If there’s one thing I share in common with people my age still living at home, it’s that exhilarating feeling you get when you hear your parents utter the following: “we’re going out tonight”. Oh my… remember that scene in Braveheart where the kilt-wearing Mel Gibson screams out the word “Freedom!” with a Scottish accent? Well, that one word was ringin’ in my brain repeatedly (hey, call me harsh but you know what it’s like when you’re still at home, “space” is just a distant concept). So there I was, an entire night to fill in doing whatever I wanted. Bring on the comfy pants, the ice cream and a couple of killer television DVDs (note: at this point, I also have my legs up on the coach which is a big no no when my parents are around so hey, I’m really getting’ in touch with my rebellious side now, aren’t I?).
"Freedom!" Yes Mel, I'm with you!
Call me crazy but I think Tom Hardy appears far more alluring sporting a cleanly shaven head of hair in Bronson than in The Take where he actually has hair (who knew?). To be honest, his enigmatic presence in Bronson was the first time I’d even ever heard of him and I was captivated by that bald head and that killer moustache (it was one of those types that curls up at either end. By the way, how do they do that? Is it hairspray?). In The Take, Hardy has hair (yeah, it’s as weird as seeing Bruce Willis in any role where he has a full head of hair) but by the end of the first episode, I had adjusted to this look (it was driving me insane for a while there).
Hardy with hair!
One of my favourite elements of this show is that it’s set in 1984 (three years before I was even born) and Freddie Jackson (Hardy) feels as though he’s in a different world after serving four years in prison (apparently, the aerobics fad that swept Britain didn’t penetrate through the prison walls). Not that this matters because Freddie is one feared badass and rightfully so because he has a shorter fuse than Serena Williams on a tennis court. Oh, and he doesn’t mind the ladies which is a bit of a problem considering he has a wife and a couple of little gremlins (otherwise known as kids) at home. You see, Jackie (Kierston Wareing) thinks prison has changed her short tempered husband. In reality, she couldn’t be more wrong and Freddie’s cousin Jimmy (Shaun Evans), isn’t helping her cause any. Don’t be fooled by Jimmy’s timid appearance because he’s just as lethal as Freddie. Put simply, he’s the epitome of the saying “silent, but deadly!” And then there’s Maggie (Charlotte Riley) who’s madly in love with Jimmy and very peeved by the return of his pesky inmate of a cousin who she loathes.
One of my favourite things about a good television show is the fact that there are some absolute priceless quotes. That said, I can’t resist sharing one of my favourite from The Take with you when Jimmy is talking to a woman, letting her know that she reminds him of a character from Deep Throat (the movie for anyone not following). He says to her: “Yeah, now why don’t you just turn around and go on back to whatever hole it is that my old man keeps you in?” Well, I guess that’s that then!
Now, after all of that violence and mayhem, I needed something a little more lighthearted to finish off the night. Growing up, I loved Malcolm in the Middle because it was the exact opposite of everything American sitcoms had been in the past. It sure was no Brady Brunch and if one piece of dialogue really drove this home it would have to be Lois (Jayne Kaczmarek) telling her sons to chew on the milk if it smells funny (come on, that’s pretty extreme!). Everyone knows that television shows don’t last forever and even a show as good as Malcolm in the Middle has to eventually end its run but someone who’s really gone on to show his acting chops is Bryan Cranston who’s now starring as Walter H. White in Breaking Bad.
She looks mad...
Season One introduced us to Walt, a chemistry teacher with a fairly mundane life: his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn) is pretty detached from the world and his son, Walter White Jr. (RJ Mitte) is forced to endure a heap of bullying because he’s physically challenged. But Walt’s ordinary world turns on its head when he discovers he’s got lung cancer and must find a way to secure his family’s financial future. So what does he do? Why, he starts cookin’ and sellin’ crystal meth of course! Make no mistake about it, Cranston’s performance is what really sells this story, it’s gritty and pretty in your face, two things that don’t change through Season Two.
None of my chemistry classes were ever this exciting!
What does begin to develop and evolve even further throughout the second season are the consequences of Walt’s actions. What makes Breaking Bad so effective is its ability to make you connect with this guy who was essentially a goodhearted family man to begin with, but has now changed into something he himself can’t even recognise in order to hide his numerous indiscretions. I know this had me drifting off with my thoughts and really considering how one seemingly small decision can really hi-jack your life (no, I’m not talkin’ about the kind of decision where you decide between chompin’ down on Maltesers or M&Ms although, we all know how hard that can be!). At some point, we always knew that Skyler would find out about Walt’s dirty secrets and when she does, boy, she hits the ceiling (and rightfully so). While I don’t want to give anymore away, there’s one thing I’d like to know about Breaking Bad: why is there so much nudity? I thought it was bad seeing Cranston in a pair of jocks (no not boxers, actual white underwear-ey things) but the second season sees him completely in the nuddie! Hmm… maybe I’ll just leave that one alone for now.
And just as the final episode of Breaking Bad: Season Two was ending, I heard the garage door telling me only one thing: the parents are back! Well, that was my Saturday night in a nutshell but I’ll be back with more bloggy goodness on Wednesday gettin’ down with my favourite man of the moment as we’ve already explored here before, Gerard Butler in Gamer. Oh, and I’ll also be dining with Julie & Julia (Homer Simpson was right: you don’t make friends with salad!) and mixing it with the fashion-forward in Coco Avant Chanel.
