We really need to talk about this. Last year my boyfriend and I started Breaking Bad and we watched all the way up to the second to last episode of season 5. I had heard some mixed reviews about the series finale so we put it on hold until last Sunday. I still feel very conflicted over it. Warning: If you haven't watched Breaking Bad, a) who are you and b) this post will contain a lot of spoilers.
The series finale left me feeling very unsatisfied, but also feel like the ending made a lot of sense. However, killing off our beloved Walter White was very unnecessary. Had we just ended on season 4, everything would have been fine and dandy. Then again, I think that was the point of season 5. To me, I felt like seasons 1-4 dealt with Walter's struggles of providing for his family and being able to afford nice things compared to his other friends. During that time Walter was a family man and he was somewhat unsure of his drug business and tried to keep his family out of it. That's what made it so interesting to me. A simple chemistry teacher has this secret life that no one would expect from him. Let's be honest here, Walter White did not appear to be intimidating at all. If you saw him on the streets, you would think he was they typical family man. But as we see him progress, he gets so much cooler. When he shaves his head for the first time, you know things are about to get real.
Season 5 Walter is a completely different character. This is the corrupt Walter. The family man we loved before is gone. I feel like season 5 was all about Walter's internal struggle between what's right and what he actually wants to do. He says it all in the series finale. Everything he has done was for him. It shows just how much this business has corrupted him. He has lost everything and it is all because he wanted the money and he was really good at cooking meth. It doesn't justify the ending, but how he communicates to Skyler and devises this plan to set things right and put an end to it redeems him. Not to mention how awesome his plan was. Only a truly brilliant man like Walter could come up with that neat little gun contraption. I do understand how the show couldn't have ended happily. With that being said, Vince Gilligan, you should have stopped the show at season 4 so I could feel more at peace. I have several complaints. For starters, I wish Walter and his son would have had some resolution. Walter Jr.'s last words to him were "just die already." Well good news, Walt Jr., he does. At one point Walt Jr. looked up to his father which shows when he discovers the truth about Walter. He's angry and upset and in disbelief. Truly heartbreaking. Also, I would have liked to see Jesse and Walter make amends. I get that the whole "I watched Jane die" thing is a set back on their friendship (if you can call it a friendship), but they have been through so much together and it made me sad to see that all come to an end. Plus, Jesse could have showed a little appreciation seeing as Walter saved his life in the end. Now my third and final complaint: what happened after Walter's death? Walter's death broke my heart, but I really want to know what happened to his family after they find out. Were they sad? Did Walt Jr. regret everything he said? What did Jesse do? Did the Schwartz's actually give Walt Jr. the money Walter gave to them? I need answers.
All in all though, Breaking Bad was easily one of the best shows I have ever watched. Even the series finale was iconic. You don't come along very many shows like this one, so it was nice getting to enjoy it. If you haven't watched it yet, they have all the episodes on Netflix and I promise it's binge worthy. Just be warned because I definitely wanted to cry after the series finale. It changes you.
Like you, I wish Breaking Bad would have ended before that last season, but crime is messy. As much as Walter is a likeable character and his reasons for engaging in criminal activity were noble (at least in the beginning), there had to be some justice served. Crime doesn’t pay, right? I was surprised at how easily Skylar adapted to a life of crime - not at first, but once her mind was made up, she took to it like a fish to water.
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