I LOVED IT. It was emotionally jarring, infuriating, exhilarating... everything a good story should be. I immediately starting watching the successful spinoff Better Call Saul, which I didn't enjoy as much, but was still impressed with. It won multiple Emmy's this year, which makes me think Vince Gilligans world of chemistry teachers turned meth cooks and corrupt lawyers will go down in history as one of the best dramatic TV shows of all time.
Here are my all-time favorite moments from the series:
WARNING: Spoilers ahead
Walter White feeds his victim
After Walter is tasked with killing someone, the first in a long line of victims, he can't bring himself to pull the trigger so to speak. He keeps the man tied up and locked in the basement until he can muster the courage to kill the only witness to his and Jesse's crimes. Instead of swiftly ending the guy, he ends up feeding him crustless sandwiches and giving him water and a way to relieve himself. It's a far cry from the cold blooded killer he becomes by the end.
Walter blows up Tuco's office
In one of Walter's craftiest moments, he creates an incendiary substance that he presents to the ruthless drug lord, Tuco. Along with everyone else in the room we're made to believe he is handing over meth, but in a slow motion shocking reveal, Walter throws the substance to the ground causing everyone to be blown back by the explosion. Walt walks away unharmed, indulging in his new found power.
Jesse cares for the crack baby
In an effort to establish his dominance, Jesse shows up at a crack house to steal back his money and meth from a couple who pulled a fast one on his guys. What develops is a sloppy effort at intimidation on Jesse's part where he shows that he's actually compassionate by protecting the sweet little boy who's "parents" are more obsessed with getting high than taking care of him.
Hank finds out Walter White is Heisenberg
Breaking Bad fans had spent much time throughout the show imagining what the big reveal would look like when Hank discovered Walter's secret identity. The man he had spent the better part of a year hunting down and trying to catch, the biggest drug lord in the city, was actually... his brother in law! Not many of us imagined his revelation would come while sitting on the toilet, but you know, the acting is superb and the scene works.
Walter laughs maniacally under his house
In one of the most creatively shot scenes in television Walter is scurrying around under his house desperately trying to find all of the money he had made as a meth cook, but can't find it. When Skyler shows up to tell him that she had to give the money to her lover Ted to pay him off for knowing too much we get an aerial shot of Walter yelling and then laughing maniacally as he realizes all of his money has been given to the man who cheated with his wife. It's intense and ironic and a superb performance from Cranston.
The poisoning of the drug lords
As Gustavo's (Gus) story unfolds, we start to understand his connection to the Latin American drug cartel, which makes the scene where he takes his revenge on them all the more crazy.
Walter's final confession to Skyler
Not everyone would agree with me that the ending of Breaking Bad was satisfying, but one of my favorite elements of the ending was Walt's last interaction with Skyler. When he goes to tell her goodbye for the last time, he finally confesses what drove him to do all that he did. "I did it for me," he said. "I liked it. I was good at it...I was alive." It's one of the most genuine scenes of repentance I've ever seen at a show's conclusion, and it's beautiful.
Gus' death
When it starts to become clear that Walter and Gus can't exist in the same town anymore, the question about when and where Gus' demise will happen keeps us guessing. In a scene that shocked and astounded, Gus' own archenemy (with the help of Walter) takes Gustavo down, and sacrifices himself in the process. It's definitely a moment that will go down in TV history.
THE ENTIRE 'OZYMANDIAS' EPISODE
The news of Hank's death reaching his wife, Walter kidnapping his own daughter, Skyler pulling a knife on Walter. If that's not great television, I don't know what is. The episode is all great drama as the climax of Walter's story unfolds in the ante-penultimate episode of the show. It was directed by upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi's, Rian Johnson, which speaks to its excellence.
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