and cell phones were not the norms in society in those days, but White Junior is shown handling all these things. Skyler shows the typical attitude of a mother who thinks that she has seen the world more than her son and that her experience is a lot more than him. She speaks from her experience ignoring the realities of modern society. When Mr. White gets the car for White Junior as a surprise for his birthday, she makes Mr. White return that car to the showroom. She acts very stern and sets her principles and does not let anyone fool with those principles. Jeanne Elium completely denies this idea of raising people. It is alright to be protective of a child as he or she does not have the moral reasoning to choose between right and wrong but it is not alright to be too protective about teenagers as they do not like to be treated like kids. The way Skyler communicated with White Junior I not appreciated by him. He wants to be treated like a teenager and not a kid. He wants a car like every other teenager has. The sociological aspects have been very well covered in the television series. It shows how dissatisfied White Junior becomes every time his mother treats him like a child. In one instance, she asks what he would like to have for breakfast, and he says to leave him alone as he is an adult and can manage breakfast on his own. When she insists he becomes enraged and asks her to leave him alone. These small details are covered very well in the television series and show the true emotions involved with similar problems faced by people in society. However, Breaking Bad shows a shift of power in the middle of the show. The main theme of the play has been a professor of chemistry, Mr. White, who cooks meth (an addictive drug) and sells it in the market in order to earn money to pay for his medical bills. He does it with the help of one of his ex-students. The entire project of producing and selling meth remains a secret only between Mr. White and his ex-student. One thing leads to another, and soon his wife finds out about his meth producing and selling business. It is then their relationship worsens. Quite understandably, Skyler refuses to play any part in his business and demands him out of the house that makes White junior hostile against his mother. White Junior had always loved his father and wanted to grow under his rules and regulations. He always considered those rules and regulations logical and felt very angry when his mother drove Mr. White out of the house. It was the time that the power to run the house was shifted from Skyler to Mr. White. When Mr. White went and lived at a different place then White Junior would come to visit him every day. He wanted his father back at home even if it upset his mother. He went back home and demanded he wanted his father back, or he would also move out of the house. Skyler wanted to avoid a situation of that kind, and so she welcomed Mr. White in their house again. However, she did not have the same amount of power she possessed earlier. She could not talk, control or live with a man who produced and distributed drugs and made his living out of it. She could not also tell her son about the true identity of his father as it would break him down. She was not sure what to do and what not to. She never had any choice as her son would not live without his father. It made the position of Mr. White stronger for the first time in the series. He felt like a man wanted and needed in the family. The most important member of the family, which was White Junior, wanted his father, and that is what elevated his position. It made Skyler weak in front of him. Mr. White is shown in the television series as wearing clothes and shoes of his choice. He is shown purchasing a designer watch just for the sake of wearing an expensive watch. There was no one stopping him. His wife had completely lost power to control her husband, and she was normally mute towards anything he did. Carl Broderick describes this phenomenon as a shift of power and alliance. There was a shift in power as Mr. White became the head of his family making all the important decisions in the house. He got this position because of his son who dearly wanted to be like his father. There are many things from where power stems from and there are many things that lead to it. Society gives different social roles to men and women. Breaking Bad cleverly explains these roles and explains how well each gender can manage their roles. Men are normally seen as the dominant members of society. Children especially the male gender follows the example of their father rather than their mother. Carl Broderick believes that one of the reasons for this is the physical power that men possess over women. Men are physically more powerful, and that is the reason male children or young adults associate themselves with the male members of the society rather than the female members. They want to be physically powerful. Early on in the show, Mr. White is shown as a timid person. He is shown as a person who follows all the instructions of his wife. During this time, he was not well respected by White Junior. As he was a timid little man, his son did not think too highly of him. However, this changed when he left the house. When White Junior comes to visit him one day unexpectedly he finds out his father had been involved in a fight as his nose was bleeding, and he had scratched his forehead. Mr. White says sorry to him for being a bad father and getting involved in a fight but on the other hand White junior gets impressed by his father’s deeds. He tells him that he was impressed that his father was a man enough to stand up for himself and fight no matter what the reason was. At this point, the television show elucidates the theory of Carl Broderick. Children and young adults follow elders of their genders as role models. A male child would like to be as powerful as his father, and he would like his father to be the strongest person. Men want to be grown up as men. It is also one of the reasons why White Junior wanted his father to stay with them. He wanted to be physically and mentally be as strong as him. The television series show how easily Skyler breaks down at times and weeps in her sister’s and son’s presence. White Junior is shown as a character who does not like any weeping of such nature, just like other normal children would hate their mothers weeping. He asks his mother to calm down and sometimes he would in a loud sound ask her to please be quiet. White Junior wanted to be raised in the environment free from all the weeping. He wanted the environment that was tough and be in the presence of strong people like his father. White junior has seen his father afflicted with probably the most dangerous illness without ever seeing him crying about it. The shift in power came not only