Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 16: "Felina"

And we're here.  The final episode in what's probably the best final season of any tv show.  "Felina" had a lot of expectations to live up to, as Breaking Bad is one of those tv shows where the fate of the characters frames everything that happened before it.  Was it a good finale?  Did it do the series justice?

I would say yes.  While not the best episode this season (that goes to Ozymandias), the conclusion was as satisfying as one could hope for.  The final episode gave us everything we wanted to see.  Walt gets revenge on the Nazis? Check.  Jesse gets revenge on Todd? Check.  Walt finds something to do with his money while bossing around Gray Matter? Check.  Most importantly, Walt finally admitted to Skyler and Jesse what they've been waiting to hear all series long.  

For Skyler, her final confrontation with Walt was the moment where he stopped using his family as an excuse for his actions.  Walt finally admits what had suspected all long.  "I did it for me, I liked it. I was good at it. I was alive."  His relationship with her cannot be salvaged, as is the case with his relationship with his son.  The only thing he can offer her now is whereabouts of Hank and Gomies' bodies.  

For Jesse, his final confrontation with Walt was closure for the manipulative relationship they've carried.  When Walt asks Jesse to kill him, Jesse wants to hear Walt say that he's basically asking for a favor.  Throughout the whole series, Walt has always manipulated Jesse into doing something under the pretense that it was the best course of action for him.  Walt finally admits it, asking Jesse to kill him.  Jesse rejects his request, with his last words to him being "Do it yourself". 

The only reason I did not give this episode a perfect score was that everything almost felt too predictable.  Everything happens with an efficiency that kept reminding me that this was the last episode, and that all things have to be resolved.  The mood of the episode was quiet, which is probably appropriate.  Walt was a dying man with a suicide mission.  Ultimately, the episode was a successful, if maybe too efficient, goodbye for the characters and plot lines of an amazing series.  What will I watch now?

Observations:

- The title "Felina" has three different meanings:

  1.  [Fe] [Li] [Na] corresponds to Iron, Lithium and Sodium.  Blood, Meth and Tears.

  2.  "Felina" is also an anagram for "Finale".

  3.  In the song "El Paso" by Marty Robbins, a cowboy falls in love with a Mexican dancer named  "Felina".  He ends up killing one of her pursuers and flees town.  When he comes back to get her, he is killed by the rival's posse and dies in her arms.  

- Got horror movie vibes in the beginning with Walt at Elliot and Gretchen's.

- Walt admiring the house that should've been his.

- $9,727,000 that Walt left to be filtered to his family.  

- Elliot gesturing Gretchen to shake on it; awkward.

- Skinny Pete and Badger! Two best hitmen west of the Mississippi.

- "Whole thing felt kind of shady, like, morality wise."- Skinny Pete.

- Flirting 101 with Todd: "Hey I like your...shirt."

- Lydia's Stevia! I knew it.

- Walt's scenes with Holly and Flynn were pretty heartbreaking.

- Todd got the worst death, deservedly.

- Uncle Jack got the coolest looking death.

- Todd's ringtone for Lydia muhahaha.

- Jesse driving away while screaming was a callback to his go kart racing scene.  I'm glad he's alive and free.

A Quick Note:

This season has been a wild ride.  Thanks to everyone who read my reviews, it was something I looked forward to every Sunday night.  Talking to all you guys about Breaking Bad made an awesome show even more enjoyable. 

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 15: "Granite State"

Breaking Bad just keeps on getting darker.  After last week's Ozymandias,  Granite State is a reprieve from all the action and excitement, but the tragedy deepens.

This episode is a portrait of the two main characters at their saddest.  And Todd, at his craziest and creepiest.  Walt's delusion of being able to help his family was finally torn down this episode.  After that tragic phone call with Walt Jr., Walt realized that his family no longer wanted his help.  His son hates him and blames him for all of the destruction he's caused.  He's think he has lost everything when he calls and gives himself up to the DEA.  When he catches Elliot and Gretchen on tv, he risks losing his pride and name, the only thing that he has left.  He leaves, we can assume that this is where the two flash forwards earlier this year continued from.

