Everyone and their brother has already read and reviewed Gone Girl
at this point. So instead of rehashing the plot I want to do something a
bit different. Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows on TV. There
were elements of Gone Girl that reminded me a lot of the show so I
thought I’d do a bit of a comparison.
**I will spoil nothing from Breaking Bad, but don’t read on if you
haven’t already read Gone Girl. Instead, go read one of these great reviews and then go read the book!**
Now in its fifth season Breaking Bad continues to get better and
better. It’s brilliantly written and it never fails to surprise me. The
character development, the moral dilemmas, the gray areas that quickly
become black and white, it’s just so well done!
One interesting aspect of the show is the marital relationship
between Walter and Skyler White. Walter is a mild-mannered former high
school chemistry professor who abandons his job when he’s diagnosed with
cancer in the pilot. He decides to use his scientific knowledge to cook
meth instead so he can leave his family enough money to survive when he
dies. Skyler is his strong-willed wife who is unaware of his new career
choices.
Throughout the course of the show their relationship vastly
changes. Just like the married couple in Gone Girl, we start peeling
back the layers and seeing a very different dynamic at the core. Both
couples seem to be playing a perpetual game of chess. One will make a
decision and the other carefully contemplates their strategy before
making their own move.
Like Nick and Amy in Gone Girl, there are always secrets and the
pair are never quite sure where they stand with each other. Also like
our young Gone Girl couple, they seem so perfect and happy from the
outside.
When TV or books are done right characters are multi-layered. Their
motivations aren’t cut and dry. There’s growth and change and in both
Breaking Bad and Gone Girl we see this happen.
BOTTOM LINE: The book is really good, go read it and enjoy.
Breaking Bad is incredible, rent the first season and thank me later.
Image form here.
