The series finale of Breaking Bad,
“Felina” may have given closure to some, and pissed off others to the point
where they were wondering why they gave their attention to it for five seasons.
Were most of the loose ends tied up? I personally think so. However, my biggest
thought was why Walter White aka “Heisenberg” (his villain name) was able to
control everyone around him up until his last and final seconds before he died.
After being our favorite villain for so long, were we hoping he’d “get his” or
were we hoping he’d come out on top like he had for the majority of the series?
I still don’t think I can answer that question honestly. Part of me is quietly
cheering for him deep down that he got to basically say f*** you to all of the
people who took advantage of him in the past, including Elliot Schwartz. The
other part of me is angry that overall, the high school chemistry teacher-turned-devil
got to decide everyone’s fate. After all of his selfish actions and heartless
decisions, it doesn’t seem like karma really set in and saved the day. Yes, he
died. However, I think he was ready to die. He controlled his world for so
long, made an outrageous amount of money, rebelled, and most of all- got to
feel alive, which is what he had been waiting for since Elliot stole his
success many years ago. Some might think it was noble of him to give Jesse the
“permission” to kill him, while pretty much inferring “it’s the least I could
do.” But let’s be honest- the only noble thing Walter White did in the end was
go back to set Jesse free. Now, back to him giving Jesse the option to kill
him…this could be a huge reason why Jesse walked away. After arranging for him
to be killed by the Nazi brothers and dragging him down with him for so long
after he was willing, Jesse probably wanted to kill Walt with his bare hands. But
Jesse’s heart exceeded the size of Walter’s heart and brain combined. I think
he walked away because he was tired. He wanted nothing to do with the disaster
ever again.
In
terms of Walt’s growth throughout the series, I think his love for himself only
grew. Of course he loved and cared about his family (even though it was blatantly
his own fault that his brother-in-law Hank was shot and killed in the middle of
the desert), but when it came down to it, it was very clear that his ego and
coming out on top of the world took first priority. This was kind of
disappointing. Part of me was hoping for his family to stay together and get
through it, but that would just be completely unrealistic considering the nationwide
manhunt that was currently taking place to find Walt. What kept him going and
kept him pushing himself and everyone else to their limits apparently started
out for his family, as he continually told Skyler, “I’m doing this for our
family!” however, that was more or less what he was telling himself to justify
his inhumane behavior for so long. Skyler was still battling with wanting to
believe that Walt had a good heart, which brings me back to season 4, episode 6
when she’s trying to convince him to go to the police and fix everything, but
his response is not what she was expecting when he says, “I am the danger. A
guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No…I am the one who
knocks!” I think this is the turning point when reality hit Skyler and
convinced her that she married a monster. However, even still after that, he
continually said it was for the family.
Thankfully in “Felina,” which I think we were all hoping for, he finally
admitted to Skyler, “I did it for me. I liked it.” Boom. In that moment, I
think all of us Breaking Bad worshippers sat there stunned. His true colors
finally became clear to all of us who had been wondering what his intentions
really were deep down. His true identity was not Walter White. He was
Heisenberg all along.
I chose to write in the style the third critic I reviewed from the Huffington Post: Maureen Ryan. 712 Words.
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