*Warning* For the few people left who have yet to watch the Breaking Bad finale , spoilers lie ahead.
Endings are always tough, but here it must surely have been infinitely more so given the overwhelming weight of anticipation. And so it was with no little fanfare that the world was greeted with the finale of Breaking Bad last Sunday. A global phenomenon, the fate of Walt, Jesse and co was on the lips of millions around the world.
“I’m sure it’ll make a hell of a story”, says Walt early on knowingly. Rising from cult cable classic to outright global phenomenon in 5 short years thanks to tight ingenious writing, cinematic direction and some truly amazing performances across the board, it never once dropped the ball. So how does the finale hold up?
Well, once again kudos has to be given to Brian Cranston and his towering central performance. In a show full of great acting, his is the crowning glory. One of the best aspects of the show has been in showing the rise and fall of Walter White, almost Shakespearian in its aims and execution. From pitiful bit-player in his own life, to megalomaniac custodian of an empire, to a lonely isolated shell with nothing left but his cancer eating away at him. It’s a hell of a role, and it’s a hell of a performance.
So it’s perhaps a pleasant surprise that he gets out with some sliver of humanity remaining. Redemption is a strong word to use after all his terrible behavior, the murders, destroying his family piece by piece. No, redemption was never on the cards, but he does get something close. A touching final moment with Skylar was loaded with all their intense history, his admittance that all of the Meth, all of the scheming, was done, not for the family, but for him bristled and burned. Likewise his final moment with Walt Jr, wordless and seen from a distance evoked sympathy, despite the knowledge of his crimes.
It’s interesting to note that, after all his misdemeanors, he does achieve his one ultimate goal from way back in the beginning. Setting up his family up with enough money after he dies, giving them a good chance without him. It’s just a shame he had to destroy them all in the process. The most poignant part of it all is that they despise him, some are dead. Everything he loved is broken, and his money is worthless to them now.
Of course the show isn’t entirely perfect. A small lapse in narrative logic creeps in late in the game with the execution of the final scene with Uncle Jack and his neo Nazi posse leaning heavily on the old narrative crux that these men are proud and don’t take kindly to having their motives questioned. Surely just shooting Walt there and then would be far simpler than parading poor Jesse in front of Walt. But then again, it’s the only way to do it. It’s a rare instance of overly transparent writing, Gilligan gamely positioning his chess pieces for the final time with so little time to spare.
It’s a minor blip, though and come the final ten minute stretch, there’s no denying the power of what’s on screen. The culmination of 60+ hours of television, churning its way to its inevitable and satisfying conclusion, the emotion is almost palpable. Almost a guest star in the latter half of this series, it’s good to see Jesse get a an emotional and redemptive pay off. His final moment with Walt, turning the screw on the balance of power and showing that there is goodness in these men. It’s a poignant moment. I just wish he had a bit more to do that stand there looking sad.
But, obviously it was Walt’s final moments on screen that touched the most. Duties fulfilled, money delivered, Walt stumbles into the Meth Lab, his one real love, the place he was happiest, the place where he was king. As ever with Breaking bad, the execution is exquisite, going out with a knowing wink and a swagger.
“I never will forget the special love I had for you, my baby blue”
5/5