Breaking Bad: Season 2

I just finished season two of AMC's Breaking Bad, as season three debuts in March.
Bad is essentially a better version of Dexter or a serious version of Weeds. Our protagonist Walter, played spot on by Bryan Cranston, is a more effed up version than either cable protagonist on those shows, all the while remaining a mild-mannered chemistry teacher.
What makes BAD so good is the ho hum nature it adopts for 99% of an episode, which is punctuated by 1% of mind boggling crazyness. It's similar to THe Sopranos in this dynamic, except that Tony's crime family life shared equal time with his domestic family. The ratio isn't that way on BAD, even though at points you want to see more of Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul). This pair of drug lords represent one of the best duos on television, and are two of the most dysfunctional characters on television.
In this season it looked like Jesse was settling into some sort of groove, but his salvation (a relationship with his landlord) was also his undoing. It turns out his lady friend was also a druggie and while they brought out the best in each other, conversely they dragged out the worst too (leading to the lady OD'ing).
Paul is excellent this season, essentially lifting the show on his back (with his relationship and an episode where he plays babysitter) while Walt gets bogged down in a constant fight with Skylar. THe marital struggles between Walt and Skylar are insufferable. Inevitable, but just so boring and drawn out. Ultimately she leaves him in the finale, except at this point we don't care and wish it had happened long ago.
This season also saw the exit of Tuco (or however it is spelled) and the introduction of Saul, who is essentially a wacked out version of Tom (Robert Duval) in the Godfather. This skeezy lawyer is now offering counsel to Walt and Jesse, with ingenious and hilarious results.

This season felt like a long transition between the highs of season one and what seems to be an explosive season three. Part of the transition feel stems from the expanded roster of episodes in season two, which saw a six episode increase to 13. Essentially the show dealt with the limitations of the dynamic, by curing his cancer and finally leaving Walt to deal with what he wants in his life and from his meth cooking.
I liked this season, but didn't love it compared to season one. I am very hyped for season three.