Things just keep getting worse for Jesse.  The episode teases us with the possibility that Jesse might escape, only to take it away and then hurt him even more.  Seeing Andrea get shot was tough.  Seeing Jesse's reaction was even tougher.  He is living a personal hell.  By the end of the episode, it can be insinuated that Jesse has been Todd's prisoner for months.  I hope he sees some kind of hope and/or chance at happiness next episode, but its hard to see any kind of positive outcome for him after all of this is over.  If he happens to escape, he will be forever damaged.

One more episode.

Observations:

- Saul and Walt as bunk mates could be the premise for a sitcom style tv show.

- Walt and Jesse both start off the episode living underground.

- Jesse goes into MacGuyver mode.

- Saul thinks Cinnabon is profitable. I'm glad he's free of Walt.

- Skyler could be on the next season of Orange is the New Black.

- Meth Damon aka Todd is extra creepy under a mask.  And when trying to flirt with Lydia.

- "We're going to have to take a break".

- 92% is like music to Lydia's ears.

- 2 copies of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium!

- The snow landscape feels weird on Breaking Bad, opposed to the desert.

- Did that Ben and Jerry's scene remind anyone of Silence of the Lambs?

- Who's going to look after Brock?

- Music at the end was kickass.

- I'm not ready for this show to end.  

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 14: "Ozymandias"

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

- Shelley

The title of this episode, "Ozymandias", refers to a famous poem about a fallen king and his collapsed empire.  Once great and mighty, the king's empire is now a "collossal wreck, boundless and bare".  This episode was Walt's reckoning.  He loses everything in horrific detail.  Beaten down and powerless, we also see him at his nastiest.  

For all of the main characters, this episode was a nightmare come true.  The first tragedy is Hank, who coldly gets executed even after Walt tries to bargain for his life with money.  What Walt doesn't realize is how powerless he is.  The second tragedy is Jesse, who Walt coldly points out to Uncle Jack is still alive and hiding.  Debatedly worse than death, Jesse is given up for torture and told by Walt the secret that he watched his girlfriend die.  Jesse's fate at the end of this episode may have been the worst of all.  The third tragedy is his family, who refuses his plan to run away and rejects him.  He gets into a vicious knife fight with Skyler and Walt Jr., and then runs off with Holly.  The fourth tragedy is Marie, who at the end of the show learns that Hank has died.  

In the opening of the episode, we flashbacked to a different Walt.  On the phone with Skyler, we could assume that this was the first of many lies to her in the series.  It was pretty harrowing to see how much things have changed since episode 1.  The end of the episode would also involve a phone call with Skyler.  He calls her, and in his nastiest voice, blames her for everything and tells her that Hank is dead because Hank crossed him.  My theory on the ending phone call is that he knew that the cops would be listening in and said everything he could to make it believeable that Skyler was his victim and not his accomplice.  Walt was doing his best to protect Skyler and his family after realizing how much damage he had done.  I was unsure of this at first, but after he returned Holly it became pretty clear.  

This is the darkest episode of Breaking Bad and probably of any tv show I've ever seen.  Horrific, bleak, depressing and at the same time, amazing.  The best episode of the series, but I'm not sure if I want to watch it again.  So much pain.  

Observations:

- Symbolism:  Walt's money pit was replaced with the dead bodies of Hank and Gomie.

- "Sorry for your loss"- Meth Damon aka Todd.  

- The most surprising act of mercy this episode came from Uncle Jack, who left Walt with a barrel of money.

- Walt telling Jesse about Jane's death was nasty and evil.  "I could've stopped it but I didnt".  To Jesse, it was basically a confirmation that Walt never cared about him.

- Walt Jr. finally learned the truth and sided against his dad.  He's strong moraled like his uncle.  He also acted bravely in the knife fight by putting himself in front of Skyler to stop the fight.  

