TOW #3 - Article: The Hero of "Breaking Bad"

In the New York Times opinion article by Ross Douthat titled The Hero of “Breaking Bad”, the author and editor discusses what he considers to be one of the show’s greatest accomplishments: the creation and development of a “compelling, interesting, entertaining, good person.” (Douthat) Douthat first sets up his claim by stating that far too often, bad guys will have the best lines not only in “dumb action movies” but in works by Shakespeare, Milton, and Dickens. By comparison, Douthat argues that the good guys usually tend to seem excessively one-dimensional and boring, using this as a reason why television series such as “Mad Men” (in its later seasons) no longer have an easily recognizable good guy type character. Douthat states that this is part of what sets “Breaking Bad” apart from its competition, having a complex good guy rather than having a straightforward one or not having one at all. This character is Hank Schrader, Walter White’s D.E.A. brother-in-law. Douthat states that what makes Schrader interesting is that, at times, he hasn’t always actually been seen as the good guy. In fact, at the beginning of the series, Douthat argues Hank was somewhat of the opposite, being portrayed as a jerkish and blunt government officer acting as a foil for the originally sincere and kindhearted school teacher, Walter. He continues to argue that it isn’t simply having a good guy chasing Walter that makes “Breaking Bad” special, but rather the “moral stake” that Hank provides for the audience during controversial events.  Douthat goes so far as to state that having a character that displays everyday heroism and moral decency actually makes the show more realistic than it would be without. Overall, I do believe that Douthat successfully achieved his purpose of explaining how having a complex “good guy” character has contributed to “Breaking Bad”’s wild success and popularity. As I, along with millions of other viewers from across the globe, tune in to watch the series finale tonight, I will be sure to keep Hank and the role he played in the show, and in its success, consciously in mind.

R.I.P Henry R. "Hank" Schrader