Breaking
Bad: Season 5, Episode 16: ‘Felina’
Review by Kartik Chainani
Just get me home….just get me home…I’ll do the rest. Wow. That’s
the only word that I can think of to describe how incredible and fully
satisfying our final spoonful of Breaking
Bad tasted. Every single storyline and was either left in a solid and
unquestioning place, or wrapped up to full satisfaction. Over the past 5
seasons, creator Vince Gilligan has truly built an empire that rivals even
Walter White’s. Being an avid television enthusiast, I can honestly say that I
have never seen any show in which character development has undergone such
depth in not only its protagonist, but every character we meet along the way
that even closely rivals that of Breaking
Bad. Every character we meet on this show, we’re given just a small glimpse
onto their very colorful pasts, and nothing more. Each of their pasts could
have its own show, but we only get slight glances and are left to wonder how
they all ended up where they are now. To me, that’s one of the biggest beauties
of the show.
In full BrBa fashion, the finale
delivered to us, as we were promised from day 1, no mercy. The beauty of the
show is that there is no forgiveness. Last week we were left with what appeared
to be Walt finally giving up and laying down. After a heartbreaking
conversation with his son who now despises him, Walt realizes that everything
he’s done has become a waste if he can’t give what he earned to his family. Of
course, we all know that Heisenberg would never give in, and just needed a
slight nudge over the edge to end things on his term. That nudge was given just
moments later. Sitting in the bar waiting for the DEA to break down the doors
and bring him in, Walt happens to notice that Charlie Rose is on television,
and his guests? None other than Walt’s old colleagues and co-founders of his
billion-dollar enterprise; “Gray Matter Technologies”. After claiming Walt had
virtually nothing to do with their company’s success, we were able to see a
glimpse of Heisenberg in those menacing eyes,
back for one final blow.
Throughout the episode, Walt seems
to float through town, almost ghost-like to take care of business. What seemed
last week like it was going to be an execution of his ex-business partners, was
actually Walt coming to conduct one final business deal with the two, but in a
very Heisenberg manner. Walt knew his family would never take his money
willingly, and came to Gretchen and Elliot to strong-arm them into funneling
what little of his fortune he had left into his son’s life on his 18th
birthday, even if that meant it appearing to be charity for the damage his
father left on their family. Walt has always been a prideful man, even unable
to accept money from Gretchen and Elliot for his cancer treatment in the
beginning. To not only allow, but to come up with the idea to further tarnish
his name in order to get his family his money, shows us that on some level, he
really did do all of this for them.
Series finales generally have a few
flashbacks to remind you of the journey, and I won’t lie, I was hoping for a
few in Breaking Bad as well. Only one managed to make it, but it invoked more
than just nostalgia. As Walt was leaving his now run-down and abandoned house,
he has a flashback to the first time he saw a meth lab on TV, and Hank offering
him a ride-a-long to “get some excitement” in his life. “Someday…” the look on Walt’s face as we flashed back to present
day read everything the audience felt too; guilt and disbelief at how far we’ve
come in such a short time. After a heartbreaking final words with Skyler and a
final look his baby daughter and the son who will never be able to forgive or
understand what he did, Walt was finally ready
to settle the score.
He went to the neo-Nazi base with the intent of wiping
everyone out, including Jesse. But when he sees how broken Jesse has become, he
realizes that he’s already been through death. Jesse’s soul has been taken, and
it’s been taken by Walt. He realizes that Jesse deserves a new life, and
beautifully gives that to him as he takes a bullet to give that to him. After
Walt’s genius automatic gun kills everyone in its path and Jesse is able to
finally end that sociopath Todd, we’re just left with Walt and Jesse This is
truly the showdown we’ve wanted since season 1. Jesse is given the chance to
put an end to all the manipulation, destruction and torment that Walt has put
him through. Even when Walt gives him his blessing to do so and says, “It’s
what you want.”, Jesse ends the manipulation then and there, by telling Walt to
admit that it’s actually what he
wants. He’s not going to do any more of Walt’s dirty work, and tells him to do
it himself. Jesse is finally able to let go of his old chemistry teacher once
and for all without having to do so as Walt would have it. He’s free. As
“broken” as literally every character’s lives are because of Walt, the one
thing everyone wanted was for Jesse to be able to put this life behind him.
Jesse has been through more than everyone in this show, and no one is more deserving
of a new life.
All things are squared away, and
Walt is left with all alone to die in a meth lab as the police are just on the
horizon, a perfect way for this amazing antagonist to go out. What’s amazing about this finale is that it
stands out as one of a very select few shows that actually follow through on
what it’s about. It was never about a perfectly happy ending, and it was never
about a perfect disastrous ending. It was the story of an average man and the
darkness that can be hidden inside him. It’s the story of how, given certain
circumstances, that darkness can rise in anyone (as we saw through numerous
characters) and what the ramifications of this can be. All in all, we knew that
the show wasn’t going to end on our terms; it was going to end on Walter
White’s terms. It’s been an incredible journey, and Breaking Bad is sure to be a show that is talked about for years to
come. Thank you for taking these last steps with me!
