What did you think of the ending? [Spoilers galore]

m0ynihan

Sorry don't know if this has been posted before, you can delete it if there has been a thread like this

Respectful opinions please, don't kill me!

Personally I didn't like it, but I think that had more to do with the fact that Breaking Bad was so good from the beginning.

I just felt the whole thing seemed a bit too contrived and unoriginal, the rotating gun for example, and the fact only Todd and Jack stayed alive so Walt and Jesse could have their moments. Also, it felt very safe. There was no particularly massive risks taken either imo, with Jesse being free, Walter dying at peace etc..

I'd have given it a 5/10, not great for a show that had been a 9/10 all the way through.

Mousewar

The convenience of the last episode was certainly problematic. I've given it a lot of thought.

On the one hand, it very much produced the result I wanted. I wanted to see Jesse getting away clean. I wanted to see the Nazis taken care of. And I wanted to see Walt achieve a piece of redemption (which i think he did with his admission to Skyler and his saving of Jesse). Yet, having got all that, it seems strange then to be presented with it so perfectly. Was Gilligan merely giving the fans exactly what they wanted (which of course would be a mistake)? If he had subverted our expectations with a surprising ending would I have liked that more or would I have been hugely disappointed?
Hard to know.

Someone I spoke to put a great deal of emphasis on the scene at the start of the episode where Walt is in his car and the sirens appear. He says softly to himself (i'm writing this from memory): "Please. Just get me home. Get me home and I'll do the rest".
My friend pointed out that this very much sounds like a prayer. And if it is a prayer then it is clearly answered. Walt's return journey and mission are complete successes (other than him dying). I suppose the suggestion is that this was a kind of faustian pact. Walt got the perfect ending he wanted but paid for it with his life (or soul I guess).

Not sure I buy that. Ultimately, I found the ending imperfect and lacking in the subtlety that made the show great. A shame. But a small compared to the greatness of the overall series.

take everything

m0ynihan wrote: »

Sorry don't know if this has been posted before, you can delete it if there has been a thread like this

Respectful opinions please, don't kill me!

Personally I didn't like it, but I think that had more to do with the fact that Breaking Bad was so good from the beginning.

I just felt the whole thing seemed a bit too contrived and unoriginal, the rotating gun for example, and the fact only Todd and Jack stayed alive so Walt and Jesse could have their moments. Also, it felt very safe. There was no particularly massive risks taken either imo, with Jesse being free, Walter dying at peace etc..

I'd have given it a 5/10, not great for a show that had been a 9/10 all the way through.

Felt like an episode of the A-team.
The whole ending of breaking bad was disappointing IMO.
No focus on Jesse, Walter becoming increasingly unbelievable, the Nazis- just felt contrived.

I will say there was some great acting though.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

the whole last season was a bit off I thought. coloured my enjoyment of the whole show, lost/bsg style.

think the show just got too far up its own arse and couldn't write a decent way out.

m0ynihan

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

the whole last season was a bit off I thought. coloured my enjoyment of the whole show, lost/bsg style.

think the show just got too far up its own arse and couldn't write a decent way out.

To be fair, there were some great episodes there, Ozymanias and Granite State for example. Still, the second half of Season 5 was probably the weakest overall imo.

xzanti

Well I loved it..

The end scene with Jesse and Walt was electrifying imho!!

It was a little contrived but it's a TV show for God's sake.. it's fantasy.

I'm just gutted it's over.

K4t

m0ynihan wrote: »

Still, the second half of Season 5 was probably the weakest overall imo.

I've still to see the second half but I felt the first half of season 5 was by far the weakest of any season. I acknowledge they were trying to set the story for the final episodes but I don't think that was ever BB's philosophy or stength, not in the way of the Wire or The Sopranos. It relied too much on adrenaline fueled episodes and 40 to 50 minutes of constant clever storylines. Think it was a bad idea to split the final season into two parts, but I'll reserve judgement till I watch it all.

augustus gloop

the whole drive in, park where you want and kill all the bad guys was a bit convenient for me.
his killing of lydia was smart alright.
it was a bit lame all up, gus frings death scene was the pinnacle of the show for me

dr.fuzzenstein

One has to allow for some artistic licence, especially where the automatic guns was concerned, but it was simply a device to end up where the writers wanted it to end up.
The pinnacle of the ending was Walter's "I did it for me" speech. That really was the end, everything else was just added nicety.

My own conspiracy theory is that Jesse overheard the Nazis as they discussed where to hide the cash and was able to dig it up for himself.
After that he set up a small business making those wooden boxes he fantasized about in the Nazi meth lab and met the girl of his dreams.
I dunno why, I just think Jesse gets such an awful time in the series, you really have to feel sorry for hi, even though he is a waste of space sometimes and certainly not the sharpest tool in the box.
But, yeah, science, bitch!

Tarzana

m0ynihan wrote: »

I'd have given it a 5/10, not great for a show that had been a 9/10 all the way through.

I'd go 6/10. It was pretty bad. Hated all the tied up loose ends. It was all too neat. The Nazi slaying was ridonkulous.

Wacker The Attacker

I still want Jesse dead

Wacker The Attacker

Tarzana wrote: »

I'd go 6/10. It was pretty bad. Hated all the tied up loose ends. It was all too neat. The Nazi slaying was ridonkulous.

Why is that a bad thing?

DrumSteve

I thought he died in car at the start and the rest is a fantasy.

Tarzana

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

Why is that a bad thing?

Well, it mightn't be too you. But it was to me. BB was a show that frequently went the unexpected direction. In fact that was a huge part of its appeal. So to end it in such a formulaic way was so disappointing to me.

dr.fuzzenstein

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

I still want Jesse dead

Sorry, Jesse set up a small woodshop making decorative items for the house and dotes on his wife and kids.
He laundered the cash he took from the Nazis and set up a drug rehab clinic.

GraphicGaming

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

the whole last season was a bit off I thought. coloured my enjoyment of the whole show, lost/bsg style.

think the show just got too far up its own arse and couldn't write a decent way out.

i agree was brilliant at the start and then just went down hill

badger57

Excellent ending to a great show. They ended it on their terms, instead of driving it into the ground like Lost.