Breaking Bad - Season 01 / Breaking Bad - Season 02 / Breaking Bad - Season 03 / Breaking Bad - Season 04 / Breaking Bad - Season 05 / Breaking Bad - Final Season - Set [DVD]

I hope that anyone reading the lesser "star" reviews will hopefully read this.... Unfortunately I have been the recipient of a badly produced set of this fabulous series which I had ordered as a Birthday present for a lovely widowed neighbour; it was a very bad let-down as it did nothing but skip,stick and jump on disc after disc. However,I got in touch with Amazon and explained it all; they were wonderfully helpful as they always have been in my own experience on the very rare occasions of my many years of using them,if I've had a query. This mattered more than most as it was to be a special gift for a lovely man who is now alone and I had raved about the series so much; he agreed totally on the little he managed to view but I was determined he should try to get to see it all properly....... After getting in touch with Amazon with a fantastic response from them,I'm now copying my reply back to them in order that some of the details might well help others who may receive something that does not play properly......I hope it helps and please do not lose heart or be disappointed; the series as a show in itself is marvellous and addictive....to have it all on a super set of discs is your right when paying a lot of money to do so. "Well,today I have receieved the replacement order for "Breaking Bad",the complete box-set.... I'm keeping my hopes up high that this will be a successful outcome and I've given the new set to my neighbour and obviously it will take him a little time to get to where he did in order to know that all is well this time. However....I am personally hoping for the best because of a very great difference between the set that arrived today and the one that filled my order of July 11th. The box-set I have returned was very,very markedly different; it was outwardly all dark green and shadows both back and front,just as it should have been but it was all that and nothing else other than the logo of "Breaking Bad" on the front of the box. The lovely-looking set that arrived today was dark green,shadowed and the rear of the box had photo-clips of the series which was totally missing from the first set...added to which,on the front of today's new order,there was both a red and a blue "18" certificate logo in both bottom corners,entirely missing from the first set.....as well as a silver "UV" sticker at the top of the box,again,not on the first set. Therefore,I'm hoping against hope that this new set will prove to be very different as I rather have my suspicions as to my returned order. Such a sad shame as if there are others who have received the badly defective set for a lot of money,they may well be deterred from ordering a replacement not to mention the fact that so many prospective buyers read the reviews before buying and could well decide not to risk ordering. I hope this might help Amazon into investigating whatever may be going on in the selling of a very,very popular series as it is so unfair to disappoint people who look forward to a great many hours viewing. I'm now just hoping I hear only good and happy results from my elderly neighbour...I had to wish him a second HAPPY BIRTHDAY today when I gave him his second set so I do hope what seems to be the "real deal" truly is just that!! So,so very many thanks to you there for such quick,helpful response to everything and what looks to be a very happy outcome and here's hoping I will not be needing to be "breaking bad" news again on this item,lol!"

It's extremely difficult to add anything to the high praise already given to this superb series especially considering the nearly 1100 five star reviews on Amazon. However I just had to add my "two pence worth" as I have been just "knocked out" by how good Breaking Bad is. I am a very late, late comer to Breaking Bad as I did not see it when it was broadcast in the UK. I heard all the hype but just let it pass me by really. "Yeah, yeah another cult US series, so what?"..... "So what?"...." So where have you been?" When the complete series came down to a reasonable price I decided to take the plunge and I am so glad I did. I have not completed the whole thing yet but I have "binged" my way to the start of Season 4 now and I have to say it just keeps getting better and better. An incredibly original idea with a huge story arc that never lets up and continues to surprise. How is it possible that we can feel such empathy for someone who gets deeper and deeper into the world of seriously nasty crime. Brilliant writing, superb acting and wonderful production values that's how! Empathy yes, sympathy no and don't think for a minute it glamorises the world of drugs and drug dealing as it most certainly does not, no matter what some reviewers might have you believe. It really does deserve it's "adult" rating though so be warned. As for the presentation of the DVD's I do agree with some of the critics and am disappointed with the cardboard sleeves and flimsy box but this is a minor fault in my opinion. The fabulous quality of the show itself more than compensates. Another minor quibble is with the same frequent boast of many box sets "over 50 hours of bonus features". Hmmm....there is some good stuff there but some of the interviews, commentaries are a little repetitive. Many of the interviews/behind the scenes stuff appears to be the broken up remnants of a much longer documentary and to lump trailers for other shows as a "bonus" is pushing it a bit.