because White junior believed that his father, a male member of society, was fitter to carry out the role but also because he had the kind of personality to lead the family. Carl Broderick describes that personality helps to enhance a position of a person. The personality of an individual is the true identity of that person by which he is recognized in the society. Mr. White for example was a well-respected professor who was also considered very intelligent among his peers and students. In college, he was known for his good and efficient teaching techniques that made lectures easy for the students. He was a loving dad who knew how to take care of the needs of his son. He had more loving personality than his mother, and that is what White junior adored the most. He understands the needs of his teenage kid. After he manages to become rich from selling drugs, he again buys White junior a car. Skyler again tries to come in between the father and the son and tells him to sell it as it was very expensive and White Junior will develop a habit of using expensive things but Mr. White ignores that theory. He feels that if other children can drive an expensive sports car then his son can also drive one. As the story progresses, White Junior tries to act as the mediator between his father and mother. He tries to resolve all their differences. He arranges a dinner for the two so that they could settle all their differences. He becomes the ‘go between’ for his parents who are seen in a conflict. Skyler and Mr. White try to resolve all their differences for the sake of White Junior so that he does not suffer. The entire story revolves around White junior who happens to have a direct influence on his mother and father. So much so that the shift in power in the middle of the series took place because of him. Skyler was willing to change her attitude for the one thing she loved the most in life. As the television drama is full of twists and turns, the final twist in the story comes when White junior comes to know of his father’s crimes that he is a drug dealer and has also played a part in the killing of his uncle. It leaves White junior devastated. It is also when he takes over control of the family through the kind of power described by John Gottman. Power is also used to control the emotions of other family members. When Mr. White is found guilty of his crimes then White junior tries to control the emotions of others through his unsaid words. James Pennebaker elucidates the theory of John Gottman better in his book ‘The healing power of Expressing Emotions.” He explains that power does not have to be shown through force. It can be shown by quietly controlling the emotions of others. For example when Skyler dominated the family she did not force her power on anyone. She forced other members of the family to comply with the decisions that she made but she did not use any form of physical power. She realized that her position was the strongest in the family at that moment in time as her husband was suffering from cancer and she was responsible for bringing up her teenage child all by herself. It automatically made her position strong and she exercised her power on to others by controlling their emotions. She knew no one could go against her. Similarly, when Mr. White took over from Skyler as the head of the family he did so as he had the support of the most powerful member in the family. He had support of White junior who wanted his father to stay with him. Mr. White used this as a power to not only control his wife but also his son. By moving away from his house he made his position so strong that his son longed for him to come home. In front of her son’s demand, Skyler could do nothing but submit herself to the new emotional power that Mr. White had struggled. The final twist shows this sort of emotional power in the hands of White junior. White junior is the key of nearly every relationship in the series. He is not only the key to the relationship of his mother and father but also his uncle and aunt who are childless and crave spending time with him. He is shown as an individual who possesses the most amount of emotional power to control others simply because of the reason that he is liked and wanted by the rest of the characters in the series. When he learns the entire truth about his father he turns against him. There are some scenes in the series where Skyler is shown to show sympathy towards her husband especially in the end as she decides to meet him. However, Skyler does not give Mr. White any hope of coming back to the house as she knows that White junior would never accept his father. Mr. White also tries to call him and talk to him but White junior curses him and asks him never to return in his life again. He says that he wished Mr. White was dead. These lines in the drama series kill it all for Mr. White. He loses all the hope of returning back to the family. The drama series clearly shows the shift of power from Mr. White to his son White junior. It is the same type of power that John Gottman suggested about. White junior controlled the family with unsaid words. He did not force his mother to dislike his father. There is no scene in the series where White junior asks his mother to stop talking to his father but his attitude and behavior against is father is pretty much clear what he thinks about him. Without saying he means that there should be no connection or relationship between the White family and Mr. White. Breaking Bad uses theories and ideas that were discussed in class. It shows how a matriarchal family that was dominated by a woman turned into a patriarchal family. It shows the realities of life by showing how people with different personalities influence people around themselves. Break Bad is a reminder to people especially living in families that how important it is to understand and communicate effectively. Lack of inability to recognize and understand the needs of others could create a lot of problem in the future. Effective communication only takes place when people consult each other and agree upon that. It is unsuccessful if an order or opinion is forced into other with the expectation that they would follow it precisely. The television series constantly shows the shift of power from one member of the family to the other. It is just to remind the audience that how families switch the use of power among themselves. Most of the times power to emotionally control other members of the family is not even noticeable or apparent as the followers follow the lead of the member they support, long for or have intense emotional attachment to. Just like Breaking Bad shows in the end. White junior becomes the leader of the family from a follower because he was the central figure of the family and everyone was emotionally attached to him. Read More