Breaking Bad was never going to end well. The feds took her house, she is infamous as Heisenbergs wife and lives in fear that the Neo-Nazis or some other angry associates might harm her family, and her children are fatherless. And thats the real endgame in Walts revenge fantasy, but not before he takes a bunch of very deserving people down with him. Walt answers Todd's phone and tells Lydia she will soon die because he poisoned her coffee shop stevia. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); [12] He had mulled this idea over for some years, and as the tenth anniversary of Breaking Bad neared, became interested in producing a work to follow Jesse's fate after this episode. We are! ), "I'll do the rest." container.appendChild(ins); He also takes revenge on the Aryan Brotherhood gang who took his money, killed his brother-in-law Hank, took Jesse captive and presented a threat to his family. Is that what you wanted? With the other question markSauls fatebeing explored in Better Call Saul, the expanded Breaking Bad universe looks like it will answer the few questions Felina did not. Jack orders him killed and Walt accuses Jack of failing to carry out the execution of Jesse that Walt paid for. Lydia feigns interest so Walt will meet Jack, knowing Jack will kill him. After Jesse walks out of the clubhouse, Todds cell phone rings; its Lydia, calling to see if they took care of Walt, and Walt gets the pleasure of telling Lydia that shes dying and he is the one killing her. Walt is remembering this particular moment, two years earlier, in the same room, before everything fell apart. ", "The Closure-Happy 'Breaking Bad' Finale", "The MythBusters Take on the 'Breaking Bad' Finale", "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke", Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing Drama Series, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Felina_(Breaking_Bad)&oldid=1099587421, Television episodes directed by Vince Gilligan, Television episodes written by Vince Gilligan, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Television episode articles with short description for single episodes, Television episode articles with short description and disambiguated page names, Pages using infobox television episode with incorrectly formatted values, Pages using infobox television episode with unnecessary list markup, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 July 2022, at 15:19. Additionally, Walt sings the song to himself while building his machine gun turret. [13] This ultimately resulted in the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which first aired on Netflix on October 11, 2019, and had limited theatrical runs that weekend. Okay, but seriously, was that what you wanted? ins.style.minWidth = container.attributes.ezaw.value + 'px'; Of course, Walts opinion of himself is always too generouseven at the end when hes being somewhat honest with himselfbut still, the Neo-Nazis are objectively terrible people and deserve every bullet they get. Its something Walt struggles and fails to accept until a daring call to Flynnwho wants nothing to do with him or his moneymakes it clear to him that its all over. Sure, I wasn't surprised, but was I not entertained? That Walt should have gone out hated. Jesse's notion of perfect? And many would argue he didn't deserve that redemption. [6] According to Rolling Stone, the music supervisors on the show disagreed with Gilligan's choice for the final song;[6] however, music supervisor Thomas Golubi stated that "journalists sometimes try to create drama where there isn't any" and that his quotes were "mis-represented". var alS = 1022 % 1000; After spending some time out in the desert to MacGyver up the machine gun in the trunk, Walt pays Skyler a visit. So hold on to your pork pie hats, because here we go. My personal favorite was breaking down the word into its elemental parts: Fe+Li+Na=Iron+Lithium+Sodium=Blood+Meth+Tears. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); var asau = '7141056054'; For Walt, the fact thatof all peoplea group of dumb racist rednecks were the ones that got the best of him just cannot stand. Walt rightly assumes that they are running low on their methylamine and proposes a new method of cooking which he is willing to teach Todd. I know a lot of you wanted to see some gray matter spattered, but I think this worked out much better. I don't understand the cries of "fanservice" or "unsurprising." No, it was a little bit of pride too. (You still use cassettes, New Hampshire? When not overanalyzing TV shows, she is wrangling her Corgi, Cassidy, who is inarguably the cutest dog that has ever existed. So is that mostly what we're going for here? A call back to "Crawlspace," to Walt and his scans, to Jesse Pinkman on the roundabout? I've never seen a laser pointer work so well. Skyler and Marie are likely going to reconcile. Futuramas Meanwhile: Wanna Go Around Again? The eternally self-involved Schwartzes are unaware that Walt is wandering around their immaculate home, taking in the wealth that oozes from every inch of the place, which is likely only fueling his desire to get even with them in whatever way he can. [21] However, Emily Nussbaum, writing in the New Yorker, criticized the episode, claiming it so neatly wrapped up the series in Walt's favor that it seemed more like "the dying fantasy on the part of Walter White, not something that was actually happening". Walt slides the gun over to Jesse, more than willing to let Jesse kill him, even wanting him to do it. Could the Breaking Bad movie happen sooner than we thought? So we had Lydia and Todd (in his paler shade). Walt himself is rotting away in a cabin in New Hampshire with no contact with the outside world (save a few supply visits from the Disappearer) and his cancer back in full force. Even without the flash-forward scenes of Walts return to Albuquerque scattered throughout the final season, any viewer of the series knew there would be no happy endings for anyone whose life touched Walter Whites. It is a very fitting way to take out control-freak Lydia: nonviolent but just as deadly, much like Lydia herself. It should have been Hank, and because it could no longer be Hank, Walts death was the only satisfying option for the viewer. "El Paso" is on a Marty Robbins cassette in Walt's car, and is played during the episode. Help us keep the conversation alive! Before I get into this, let me just pause and say that, even though I believe the Breaking Bad finale to be one of the greatest of all time, this gives me pause. