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[BocoDragon]

Yes, ordered a hit on mike and all of his men. Tried to have Skyler killed. And really she is just a dangerous person. And shutting down blue meth once and for all is reason enough.

Ah I forgot all that. Yes, good point. Perhaps they could have spelled out why Lydia deserves to die nearer the finale, but maybe I just have a crap memory. I've definitely forgotten a lot of seasons 1-5pt.1

 

[zkylon]

I am so emotional right now I want to start my own OP. I don't know if anyone will read this or understand where I'm coming from but here goes: the Breaking Bad ending was my personal Sopranos ending.

Sopranos got a lot of flack with the way it ended. Everyone wanted to see Tony get what was coming to him, the show runners didn't give it to them, and so on. I loved the Sopranos ending the way it happened. I knew instantly what its ending meant and while I may have preferred a better ending even with the

Spoiler

entire family executed

I was totally content with how it ended. I hated Tony and yet I still found myself loving the ending.

With Breaking Bad I also hated basically every character, I mean, I really couldn't stand their life choices and their behavior.

Yet this ending made me completely and utterly change course, and I still hated it.

Fucking spoilers:

Spoiler

For one, Walt never truly recanted, or admitted it was about him. He required his wife to prompt his admission that it wasn't about him. She said basically "If you say it's about family one more time..." and he said it wasn't. Score +1 against Walt. He said what she wanted him to say! Fuck! Then with Jesse, he says "Tell me you want me to shoot you," and again, he does! Both times it was about telling the other person what HE, what WALT wanted. It was an entirely fucking bullshit thing. Then he follows Jesse out and speaks loudly on the phone about Lydia. There's no need for that, he could've sat in his juices and died out right fucking there.

But no, he had to, once again, prove he won something. While it was a relief to Jesse, it was in fact no win for his own redemption, he did it for himself. One more "I AM GOD" type of thing. His ego at that moment, you can even see it on his face, it was drenching. And of course, the entire show, from start to end, ends with Walt being fucking sentimental about his "business." About a man showing no regret, about a man showing no compassion, about a man who truly went from a nice guy to the evil incarnate. Patting one of the meth dyrers and just in awe of himself.

To me, the ending was my Sopranos. I hate it. Except, unlike those who hated the Sopranos ending, I can see it for what it was. A truly brilliant piece about a man whose ego grew so big he died with a fucking smile on his face.

isn't that kind of the point? it's not that he didn't it all for his family, it's that he did it for himself more.

in the end, he ends up saying what everyone wants to hear and crafts his final master plan that makes it wasn't all for nothing. his money doesn't go to waste but he has to compromise and his family won't know where it came from, leaving him only as a "half-hero".

walt's beyond redemption, he just remembered way too late who was doing it all for.

 

[Wilbur]

Was Skinny Pete and Badger being the greatest hitmen in the world ever hinted at before this episode? It seemed like it came out of nowhere.

Just cracked up laughing in a sandwich shop

I'm reading on. If this isn't confirmed as a joke post then I'm going to slip ricin in my ciabatta

 

[joshcryer]

isn't that kind of the point? it's not that he didn't it all for his family, it's that he did it for himself more.

in the end, he ends up saying what everyone wants to hear and crafts his final master plan that makes it wasn't all for nothing. his money doesn't go to waste but he has to compromise and his family won't know where it came from, leaving him only as a "half-hero".

walt's beyond redemption, he just remembered way too late who was doing it all for.

I hope that's the point. I'll wait to see what Vince felt about how he intended it to end. But I think a lot of people are missing this overall dynamic. I may just not be getting it. In the end I wanted to either see punishment or true redemption. By saying he remembered who he was doing it for suggests to me you think he actually cared. I think he was a sociopath until the end. That's the point of my post.

 

[theaface]

I thought it was an excellent and fitting finale. Sure, it played out in fairly predictable fashion, but it's the sign of a confident writing time that they stuck with the right ending, rather than throwing in unnecessary curveballs and ambiguity for the sake of it.

Favourite moment of the final episode was Walt's hand gesture and the appearance of the two red dots on Elliot and Gretchen. The audio cues in that scene were perfection.

