Self-improvement is a wonderful thing, and sometimes, it takes an incredible moment in televisual history to make a person want to learn something.
We’re going back a little way here. My sort-of brother Ben was working at the Legion.
Ben loved the character of Gus from Breaking Bad.
I didn’t know anything about the character or the series, so Ben ran a quick search on his phone for me and pointed to the poster, very insistently. Really, I’m sure there are less enthusiastic toddlers. He pointed in a way that suggested – if he jabbed at the screen hard enough, I’d remember I’d seen the whole series. I hadn’t, but lord love his enthusiasm.
Still, as Ben told me all about Walter White, I became more and more interested, and my sort of brother wound up lending me his DVDs.
Jesse Pinkman is one of the finest characters in drama. Oh, yeah. I said it.
As I watched, and Danny Trejo appeared, I pressed the subtitle button repeatedly.
Nothing doing.
There were whole sections in Spanish, the only word of which I knew was Hola. I missed a lot of story and decided I must learn Spanish.
I now know how to say – Why is that not acceptable for you now? – and then I got distracted by writing a book.
I’ll learn eventually.
In the meantime, I think it’s time to rewatch Breaking Bad. Yes, Aimée got me the box-set. I don’t guess well in Spanish.
Petrina Binney - Author 