A result of the clear concept that Vince Gilligan and company had for the show from day one has been the singularity of focus on the character of Walter White and the concept of cause and effect, the consequences of choices and the responsibility of the individual. Virtually every aspect of the show is meant to elucidate where Walter is at, what he’s up against, what his state of mind is, and what he has to react to.
Plenty of shows tries to do what Breaking Bad has excelled at, and that is the expansion and contraction of its universe. There’s something deeply satisfying about this, perhaps because it parallels the history of our own universe. Think of Game of Thrones, the way we started out with this world of characters who became separated and spread out all over the world, with indications or at least the expectation that they’ll be brought back together at some point (and with some exceptions). True Blood has done this in its strongest seasons, but lost this focus over time, and suffered as a result it would seem. Gilligan’s team has never strayed from this emphasis on Walt.
Even the seemingly peripheral stories, like the airline crash and Gus’ backstory, are meant to show the vast effects of Walt’s initial decision to cook meth. It all comes back to that choice, his decision to manufacture this harmful drug to pay medical bills and finance his family’s future rather than accepting handouts from friends. That makes everything in the show an offshoot of one decision, and is why the whole story feel more firmly anchored than most others.
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