Spoiler alert!
The end is near for one of television’s most beloved shows. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we’ve dreaded – yet anticipated – the final season of AMC’s groundbreaking series “Breaking Bad.” Critics and devoted followers were angered by creator Vince Gilligan’s decision to end the story so suddenly, but eventually all great things must come to an end.
Last season fans were left with a cringeworthy cliffhanger almost impossible to believe. Walter White, a.k.a “Heisenberg,” played by Bryan Cranston, has spent five seasons covering up his meth deals and line of dead bodies from his brother-in-law/D.E.A agent, Hank Schrader, played by Dean Norris.
White, who was previously a chemistry teacher, got into the drug trade of cooking and slinging meth shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. With death on his doorstep, and not wanting to leave his family broke, he decides to get into the meth business where he starts raking in the cash at the cost of his own morality.
In the mid-season finale, White has a moment of carelessness in which key evidence is left unattended. A book that was personally dedicated to White by a former meth cooking partner was left as bathroom reading material. White and his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) had the family over for a get together where Hank discovered the book, nearly giving him a heart attack when he came to realize his findings.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Jesse Pinkman, excellently portrayed by Aaron Paul. Jesse was White’s right-hand man, but it seems that his loyalty has waned as of late. Pinkman, a once careless and hard-headed character, has slipped into a depression while reflecting on the innocent lives taken during the duo’s rise to the top. In the first episode back, we witness this depression worsen and it eventually lands Pinkman in custody due to his reckless behavior.
A tense scene in the form of a showdown takes place when Hank confronts White about his illegal business venture. The episode ends with a shuddering stare-off between the two in which White threateningly ends the conversation by saying, “If you don’t know who I am, then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.” Heisenberg has spoken and it is crystal clear that neither he nor Hank will go down without a fight.
Over the years “Breaking Bad” has become one of the most popular shows on television. It has won numerous Emmy awards for its writing and acting, boosting its competition amongst fellow AMC mates “Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead.” So why end such a highly acclaimed show? In a recent interview with “Raw Story” by John Plunkett, Gilligan explains that he knew the end was near in the fourth season after White had defeated his deadliest foe, Gustavo Fring.
“As much as anything it was realizing that Walter White had reached a high point and how long can anyone stay at the top?” Gilligan said. “That is always a good question, in fiction and in real life.”
Though it will be sad to see the series end, Gilligan has made a masterpiece that will live on in the hearts of its followers.