Simply the greatest of all time this show, a piece of an amazing experience will drag you into the world of Walter Hartwell White. It shows the incredible change, on a man who transforms into a straight antagonistic villain. Here is a quick synopsis By the start of the show: to the viewers, Walter White is clearly seen as a unhappy middle aged man. He has a dead end job as a chemistry teacher, but works a second job in the carwash because he doesn't make enough money: and his life hasn't turned out as imagined. His former friends have surpassed him in everyway, his two former friends are using his experience and knowledge making billions of dollars in a company called Greymatter (he dropped out for unknown reasons): while Walter is stuck in the middle-class society breaking down. His breaking point was when he passed out in carwash, when he woke up: the doctors told him the worst news ins his ife. He had gotten CANCER, and he would only live for atleast 2 years. This, being the final slap in his ''pathetic'' mind, Walter immediatly knew that he would leave a family without a father going bankrupt: a son with special needs, a wife, and soon to be daugther... Walter had gotten an idea. Yesterday, he was shown by his smacktalking DEA brother on a video of how much Meth dealers made (the DEAB brother in law busted them) and Walt saw in the video how much money they made.... With this, the show goes onto The dangerous part of Walt's world. Walt teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman to COOK METH. yes, meth. With Walts experience in chemistry: Jesse and Walter start a crazy methdealing partnership. This is where everything gets interesting. As the show flows, from season one to two, to three, to four and to the final days of this saga, Walter gets the most incredible character transformation. He turns into a meth kingpin. This show is amazing, and you NEED to watch it. The show has amazing characters too, with bob oderkirk as Saul Goodman, Giancarlo esposito as Gus fring, RJ Mitte as Walt's special needed son, Anna Gunn as Skyler White, Betsy Brandt as Marie Scrader, Dean Norris as Hank Scrader, Aaron paul as Jesse Punkman, and finally Bryan Cranston as Walter Hartwell White A.K.A Heisenberg.

Obviously I am a fan of the show, I don't think anyone who wasn't would have pre-ordered the special edition box set at a cost of at least £30 more than the standard box set when you already own the 1st 5 series on dvd and have already watched every episode several times. This is probably the case for most owners of this barrel, you wouldn't buy this set on a whim, this is a collectors item for existing fans of the show. Unless you bought it so you could resell it at a profit once stocks ran out, but that would make you an awful human being. The barrel itself is a nice touch as although it isn't the most iconic prop from the show (only coming into play in the final season), it does play a very important part when it is used and it is probably the best suited prop to contain disks. It is nice and sturdy with a hinged door in the main part of the barrel and the disks held between magnetised plastic plates and grouped by season slotted into little shelves inside. There are plenty of extras, most of them were already on the existing individual box sets, though some of the dvd versions we had were missing some of the commentaries - the most notable being season 4 which had none, thankfully they are all here. There is also an extra documentary about the making of the final season which is on the top lid of the barrel, we haven't watched it yet, but will undoubtedly enjoy it when we do. Probably the best thing about the set as a whole is the little details, the description already tells you you get a specially made coin and a los pollos apron, what it doesn't tell you is that the apron is packaged between 2 pieces of card with pictures of money on so it really looks the part when you first open that lid. The coin is nice too, I had already seen what it looks like in the pictures, but it is obviously good quality and is nice and weighty. Another nice little detail is the plastic cases around the disks, they have little images printed on them that are relevant to that season, but what I didn't realise straight away was that they each part has a detail of one picture which will come together with the disks removed. All in all the entire set is a fitting tribute to what is probably the best tv show ever made. Keep it, cherish it and watch it repeatedly for the rest of your life.

As a series Breaking Bad has wowed and awed many a viewer and I could bore you all day with tales of it's epicness, but I'll leave such praise for last and get to the meat of the matter. As you see I've rated 4 stars, not 5, the reason for this lost star is due to Sony's corner cutting, cost reducing packaging. The outer shell while hard enough reveals a a soft and flimsy centre of cheap cardboard which has nothing in place to hold your disc should the pack receive a good shake, knocking the disc loose. The inner portion of the sleeve the disc is placed in is standard rough cardboard rather than the laminated exterior, which will lead to scratches and unreadable disc's as many other reviewers have already pointed out. I Immediately transfered my disc's to a dvd wallet to protect them. As for the series itself it may take a few episodes for you to be drawn in, for me the 2nd to 3rd episodes, once you get into the swing of it the 1st season will quickly end and you'll be on to the next season and beyond, be warned that flashbacks are employed frequently and if you don't like them much it will sour your experience a tad. In conclusion the series is excellent, the dvd's are good value for money and the packaging is a travesty so if you buy this product an alternative in disc storage is heavily advised, have fun yo.