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. Walt, who has become a notorious criminal, flees from Albuquerque, living as a fugitive. Eerie, gruesome touch from director Vince Gilligan. Ads help fund this website and all our great content. October 14, 2021, 12:00 am, by In Walts mind, Hank was a good man and a worthy adversary, but he sees Jack, Todd, and the rest of them as so far beneath him both intellectually and morally that he cannot and will not let them win. Where does Walt get those wonderful toys? Which is only fitting. El Camino, named for the car Jesse escapes in, takes place immediately after the events of "Felina", and was considered by Gilligan to be a coda to the overall series to close out Jesse's story. Both methods are extremely dangerous, as lithium is a highly volatile element. [24], 16th episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad, Events related to Jesse's escape were presented in the film, David Friedkin for "Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die" (1974), "End Game: TV's Best and Worst Series Finales", "This is the End: The 13 Best TV Series Finales Ever", "Bryan Cranston on 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie', "Why 'Breaking Bad' Chose Badfinger's 'Baby Blue', "Breaking Bad Insider Podcast Season 5", "Is 'Felina' the Secret to the Breaking Bad Finale? In more flash-forward footagethis time from Blood Money (S5E9)we head over to the White residence where Walt is picking up Chekhovs ricin from its hiding place inside the electrical socket in his former bedroom. That he got to preserve that little bit of his soul. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'stat_source_id', 44); He wasn't doing this for his family (at least not primarily) he was doing it because it made him feel alive. The over-cautious, no-loose-ends Lydia gets killed by her own obsessive need for an organic sugar substitute. For those of you unfamiliar with my recapping style, it's less of a straightforward plot summary and more a distillation of the most interesting elements of each week's episode. ins.dataset.adClient = pid; We see Walt having breakfast at Dennys on his 52nd birthdaythe same footage used in Live Free or Die (S5E1)firmly establishing the date of Walts last stand: September 10, 2010, exactly two years from the Pilot. He will not sit at the bar drinking whiskey and waiting to be hauled off in cuffs; he will return to Albuquerque for his last stand, determined to take his revenge before he dies. Thank you as always for your support of 25YL! ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Musical Moment Of The Week: Perfection from Gilligan and company. var pid = 'ca-pub-9804963895925826'; He accuses Jack of partnering with Jesse after hed promised to kill him, but Jack brings Jesse in to show Walt that, though he may be cooking for him, they are most certainly not partners. It took until the final picture was assembled that I was able to also see what a fantastic choice it was."[11]. It will also likely be enough of a bargaining chip for Skyler to cut a decent deal with the DA. Theres one last piece of unfinished business for Walt: Jesse Pinkman. Police rush in as he lies motionless, a slight smile of satisfaction on his face. ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive = 'true'; In her spare time she enjoys obsessing over various television shows, especially Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Walt needed to die, and I can't think of any better way. As for Walt, who has taken a bullet to the abdomen, its time to go. Did I not get a thrill out of that final shot? Its more than that, though. Jack is injured pretty bad but may have made it, and tries to negotiate with Walt by offering up information about his money, but Walt is past the point where he is motivated by greed and shoots Jack in the head before he can even finish his sentence. Required fields are marked *. I absolutely expected one, but I'm not sure I wanted one. ins.dataset.adClient = pid; While we're on the subject of causes of death, the amazing John LaRue updated his Breaking Bad death toll infographic to reflect last night's carnage. I don't really feel smug about any of my "predictions" coming true because it's not as if what I guessed was radical or surprising. The title was interpreted by some as "blood, meth and tears" because iron is a predominant element in blood, lithium is sometimes used in methamphetamine production, and sodium is a component of tears. Skyler is left holding the bag for Walts crimes and will be tried as an accessory despite his attempt to give her plausible deniability via his vicious phone call in Ozymandias (S5E14). Walt hums it again later as he's assembling his gun-bot. I think all three interpretations are true, but my heart is most glad that Pinkman was on Walt's list of amends and not revenge. On September 18, 2013, it was announced that both "Granite State" and "Felina" would run 75 minutes, including commercials. Since the cancer wasnt going to kill him fast enough and Walt is far too proud, even at the end, to commit suicide, the only option was for him to catch one of his own bulletsprobably not what Walt intended (I think he really thought Jesse would kill him) but better in the long run. ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive = 'true'; Except to say this. At this point Walt is so desperate and has held a grudge against the Schwartzes for so long that its not inconceivable that he means to do them harm, but thats not what hes after. Oh I loved it. And that's the thing. ins.style.display = 'block'; ins.id = slotId + '-asloaded'; var cid = '1553348147'; Death by Stevia. [16] The popularity of the episode resulted in a 2,981 percent increase of sales of the Badfinger song "Baby Blue", which features prominently in the ending sequence, as well as a 9,000 percent increase in streaming over Spotify. We dont yet know it but, after seasons and seasons wondering about the endgame of that damn ricin, isnt it just so perfect that it ends up in Lydias Stevia? He claims he hired hitmen, and Badger and Skinny Pete scare them with laser pointers that spoof rifle sights. Knowing his lung cancer will soon kill him, Walt revisits his former acquaintances to settle his affairs and prepare himself for the conflict andultimatelyhis death. container.appendChild(ins); We publish new content daily that can easily be found by following us onTwitter,Instagram, by joining ourFacebook Page, or becoming an email subscriber here onthe site.