Farewall, BB. Having marathoned the show in the last month or so, I feel I knew you all too briefly. Truly one of the greats. Enjoy your seat in in TV heaven alongside The Shield.

 

[NotLiquid]

Wow. I can't believe I actually (somewhat) accurately predicted what was going to happen in the ending - Walt using Gray Matter to funnel money to his family. Granted, I assumed that he'd force them to give Walter their share so the money would actually be legitimate, but man, told you all Gray Matter wasn't just brought up for nothing. And it was worth it for the final Badger and Skinny Pete sendoff.

If there was anything I actually didn't like about the finale... It was Walter giving up his body. It was a powerful scene and I loved how Walter got to die with his work, but I still maintain that the best course of action would be just not showing his death on-screen. In fact, doesn't that create a huge plot hole in his "give the money to my family" plan? Once news gets out that Walter kicked the bucket, they could possibly assume that they have nothing left to be scared about, so they'll just turn in the dirty money.

Other than that, an incredibly solid ending to a series. I loved it, and it had me on edge. Despite hoping to see more with Jesse and Walter... I'm glad Jesse got away, and perhaps the point was accurately made - they really don't have anything to say to one another.

 

[7he Talon]

Is the 'Breaking Bad - Complete Series' (Barrel one) region free? As in can I buy the boxset of Amazon and watch it on an Australian player?

 

[Omikaru]

Just finished. That was a perfect ending. I don't think I could've wanted Breaking Bad to end any other way. So good. So fucking good.

A real TV masterpiece.

 

[blitzcloud]

Good finale, but I didn't like Jack shoving Jesse in front of Walt. Seemed awfully forced.

"Jesse is cooking for you"
"WHAT? TODD BRING JESSE IN HERE WALT NEEDS TO LOOK AT JESSE"

it was about the "partner" word. It made jack feel like he was being insulted by partnering with a rat.

 

[PedroPanache]

Just cracked up laughing in a sandwich shop

I'm reading on. If this isn't confirmed as a joke post then I'm going to slip ricin in my ciabatta

I was amazed how steady their aim was with those laser pointers. Can't be easy for two cranked up meth addicts to keep their aim that true.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

The finale was predictable because of the flash forwards early in the season. Without the shots of him getting the gun and the ricin a lot of the predictability would have been minimized. Not sure why the writers decided to have those shots early in the season.

 

[bodyboarder]

After the dismal dexter finale this was sheer perfection.

 

[blitzcloud]

The finale was predictable because of the flash forwards early in the season. Without the shots of him getting the gun and the ricin a lot of the predictability would have been minimized. Not sure why the writers decided to have those shots early in the season.

Yes, i'm sure you thought about an automated machinegun to kill the entire room because of a scene that contains the purchase of said gun.

Predictable as in "Walt's gonna kill someone"? Yes. But at that point, we didn't even know who that would be because there was no nazi problem.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

After the dismal dexter finale this was sheer perfection.

The one thing the Dexter finale had BB beat was the humor. Sure, it wasn't intentional but I was cracking up during the final episode.

 

[Robot Pants]

I am so emotional right now I want to start my own OP. I don't know if anyone will read this or understand where I'm coming from but here goes: the Breaking Bad ending was my personal Sopranos ending.

Sopranos got a lot of flack with the way it ended. Everyone wanted to see Tony get what was coming to him, the show runners didn't give it to them, and so on. I loved the Sopranos ending the way it happened. I knew instantly what its ending meant and while I may have preferred a better ending even with the

Spoiler

entire family executed

I was totally content with how it ended. I hated Tony and yet I still found myself loving the ending.

With Breaking Bad I also hated basically every character, I mean, I really couldn't stand their life choices and their behavior.

Yet this ending made me completely and utterly change course, and I still hated it.

