Set-ups, Reversals and Suspense
The ingredients of Breaking Bad—with Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) high school chemistry teacher who, because of his medical condition and the needs of his family, decides to cook meth with his former student and drug dealer/ distributor Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul)—were already enough for a show. But the writers’ smart choice was to add to the mix Walt’s brother-in-law, Hank
Schrader (Dean Norris), who, we learn, works for the DEA in Albuquerque. It adds tension, because it isn’t just that Walt has to keep everything he’s doing a secret from wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and son Walt Jr. (R.J. Mitte), but there is the real threat that even before growing into the big Heisenberg empire, his brother-in-law will find out. It wouldn’t just create a criminal prosecution for Walt, it would destroy the family. And it would also be a moral dilemma for Hank—this is his brother-in-law; they have a relationship.
It also creates story where Walt can go into Hank’s office in the DEA and try to get information. There are many near misses that add suspense and intrigue, and it was many seasons in before Hank has that “eureka” moment while sitting
1 on the toilet and realizes that Heisenberg is actually his very own brother-in-law,
Walt. Over the course of the series, while Walt unravels from Mr. Chips to
Scarface, Hank evolves from annoying brother-in-law to become the moral center of the show.
If we were devising Breaking Bad and looking at our cast of characters and storyline options, we could consider: Walt has a wife, Skyler; she has a sister,
Marie—what’s Marie’s situation like? What if she or her husband work for the
DEA? It’s a choice we make early on and follow instinctively. We always need to ask ourselves: Does that choice give us lots of story for the future and create more conflict? Is it contrived? Are we forcing it? Or are we excited to see how this plays out and where these story tentacles will reach? When we’re figuring out how to create more story, it’s wise to listen to our inner barometer and avoid forcing anything that feels contrived, because the audience will know. They will understand when an idea is already great and question why something extra is imposed upon it. The storyline will just feel heavy or writerly, ending up with the viewer getting sucked out of the show and feeling more conscious of the creators, rather than experiencing just pure drama that unfolds. Our story choices do have to be organic to a situation.
2 And if something we write is to be a coincidence in a show, which is going to add another layer, we need to make sure it’s a coincidence with negative consequences. Audiences are more receptive to story coincidences when they are detrimental, rather than when they are advantageous. When it’s too convenient, it feels too easy, akin to “deus ex machina.” When it’s difficult, it feels complicated, tough and a ripe challenge for the character. Viewers crave suspense like oxygen.
In Breaking Bad, if putting Walt in a room with Hank creates more anxiety for
Walt (and us) every time, it’s a winning choice by the writers—and the proof is in that almost unbearable tension and suspense.
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