Walt dying alone among meth lab equipment after vanquishing the last of his foes is the perfect ending for him. The episode was written and directed by series creator Vince Gilligan. if(ffid == 2){ While not a bad guy, Elliott is completely insufferable, and his meek attempt to defend himself against the more menacing and dangerous Walt is a great, if brief, moment of hilarity in what is an otherwise tense interaction. Jack pleads for his life, but Walt kills him. The show went for satisfaction instead of surprising. The great, all-powerful Heisenberg is dying, slowly and alone; he may have gotten away, but at what cost? Yes, he has hair and a beard, but stillits a little too convenient, just like the keys in the car at the beginning of the episode was a bit too convenient. It was a lovely call-back to "Full-Measure" where Jesse lost so much of himself by being forced to kill Gale. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
As far as Flynn goes, Walt knows better than to approach him when he gets off the school bus, not just because the police are watching but because hes on his honesty tour and part of that honesty is accepting the fact that his son hates him and never wants to see him again.
Oh it surely was. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); [4] The actual runtime of the episodes is 55 minutes. This leads Walt to (correctly) assume that Jesse is still cooking, although he is unaware of his circumstances. I think most of us could have guessed that "Felina" would stand in for Walt's family or maybe his pride. All hes got is one barrel of his cash, but he has no way to get it to his family. P.S.
var ffid = 1; "Felina" had the highest ratings of any episode of Breaking Bad: 10.28 million in the United States, including 5.3 million adults aged 1849. Leading up to the finale, we crackpots had a lot of fun trying to decipher the meaning behind the episode title "Felina." I know, it wasn't in the glass, it was in the Stevia Packet, but I never could resist a Mags Bennett reference. This, he tells them, is their chance to make it right.. Most of the guys are killed instantly but Todd manages to avoid getting fatally wounded, giving Jesse the opportunity to strangle him to death with the chains that bind hima fitting end for Todd, who has been Jesses nemesis since he pulled the trigger on Drew Sharp. And so hes off on his cross-country journey back to Albuquerque. He remembers Hanks warningIts easy money, til we catch youand his ultimately fatal offer to take Walt for the ride-along that set all future events in motion. For some reason, the most chilling image from that scene was Kenny's lifeless body on that massage chair. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Saul gets off the easiest and is able to skip town with the help of the Disappearer. After his visit to Gretchen and Elliott, Walt returns to the car to pay Skinny Pete and Badger and asks after the blue meth. by Oh it works very well. In Walts mind, the Schwartzes stole his life and his legacy and part of his end-of-life revenge fantasy is to make them (literally) pay for it. var cid = '1553348147'; Marie has lost her husband but has no closure, and is left with the impossible task of repairing her relationship with the sister who she holds (at least partially) responsible. He cried for Walt's sins. Jesse speeds off to parts unknown and his story ends with a giant question mark. He has no family. lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId + '-asloaded'), { attributes: true }); Jesse and Walt exchange a farewell glance before Jesse flees in Todd's El Camino. Sign up for highlights and exclusive content.
