And thus, the series and the story of Walter White comes to its end. Much like the last episode, this one leans more towards the reflective tone than big explosive finale.
It starts with Walt tracking down Elliot and Gretchen. It's an odd twist. I knew that the interview was enough to snap him out of his depression and motivate him to go out on one last hurrah, but seeking them out beyond that was unexpected. It isn't even like he harbors a grudge against them for what they said. Rather, he wants them to start up a trust for his kids with the $9 million he has left.
It's true, Walt Jr. renounced the fortune, but were it to come from two wealthy philanthropists who were already committed to helping those affected by the drug trade and happen to be acquaintances of the family, well that would go over a lot better.
Just to make sure that they go through with it, Walt reveals that he's hired two top assassins to keep an eye on them for a while to make sure it gets taken care of, even after Walt is dead. Their presence is confirmed by laser sights.
Said assassins turn out to be Badger and Skinny Pete wielding laser pointers. Even though the whole thing was a bluff, both do admit that they felt wrong about it and that it was shady. As has always been the case, it was fun to see the two again. It's a quick appearance, but as this is the last episode, it was appreciated. They also drive the plot forward as it is through them that Walt learns that his blue meth is still being sold, indicating that Jesse is still alive and working with the Nazis (or so he believes).
Before that, though, Walt goes to have one last talk with Skyler. He gives her the lotto ticket containing the coordinates. The money may not be there anymore, but Hank and Gomez are. Not only will it give her and the family some closure, but he says she can use it as a bargaining chip to avoid being incarcerated. I'm not sure how good a bargaining chip that is and it's kind of messed up to use corpses in that fashion. I guess if Walt's phone call wasn't enough, they needed something else to cement that Skyler would be able to walk away free and clear.
It also marks a pivotal moment for Walt as he finally admits that he liked what he did, was good at it, and felt alive. The implication is that his line about doing it for the family was just a load of hot air. Granted, that line would only get Walt so far, but I don't think it necessarily has to be an either/or scenario. Then again, he had multiple chances to walk away and kept going back, so his enjoyment was most certainly a factor.
For those who were expecting Heisenburg to pull a roaring rampage of revenge against the Nazis for taking his money and killing Hank, the final act delivers just that. It isn't Walt's most elaborate stratagem, but it gets the job done.
He arranges a meeting under the pretense of offering a new recipe that doesn't require methylamine, but then uses a gun that he rigged in the trunk of his car to clear out the riff raff. There's still some tension as the Nazis unwittingly almost foil his plan by taking Walt's keys (which he had reconfigured to activate the mechanism).
They also drag Jesse in when Walt implies that he was brought in as a partner when they were supposed to kill him. Jesse is somewhat exonerated when Walt sees the state he's in. We also get one last display of loyalty as Walt immediately tackles Jesse. He does so under the pretense of being angry, but it gets Jesse out of the way of the gunfire that Walt soon commences.
That gun was a lot more powerful than it looked. The rounds tore through multiple walls with ease and managed to wreck the place up pretty good.
While it clears out a majority of the goons, both Walt and Jesse are allowed to personally confront their own personal nemeses. Jesse immediately attacks Todd (who was the only one of the gang to avoid the gun fire) and strangles him to death using the chains that Jesse had been shackled in. It's poetic or ironic or something. It also gives Jesse some payback for Drew Sharp. Walt, meanwhile, unceremoniously shoots Jack in the head.
Jack does try to taunt Walt with the location of the rest of his money, but he apparently doesn't care anymore. It's a drastic turn from when he wanted the whole kit and kaboodle, but $9 million is more than enough to care for his family.
While Walt was close to the ground, we see that he got hit too. It's what keeps Jesse from shooting him when Walt hands Jesse a handgun. I imagine the fact that Walt wanted to die also played a part. You know, sort of a spite kind of thing. Instead, Jesse just leaves.
This whole time, I was expecting Walt to die from his cancer, but that doesn't prove to be the case as his wound ends up doing it for him. Either way, he passes just as the police arrive. I was amused to see a photo excerpt of the script where it describes the scenario as Walt getting away again.
I thought this was a solid wrap up of the show. Walt's fate was more or less set in stone, but it also wrapped up a lot of other loose ends. I was surprised to see the Whites get the money. I was honestly expecting the show to go the tragic route and have the money get seized or something, but it adds at least some element of a happy ending to the proceedings.
Overall, the show was highly enjoyable. I don't know if I'd mark it as "the greatest show in the history of television". Much like with 'Ozymandias' being the greatest episode of all television, that's far too subjective and impossible to verify. The show is very good though. It was a game changer and it certainly raised the bar. Even in terms of an individual's viewing taste, I think it raises the standards of what you look for in entertainment. If you haven't yet, I strongly recommend giving it a watch.
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