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David Mumpower: I feel that the issue of no huge surprises is a tribute to the ascendant popularity of the show. A program that began with an average of fewer than a million viewers during season one became so popular over the course of the past year that its minutiae were examined obsessively. Nobody could have anticipated that fundamental change in its pop culture positioning. In addition, AMC's decision to split the seasons created that extra year of (too much) analysis. We cannot fault Breaking Bad for being so great that its viewers became too emotionally invested in its outcome. That is the end goal of every program ever made. Breaking Bad is the rare series that justifies that sort of devotion.

For me, this was one of the best series conclusions I have ever seen. I had been saying for a while that the one aspect of the conclusion I considered a slam dunk was that Jesse had to kill Todd. The reason why was simple. Todd was the inferior protege. He couldn't even get the color correct on his batches of meth. As Walter White once noted, he and Jesse were the TWO best meth makers in the world. Even though Jesse shunned his mentor and only murdered one person previously, Todd's presence on the show was primarily to establish that for all of his failings, Jesse was ultimately Walt's prize student. I loved the way that the conclusion mirrored the first murder on the show, the one where Walt similarly choked a drug dealer to death (albeit at least partially in self defense).

With regards to the rest of the show, I had deduced last season that Walt would wind up in opposition to the skinheads because I believed that they represented the entropy that can destroy any chemical reaction when the components become unbalanced. While I guessed the nature of Walt's final build, I still loved the sequence wherein he faked a fight with Jesse in order to force the younger man to the safety of the ground. That sort of MacGyvering exemplifies how the two men continually survived long odds against ruthless killers. In the end, that aspect of Breaking Bad was always what I admired the most. It worked the best when implemented to show that Gus Fring was capable of destroying an entire drug cartel yet unable to best Walter White. Demonstrating feasible scenarios where an underdog can become a crime lord is Vince Gilligan's wheelhouse.

I am a bit disappointed that Hank didn't reach the end as I felt the first three episodes of the (second half of the) season hinted at a battle that never transpired, at least not in the way I wanted. It is a small quibble compared to the satisfaction of the ending. Contrast that disappointment to the satisfaction of Walt once again seeing the woman he once loved...and threatening her and her husband with murder from beyond the grave. That is the type of storytelling that distinguishes Breaking Bad from its peers. Best of all, Walt's final moments should be spent in a chemical laboratory with the equipment that brought him happiness during his time of need. The Gollum references are all over the internet today, but they are completely accurate. Walt loved The Blue in a way that defined his life. It was pitch perfect for his life to end nestled in the arms of his one true love.

Finally, I want to thank all of the BOP staff members whose passion for Breaking Bad pushed me to watch the show to figure out what had you all so dialed up. You were 100% right about the greatness of Breaking Bad.

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