Breaking Bad

[ernie]

I'm confused how a series that had such a well written story that the loose ends really could be tied up in the final episode is anything short of fantastic. Was the basic ending telegraphed? Certainly, but it should be if the writing has been strong and it isn't some sort of mystery coming to a close. There shouldn't be any surprises outside of how each one of the things is actually going to play out.

You knew Grey matter was going to be dealt with in some manner. The question was how.

You knew there would be a final goodbye between Walt and Skyler. The question was how that would happen and what would be said.

You knew the supremacists and Todd were going to be wiped out. The question was how.

You knew the ricin was going to be used. The question was how and on who.

You knew the last two characters to interact were going to be Jesse and Walt. The question was on what would be said and what would happen.

You knew Walt was going to die. The question was how and how was he going to spend his last minutes.

There were no huge surprises and in this type of show there shouldn't have been. There was no rush and no need to rush. There was only a small surprise here and there as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place with a satisfying click.

[woob]

Originally Posted by Brannigans Law

The ending was true to the story arc, characters, and was executed with perfection.

Exactly. With this ending, we we're reminded about who Walt really is. He's Heisenberg - the ego fuelled, meth making "gangster". But more importantly, through it all - the ego, the money, the blue, the killings, all of it - Walt is still a strong family guy and a passionate and intelligent chemist.

He finally admitted that his number one driver of the past two years was about him. "I liked it. I was good at it." But driver 2, or even 1b, has always been about his family. Even though Walter's Heisenberg lost sight of 1b lots of times, Walt ALWAYS came back to that in his own obsessed way.

And so that's why this ending couldn't have been any other way, really. It had all the elements of Walter/Heisenberg combined and was executed the way Walter/Heisenberg would have done it. Guaranteed if there had been some Sixth Sense kind of ending or some action movie kind of explosive grand finale, that there'd be far more of a fan uproar than this ending.

[WilderPegasus]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I don't get the people calling this predictable. Yes, the end game was predictable, but how it played out was not. I was still left wondering what the next step was and that is what Breaking Bad was all about. It would be impossible to keep that in the last scene of the series without pissing off a lot of people.

People are confusing logical with predictable. It all made sense in how it played out. Things weren't done to shock the viewers. They were done because that's what made for the story.

And it was a terrific performance by Bryan Cranston in how he played Walt as someone who had transformed once again through his isolation.

[something]

Originally Posted by ernie

I'm confused how a series that had such a well written story that the loose ends really could be tied up in the final episode is anything short of fantastic. Was the basic ending telegraphed? Certainly, but it should be if the writing has been strong and it isn't some sort of mystery coming to a close. There shouldn't be any surprises outside of how each one of the things is actually going to play out.

You knew Grey matter was going to be dealt with in some manner. The question was how.

You knew there would be a final goodbye between Walt and Skyler. The question was how that would happen and what would be said.

You knew the supremacists and Todd were going to be wiped out. The question was how.

You knew the ricin was going to be used. The question was how and on who.

You knew the last two characters to interact were going to be Jesse and Walt. The question was on what would be said and what would happen.

You knew Walt was going to die. The question was how and how was he going to spend his last minutes.

There were no huge surprises and in this type of show there shouldn't have been. There was no rush and no need to rush. There was only a small surprise here and there as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place with a satisfying click.

Absolutely. I appreciate this post.

We all had a good sense of what the outcome would be, but for me, it did not make it any less riveting or emotional. It was a "predictable surprise".

I find it interesting how many people believe that because the outcome was predictable that it was therefore poorly written, designed, or played out. I thought there was a lot of nuance to the dialogue and many allusions to previous episodes that left me feeling both utterly satisfied and saddened by the end of the episode.

For the remaining characters, there is no doubt that the outcome of all this will have some consequences. It is quixotic to believe that "all" the loose ends would be tied up, and that everyone would go on there merry way. However, the most impending dangers that surrounded them have concluded, and they are now in a position to patch up their lives.

I couldn't help but reminisce on the emotional commitment to the show I have given it over the years, and how the end of the series satisfied all that.

[FlamesAddiction]

My favourite part was when Lydia called Todd's phone and Walt answered.

Paraphrasing:

"Is it done?"

"Yes, it's done."

"Who is this?"

"Walt... By the way, are you feeling like you have the flu?"


So cool and calm.

[Bertuzzied]

Thoughts and prayers to everyone!! I might as well cancel my shaw now.

What an awesome ending to the best tv show in history!

hahaha. was i the only one who was super pissed at skylar for smoking with a baby in the house?? beyotch!

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

My favourite part was when Lydia called Todd's phone and Walt answered.

Paraphrasing:

"Is it done?"

"Yes, it's done."

"Who is this?"

"Walt... By the way, are you feeling like you have the flu?"


So cool and calm.

I wished they cut to lydia one more time after he mentioned the ricin. I'll buy the bluray if it's in the deleted scenes!

