Breaking Bad - Final Season

Few shows have gotten me wrapped around their axle the way Breaking Bad did. And out of all of them, Breaking Bad is the only show that consistently kept the heat on. The show officially ended 18 days ago and yet, I still feel somewhat adrift - like one often does when losing something important to them. I haven't been this emotionally connected to a family outside of my own since the Fisher's left us eight years ago. Yes, I cared about the Soprano clan as well, but with the White's, it was, well, like they were closer relatives - a brother and his family as opposed to a first cousin and his. This final "season" may have consisted of only eight episodes, but what an eight episodes they were. A word of caution for first-time viewers: be prepared to want to go through the entire eight episodes at once. The plot is so engaging that you won't want to stop watching. So, plan your viewing time accordingly. As always, these episodes are brilliantly written, superbly directed, and giftedly acted by a group of individuals that raise the bar on their craft. I challenge you to find another series where the viewer loves even the smallest, minute characters that may only be on their screens for a few moments (Hello, Wendy? I'm talking about you, girl.). And, I really enjoyed the way this show utilized flashbacks and editing to move the story's timeline along. I know some might say "Yo, bitch. Relax. This was just a TV show." But since the evening of September 29, 2013, I've felt like there is a hole in my heart. I don't know how long I'll have to wait until another show comes along that can fill part of that hole, but I know that there will always be something missing. Some things in life are irreplaceable. Breaking Bad is one of them. As Bryan Cranston stated in an interview, "anything really worthwhile is perishable." A simple statement, but profound and true. My thanks to the cast and crew of this fine production for providing this fan with 62 amazing episodes that made me laugh, cry, smile, worry, scream out loud at times, and yes, educate me a bit too. Now, go forth and respect the chemistry.

Second time watching the series. Every character is done so well. It’s possible to empathize with and despise each character as they evolve or devolve.

I will join the chorus and say that I love this series. The final season is first rate as is the entire series. Every aspect of the series is first rate, but the best part for me is the character development. Walter White is responsible for murdering about 30 people, but he still has his moral compass, his own moral code. For him it is all about family and taking care of the family even when they are against him. So, he offers his life's savings to save Hank because he is family, but he wouldn't have hesitated to kill a different DEA agent who was not family. But, in the end he admits that it wasn't all for family, that he did it for himself because he enjoyed it and he was good at it. So, a person who is given a death sentence suddenly wakes up and realizes he never achieved his goals and isn't even prepared to provide for his family. In his quest to provide for his family, he finds himself and achieves self-actualization, not on others' terms or within others' moral codes, but within his own. A study of ethics shows the highest level is level 6 in which you follow your own rules and make decisions for yourself. That is what he did. Do I agree with his moral code? No. But, I recognize he abided by his code. He considered Jesse family, and went to great lengths to not kill him. And in the end, he laid down his life for Jesse, laying on top of him shielding him from the bullets that he himself set in motion. If he had gotten on the floor, he would not have been shot as neither Jesse nor Todd were. This is one of the great attractions of the series. Each character sticks to his or her moral compass, whether Hank or Walter, Jesse or Todd. Todd wouldn't kill Skyler because it wasn't necessary, but he didn't hesitate to murder a child when it was necessary. Again, I'm not saying I agree with their moral compasses, of course I don't. But, the character development and the consistency of behavior of each character with his or her own moral compass is what makes the series great. You never say oh he or she wouldn't have done that. No, you know that's exactly what they would do.

Breaking Bad is a wonderful program about an educator (Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston) who goes back to professional practice in chemistry, and exhibits particular talent in his field. White partners up with a former student (Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul) and provides Jesse with remedial chemistry lessons in a sort of mentor relationship. They go into business together, and—without giving anything away—they encounter some "challenges" along the way. They also cook meth. And I mean a lot of meth. Aside from the chemistry lessons, Breaking Bad provides leadership lessons, if you look for them. I've chosen three of my favorite lessons. 1. Partner with others; be part of a team You can't go it alone. It's important when starting any new venture to have a partner, someone who will watch your back and help you out. And that's true whether you're working on an IT project, coordinating a campus-wide effort, or pulling off a train heist in the deserts of New Mexico. While it's important to partner with someone who works well with you, be mindful that you select someone who brings a fresh perspective. If your partner carries the same opinions that you do, you'll fail to identify issues before they become problems, and you'll miss valuable opportunities. 2. Be methodical in what you do Projects go more smoothly if everyone knows their part and what to expect. Take care to plan out your vision and clarify your team's role in executing that vision. Apply proper methodology to your project planning, such as detailed effort work plans or simple Gantt charts, to ensure a smooth delivery. Map out any obstacles in your way and get people together to identify how to work around them. But leave some flexibility in your planning. There is such a thing as becoming too focused, like Hank does. Avoid becoming overly attached to an idea so that it prevents you from seeing other possibilities and alternative outcomes. 3. Commit to your decisions When you make a decision or decide on a course of action, there shouldn't be any doubt that it's the right thing to do. Balance your options, and weigh the benefits against the risks. And when you move forward, put all your energy into it. If you hold back, you aren't really committed. Look at Hector. When Walter approached him with an opportunity, no one could argue he didn't commit himself to the deal. He evaluated the options, and was all in. Be like Hector. Ring the bell of success.