Fucking spoilers:

Spoiler

For one, Walt never truly recanted, or admitted it was about him. He required his wife to prompt his admission that it wasn't about him. She said basically "If you say it's about family one more time..." and he said it wasn't. Score +1 against Walt. He said what she wanted him to say! Fuck! Then with Jesse, he says "Tell me you want me to shoot you," and again, he does! Both times it was about telling the other person what HE, what WALT wanted. It was an entirely fucking bullshit thing. Then he follows Jesse out and speaks loudly on the phone about Lydia. There's no need for that, he could've sat in his juices and died out right fucking there.

But no, he had to, once again, prove he won something. While it was a relief to Jesse, it was in fact no win for his own redemption, he did it for himself. One more "I AM GOD" type of thing. His ego at that moment, you can even see it on his face, it was drenching. And of course, the entire show, from start to end, ends with Walt being fucking sentimental about his "business." About a man showing no regret, about a man showing no compassion, about a man who truly went from a nice guy to the evil incarnate. Patting one of the meth dyrers and just in awe of himself.

To me, the ending was my Sopranos. I hate it. Except, unlike those who hated the Sopranos ending, I can see it for what it was. A truly brilliant piece about a man whose ego grew so big he died with a fucking smile on his face.

Walt deserved his ego. He accomplished an astounding amount of things.
He even ended everything he started on his own terms. That deserves at least a self pat on the back.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Was Skinny Pete and Badger being the greatest hitmen in the world ever hinted at before this episode? It seemed like it came out of nowhere.

YES!

 

[gotoadgo]

If there was anything I actually didn't like about the finale... It was Walter giving up his body. It was a powerful scene and I loved how Walter got to die with his work, but I still maintain that the best course of action would be just not showing his death on-screen. In fact, doesn't that create a huge plot hole in his "give the money to my family" plan? Once news gets out that Walter kicked the bucket, they could possibly assume that they have nothing left to be scared about, so they'll just turn in the dirty money.

Walter was never the threat to them though, the 'hitmen' were. They may know Walt is dead but they still think people are watching them to make sure Walt Jr receives the money. Walt dying changes nothing.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

Yes, i'm sure you thought about an automated machinegun to kill the entire room because of a scene that contains the purchase of said gun.

Predictable as in "Walt's gonna kill someone"? Yes. But at that point, we didn't even know who that would be because there was no nazi problem.

Yeah, hence why people are saying this episode was predictable. Little clues throughout the season made it so. And the two big moments were the scenes with the ricin and the gun

 

[metalslimer]

The thing about the flashforwards though is that while I didn't hate them, I don't feel they really served a purpose besides creating an ending point. At least these payed off though unlike that horrible plane crash.

 

[eLGee]

Is the 'Breaking Bad - Complete Series' (Barrel one) region free? As in can I buy the boxset of Amazon and watch it on an Australian player?

I doubt it. The previous seasons are all region locked.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Interesting reading how many folks really liked season 5. It was great at times, but far too uneven - possibly because it was so long - compared to previous seasons. Sure, the show was pure pulp and occasionally silly and outlandish, but for me almost the entire first half of season 5 was pure Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote. Todd and the Gang were Henchmen of the Week given top billing because Gus had to go too soon, and were never as compelling. The last half of season 5 will always have a place in my heart for at least getting the show wrapped up well before they could do any more damage.

 

[140.85]

That is all absolutely spot-on.

It really is. My favorite write-up so far.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

When Walt was accusing Jack of partnering with Jesse, did Walt know that wasn't the case? Did he know Jesse was being held against his will?

 

[joshcryer]

Walt deserved his ego. He accomplished an astounding amount of things.

He even ended everything he started on his own terms. That deserves at least a self pat on the back.

Fair enough, doesn't mean I have to like Walt.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

In a moral sense.. Did Lydia deserve to die? I can't remember her actually doing bad (meth dealing aside). But it's been awhile since I saw season 5 part 1.

Yea.

 

[RocketSurgeryTV]

Yes, i'm sure you thought about an automated machinegun to kill the entire room because of a scene that contains the purchase of said gun.

Predictable as in "Walt's gonna kill someone"? Yes. But at that point, we didn't even know who that would be because there was no nazi problem.

I agree that was completely unpredictable. I think the closest I saw someone come was that they suggested in Walt's weakened condition, he would need assistance using the M60.

