by Ginny Keegan
#breakingbad
I was first introduced to Breaking Bad while at a web conference in Indianapolis. I got back to the hotel and found the episodes on Netflix. That was it, I was hooked! (line and sinker). Not only did I love the dark, gritty, drug filled episodes week after week with Breaking Bad, but I also had a unique personal association with the movie. (and no! I wasn't a meth head). My dad reminds me of Walt. Not only does he remind me of him, my dad was a high school chemistry teacher like Walt, and to top it all off, my dad's name is Walt! Creepy. But my dad doesn't even swear, so the likelihood he would take his chemist skills to the next level is highly improbable. At any rate, loved the show from the beginning and I pulled an all nighter that one night in the hotel room, eyes glued to the screen. I couldn't get enough.
What I liked most about the show was Vince Gilligan's approach and genius ability to write a good story, with amazing casting of characters. For me, almost every episode had a "mouth dropping" moment where you were like "holy shit", I can't believe that just happened. Or "OMG I can't wait till next week!" Yea there was the occasional boring "set up" episode that prepared you for something kick ass for the next week, but for the most part, Vince kept to the gritty, dirty, drug filled style that I love. He did this almost always, except for the finale.
Emily Nussbaum writes about her disappointment of the finale of Breaking Bad and I have to agree with her on many of her points. The final episode fell way short for me as well. I realize I'm a minority, because in doing some research it seems that many fans feel that having a nicely buttoned up finale was the way to go. I see it differently. I was hoping again for the "mouth dropping" dirty, gritty Breaking Bad that I fell so deeply in love with, and I just didn't get that with the ending. As Emily describes, the last episode was too obvious and predictable and tied up every loose end possible. Was that necessary? Was it so important to tie up every loose end? Wouldn't it have been more cool if you were left with your jaw on the floor, thinking or wondering "i can't believe that happened"? I wanted to be left in awe, and that didn't happen.
I went into work the next day being highly disappointed and I shared my perspective with some colleagues. I shared the way "I" thought Breaking Bad should have ended in order to get some feedback and to see if I was the only one that felt that it missed the mark. During this process I found Vince Gilligan's 5 alternate endings, which were interesting, but I still felt like the I needed something more dramatic. Again more "mouth dropping".
So I went on a quest to find the perfect ending.
Here are a few interesting endings that I found, with my colleague and friend, Neal Gilbert @FXexaminer, taking first place. His ending would have left your mouth on the floor. In order of last place, in my opinion, to numero uno!
# 5 Lydia Spinoff (A couple interesting spins I found from a The Verge article:)
gregorian
I would have liked a Lydia spinoff.
This obsessively neat woman’s adventures in the Meth world, with Todd along as a romantic comedy serial killer sidekick.
Posted on Oct 1, 2013 | 8:21 PMReply
DTMD
I like this. Then, they tell him that his blue meth cures lung cancer AND is an effective treatment for Flynn’s CP. Walt is cured and earns the respect of his son. He becomes the new head of the Albuquerque DEAwhen the police determine that Lydia was running the whole operation all along. He has a picture of Hank on his desk and gives it a salute every morning: “this is for you, buddy”. He goes undercover as “Rutherford”, infiltrating the Mexican drug cartels. Turns out, that’s where Saul has been hiding out! Hijinks ensue. Oh, and turns out he actually had an ownership stake in Grey Matter (turns out when Elliot bought out Walt’s share, he forgot to notarize the paperwork! Whoops!), so he’s a billionaire. Huell occasionally glimpses out of the blinds of his hotel room.
Do that for 8-10 seasons and you’ve got yourself a quality series, friend.
#4 Todd gets ambushed
MetroPedro
A more realistic, more boring ending for someone with W.Whites logic prowess would likely play out as follows:
-Ambush Todd and take him hostage at gunpoint after his meeting with Lydia. Inject him with something to inebriate him. Transport him somewhere, strap a vest full of explosives on him.
-Get Lydia’s address off Todd. Kill her.
-Have Todd explain the exact location of clubhouse and layout of the place, who is on guard and where.
Then either hire a team of killers to storm in, or simply leave a drugged up Toddy at the gates with enough explosives strapped to him to take out Jack when he comes in close. Remote detonate when Jack comes close to see why his nephew is laying at the gates, plan B with a sniper rifle if the explosion doesn’t kill him.
Whoever is alive torture them for the location of the money.
#3 Walt turns himself in and tried to make it up to his family
Walter turns himself in. Cuts a deal with the DEA, where punishment is lessened, and in turn Walt's provides information and ways to help DEA get all the rest of Meth empire across the country. Walt feels it's his way to make up, in a small way, for what happened to hank, all the murders, drugs and shady deals and to try to do something to gain the respect back of his family.
#2 Walt goes lives in Europe to build Meth Empire
vrg.srnm
I thought the ending was perfect after I watched it but after I gave a bit more thought I would have liked to see Walt live go to Europe build up his blue meth empire again before he died of cancer, live long enough to get some forgiveness from his son, see his daughter walk and buy a massive stake in Gretchen and Elliott company and make them give the shares to Walt’s family so they would always have money that was clean and from his accomplishments before the drugs and the killing. that would have been my happy ending for Walt, but maybe he didn’t deserve a happier ending.
#1: Walter Jr gets Shot: (my favorite- mouth dropping ending)
"I think the ultimate ending would have been for the Nazis to kidnap Walter Jr. before Sr. came to the compound without his or our knowledge, for the purpose of leverage just in case Sr. tried to do something stupid. I would have everything play out the same way, and when Sr. walks up to kill Jack, Jack laughs and tells him about his son in the back room. Of course, Sr. would walk in to the back room to find his son shot while tied to a chair with his mouth taped (maybe a last gasp conversation before Jr. dies or something). Therefore, Walter's actions would have destroyed his family instead of taking care of it, plus he saved his surrogate son (Jesse) while killing his real son (Jr.). The ending would be of Walter dying while holding his own dead son in his arms cursing God and his own actions. That would have been a more apropos ending for this show instead of the "happy" ending we got. They needed me in that writing room. by @FXexaminer. Now how brilliant would that have been? That for me would have been the mouth dropping, awe jolting, gritty-dark ending I would have expected from Vince Gilligan.
What ending did you hope for?