Even though Breaking Bad did an excellent job of fleshing out all its main and even secondary characters, in the end it is Walter Whites story. We find Walt in a snow-covered car, hiding from the police. Breaking Bad as a series has earned that kind of loyalty from its viewers, but I would be remiss not to at least mention it. He may as well have screamed Say hello to my little friend! before he popped that trunk. var pid = 'ca-pub-9804963895925826'; Moonhaven S1E4: Mada Do You Think Theyll Drop the Bomb? I was good at it. He shows up at their house, lurking in the shadows as they have an incredibly pretentious conversation about the merits of various upscale New York City restaurants and a potential trip to Napa Valley. Gosh. var ffid = 1; And though the two of them parted, they parted on the best possible terms they possibly could. That leaves two men standing: Walt and Jesse. It doesnt really matter, though, because Walt gets what hes after: access to the Neo-Nazi compound, and access to Lydias tea. That's what it means. The episode stays with Walt the entire time; everything we see in this episode is from Walts perspective, something rare for Breaking Bad, which usually jumps around among its main players. ", "I am Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead music supervisor, Thomas Golubi, Ask Me Anythin", "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Big, 'Talking Bad', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Masters of Sex' & More", "Episode Review: Breaking Bad Series Finale", "Breaking Bad finale is a hit with TV critics", "Breaking Bad Finale: Was That Really The Ending Walt Deserved? window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'stat_source_id', 44); What about you, were you satisfied with Lydia's end? This time, he wont be manipulated by Walt and he tells him to do it himself. } But only a few of us hoped he was saddling up to rescue Jesse Pinkman. [11] "Baby Blue" became an obvious choice as the editing came closer to completion with Golubi describing the process of finalizing the song: "Before I saw the scene, I pulled together a number of ideas one which I thought worked pretty beautifully against picture: The Bees' "No More Excuses" but once I saw that beautiful shot, and saw the scene in context, I realized why Vince was so strongly attached to the Badfinger song. Skyler allows Walt to see the sleeping Holly and he later watches from afar as Walter Jr. arrives home from school. After casually sitting nearby while Todd and Lydia have a meet-up, Walt pulls up a chair to have a little chat with his former associates. The Art of the Finale: Breaking Bad Felina. Its fitting that in Walts journey from Mr. Chips to Scarface, everything ends in a hail of bullets and mayhem. When Walt sees Jesse he can see the absolute misery hes been put through. In the parking lot, Walt and Jesse have one final exchangejust a nod of heads, a silent goodbyebefore parting ways for good. Jesse has killed people but he was never a killer; Walt was always pulling the strings. Your email address will not be published. Ali Sciarabba We need to spend this last hour with him to remind ourselves that it is the end of the line for Walt, and for the series. Walt got the upper hand on these two after feeling so put down for years. Walt speaks the words that finally put an end to years of bullshit rationalization when he tells Skyler, I did it for me. After the conclusion of the series, Gilligan had considered Jesse's fate, stating that rather than getting caught by police, he had envisioned that Jesse would end up in Alaska to start his life anew. (Of course, we learn in Better Call Saul that he takes on the identity of Gene the Cinnabon Manager in Omaha, Nebraska, which for Saul Goodman may be a fate worse than death.) A Love Song is a Simmering Melancholic Memory, Extreme Prejudice: The Joys of Re-Discovering a Forgotten Film. ins.className = 'adsbygoogle ezasloaded'; Sean Parker [8] According to Eric Brown of International Business Times: "In its pure form methamphetamine is composed solely of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N), no lithium involved. We've always thought pink was the color of death in this show, but in the finale, it was all about the blue, baby. He doesnt deserve to win.
"Felina" is the series finale of the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad. Neither one uses lithium at any point, shooting a big hole in this theory."[8][9][10]. I liked it. And then theres Jesse, enslaved by the Neo-Nazis, forced to watch them murder Andrea and leave Brock motherless, and spend his days cooking meth and waiting for the day they decide hes of no more use and kill him. ins.dataset.adSlot = asau; His utter narcissism wont let it stand and so he changes his mind. Crackpot Theory Of The Week: Oh aren't we out of theories yet? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The writers changed the subject's name from Feleena to Felina so that, when used as the title, it could serve as an anagram of finale.[6][7]. container.style.width = '100%'; The experience of watching Breaking Bad demands closure and Felina gives the viewer what we need: the end of Walts story being the end of Walts life. They are allowed to flaunt their wealth while he was forced to hide his in barrels in the desert; they can live a life of luxury, complete with dinners at the 21 Club and Per S, while he couldnt buy a bottle of champagne or a car for his son without coming up with elaborate cover stories. If it wasnt so gratifying to watch those scumbags get torn up I would say it was too on the nose, but theres a lot of little things in Felina Im willing to forgive because, in the end, the episode works as a whole and as a satisfying ending to the series. [17], Upon airing, the episode received universal acclaim. ins.style.width = '100%'; if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'25yearslatersite_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_3',121,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-25yearslatersite_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0')};He also gives her the lottery ticket with the coordinates for Hank and Steves bodies so that the family, Marie especially, can finally have some closure and they can have a proper burial.