 

[GavinGT]

When Walt was accusing Jack of partnering with Jesse, did Walt know that wasn't the case? Did he know Jesse was being held against his will?

I think he could have pieced it together:

- he knew Jesse was no longer interested in money
- he knew Jesse was still cooking because blue meth was still around
- Badger and Skinny Pete told him they thought Jesse was in Alaska

But the whole "diving onto Jesse" thing could have just as easily been improvised.

 

[Benzychenz]

In fact, doesn't that create a huge plot hole in his "give the money to my family" plan? Once news gets out that Walter kicked the bucket, they could possibly assume that they have nothing left to be scared about, so they'll just turn in the dirty money.

He said something along the lines of "Even if I die tomorrow, they won't go anywhere", talking about the hitmen.

 

[Wes]

I haven't enjoyed this show as much as others have. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine show, one of the best of recent years, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

That said, I really enjoyed the finale. Tied up everything in a nice little bow for me. Great acting, great writing and brilliant camerawork.

I absolutely adore this shot.

On the left, all the finery that Walt never got to have. A fancy, upscale kitchen - all the finery that money can bring.
On the right, a sofa, a dining table and most importantly the display of pictures. All things implying the connection to family that Walt cherished most.

Unfortunately for Walt he never got to experience both at the same time. When he did, he did it illegally (here, after breaking and entering).

 

[Robot Pants]

Fair enough, doesn't mean I have to like Walt.

No definitely not, but his God complex during the phone call with Lydia and similar instances are deserved in my opinion. Especially at the end of your life. At that point nothing matters more than being happy with what you've accomplished during your time on earth.

 

[zkylon]

I hope that's the point. I'll wait to see what Vince felt about how he intended it to end. But I think a lot of people are missing this overall dynamic. I may just not be getting it. In the end I wanted to either see punishment or true redemption. By saying he remembered who he was doing it for suggests to me you think he actually cared. I think he was a sociopath until the end. That's the point of my post.

I don't really think he was a sociopath, I think kind of the point of the show is that anyone can break bad given the right (wrong) circumstances.

cooking meth filled some pretty big emotional holes of walter white, of him feeling underappreciated, belittled, worthless, etc. and pushed the rotten parts of his personality to the point he became a monster.

being cornered with his more-than-ever-imminent-death, heinsenberg has like a brief moment of clarity, and as walter white devises this plan to make this as a sort of redemption, to swallow his pride, his family gets the money, he doesn't get the recognition for it he feels he deserves and he just dies, that's the last thing he can do.

but really there's no going back to being walter white, he's too fucked up, he looks at the lab fondly, calls lydia to bloat and makes absolute sure his money doesn't go to waste (even though he let 70m go) because heisenberg is still king, and whatever redemption he can provide is only half-true. he has to make sure he "won"

I think that makes him a lot more interesting than him being full-on psycho

 

[NotLiquid]

Walter was never the threat to them though, the 'hitmen' were. They may know Walt is dead but they still think people are watching them to make sure Walt Jr receives the money. Walt dying changes nothing.

He said something along the lines of "Even if I die tomorrow, they won't go anywhere", talking about the hitmen.

Ah right. I must have missed that detail.

The thing about the flashforwards though is that while I didn't hate them, I don't feel they really served a purpose besides creating an ending point. At least these payed off though unlike that horrible plane crash.

Let's also not forget that it managed to clear some filler time from the final episode. Unless we got to see Walter obtaining his M60 or the Ricin earlier, they'd be hurting for time, and I assume they didn't know at the time whether or not the last two episodes could've gotten an extended running time.

 

[RocketSurgeryTV]

When Walt was accusing Jack of partnering with Jesse, did Walt know that wasn't the case? Did he know Jesse was being held against his will?

Well, it could have been that Walt didn't know that because of what Vince said in the behind the scenes video of Felina. That up until the point that Walt saw Jesse, he was going to kill Jesse as well.

EDIT: Here's the video in question.

