The Breaking Bad Finale Discussion Thread [SPOILERS WITHIN - UP TO FINALE]

[WhazUp]

Man that really was the perfect ending. Well done Vince

[Powerage5]

So how did Walt get hit by a bullet while he says lying on the ground with Jesse?

Didn't you notice him wince when he was holding Jesse down? I thought he'd got hit but they didn't show it right afterwards so figured I was wrong.....

I thought the ending was good. There were a lot of ways they could've fucked it up, but they actually did it right, so I'm happy.

Thought the same thing about Walt getting shot. Should've learned my lesson with that fake-out in Skyfall

[ManetsBR]

Awesome ending. I'm speechless.

[Ace Nova]

I thought it was a very good ending for a great show. Nothing left unturned and no loose ends. A lot of genius went into the episode, from how Walt is leaving the money, to giving the ricin to Lidia all the way to the grand finale with the M60...awesome ending.

[ManetsBR]

How come did he leave loose ends guys? Come on. He even showed Badger and Skinny Pete, what was really unexpected.

Todd's death was just perfect. Killed by a chain he put on Jesse. What about Walter? Killed by a bullet he shot. Man... That Vince guy is clever.

That Walter conversation with Skyler, when he admited he was doing it for himself... For a long time he was using his illusion, but he finally lost them

Edited September 30, 2013 by ManetsBR

[Powerage5]

How come did he leave loose ends guys? Come on. He even showed Badger and Skinny Pete, what was really unexpected.

Todd's death was just perfect. Killed by a chain he put on Jesse. What about Walter? Killed by a bullet he shot. Man... That Vince guy is clever.

That Walter conversation with Skyler, when he admited he was doing it for himself... For a long time he was using his illusion, but he finally lost them

Huell. For all we know he starved to death in that room.

[Black Sabbath]

And Brock.

Also, I do believe Walt did it for his family, but once he saw how much money he was making and how good he was at it, he wanted to do it for himself.

[dalsh327]

I thought the ending went well.

[bacardimayne]

How come did he leave loose ends guys? Come on. He even showed Badger and Skinny Pete, what was really unexpected.

[Gia]

It was for his family in the beginning

but as Vince Gillian said in an interview, he showed Gretchen and the other guy offering to pay for all his all his treatment

EARLY in the show to show that it was about way more than that...

[ManetsBR]

Come on...

Anyway...

• Walt and Jesse shared a final look of grim recognition for one another.

• And Walt dies next to his one true love, as the cops descend upon him, ready to uncover the greatest crime story America has ever seen. His legacy will live on.

[Black Sabbath]

I wonder what people will do now that their favorite show is over.

I loved the show, but it wasn't my favorite of all time.

Time to make room for new shows now

[ManetsBR]

No. They should just cancel all TV shows.

[LightningBolt]

I thought the ending was decent. I didn't expect it to be all that satisfying for me, since the way I wanted it to end was becoming increasingly unlikely with every passing episode (Walt going down in flames and having a humiliating end). Overall, it was a very good show. I think a lot of the watchers got caught up into a lot of narratives regarding the show's writers and creator, though, and felt like he could do no wrong. There were plenty of flaws with the show.

My issue with the ending was that it seemed like it was going through a laundry list of plot points to tie up. I think a better writer would have found a way to tie up most of the plot points in a more surprisingly satisfying way. Gilligan just had Walt running all around town, ticking off his "to-do list" one by one. It was basically "Closure: The Episode", where each scene was just very obvious, blunt closure for various relationships and plot points. The ending just felt rather straightforward. There was nothing there at the end that gave me chills like a truly great ending typically does for me. I just felt like "Okay, that all makes sense, that's cool." There was nothing objectionable that I'll be raging about when I think back on the series. But there was nothing great with that ending that I'll be thinking back to, either.

[Powerage5]

I wonder what people will do now that their favorite show is over.

I loved the show, but it wasn't my favorite of all time.

Time to make room for new shows now

I'll keep watching How I Met Your Mother and probably cry when that's over because TV will be worthless

[downzy]

My assessment: brilliant!

I'm not sure how the finale could have delivered any more than it did. Explosive violence followed up by a poetic closing scene - just perfect.

But I think my favourite scene of the whole episode was Walt's last encounter with Skylar. Just hearing him admit his true motivations; being honest with his wife but also himself was one of the most transcendent moments I've seen on television in awhile. "It made me feel alive."

All in all, a great conclusion. Not sure what else they could have done to wrap up such a great series.

For me it easily deserves a 10 out of 10. Now the depression sinks in now realizing there's no more Breaking Bad.

[arnold layne]

Truly, if not, one of the greatest television shows ever made. I am glad I could say I went along with the journey.

Thanks Vince.

[ManetsBR]

I wonder what people will do now that their favorite show is over.

