This is where _Breaking Bad_ found its identity. Massive improvements in terms of cinematography, sound and editing when compared to season one. The new additions to the cast are all amazing, and I like the arcs of the main characters, the development of Walt and Jesse in particular being very well handled. However, it isn’t exactly the tightest season of this show in terms of storytelling: - The first half of the season feels a bit directionless - The subplot with Jane, while it has a great pay-off, feels a little undercooked and rushed (mostly because she isn’t the most interesting character) - Hank and Marie are almost forgotten about entirely during the second half of the season, which is weird because there’s quite a lot of time spent with developing Hank in the first half of the season - It was an odd decision to skip the final deal between Gus and Walt, which is quite a major part of the story - The flash forward stuff was convenient and didn’t work, almost felt like _Lost_ - How exactly did Walter expect this fake visit to his mother to pan out? Nevertheless, the show is still so good at creating memorable moments and scenes, and the acting is so fantastic, that none of those issues become dealbreakers. The first time I watched this show was about 10 years ago, and there were still so many moments that I recalled on a rewatch because they burned themselves into my memory (ATM machine, kid shooting the dealer, the Heisenberg song, etc.), which to me is always a sign that you’re watching quality television. 7.5/10

Everything great about season 1 just keeps escalating into even more awesomeness. This is where we get a bunch of the greatest supporting characters. Saul, Gus, and Mike are all so amazing that I'm really excited to watch season 3 where they grow in screen time. I love how this series seems to escalate each season, where things don't "go back to normal". No, events happen and have consequences. Now, I will point out that this season has my biggest issue with the series. And I say biggest issue, but it is still tiny. Like, grain sized. SPOILER ALERT I don't like that they build up this dramatic, devastating destruction the whole season, when in the end it wasn't something really due to Walter White being terrible. Yes, of course it is terrible that he let that girl die. But come on, the link from that to major plane crash is crazy. I think it would bother me less had it been completely random, not loosely/unrealistically linked. What I'm glad about though, is that it isn't a big deal overall.

Good, enjoyable season. I liked it a bit more than the first season. The finale was a letdown.