It’s hard to believe one of the greatest shows on television has just come to an end.
I’ll miss “Breaking Bad,” even though it has given me high blood pressure and crippling anxiety. But most of all, I’ll thank it for taking me on this emotionally exhausting ride through hell and back.
Let’s dig into that finale. (And _don’t_ read this if you don’t want any spoilers. I gave you fair warning.)
I was expecting utter suspense from “Felina.” I thought I’d be biting my nails in anticipation and hyperventilating during the commercial breaks. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a slow burn.
First, Walt tracks down his ex-business partners, Gretchen and Elliot. He doesn’t gun them down (like everyone in the world thought he would), but instead forces them to launder his drug money to ensure it gets to his family. Just another reminder that this show never fails to surprise us.
This is also where we get one last glimpse of Skinny Pete and Badger. Side note: maybe Vince Gilligan should ditch his Saul spinoff and instead make one dedicated to Badger and Skinny Pete. Think about it: they could discuss “Star Trek” theories all day. No? Okay.
Next, we finally learn who the ricin was for: Lydia. She was the most logical choice. I mean, she’s the only one with a signature beverage. Pass the Stevia, please!
Walt then meets up with Skyler for a “proper goodbye.” In these last fleeting moments with his family, we see that Heisenberg was always first a desperate man trying to do right by his wife and children.
Okay, so I shed one tear for Walt. That’s perfectly justified. Another side note: one of my favorite tweets of the night was Hoodie Allen’s [tweet](https://twitter.com/HoodieAllen/status/384496202248880128) about Walt Jr.’s outfit: “Flynn wears army pants and Timberlands. So I’ll wear army pants and Timberlands.”
Then the showdown begins. At the Nazi compound, Walt attacks Jesse by tackling him to the ground. In reality, he’s saving him from the machine gun invention he’s built in the trunk of his car, which fires off bullets and mows down the Nazis.
Everyone dies except for Todd. Of course, this is just so we can see Jesse strangle the life out of him. No one kills his girlfriend and gets away with it, bitch!
Walt slides a gun to Jesse. “Do it,” he says. “I want this.” In utter spite of everything Walt has done, Jesse says, “Then do it yourself.”
Jesse rides off into the sunset after that, and by then, I’m crying of happiness.
We learn that Walt took a bullet to the stomach, and it’s then that we know he’s going to die. Before the police come, he walks through the Nazi’s meth lab, fondly admiring the equipment and the science of it all.
It’s there, in the middle of a meth lab, that Walt dies. Executive producer, Vince Gilligan.
It was no “Ozymandias,” which is arguably one of the best episodes of television. Ever. But “Felina” delivered a definitive, satisfying ending.
I especially liked how Walt finally admitted that he actually enjoyed his entire journey. “I did it for me,” he says. “I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really… I was alive.” So it wasn’t all for his family, like his original motto claimed. It was for him.
No matter the cost, Walt believes his actions led to the greatest outcome of all: reputation. He’ll always be remembered as Heisenberg: the meth cook, the monster, the legend.
He dies happily, smiling even, in a kind of place he’s come to love. The final frame of “Breaking Bad” is Walt spread-eagle on the ground. He doesn’t have his family, his money or even his life, but he’s finally at peace. It was the happiest ending a show this dark could have possibly concluded with.
Maybe I’m slightly relieved that the emotional turmoil has come to an end, but a more unimaginable turmoil is the end of “Breaking Bad.”
It’s been a great five seasons, but sadly, that’s the end. Bitch.