Breaking Bad: Season 2 (TV Review)

Warning: If you have not seen Season One, there may be some spoilers for that season.

Breaking Bad, Season Two:
Walter and Jesse are now working with the crazed drug dealer Tuco Salamanca, who beat up Jesse in a violent rage near the conclusion of the first season. Walt is still fighting the cancer which is killing him, and is overcome with  even more stress than before, as Skyler (his wife) is now pregnant with their new baby. Walt and Jesse begin working with the sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman to help with their financial and legal troubles (if any come up), and Jesse begins hanging out with his friendly landlord and former drug addict Jane Margolis. Skyler also begins working for Ted Beneke, her former employer. This season is where the series really starts picking up. Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Raymond Cruz, Carmen Serano, Steven Michael Quezada, Charles Baker, Matt L. Jones and Jessica Hecht all return from the first season and are as good as ever. Newcomers to the series include Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Cousins, Krysten Ritter, and John de Lancie. They all do terrific jobs as well. There are even some cool guest appearances by Danny Trejo, Mark Margolis, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jonathan Banks. This season is far more intense and thrilling than the previous, but still has it's fair share of heavy drama. The opening two episodes are suspenseful and tense, and are two of the best of the series. The new characters are entertaining and well-written, and they are welcome additions to the show. Many side characters introduced in this season have bigger roles later on, it sets up several major characters and plotlines, so it's one of the most important seasons of the show. The music in this season is as awesome as the last, with some great original pieces, and some good "featured music", too, there's even a cool original song at the beginning of the episode "Negro y Azul". Speaking of episodes, there's even one directed by Bryan Cranston himself. This season is darker than the previous, which the season benefits from a lot. The second season of Breaking Bad is even more dark, witty, and addicting than the last, and it's sure to get you completely hooked on the show. 4/5 stars.

Episode List:
One- "Seven Thirty-Seven"
Two- "Grilled"
Three- "Bit by a Dead Bee"
Four- "Down"
Five- "Breakage"
Six- "Peekaboo"
Seven- "Negro y Azul"
Eight- "Better Call Saul"
Nine- "4 Days Out"
Ten- "Over"
Eleven- "Mandala"
Twelve- "Phoenix"
Thirteen- "ABQ"

 (Image: Wikipedia)