The season finale of AMC’s brilliant Breaking Bad is tonight. The New Yorker recently had an article on La Familia Michoacana (subscribers only), a violent drug cartel that has captured parts of the state and the private sector in Mexico. The piece offers a fascinating look at the real world of drugs and violence that likely inspired the fictionalized turf across the border from Walter White’s Albuquerque. Much of the violence that once seemed sensational (such as what happens to Danny Trejo’s character) now appears grounded in a disturbing reality. If you have a subscription, I definitely recommend you read the article, however, the next best thing is this 16 minute interview with William Finnegan, the journalist who reported the story.
