Divya Aggarwal Anti Heroes in Popular Television Outline – Research Paper Chosen Media: Breaking Bad (TV Series) Paper Title: The Transgressive Transformation of Walter White in Breaking Bad Paragraph 1: Introduction · Introduce the Title – “The Transgressive Transformation of Walter White in Breaking Bad” · Define Transgressive – Unpack the title of the essay · Thesis Statement – This essay will analyze this narrative journey by examining the ‘delicately balanced’ relationship ‘between crime and convention’, which provides viewers with a complex moral discourse about the social character of deviance, conformity and transgression. Examining Walt’s decision to ‘Break Bad’ to maintain both a conventional and a criminal identity in light with the employment of Walt’s strong narrative dialogue and the imagery used to create his ‘darker persona’ of Heisenburg. Paragraph 2: Background · About the storyline of the TV show · Introduction of Walt’s character – Job, Family, Cancer, Connection to DEA Paragraph 3 & 4: American Dream · Walt’s Ideology – His reasons for going into the meth business · Relating his ideology to the American Dream. · Introduce the theme of crime and convention - drawing the clear distinction between the two. Paragraph 5, 6 & 7: Transgressive Journey - Conformity and Deviance · Analysis of the thin line between conformity and deviance in Walt’s behavior. · Walts misguided naïve persona vs. Heisenburg · Need vs. Want – his drive to keep going even after he has made more than planned (Include reasoning of his medical illness and family) · The artist’ of crystal methamphetamine production vs. Chemistry teacher · Lust for power Paragraph 8 & 9: Comparison of Walter White to Olivia Pope (Female Anti-Hero from scandal) or any other anti hero · Similarities between the journey embarked by both characters – How both characters share a delicately balanced relationship between crime and convention. Paragraph 10: Conclusion REVENGE - Annotated Bibliography · Mittell, Jason. Complex TV: the poetics of contemporary television storytelling. New York: New York Univ. Press, 2015. This source is a book about Complex TV by Jason Mittel that offers sustained analysis of the poetics of television narrative, focusing on how storytelling has changed in recent years and how viewers make sense of these innovations. · Garcia, Alberto N. Emotions in Contemporary TV Series. Basingstoke: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2016. This source is a book which focuses on analyzing the role of emotions in these narratives as we as how they relate to personal and collective identity in specific contemporary TV shows and genres. · Vaage, Margrethe Bruun. The antihero in American television. New York: Routledge, 2015. This source is a book that highlights the moral psychology of fiction by especially focusing on Anti Heroes. It also specifically focuses on Walter White. · Hiatt, Brian. "Q&A: 'Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan Goes Deep .

1. Divya Aggarwal
Anti Heroes in Popular Television
Outline – Research Paper
Chosen Media: Breaking Bad (TV Series)
Paper Title: The Transgressive Transformation of Walter White
in Breaking Bad
Paragraph 1: Introduction
· Introduce the Title – “The Transgressive Transformation of
Walter White in Breaking Bad”
· Define Transgressive – Unpack the title of the essay
· Thesis Statement – This essay will analyze this narrative
journey by examining the ‘delicately balanced’ relationship
‘between crime and convention’, which provides viewers with a
complex moral discourse about the social character of deviance,
conformity and transgression. Examining Walt’s decision to
‘Break Bad’ to maintain both a conventional and a criminal
identity in light with the employment of Walt’s strong narrative
dialogue and the imagery used to create his ‘darker persona’ of
Heisenburg.
Paragraph 2: Background
· About the storyline of the TV show
· Introduction of Walt’s character – Job, Family, Cancer,
Connection to DEA
Paragraph 3 & 4: American Dream
· Walt’s Ideology – His reasons for going into the meth business
· Relating his ideology to the American Dream.
· Introduce the theme of crime and convention - drawing the
clear distinction between the two.

2. Paragraph 5, 6 & 7: Transgressive Journey - Conformity and
Deviance
· Analysis of the thin line between conformity and deviance in
Walt’s behavior.
· Walts misguided naïve persona vs. Heisenburg
· Need vs. Want – his drive to keep going even after he has
made more than planned (Include reasoning of his medical
illness and family)
· The artist’ of crystal methamphetamine production vs.
Chemistry teacher
· Lust for power
Paragraph 8 & 9: Comparison of Walter White to Olivia Pope
(Female Anti-Hero from scandal) or any other anti hero
· Similarities between the journey embarked by both characters
– How both characters share a delicately balanced relationship
between crime and convention.
Paragraph 10: Conclusion
REVENGE -
Annotated Bibliography
· Mittell, Jason. Complex TV: the poetics of contemporary
television storytelling. New York: New York Univ. Press, 2015.
This source is a book about Complex TV by Jason Mittel that
offers sustained analysis of the poetics of television narrative,
focusing on how storytelling has changed in recent years and
how viewers make sense of these innovations.
· Garcia, Alberto N. Emotions in Contemporary TV Series.
Basingstoke: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2016.
This source is a book which focuses on analyzing the role of
emotions in these narratives as we as how they relate to
personal and collective identity in specific contemporary TV

3. shows and genres.
· Vaage, Margrethe Bruun. The antihero in American television.
New York: Routledge, 2015.
This source is a book that highlights the moral psychology of
fiction by especially focusing on Anti Heroes. It also
specifically focuses on Walter White.
· Hiatt, Brian. "Q&A: 'Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan
Goes Deep on the Final Season." Rolling Stone. September 06,
2012. Accessed March 29, 2017.
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/q-a-breaking-bad-
creator-vince-gilligan-goes-deep-on-the-final-season-20120906
This source is a magazine article is a script of an interview with
the creator of breaking bad, Vince Gilligan. It offers direct
insight into the writers mind.
· "Breaking Bad: when did you lose Walter White?" Den of
Geek. July 31, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2017.
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/breaking-bad/26661/breaking-
bad-when-did-you-lose-walter-white.
This source is a blog post that underlines the six main turning
points of Walter’s identity from a protagonist to an antagonist.
All the instances mentioned are important for analyze his
Transgressive journey.
· Sepinwall, A. (2015, November 11). ‘Scandal’ has turned
Olivia Pope into TV’s best anti-hero since Walter White.
Retrieved April 01, 2017, from
http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/scandal-has-turned-olivia-pope-
into-tvs-best-anti-hero-since-walter-white/
This source is an article, which highlights the development of
Olivia Pope into a female Anti-Hero by pointing out instances
were she showed attributes of deviant behavior.

4. · Dennis, D. (2013, October 10). It's not a Scandal to think
Olivia Pope's a rogue not a hero | David Dennis. Retrieved April
01, 2017, from
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/10/scand
al-olivia-pope-bad-black-character
This source is a newspaper article that comments on the
character of Olivia Pope and how her past informed her future.
It also helps informs why she is an anti-hero and not a hero.
Divya Aggarwal
Anti Heroes in Popular Television
Paper Title and Description
Chosen Media: Breaking Bad (TV Series)
Paper Title: The Transgressive Transformation of Walter White
in Breaking Bad
This essay will explore the narrative journey of the protagonist
Walter White in the television series, ‘Breaking Bad’ by
examining the ‘Transgressive Transformation of Walter White.’
I will analyze this by looking at the ‘delicately balanced’
relationship ‘between crime and convention’, which provides
viewers with a complex moral discourse about the social
character of deviance, conformity and transgression.
Furthermore the discourse will be developed by examining

5. Walt’s decision to ‘Break Bad’ to maintain both a conventional
and a criminal identity. I will analyze this in light with the
employment of Walt’s strong narrative dialogue and the imagery
used to create his ‘darker persona’ of Heisenburg.