[Bertuzzied]

Wow. this stat is almost unheard of. I hope AMC wakes up and renews Breaking Bad for another year......... sniff sniff

The series finale of "Breaking Bad" Sunday (Sept. 29) delivered the show's best ratings ever, which is not a surprise. The degree to which it surpassed its previous best, though, is pretty remarkable.
AMC says 10.3 million viewers tuned in to the 75-minute finale on Sunday. The previous high for the show was 6.6 million for the previous week's episode, meaning the finale topped the prior record by a margin of more than 50 percent. Just the number of adults 18-49 tuning in, 6.7 million, beat the old record for the whole audience.

http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2013/09/30/21161541.html

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Red

The gun thing was like watching a Transporter movie. Same with Jack getting so upset for being called a lier. Borderline cheesy.

I guess in the end I didn't mind what happened, but how it happened. Not creative at all. Would have preferred Walt offing everyone by ways of some neat chemistry rather than a big gun on a garage opener.

I disagree completely.

It was very tense, as you thought Walt had it all planned out perfectly, but for a few moments you weren't sure if he really was actually going to get his chance to finish them.

So he put his faith in knowing how to press the right buttons. Walt demonstrated the knowledge he gained over the course of the show by being at the top of the heap in a criminal world, where greed and pride take center stage. He understands that Jack now is in that same place. And so he knows he wouldn't take kindly to being labelled partners with Jesse, he would have to at least prove that to Walt. Being the previous king with a reputation calling the new one a phoney, basically. Maybe Jack wouldn't care for someone claiming such a thing, and would just waste him without hesitation, but after learning through Todd's stories and the and fame of Heisenberg doing the rounds for months, he has a certain amount of respect for Walt. And Walt knows this, having dealt with similar situations with Gus, Hank etc and needing to prove his worth to them. So it's not a stretch or cheesy at all I don't think.

And the chemistry tricks have been done several times, at times when there were still parts of Walter White the chem school teacher lingering. He wasn't there to impress anyone, or climb the ladder anymore. He was there to finish business that needed to be dealt with. And I think he wanted to off them in the same manner they offed Hank and Gomez (culminating with a bullet to Jack's head).

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

AMC says 10.3 million viewers tuned in to the 75-minute finale

Here's one of those "what's wrong with humanity" stats... Big Bang Theory from 6:30-7 on Thursday averaged over 20 million viewers.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Acey

Here's one of those "what's wrong with humanity" stats... Big Bang Theory from 6:30-7 on Thursday averaged over 20 million viewers.

Broader appeal and access. I would also wager a guess that a good 1/4 - 1/3 of those viewers weren't nearly as engaged in the program as the audience watching Breaking Bad were.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Slept on it and thought about the ending some more and I guess I found the relatively predictable ending completely unpredictable given Gilligan's ways of shocking us in the past.

So I guess im coming away kinda surprised which is a good thing. My initial reaction was good, not great. I'm thinking that I'm starting to come around to the masses here a little bit more.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

I wished they cut to lydia one more time after he mentioned the ricin. I'll buy the bluray if it's in the deleted scenes!

Didn't they? Or you mean after he hung up the phone and the news sunk in more?

[jschick88]

‘Breaking Bad’ may be over, but fans can still get a lifetime fix of Walt and Jesse through reruns – and by bidding on iconic props, costumes and other gear from the hit AMC series in an online auction through ScreenBid. Bids opened Sunday morning and will be accepted until Oct. 7.

http://nypost.com/2013/09/30/buy-a-p...=SFnewyorkpost

[MrMastodonFarm]

At this point I can't add what hasn't already been said but of all the things I'll miss from this show it might be the beautiful cinematography and the creative choices that were used. It was a beautiful show at times.

[Regulator75]

Brent Rambo also approves.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Acey

Here's one of those "what's wrong with humanity" stats... Big Bang Theory from 6:30-7 on Thursday averaged over 20 million viewers.

AMC isn't as widely available as CBS. That should be fairly obvious.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

AMC isn't as widely available as CBS. That should be fairly obvious.

Yeah, it's obvious; I wrote a paper on TV ratings so I have an idea of how they were. Simply making a quantity =/= quality remark.

[Eastern Girl]

I liked the ending.

They never answered the question of why Skylar smoked while she was pregnant? And Marie's shoplifting? Why was that stuff in the show? Why dammit?

I thought it was clear from the beginning of the episode that Walt was going to die. The show seemed to just have that feel to it, that he was saying goodbyes, not because he was going to kill everyone and then go back on the run, or get arrested and go to prison. He was preparing for his death. It made everything seem that much more poignant and heart wrenching.

I thought at the end he was going to blow up the lab, which would have been a fitting death for him, killed by the science he loved so dearly. I was happy with the way it happened though, him surrounded by the science he loved. The song played was perfect, 'got what I deserved.' Perfect fit.

I liked how for the whole series, Jesse seemed to look at Walt as a father figure and this was the first episode where Walt really lived up to that, by jumping on Jesse.

I liked that Jesse finally freed himself from Walt's manipulation, by not shooting him, which seemed to be what Walt wanted.

I think the scene that broke my heart the most was Walt watching Walt Jr through the windows. I think he really did value his relationship with him and it was heartbreaking that he died knowing his son hated him and he never got to say his goodbyes.

I liked the ending, one of my favourite shows, very satisfying.

"I did it for me. I was good at it. And I was really... I was really alive."

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by Eastern Girl

They never answered the question of why Skylar smoked while she was pregnant? And Marie's shoplifting? Why was that stuff in the show? Why dammit?

Bitches be crazy? Or just random filler.