Or possibly it was Walt manipulating Jack, playing on his pride.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

I think he could have pieced it together:

- he knew Jesse was no longer interested in money
- he knew Jesse was still cooking because blue meth was still around
- Badger and Skinny Pete told him they thought Jesse was in Alaska

But the whole "diving onto Jesse" thing could have just as easily been improvised.

I was thinking the same thing. Walt knew Jesse was being held against his will so why then did he accuse Jack of partnering with him? To get Jack to bring Jesse into the room? Was Walt going to try and have him killed too and had a change of mind at the last moment?

If Walt wanted to save him why didn't he just have the gun kill everyone else and then go find and rescue Jesse?

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

I haven't enjoyed this show as much as others have. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine show, one of the best of recent years, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

That said, I really enjoyed the finale. Tied up everything in a nice little bow for me. Great acting, great writing and brilliant camerawork.

I absolutely adore this shot.

On the left, all the finery that Walt never got to have. An empty foreground emphasising the fancy, upscale kitchen - all the finery that money can bring.
On the right, a sofa, a dining table and most importantly the display of pictures. All things implying the connection to family that Walt cherished most.

Unfortunately for Walt he never got to experience both at the same time. When he did, he did it illegally (here, after breaking and entering).

I will always remember this show for the acting and for shots like this. I take issue with the idea that it's the best show even in the last 10 years, but it's undeniably some of the best crafted storytelling ever on TV.

 

[7he Talon]

I doubt it. The previous seasons are all region locked.

Says '"All Regions" under product details on Amazon. But it also says it's NTSC format.

 

[BocoDragon]

I don't really think he was a sociopath, I think kind of the point of the show is that anyone can break bad given the right (wrong) circumstances.

cooking meth filled some pretty big emotional holes of walter white, of him feeling underappreciated, belittled, worthless, etc. and pushed the rotten parts of his personality to the point he became a monster.

being cornered with his more-than-ever-imminent-death, heinsenberg has like a brief moment of clarity, and as walter white devises this plan to make this as a sort of redemption, to swallow his pride, his family gets the money, he doesn't get the recognition for it he feels he deserves and he just dies, that's the last thing he can do.

but really there's no going back to being walter white, he's too fucked up, he looks at the lab fondly, calls lydia to bloat and makes absolute sure his money doesn't go to waste (even though he let 70m go) because heisenberg is still king, and whatever redemption he can provide is only half-true. he has to make sure he "won"

I think that makes him a lot more interesting than him being full-on psycho

Walt's not a sociopath, and I think those who imply he was have missed ample clues of his care for family, Jesse, etc.

Todd, on the other hand...

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Interesting reading how many folks really liked season 5. It was great at times, but far too uneven - possibly because it was so long - compared to previous seasons. Sure, the show was pure pulp and occasionally silly and outlandish, but for me almost the entire first half of season 5 was pure Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote. Todd and the Gang were Henchmen of the Week given top billing because Gus had to go too soon, and were never as compelling. The last half of season 5 will always have a place in my heart for at least getting the show wrapped up well before they could do any more damage.

I agree with most of this. I really liked it, don't get me wrong, but I felt like 5A, in particular, diluted the characters a little bit.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

I was thinking the same thing. Walt knew Jesse was being held against his will so why then did he accuse Jack of partnering with him? To get Jack to bring Jesse into the room? Was Walt going to try and have him killed too and had a change of mind at the last moment?

If Walt wanted to save him why didn't he just have the gun kill everyone else and then go find and rescue Jesse?

Yea, I didn't think this was the case, but he originally planned on killing Jesse till he saw him and his situation. I went into this episode thinking his intentions were always to kill the nazi's and save Jesse.

 

[Robot Pants]

I was thinking the same thing. Walt knew Jesse was being held against his will so why then did he accuse Jack of partnering with him? To get Jack to bring Jesse into the room? Was Walt going to try and have him killed too and had a change of mind at the last moment?

If Walt wanted to save him why didn't he just have the gun kill everyone else and then go find and rescue Jesse?

He didn't know. He figured they had partnered up.
He probably had every intention of killing the nazis and then Jesse. Until he saw him.

