The Strength of Weak Ties in Breaking Bad
www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/breaking-bad-and-the-strength-of-weak-ties
AMC’s Breaking Bad became one of the most popular TV shows of this century, if not all time. While Walt and Jesse get most of the attention from the show, another very interesting character is Saul, Walt’s lawyer. Even though Saul is a lawyer by profession, Walt and Jesse rely on him to use his network of connections when they find themselves in various predicaments throughout the show. One specific case is when Gus Fring, the drug king pin in Albuquerque, threatens to kill Walt and his family. Upon hearing this news, Walt then calls on Saul to put him in touch with a man who can give him and his whole family new identities. Saul, essentially, acts as Heisenberg’s middle man on many occasions.
Walt’s use of Saul’s connections is a great example of the principle of the strength of weak ties. From a sociological point of view, Walt has a close network of people with which he has strong ties, like Jesse, Skyler, and, to a degree, Saul. However, when Walt and Jesse encounter situations which they neither have the resources nor the connections to deal with, they need a bridge to another part of the societal network. Saul acts as the node on their end of the bridge. He has various weak ties to people that have the ability to help Walt and Jesse. By exploiting these weak ties, Heisenberg and Jesse are able to advance their business far more easily than they would be able to without Saul’s connections. Just like in real life, the maintenance of these weak ties often proves to be beneficial.