I had heard a lot about this series but never found the time to sit and watch it. I heard so much about it as the last episode neared that I decided to record all the episodes as AMC showed them all leading up to the last episode. I have spent most every free moment the last two weeks watching the entire series and I am very impressed, Bryan Cranston does an incredible job of bringing Walter White to life and the story line is incredible. I really enjoyed the small scene they have every episode at the beginning and how they tie in to the overall story and not necessarily that one episode. I was hooked from the very first episode and got so much into the story that I kept "talking back" to the characters on the screen. Very rarely if ever have I been so engaged by a story. The premise of the show is a high school chemistry teacher finds out he has cancer around the time of his 50th birthday. His brother in law is a DEA agent that takes him on a ride along to bust a meth lab. While at the bust he sees one of his old pupils who was obviously involved in the meth cooking but by sheer luck escapes being arrested. Once Walt realizes how much money there is in making meth, he decides he will start cooking to gather enough money so that when he dies of cancer he can leave a nest egg for his wife and children. He partners up with his old pupil Jesse and the wild ride begins. I would highly recommend this series. It held my attention as very few series have been able to do in the recent 4 or 5 years and am very glad that all I had to do to find out what happened next was just to cue up the next episode on my free time rather than have to wait between seasons to figure out what would happen next in Walter's life.

My wife and I "found" Breaking Bad just a couple months before the show's finale and had the pleasure of watching all of them over the course of a few weeks. As such, we were in a perfect position to detect continuity issues - things which abound in other shows like "24" produced over the course of several years and which are really understandable from a production standpoint. We really did not see any - which is yet another testament to the fantastic quality of the show. The writing is absolutely top notch and the acting is the same. I have no idea how they were able to cast each and every role with actors who were able to so perfectly fill those roles. Watching anything after this has been a let-down for us - no other shows out there really compare. One last thing I have to mention is the fantastic way this show was ended. It is very common in very complex stories that a few loose ends are left - generally writers will say they just left it to the watcher's imagination but in reality they ran out of time / money or simply forgot to close the loop on minor issues. Breaking Bad, on the other hand, does a complete wrap up and closes those loose ends in very satisfying fashion. Overall, highly recommended and likely will go down as the best drama series of all time. If you have not seen it, I recommend that you waste no more time reading reviews and get watching!

I have never watched a television series, whether "true crime" or any other genre, with such a compelling human story, as Breaking Bad. This show succeeds, on every level, in depicting the savagery of the drug trade, and the futility of the "war on drugs", and what they do to the human beings who are one way or the other involved in them, for evil or for good. It also broke my heart, for I have never encountered a fictional character so thoroughly loathsome as the man that Walter White becomes, or is revealed to be, along his journey from his cancer diagnoses to his death in a remote meth lab... a journey in which he manages to destroy the family he purported to want to save; corrupt a confused and floundering young man and turn him into a vicious criminal, and cause the deaths of many other people, both innocent and guilty. The only real flaw in this series is the ending, which I found very unsatisfying, for too many loose ends are left dangling. I wanted to know what became of Skylar, or Flynn, or Marie, after the deaths of their husbands and father. How could they rebuild their wrecked lives and survive their grief?

Great ending to a fantastic series. All-in-all the series met all my expectations as one of the most riveting TV shows ever. The reason I gave it four stars was because when I bought season 5 I was pretty sure the information I read said that it was going to be 1/2 of the season and that the other 1/2 of the season (which was to be shown in summer 2013) was included in my purchase. Then in summer of 2013 there were two separate designations, some acted like it was the second half of season 5 (as expected) and some acted like it was a new season 6. So I in my mind I was re-purchasing a season I already owned. I felt ripped-off for a while, then caved and bought the season because I wanted to see the show. But I think many followers were misled.