Before I get started I am going to put a big fat SPOILER WARNING at the top of this piece. Obviously we can’t discuss what’ll come next for BREAKING BAD without talking about last night’s explosive (teeheehee) season finale. So get out of here if you haven’t seen it! Go, get!
Okay, now that they’re gone…
Holy cow, how great was BREAKING BAD last night? And to think, all those chumps at the beginning of this article didn’t watch it! Fools! I can only think of a few other season finales that have topped “Face Off”. This was a terrific finale. In fact, I’d say it’s an example of a perfect season closer. It had a major pay-off, fun moments, good character work and left us with more than a few questions.
Let’s talk about those questions. While I have no clue what Vince Gilligan and his crew will come up with for the final 16 episodes, it’s my constitutional duty to blindly guess. So I’ve thrown together some of the more obvious questions left unanswered. Feel free to add your own queries or theories below.
HEY, WHERE THE HELL IS MIKE?
We here at Very Aware love Mike. He’s a grumpy, quiet man who doesn’t take any shit and isn’t particularly friendly but there is something immensely likable about him. Part of that appeal is because of Jonathan Banks, the wonderful actor who plays him. I was fearful that we’d lose Mike this season and while he did disappear, he didn’t die…yet. For all we know, he’s still in Mexico recuperating from a nasty gunshot wound. He’ll be bummed to learn that his boss Gus was given the Harvey Dent treatment but you’ve got to wonder how he’ll respond. He’s never been one to let his emotions get the best of him (though he did punch Walter in the face once). Mike could aid or harm Walter and Jesse in season five. I’m guessing he won’t make their lives easy. Oh, and he’ll shoot somebody.
LOOK OUT FOR THE D.E.A!
Poor Hank, nobody listens to him. Hank was right all along about Gus but his D.E.A. superiors ignored him. Well, now that Gus has been blown the hell up by an ex-Cartel member, you can bet the D.E.A. will be digging around in the rubble. Will they discover Walter and Jesse’s now-destroyed meth lab? Will they investigate the conglomerate that provided Gus with his industrial supplies? Perhaps the most important question is will they find anything on Gus’s laptop? Gilligan made a point to give us a shot of the computer right before Gus’s death, is that foreshadowing of the damage it’ll do?
Uh oh?
JESSE VS. WALTER?
One thing’s for sure: Walter’s horrible actions against poor Brock won’t stay secret. That haunting final shot of the season – the deadly Lily of the Valley in Walt’s backyard – implies that this decision will come back to haunt him. We have to assume that somebody – probably Jesse – will eventually find out about Walter’s actions. When all is discovered, things are going to get really, really bad. And we thought they were nasty before. Walter has survived crazed kingpins, the Cartel and even a genius drug distributor but can he survive Jesse Pinkman? What about us, will we be able to handle the inevitable confrontation between these two? My heart hurts just thinking about it.
WALTER WHITE: FAMILY MAN
On the surface, Walter still seems like a boring family man. Now that his meth life is seemingly over, will he happily return to Skyler, Walt Jr. and baby Holly? Also, how will Skyler feel knowing she lives in the same house a murderer? And what about Walt Jr.? Walt Jr. has been a big question mark for awhile. He’s starting to see the cracks in his dad’s exterior and I’d wager that he’ll stumble upon something sizable in the episodes to come. I think Walter White will try to be the man people see him as. I don’t think it’ll last.
Like the rest of the fanbase, I’m not sure where BREAKING BAD is going. I know that we have 16 episodes left and I know the show doesn’t pull any punches (just ask the right side of Gus’s face). I envision the final episodes of this amazing television series being similar to the first ones. I think they’ll be smaller stories, closer to home. I think we are about to see the effects of Walter and Jesse’s decisions. But don’t get me wrong, I think big trouble is looming for them both.
Here’s the biggest question: will Walter’s conscience finally catch up with him? And here’s a scarier thought: what if it doesn’t?
About the Lilly of the Valley: It could be a nice plot twist, via misdirection, that Gus had his thugs place it there. It doesn’t make sense, as careful as Walt is, to leave such an incriminating piece of evidence laying around. Especially since he has an infant. This could be a chance for Gus to reach beyond the grave and still split Walter and Jesse apart.
What about the fact that Walter has barley any money after Skyler gave his assets to Ted Benekee,. the car wash.. and all the prosidures walt did to make sure he would stay alive. I predict that Walt and Jesse are gonna get back in the meth game one last time.. perhaps even with a bigger foe.
There seems to be one thing that no one has discussed or addressed. When you take out such high figures in a drug hierarchy (Gus and the Cartel) there will be a vacuum for power. Who will be there replacements? This leaves a big hole to fill. It will be interesting if this will be a part of the last season.