Breaking Bad is a series I had only ever heard of in passing. I had no clue what it was about. I had no intention on watching it. Then..... I found out it had Bryan Cranston in it. This was the hapless father from Malcolm in the Middle so with that as an incentive and the acclaim I was starting to notice and the hype over the final 8 episodes I crammed in series 1 to 5.1 over a couple of weeks. Unlike any other show every character has a story arc, very little was superfluous to the plot and my love and hate for Walter White bounced back and forth from one side to the other. I was was suckered in to a lot of his lies just like poor Jessie. From start to finish this was an immence piece of television. My only niggle is that as Walter's story was being wrapped up, Jessie became a bit of a cameo character in the last few episodes. This Amazon exclusive blu ray collection is a massive bit of kit. Each series are held in funky magnetised cases stacked behind a handy door of this sturdy replica money barrel. An additional 2 hour documentary disc is housed in the lid with a Los Pollos Apron and commemorative challenge coin. I have missed out on previous Amazon exclusives for Walking Dead etc because they are a little bit more expensive than the standard casings (If you don't pre-order them as soon as they are listed, you pretty much wont get a chance again) but this has so much extra going for it and is something well worth having on the shelf. I've pre-order Game of Thrones 3 exclusive pack and hope it's as stunning. So from a series I had no interest in watching to an exclusive collection taking pride of place in my blu ray collection really can't be bad..... breaking bad even. The episodes come with UV copies for tablet

Compulsive viewing! The story revolves around Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a mild mannered Chemistry teacher, married to Skyler (who's expecting a baby at the age of 40) and a teenage son Walter Junior (who has celebral palsy). Walter reaches the grand old age of 50 only to discover that he has cancer (never a good topic) and decides there and then that he needs to provide for his family in the event of his death. He needs money to pay for his treatment and a legacy to pass on when he dies. Enter Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), a high school drop out, whom Walter used to teach. Jesse has more than a passing relationship with narcotics. Through convoluted means and having worked out that he will need around $750k to get the treatment he needs and leave enough for the family Walter hits on the idea of producing a pure form of meth-amphetamine with Jesse's help. Needless to say the formula works. However, through the course of the series the production of this drug brings Walter and Jesse into contact with drug barons, cartels and various hit-men and assassins who all want a piece of the action; in the process this makes Walter and Jesse very wealthy. The twist is that Walter's brother-in-law, Hank (Dean Norris), is a DEA (drug enforcement administration) officer who learns of the existence of this new pure meth but doesn't know where it comes from and is always one step behind discovering the identity of the producers and distributors. There are moments of real suspense and drama in this fascinating saga and the characters continue to develop right through to the only conclusion the tale could have. The question is; who do you feel sorry for in the end? If you've not seen this gripping and gritty series you're missing the best TV to be broadcast in years. Go on, treat yourself!

There's not really a lot of things I can add that others have not mentioned. The complete Breaking Bad collection is a fine set for a fine show. I won't go into details about the episodes, but the uncensored versions are very much appreciated on the set. Many shows just stick the transmitted versions of the episodes on the DVDs, so the fact we are getting what I believe to be the *definitive* versions is fantastic. I have been making my way through the special features over the festive period and the set is packed full of them, all of which are worthy additions to the set. I would have been happy to have paid £50 for the episodes and perhaps outtakes and deleted scenes. Adding in commentaries [My personal favourite special feature] and other features make this set fantastic value for money. £50 for six seasons is reasonable in itself, factor in all the features and it's quite remarkable. I have just one complaint, and it's the lack of two hour documentary that I believe is exclusive to the limited edition version of the set. In fact, this isn't even a complaint of the set, it is just something extra that could have been added to an already jam packed set. Absolutely fantastic. Definitely get it bought. There's a market for the UV code that comes with the set too, so if you want to make an extra bit of money back [I got a tenner for mine, but I have seen many go for £15 - £20], then it's worth flogging the code, making the set even greater value.