My 6 Favorite Moments from the Breaking Bad Finale

[Spoilers to follow, obviously]

What a satisfying end to a perfect show from start to finish. It may be “too soon”, but I think the strength of the Breaking Bad series finale cements its legacy as the current clubhouse leader for greatest television show of all time.

Vince Gilligan and all of the Breaking Bad writers, directors, cast and crew helped to hit every note we could ask for during the show’s final episodes. Everything was tied up (besides Walt leaving his watch on top of the pay phone, which Gilligan joked about on Talking Bad) and no stone was left unturned.

Here are my five favorite moments from the Breaking Bad series finale:

1. In what was undoubtedly the “coldest” cold open in the show’s run, Walt enters a snow-covered car and fails in his attempt to start it with a screwdriver. In a characteristically brilliant example of directing and editing, we see the reflection of police car lights in the frames of Walt’s glasses, and then a blurred version of the blue and red flashers through the layer of snow on the car’s windows. Yet again, Walt is faced with a moment in which it could all come to an end, decidedly not on his terms, but he is spared via the uncanny luck he’s experienced throughout the show’s run. (The same luck I referred to here, in my incorrect prediction of the ricin’s ultimate recipient.)

2. Which brings us to who the ricin was meant for.

When Lydia stirred that Stevia into her drink, everyone watching realized what was happening. Why? Because of the brilliantly crafted flash-forward that had us anxiously anticipating the revelation of the ricin’s recipient for 8 episodes. Here’s the craziest part: the fact that the writers always had Lydia make a big deal about the Stevia at that restaurant means the framework for this scene was written a long time ago, which means in this time of “make it up as they go” television story arcs and series finales, we were always in good hands. Was there ever any doubt? Speaking of finale episode plot points being planned long ago…

Side note: I don’t think killing Lydia out of spite fits Walt’s M.O. necessarily, I believe he took her out as a precaution- if his plan to wipe out the Nazis failed, he was eliminating their international distributor and thus cutting off the primary source of their operation’s income. The measurement and comparison of meth empire size and lasting legacy does fit Walt’s M.O.

3. Gray Matter.

Let me think out loud here for a moment: I realize that Walt’s experience with Gretchen and Elliot long ago was a big part of the chip on his shoulder. He felt like he got screwed in that deal in more ways than one, and that was a major factor in the whole “the world owes me more” Heisenberg mentality. OR WAIT- was Walt’s background with Gray Matter conceived all the way back in the first season not only to foster his ability to hide the meth money from his family early on, but as a vehicle for him to get it to them 5 seasons later? Think about it: at the end of “Granite State” we all thought Walt was going to hunt the Schwartzes down and mercilessly kill them, which really wouldn’t have fit his M.O. Instead, and in another example of how the show kept us guessing for 5 years solid, he used them as a plausible delivery vehicle for the money his family doesn’t want and legally can’t get. Which brings us to…

4. Badger and Skinny Pete!

When I say Breaking Bad hit every note on its victory lap, this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. How cool was it to see these guys one last time, and to have a little humor sprinkled into a very dark moment of a dark episode? The laser finders appearing on the Schwartzes chests was a HOLY SHIT moment, but as Walt continued to speak a lot of us wondered how he connected with such “hitmen” upon his return to the area. With Saul out of the picture, how was Walt able to pull this one off? Badger and Skinny Pete scampering out of the bushes and into Walt’s backseat provided a fantastic explanation and send off for these two fan favorites.

5. “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really — I was alive.”

Walt’s final admission to Skyler came minutes after what was another of my favorite finale moments: when Skyler finished her call with Marie and uttered the words “Five minutes.” as the camera inched closer and changed the viewers’ perspective to reveal Walt standing in her kitchen. Seriously, what brilliant set design- I never suspected that inconspicuous beam to be hiding anything. As cool as that was, it was the conversation that was fulfilling to the viewer- Walt told Skyler how Hank died, where he was (via that old lottery ticket), and even referenced their last phone call, saying he couldn’t leave it with her that way. Then just when we (and Skyler) thought Walt was going to launch into the tired old “I did it all for you” campaign, he instead gave her the short version of the Heisenberg origin story: “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really — I was alive.”

You can even see a twinkle in his eye when he says it, something we hadn’t seen in quite some time.

After visiting a sleeping Holly, Walt leaves the apartment and then peers through the window of an adjacent building to lay eyes on his son one last time.

6. Jesse Pinkman’s face as he crashed through the Nazi compound gates and sped to freedom. Unbelievably great. The fact that the series climaxed with Walt saving Jesse (not only from the Nazis but from the trunk-gun) leading to one final exchange was perfect.