An incredibly cathartic ending. Every element receives proper setup, from Walt poisoning Lydia with ricin, which has been part of the series since early Season 2. To him getting Elliot and Gretchen to give Walt Jr. the money, an idea he inferably got the inspiration for from Mike.
The scene where Jesse points the gun at Walt only to realize Walt has already been shot is excellent. No words need to be said, and no sad music needs to be played; this scene is subtle and carries significance, and you can easily understand how Jesse feels without any dialogue.
There's also the moment when Walt admits to Skylar that he went on his whole crusade because he was "good at it." This moment is particularly of note. We learned in "Fly" about Walt's perfect moment to die, but maintains moral tensions relating to Walter that unfolded in these final seasons. We watch Walter go from wishing he had died recently to, as I saw it, the egotistical pursuit he truly desired. This is not only really good at humanizing Walter but also well handled in how it played out narratively when Walt reveals that he began founding his drug empire to make amends with himself for throwing away his opportunity with Gray Matter; it feels true to his character and only adds to it. Learning Walter's true feelings on the Gray Matter situation feels completely earned because Gray Matter has been a consistent aspect of the show's status quo from the very beginning.
In the end, Walter ends up dying peacefully, and we know that what he initially set out to do, provide for his family, he accomplished with flying colors. Certain elements are left open to interpretation, but this seems solely for subtlety and brevity, as it’s clear how things will likely play out. And Breaking Bad's ending covers a lot of ground in a relatively short period, but the episode as a whole often lingers. This is because it’s an intricately constructed episode where the show can heavily rely on the actors' performances. This allows the conclusion not to feel rushed. Ozymandias is the series' climax, and Felina and Granite Slate are the resolutions. And these final two episodes serve to wrap up the series quite well. (And on a side note, while I found it unnecessary, I still enjoyed El Camino.)
While this isn’t my favorite finale, as there are others I’ve found more compelling. I think Breaking Bad's conclusion is cathartic, and its drama is impressively plotted.
However, I feel some may have ambivalence towards it because they find it cloying. This would be mainly because Season 5 is where the viewer will likely begin to start rooting against Walter but still root for his family. So Walt dying, the contrived machine gun sequence that leads to his death, and Walt's family getting the money could be considered a saccharine ending that plays it safe. However, they kill off Hank, and the core of this episode's tensions is Jesse's fate (where Walt ultimately decides to save him), and the conclusion for Jesse and Skylar is still bittersweet. So, I found it a cathartic ending that’s hardly cloying.
Review by IDKVIP 3BlockedParentSpoilers2022-05-01T06:01:08Z— updated 2024-03-25T03:22:27Z
An incredibly cathartic ending. Every element receives proper setup, from Walt poisoning Lydia with ricin, which has been part of the series since early Season 2. To him getting Elliot and Gretchen to give Walt Jr. the money, an idea he inferably got the inspiration for from Mike.
The scene where Jesse points the gun at Walt only to realize Walt has already been shot is excellent. No words need to be said, and no sad music needs to be played; this scene is subtle and carries significance, and you can easily understand how Jesse feels without any dialogue.
There's also the moment when Walt admits to Skylar that he went on his whole crusade because he was "good at it." This moment is particularly of note. We learned in "Fly" about Walt's perfect moment to die, but maintains moral tensions relating to Walter that unfolded in these final seasons. We watch Walter go from wishing he had died recently to, as I saw it, the egotistical pursuit he truly desired. This is not only really good at humanizing Walter but also well handled in how it played out narratively when Walt reveals that he began founding his drug empire to make amends with himself for throwing away his opportunity with Gray Matter; it feels true to his character and only adds to it. Learning Walter's true feelings on the Gray Matter situation feels completely earned because Gray Matter has been a consistent aspect of the show's status quo from the very beginning.
In the end, Walter ends up dying peacefully, and we know that what he initially set out to do, provide for his family, he accomplished with flying colors. Certain elements are left open to interpretation, but this seems solely for subtlety and brevity, as it’s clear how things will likely play out. And Breaking Bad's ending covers a lot of ground in a relatively short period, but the episode as a whole often lingers. This is because it’s an intricately constructed episode where the show can heavily rely on the actors' performances. This allows the conclusion not to feel rushed. Ozymandias is the series' climax, and Felina and Granite Slate are the resolutions. And these final two episodes serve to wrap up the series quite well. (And on a side note, while I found it unnecessary, I still enjoyed El Camino.)
While this isn’t my favorite finale, as there are others I’ve found more compelling. I think Breaking Bad's conclusion is cathartic, and its drama is impressively plotted.
However, I feel some may have ambivalence towards it because they find it cloying. This would be mainly because Season 5 is where the viewer will likely begin to start rooting against Walter but still root for his family. So Walt dying, the contrived machine gun sequence that leads to his death, and Walt's family getting the money could be considered a saccharine ending that plays it safe. However, they kill off Hank, and the core of this episode's tensions is Jesse's fate (where Walt ultimately decides to save him), and the conclusion for Jesse and Skylar is still bittersweet. So, I found it a cathartic ending that’s hardly cloying.