After my blog post of some time ago, I had no intention of seeking out Breaking Bad, but it somehow got onto my wife’s radar, and, after she discussed it with some of her colleagues, one of them started to lend her the boxed sets.

So it’s been on, and I’ve usually been in the room while it’s on. I’ve popped out for the occasional bath, or to load the dishwasher. It is, in fact, on right now. We’re part-way through Season 4, and I’m finding it so boring that I decided to blog about it instead.

There’s no doubt it fits in with the ‘quality popular television’ narrative. It has strong scripts, good performances, high production values, and it aspired to be above the ordinary. Season One seemed okay. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to root for anyone, I didn’t like any of the characters, but it was a strong story.

So to Season 2, which several people told me was “the most boring”, with the promise that it gets miles better after this little dip. Season 2 was indeed a bit boring, and it struck me as remarkable that so many people stuck with the show, allowing it to survive for several more seasons. Season 3 was borrowed, and what struck me about that was that it was probably even more boring than Season 2.

And now we’re in Season 4, and I’m losing the will to even pay peripheral attention. We’re spending a lot of time on the negotiations to buy a car wash. Jessie is in a funk, surrounded by low-lifes and chaos, which is sad for him but boring to watch. I still don’t care about any of the characters, or what happens to them, I’ve overdosed on the law of unintended consequences, and I’m ironied up to the forehead.

So it turns out I was immune to its charms. And, hand-on-heart, I would have admitted if I liked it. Promise.