re: Long thoughts on the ending of Breaking Bad

quote:

---

I did think Emily Nussbaum's dream theory was very interesting. Not sure I buy it, but a thoughtful interpretation of the episode

---

Just read a chunk of it, and I don't really agree with her at all.

quote:

---

I was happy to see Walt own up to his sins, but I thought it leaned too much in the "Walt wins" column.

---

I'm sympathetic to this view, but ultimately, that's the audience wanting villainy to be punished. We love antiheroes, but we want them to get theirs in the end. I think that's projecting our desire to see punishment onto the show. And also, he was punished.

The show was Walt's story, not anyone else's. So it can't show the ripple effects of his actions after he dies because the story is over. I am also sympathetic to Freaux's view that the Schwartz's likely don't deserve to be heroes, but that is another story. In Walt's story, they get to be the saviors (though at the price of always worrying someone is going to murder them). We also don't know if his plan works, we have to hope, just as Walt does, that it does.

I do think the finale was very Walt-centric, as it had to be. But it was about his contrition for his sins. This wasn't breaking bad, but breaking not good precisely, but at least honest and remorseful. He took responsibility. Because of that, he got a "better" ending. But honestly, had he just died as chemistry teacher with no money and a family who loved him and mourned him... that was a better way to live. He missed his happy ending by deciding to break bad.