I loved the show, but it wasn't my favorite of all time.

Time to make room for new shows now

I'll keep watching How I Met Your Mother and probably cry when that's over because TV will be worthless

Pretty much what I'm gonna do haha

LightingBolt, what's so wrong with the "to-do list" scheme. It worked just fine. We all had a list of things we wanted to happen, that did happen;

-Gray Matter under his thumb.

-Decent closure with Skyler. It seemed like she was, for the first time in a very long time, ok with his company. He was honest with her, and himself. He finally admited he was just doing because it was the only way he felt alive.

-The Nazi died, and Uncle Jack died the same way he killed Hank.

-Jesse killed Todd using chains Todd himself had put, it was intense.

-Walter did give Jesse a chance to kill him, as I expected, but Jesse didn't do it. It was great.

-Walter was killed not by cancer, and not by someone, but because of his own bullets.

-Walter died protecting Jesse. And he died on a meth lab.

-That final Jesse-Walter nod was great.

-Jesse ran away laughing and crying, with a whole new life ahead.

What else did you guys wanted, come on?

[Black Sabbath]

Don't be one of those guys who gets upset because not everyone thought it was 100% amazing, Manets

[LightningBolt]

-Gray Matter under his thumb.

LightingBolt, what's so wrong with the "to-do list" scheme. It worked just fine. We all had a list of things we wanted to happen, that did happen;

-Decent closure with Skyler. It seemed like she was, for the first time in a very long time, ok with his company. He was honest with her, and himself. He finally admited he was just doing because it was the only way he felt alive.

-The Nazi died, and Uncle Jack died the same way he killed Hank.

-Jesse killed Todd using chains Todd himself had put, it was intense.

-Walter did give Jesse a chance to kill him, as I expected, but Jesse didn't do it. It was great.

-Walter was killed not by cancer, and not by someone, but because of his own bullets.

-Walter died protecting Jesse. And he died on a meth lab.

-That final Jesse-Walter nod was great.

-Jesse ran away laughing and crying, with a whole new life ahead.

What else did you guys wanted, come on?

There's nothing wrong with that approach, per se. It's just that when you watch a show as well-written as this one, you expect a more clever way for things to wrap up, I guess. They hit all the main points that were still in play at this point in the show, they just did it in a safe way.

[Black Sabbath]

Guess you guys will have to move on to better shows like Homeland

[bacardimayne]

Guess I'm an absolutely enormous hooray for tolerance!.

[Black Sabbath]

BREAKING BAD IS THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION EVER AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE BETTER AND THE SHOW DID NO WRONG

Also, one thing I never understood: Why were those people crawling through the desert at the beginning of Season 2?

[bacardimayne]

better than pain & gain lol

[downzy]

-Gray Matter under his thumb.

LightingBolt, what's so wrong with the "to-do list" scheme. It worked just fine. We all had a list of things we wanted to happen, that did happen;

-Decent closure with Skyler. It seemed like she was, for the first time in a very long time, ok with his company. He was honest with her, and himself. He finally admited he was just doing because it was the only way he felt alive.

-The Nazi died, and Uncle Jack died the same way he killed Hank.

-Jesse killed Todd using chains Todd himself had put, it was intense.

-Walter did give Jesse a chance to kill him, as I expected, but Jesse didn't do it. It was great.

-Walter was killed not by cancer, and not by someone, but because of his own bullets.

-Walter died protecting Jesse. And he died on a meth lab.

-That final Jesse-Walter nod was great.

-Jesse ran away laughing and crying, with a whole new life ahead.

What else did you guys wanted, come on?

There's nothing wrong with that approach, per se. It's just that when you watch a show as well-written as this one, you expect a more clever way for things to wrap up, I guess. They hit all the main points that were still in play at this point in the show, they just did it in a safe way.

So what would be the "unsafe" way?

I get what you're trying to get at - the show was plotted out rather deliberately, but I'm really not sure how they could have done it any other way unless you change certain outcomes (Jesse shoots Walt, Jesse dies, Walt's plan fails but Jesse finds a way out, etc).

The ending was clear, concise and to the point. Some may not like that style. Some may prefer an ending in the mold of the Sopranos ending, where nothing was really determined. But if you watched Talking Bad (the show after Breaking Bad), Gilligan made it clear that he didn't want that kind of an ending for his show.

Personally, I enjoyed the ending because it presented both Heisenberg and Walt in their elements. Walt was able to become the family man he always wanted to be, and Heisenberg dominated those who pushed back at him or underestimated his abilities. I was really worried with the notion that Walt was going to storm the Nazis carrying the gun, so it was great that his intelligence provided him with the vehicle (no pun intended) to administer his wrath and retribution. It's a 60 minute show, there's only so much clever you can fit in without sacrificing loose ends.

Edited September 30, 2013 by downzy