Back in 2009, when I interviewed Middlebury prof Jason Mittell for a Seven Days cover story, I asked him about his favorite new TV shows. Mittell, a professor of Film & Media Culture and American Studies, focuses his research on television. (He’s taught a whole course on “The Wire.”)
Mittell raved about a then-obscure AMC drama called “Breaking Bad,” in which a high school chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston, pictured at right) starts cooking methamphetamine to pay his family’s bills after he’s diagnosed with cancer. “It’s so intense and focused,” Mittell said.
I watched the show. I got addicted. And so, it seems, did a large swath of people around the world who are currently following “Breaking Bad”‘s final season (five episodes to go!) with baited breath and more than occasional heart palpitations.
Mittell has been writing season 5 episode reviews for cultural-studies blog Antenna that go up shortly after each Sunday episode airs. Because I can never get enough of discussing “Breaking Bad” (to the annoyance of everyone I know who doesn’t watch it), I decided to draw on his expertise and ask him questions about Skyler hate, serialized TV, Walt’s karma, the great spoiler debate and anything else I could think of. Warning: intense wonkiness about “BB” and television generally from both of us ahead!
No spoilers for the show’s specific plot points follow, but there is discussion of overall character arcs into early season 5, and an oblique reference to something that happens in episode 5.11.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
