Ending & Beginning: Breaking Bad vs. Low Winter Sun
By: Richard Bertelsen
Running parallel to the final season of “Breaking Bad” was the first season of “Low Winter Sun.” AMC wanted really, really badly for fans to jump right from one to the other (going so far as to put the “next time on…” clip in the first commercial break of “Low Winter Sun”).
I will say that it is a good show, but the structure didn’t allow it to take off as well as its predecessor. Sure, both shows put a heavy emphasis on moral ambiguity. The thing about “Breaking Bad” is that it started in a fairly relatable environment with a fairly relatable leading man. Walter White was an everyman faced with growing challenges and compounding regrets. His transition to the series’ villain was so slowly drawn that it is hard to nail an exact moment when we all hoped that Jesse Pinkman would put the old man down.
“Low Winter Sun” starts out with bad people doing bad things. Police, no less. Frank is perhaps more conflicted than the others about the criminality, but his history of participation is well-established.
It is to Vince Gilligan’s credit that he never betrayed the character in the final season. Walter’s resolution was not an attempt at redemption from all the terrible things he’s done. The best we get from him is ownership of his actions – a declaration in a way that we know he would do it all again.
“Low Winter Sun” struggles to convince us at the end of its premier season that Frank is a really good guy, going through a really hard time. Some of the scenes that litter the final two episodes are every bit as powerful as those that often populated a season of “Bad.”
It would’ve been to the series’ benefit to reverse the trajectory of the season. “Sun” could remain different from “Bad” in that it remains a tale of redemption instead of corruption, but we would’ve found Frank an easier guy to get behind.
It may have taken the long road to captivating television, but it got there. Season two may very well prove this series to be what AMC wants us to believe it to be.