They talked about this is Talking Bad. Once Walt saw what had become of Jesse, he felt sorry for him and perhaps reflected on earlier times and all the things the two of them went through together, and had change of heart.
After he had been shot, and was going to die anyway, he gave Jesse the gun for Jesse's peace of mind, figuring Jesse wanted to kill him.
If it wasn't for the gunshot wound I'm not sure what Walt woukd have said or done, but he wouldn't have acted the same way.

 

[GavinGT]

I was thinking the same thing. Walt knew Jesse was being held against his will so why then did he accuse Jack of partnering with him? To get Jack to bring Jesse into the room? Was Walt going to try and have him killed too and had a change of mind at the last moment?

If Walt wanted to save him why didn't he just have the gun kill everyone else and then go find and rescue Jesse?

Considering that, I guess we have to assume he didn't know Jesse was being held prisoner. And, for whatever reason, he no longer wanted Jesse dead (I guess he had plenty of time to change his mind).

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I was thinking the same thing. Walt knew Jesse was being held against his will so why then did he accuse Jack of partnering with him? To get Jack to bring Jesse into the room? Was Walt going to try and have him killed too and had a change of mind at the last moment?

If Walt wanted to save him why didn't he just have the gun kill everyone else and then go find and rescue Jesse?

He accused him of partnering with Jesse to buy time because he was about to get capped in the head and he couldn't get to his car keys.

 

[eLGee]

Says '"All Regions" under product details on Amazon. But it also says it's NTSC format.

Amazon never were the most reliable source when it comes to region coding info. Nevertheless, we'll know for sure once the barrel is released.

 

[amnesiac]

Can't wait to go through the whole series again...

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

He didn't know. He figured they had partnered up.
He probably had every intention of killing the nazis and then Jesse. Until he saw him.

They talked about this is Talking Bad. Once Walt saw what had become of Jesse, he felt sorry for him and perhaps reflected on earlier times and all the things the two of them went through together, and had change of heart.
After he had been shot, and was going to die anyway, he gave Jesse the gun for Jesse's peace of mind, figuring Jesse wanted to kill him.
If it wasn't for the gunshot wound I'm not sure what Walt woukd have said or done, but he wouldn't have acted the same way.

Okay, I knew I should have watched Talking Bad. That seems out of character for Walt though. Given all the evidence to think that Jesse had partnered up.

 

[Robot Pants]

He accused him of partnering with Jesse to buy time because he was about to get capped in the head and he couldn't get to his car keys.

It wasn't to just buy time. He honestly thought they had partnered up and was mad that Jack didn't keep his part of the deal and kill Jesse.

 

[BocoDragon]

I think Jesse was the primary target originally , the Nazis secondary.

When Walt saw that Jesse had been a slave, the plan changed. Nazis must die. Jesse is spared.

 

[RocketSurgeryTV]

I think Jesse was the primary target originally , the Nazis secondary.

When Walt saw that Jesse had been a slave, the plan changed. Nazis must die. Jesse is spared.

You sure about that? I mean, at the beginning of Granite Slate, he's plotting with Saul how to go kill the Nazis.

 

[120v]

Interesting reading how many folks really liked season 5. It was great at times, but far too uneven - possibly because it was so long - compared to previous seasons. Sure, the show was pure pulp and occasionally silly and outlandish, but for me almost the entire first half of season 5 was pure Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote. Todd and the Gang were Henchmen of the Week given top billing because Gus had to go too soon, and were never as compelling. The last half of season 5 will always have a place in my heart for at least getting the show wrapped up well before they could do any more damage.

i like to think of season 5 as the 'epilogue season'. it's a different beast than the first four. i think the point is everything is supposed to feel after-the-fact, and the nazis are meant to be sort of an afterthought in light of gus' empire. the whole season was supposed to settle the characters' fates, unlike the first four seasons which were the "meat" of the series

 

[TCRS]

Great finale, you could see a lot of it coming but it played out really well and left no loose ends

yep, loved it. I know someone here predicted that Walt will put the ricin in Lydias stevia, good call. That M60 scene was great.

Overall a quiet and befitting ending to a mostly (but not always) great show.