Does Crime Pay?

***Spoiler Alert*** This contains spoilers to major storylines of three popular series.

I know we are supposed to be comparing two series or movies, but I decided to write on three great series, which I find to have similarities. If you like Breaking Bad then you will like Ozark, then you will like Good Girls.

We were always taught that crime does not pay. But, when life fails some people, turning to a life of crime to make ends meet has been a common denominator in some of the most iconic and talked about titles of the 2000s. We saw the lighter side of this style of storytelling, with some dark tidbits here and there, in the awesomeness that was Weeds. On the other hand, though, our screens have seen an uptick in showing us the darker side of characters using crime to fix the financial burdens in their lives. These stories are showing viewers that the criminal element isn’t always the thug, the kingpin, or the Colombian drug lord. Just like in Weeds, we are seeing regular people, trying to live the American dream in suburbia, but have fallen on hard times and turn to the criminal element to make life a little better for themselves. However, in the end, after numerous ups and downs, we still see, crime does not pay but it is nice getting some golden entertainment out of it.

First, what can be said about Breaking Bad that has not been said already? We know this is considered one of the finest dramas in television history. It is still a tour-de-force in acting, writing, and character development. If the pure genius of that series were a sound, it would be deafening. However, when the show first aired, it was not well-received, especially by the viewing public, and was nearly canceled because ratings were so low.

Bryan Cranston portrayed the mild-mannered chemistry teacher cancer patient turned meth-producing kingpin with such virtuosity and versatility, that he quickly became known as much more than just the dad on Malcolm in the Middle. There was a slew of other actors in line for the role of Walter White, but Cranston fought and proved he had the stones to portray a character that would change the face of the television drama series. Walter White is just a run-of-the-mill teacher living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, trying like hell to provide for his family, which includes his wife Skylar and their son, Walter, Jr., who was born with cerebral palsy. The senior Walter is not only a teacher but has to take a second job just to make ends meet.

Then, if life couldn’t get any harder, he is diagnosed with cancer. He uses his chemistry knowledge, and with the help of a former student, Jesse Pinkman, starts producing and distributing methamphetamine to make more money for his family. His product is so addictive and starts moving so quickly that the pair quickly get noticed by the larger criminal element in the area. Viewers were captivated week after week witnessing the increasing pressure put on Walter, Jesse, and the rest of the White family by various drug lords and Walter’s DEA brother-in-law. There were many serious and violent repercussions that led to a series finale in September of 2013 that is still talked about to this day.

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney are two actors that everyone would agree are at the top of their game and have been for a long time. However, even though this stellar actor and actress have played dark roles, they have not portrayed anything like that of Marty and Wendy Byrde. Like the White family in Breaking Bad, the Byrdes are idyllic on the outside, but it is a whole different scenario behind closed doors. Marty is a financial advisor in Chicago whose knowledge of money makes him the perfect man to be a launderer for a Mexican drug cartel. When Ozark begins, Marty has also discovered his wife has been cheating on him. When Marty’s partner Bruce embezzles $8 million from the cartel, their leader kills Bruce and his fiancé. In a plea to save his life and the lives of those in his family, Marty tells the leader of the cartel to let him move his family to the Missouri Ozarks, an idea he got from Bruce. Marty felt this was the ideal place to fulfill his promise to the cartel: launder $500 million in five years.

Immediately when the Byrdes arrive in the Ozarks, Marty starts investing in local businesses. Just like Walter White with his remarkable product that the local criminal element cannot live without, Marty’s quick investing starts raising red flags with Central Missouri’s seedier underbelly. Also, just like in Breaking Bad, Marty quickly acquires a Jesse Pinkman of his own in young Ruth, portrayed with vicious empathy by the very talented Julia Garner. Both men also include their wives in their illegal endeavors, which entangles their families in some very volatile and at times, bloody confrontations with low-level and high-level members of criminal organizations in their respective locales.

Network television decided to get in on the action with its hit show Good Girls. Three suburban moms in Detroit find themselves down on their luck with no way out. Ruby is a waitress in a greasy spoon with a husband and two kids at home, one being in need of a kidney transplant. Annie is a young mother of one who barely makes minimum wage at her supermarket job and is in a constant battle with her ex, who is in a much wealthier income bracket. Beth, Annie’s sister, is a mother of four, who finds out not only is her husband cheating on her, but he has taken two extra mortgages out on their house because of money troubles not known to her. Annie has the idea that the three of them rob her grocery store, which is supposed to have a safe full of money in the back office and could hold as much as $30,000. It’s a ludicrous idea at first, but then when life and their financial troubles just continue to get worse, the trio decides to go with the plan and rob the store. Their take from the safe ended up being closer to a shocking $500,000. After using the money to fix their financial problems, new issues are created when the ladies are visited by Rio, a local crime boss. Rio informs them that certain small businesses are under his control for certain activities.

What started out as a one-time robbery quickly turns into a suburban mom money laundering crime syndicate. Christina Hendricks, Rhetta, and Mae Whitman do have the dark voraciousness in their portrayals as with those in Breaking Bad and Ozark, which are overall grittier programs. However, they put just the right amount of sugar and spice into their roles that often have them in some extremely sketchy situations. Like Breaking Bad, the characters in Good Girls have fallen on hard times and are using crime to make more money and make their lives better. Also, like Ozark, these wannabe boss ladies turn to money laundering when the local crime leader enters the picture. It is lighter fare than the earlier two series, but like the other two programs, it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with its constant cat-and-mouse, will-they-won’t-they get caught situations.

We know that crime does not pay, but that still doesn’t sway us from watching the series that puts regular people like us in dangerous predicaments because they thought there was no other way out. The sad thing is, these programs are also showing us the state of the middle-class family of the 21st century; that when times are hard, is that the best route to take? Whether it is right or wrong, millions of us are glued to the storylines of these folks who are hard on their luck but hardly end up on top after their respective crime sprees. The constant twist and turns are proof that the illegal side is the wrong side, but it makes for riches in entertainment.