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  • Film & TV Moderators: ghostfreak

Does "Breaking Bad" represent drug culture realistically?"

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  • Total voters
    13
Waterfall

Waterfall

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
263
Location
UK
My beef with the show (which is, of course, massively popular) is that it presents a bourgeois, middle-class caricature of drug culture, which why it has attracted such massive viewing figures/critical acclaim.

This, for me, ties in with the marginalisation of drug users as an "other" and something to be viewed on telly and laughed at, which serves as an entertaining distraction for its viewers and allows them to ignore real issues regarding drug policy and aids the divide and rule policies pursued by the real power holders in our society.

A couple of my mates and I have discussed this, and agree that the show is essentially regressive and diversionary. Given the mass popularity of the show, I would really love to know other BLers thoughts on the subject.
 
It's a tv show about selling meth, not the drug culture. Brb I'm going to start a poll about how the soprano's negatively portrays Italians and when it gets pointed out to me it's about the mafia I'm going to bitch that they totally misrepresented it for the sake of plot and drama.
 
Breaking Bad is a Meth show for kids. Hence the description, "The Show with the Blue Meth".

The show was full of cheese, full of shabby writing, and it was blatantly directed at a young audience.

I mean, "Blue Meth" for Christ's sake!

It kind of reminds me of a (naive drug users)kids fad that involves putting Codeine cough syrup in Sprite with Jolly Ranchers.

You know, typical youth bullshit faddism.

I have no doubt that this show is/was appealing to a young, naive and immature audience. That's who the show was written for.
 
i say yes it does but only in the way they portray the interactions between characters and the relationships i've know many walter whites and i personally see a lot of myself in jesse
 
I liked the show, but only for its entertainment values, not für its insight in drug culture. It does not show how drug cultures is, because it is only a tv series dealing with the drug-topic as a theme for "making quick money", it's not a documentary on the subject. some people may misinterpret this somehow. BB only provides an image that correlates with the impression of how drug culture might be for the average TV-viewer, to make it as dramatic as possible. So there is a really reat plot and a high dramatic tense that seems to justify the great success the series had.
 
It took me a loooong darn time to realize what that show is about. Can't say that I looked toward the next episode. I wouldn't know about today's DC.
 
GodandLove said:
Breaking Bad is a Meth show for kids. Hence the description, "The Show with the Blue Meth".

The show was full of cheese, full of shabby writing, and it was blatantly directed at a young audience.

I mean, "Blue Meth" for Christ's sake!

It kind of reminds me of a (naive drug users)kids fad that involves putting Codeine cough syrup in Sprite with Jolly Ranchers.

You know, typical youth bullshit faddism.

I have no doubt that this show is/was appealing to a young, naive and immature audience. That's who the show was written for.
Click to expand...

Did you even watch the show? This is the first time I've ever heard anyone suggest that Breaking Bad is directed at a younger audience (besides the other 4 people in this thread calling it a comic book or a cartoon which I've never heard either). The blue meth angle may be a little cheesy, but it's not that far off - plenty of dealers use food dyes or other additives to make a "signature batch" so that people keep coming back. Any educated drug user will know that this is a gimmick, but it does happen, and I wouldn't put it anywhere close to the same level as making lean/sizzurp/purple drank, or whatever you want to call it.

To answer the question in the OP: no, I don't think Breaking Bad portrays a realistic view of drug culture, but it doesn't really take anything away from the show for me. The show goes in a lot of different directions throughout each season and I feel like the writers did an excellent job with character development and tying up loose ends. Personally, it's one of the few shows I've seen where I eagerly anticipated the following week's episode, and felt compelled to catch it when it aired.
 
GodandLove said:
Breaking Bad is a Meth show for kids. Hence the description, "The Show with the Blue Meth".

The show was full of cheese, full of shabby writing, and it was blatantly directed at a young audience.

I mean, "Blue Meth" for Christ's sake!

It kind of reminds me of a (naive drug users)kids fad that involves putting Codeine cough syrup in Sprite with Jolly Ranchers.

You know, typical youth bullshit faddism.

I have no doubt that this show is/was appealing to a young, naive and immature audience. That's who the show was written for.
Click to expand...

A P2P cook will yield a colored meth. It was my understanding that it was more purple when it was pure and you could tell how cut it was by the color. It would turn more pinkish and then lighter and lighter the more it got stepped on. Then again maybe it goes to blue after purple. His formula was supposedly very specific. I don't know enough about chemistry to say anything more.

I do know the show specifically referenced a P2P cook as "old school biker meth", which is what Walt switched to when he didn't need pseudo anymore. Yeah Mr. White! Yeah science! There's some episodes of Gangland that have old school biker former meth cooks and the cook used to know how pure it was by it's color.


Breaking Bad was a character based show, which was mainly about the changing of these characters. And it was fucking awesome imo. If you want a show about drug culture then I think you should check out The Wire. That is much more about drug culture and it's overall effect than Breaking Bad. The Wire has some awesome characters, but it takes a much broader look at the drug world and it's effect in the world.
 
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eh.. it was alright. mr white panics and break down too often for his character to be believable. and all these convoluted plots where his downfall hinges on some arbitrary detail?

its not exactly the wire
 
L2R said:
a major reason i seriously dislike the show
Click to expand...

even the emotional blackmail holding his family together is past convoluted. was a good watch for the years though, except when that writer strike in the third or fourth season. all the hype surrounding it does make it dislikeable but i just avoid talking with people about it ha

L2R said:
yeah that's like comparing apples with ... like ... really shit apples.
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seen treme? started rewatching it today. inconceivably good
 
The writers strike happened in the first season, which is why the first season is only seven episodes long.
 
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