POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN THIS POST (nothing very specific)!!!
One of the major points of the show is to present the transformation of a normal person into a major criminal. Each step of the way Walter has been a willing participant but has also resisted the depths he has been required to sink to in order to continue on the path he is on. As he begrudgingly takes these steps he becomes desensitized to them and then carries out these acts without the previous consideration. As such he becomes more and more uncaring and willing to do increasingly violent and low things to maintain the track he is on. It is a transition from someone completely recognizable as human in circumstances we can sympathize with into someone that is increasingly difficult to root for. His transformation has carried him from hero (the under-appreciated chemistry teacher and car wash employee who is diagnosed with cancer with little hope for survival that decides to do something he is especially capable of) to the antihero (a small time drug producer that murders, lies, and manipulates when necessary in order to protect his family) to a villain (willing to cause serious emotional and physical harm to other characters easily recognizable as good in order to pursue a drug operation well beyond what is needed to meet the needs he originally set out so that there is no moral explanation left for his thoughts or actions.) Usually you meet a character already in one of these roles and they fulfill that role for the duration. Sometimes you see a character change from one to another due to something sudden and tragic. Walter White is a unique character that arcs all the way through these roles and it happens slowly and agonizingly. There are discernible moments when you can recognize the change in your perception of him but the majority of the time it happens largely without notice. An expression of emotion lost here, hesitation lost there. In the end we may be as ready for Walter White to meet his fate as we were for Gus Fring. I think it's incredible story telling and I don't think there is anything else being done quite like it. I am also pleased with the portrayal of suffering from lung cancer as well the toll that methamphetamine use takes on people and what that lifestyle looks like. I think they are largely taboo on television and Breaking Bad exposes them. I quit smoking about 6 years ago but a friend of mine that still smokes quit after the first season of Breaking Bad. I will agree that the show isn't for everybody but I think it is one of the best possibly only surpassed by Six Feet Under.
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