Wanna Cook?

June 16, 2014
Fans of the now-completed AMC television series will appreciate this companion, which covers the entire series from the moment Walter White, a pride-filled teacher, reacts to a dire medical diagnosis by turning to crime to the inevitable, final consequences of his decision to embrace his identity as Heinsenberg. Each episode of all five seasons gets its own entry; the basic events of the episode are detailed, along with the grander plot arcs in the individual seasons and the series as a whole, character insights, social commentary, explications of each episode's science and commentary on the occasional flubs. Other issues, such as the inexplicable hatred by many viewers of Skyler White, are also dealt with. To the extent possible, the authors have avoided too many egregious spoilers, except for the special "What's Cooking" essays, which they have flagged as spoiler rich. That said, this is a work best read by persons familiar with the series, not those who have yet to watch it. While the book's length forces brevity where any particular episode is concerned, the work is impressively comprehensive, a solid work recommended to devotees of Breaking Bad.