- That knife fight was scary, I thought somehow Walt Jr. or Holly would end up getting cut or killed.

- See Marie, that's how you steal a baby.

- It was pretty tough to see Holly wanting her mom, even for Walt.  This might've been the turning point.

- The disappearer guy was used! 

- Predictions about what happens next anyone?  Does Walt have a change of heart and try to save Jesse with the machine gun in the flash forward?

- RIP Hank.  He knew he was going to die.  "Youre the smartest guy I know".  Heartbreaking.

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 13: "To'hajiilee"

The best episode of the season so far.  If I didn't know that there was still three episodes left, at one point I would've thought that this was the series finale.

For Hank and Jesse, this was their almost victory episode.  If Breaking Bad were to end with Walt getting caught, this is probably what it would've looked like.  Hank, after his long search, was finally vindicated.  We got to see Hank completely trap Walt and arrest him.  For a moment, he was triumphant.  He even went through the motions of victory.  He put Walt in handcuffs, got congratulated by his partner, and then called Marie to tell her he got him.  If it only wasn't for Todd and his uncles...

For Jesse, this episode was also a moment of victory against Walt.  At the beginning of the episode, Jesse and Walt were matching wits and trying to kill each other.  For the first time, Jesse finally outsmarted Walt.  While Walt's biggest play was going to Andrea to try to lure him out, he failed.  Why?  He didn't have the knowledge that Jesse was working with Hank.  Just like Walt knew Jesse's weak spot was Andrea/Brock, Jesse knew Walt's weak spot was his money.  They both executed their plans and Jesse came out on top.

If anything, the victories of Hank and Jesse this episode makes me worried for them.  There's three episodes left and their stories seems to have been completed.  Does this mean that they're now expendable?  Sadly, my prediction is yes.

Observations:

- "That dude who looked like Wolverine couldn't crack 70%".

- Lydia is a big fan of blue (she's wearing a blue blazer).

- The coffee was a metaphor for the meth, Todd cant get it just right.

- Kid's lunch consist of PB and J, string cheese and yogurt squeezer (Go-Gurt?).

- Walt thinks Fruit Loops is "good stuff".

- Saul told Walt Jr. that getting punched in the face is an occupational hazard for a lawyer.

- When Hank told Marie he loved her, I knew something was going down.

- Hank took that picture "by the barbecue grill. You know, where we used to cook out with the family."

- I thought Hank and Gomie were going to die right away.

Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 12: "Rabid Dog"

Not as impressive as the last three episodes, but still a good one.  Definitely an episode that moves the chess pieces into place and sets up the motivations of the characters.  My only issue is that I'm not sure where I like things are going, but that's more of a preference issue than a critique of the show.

It seemed like every character this episode was unlikable.  I found myself being annoyed or irritated at all the main players. Skyler seems to have gone completely evil and tries to convince Walt to kill Jesse.  Hank tries to use Jesse to get to Walt, calling him a "junkie murderer" and setting him up for potential death.  Jesse cooperates with the DEA and without hesitation confesses everything on tape.  For the first time in a long time, Walt was the most sympathetic character on the show again.  Even though both Saul and Skyler suggested Jesse be killed, he refuses the easy solution and genuinely tries to reach out to him and talk to him.  If only it wasnt that threatening looking guy wasn't waiting there awkwardly for his daughter.  

Now it looks like it will be Jesse and Hank versus Walt and Todd. Although it makes sense, it feels kind of wrong to me to see Jesse working with Hank.  It's like seeing Robin working with the Joker.  This will be interesting...

Observations:

- Walt's gas malfunction story was pretty bad.  Even Walt Jr. could smell the lies.

- "We've come this far.  What's one more?"- Evil Skyler.

- Saul's metaphor this episode was "Old Yeller".  Means the same thing as "Belize".

- Funniest part of the episode was when Walt thought Badger's name was "Beaver".  

- Speaking of Badger, "For all three hours all he talked about was something called Babylon 5".  

- Jesse takes his coffee black.

- I wonder what Jesse's plan is.