ARTICLE / LONG READCUT TO [END]
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HECTIC heated and heart-wrenching are all words associated with BREAKING BAD's spectacular series finale. Fans eagerly anticipated the inevitable conclusion of Walter White’s (Brian Cranston) story since the very moment he first decided to break bad. As audiences reacted to the series in an explosive way that caused them to continue to return every week, certain questions began to arise. Would Walt finally admit to his selfish nature and power-driven ways? Would Jesse (Aaron Paul) escape from the far-reaching shadow of his now much despised mentor? No question is left unanswered as the series finale – “Felina” – provides a truly conclusive and satisfying ending to Walter and Jesse’s saga.
Jesse’s story concludes in a bittersweet way when Walt guns down the neo-Nazis that have been holding Jesse captive like an animal, allowing Jesse a brief window of opportunity to strangle the life out of man who murdered his girlfriend. Jesse then turns his gun on Walt and is given permission to end his existence. Jesse refuses, noticing that Walt has already been shot and he realises that, by killing Walt, he is giving him what he wants. Instead, he speeds away, free from being used by him ever again. The primal scream he gives as he drives into an uncertain future is as if he does not quite believe that he survived at all. The finale also concludes the long-standing rivalry between Walt and Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz (Jessica Hecht and Adam Godley) – his ex-partners and co-owners of Gray Matter Technologies – with a solution to another problem. Walt’s family are adamant about not taking his criminal money after his crimes are exposed. Walt’s solution is to use his reputation to terrify Gretchen and Elliott into gifting the money to his family. True conclusive satisfaction comes in a twisted way when Walt finally admits how his actions were for himself and not for his family. We are rewarded with a truthful moment we envisioned ever since Walt got his very first kick for power like a junkie desiring blue meth. His final farewell to his infant daughter is one of the most emotionally devastating scenes in the entire show; he cannot be a part of her life and she most likely will grow up hearing about how evil her father was. All this is conveyed without a word, which is testament to series showrunner and episode director Vince Gilligan's masterful visual storytelling. Even the way the episode is shot feels conclusive in a way that reflects the plot. Bright lights shine through windows during most scenes to reflect the coming darkness that will be Walt’s death. It is almost as if he has truly embraced his Heisenberg persona because he now accomplishes more with his legend that he gradually accumulated over the course of the series than he ever would as Walter White. The final image that will forever be ingrained in the minds of BREAKING BAD fans is of Walt, a man who is, after all this time, at peace with himself and his actions. He may not have been redeemed in the audience’s eyes by the end of the finale, and rightly so, but he did accomplish what he set out to do. He proved he was not insignificant and that his cancer would not be his end. He also proved that everyone who ever doubted his potential to take control were devastatingly wrong. As “Baby Blue” by Badfinger plays the final episode out and the camera soars above the remains of Walt’s empire, we cannot help but reflect on our time spent with the show. As chemistry is ultimately about change, BREAKING BAD is also about change, especially when it comes down to its many wonderfully realised characters. But despite Gilligan’s early promise that he would turn Mr Chips into Scarface, we cannot help but feel nostalgia for everything Walt and Jesse experienced together. So, we watch the show again with the knowledge of how it all ends. More end >>> |
