Ending Bad

Inevitably, the ending of Breaking Bad turns out to be disappointing, in part because we have set unreasonable expectations for any great series and in particular for this one, which literally seemed to improve and mature with almost every episode. These conclusions are also disappointing because we don't want to let the characters go, and wish they could live on - but the writers and creators know, as a convention, that they lead has to die - otherwise, there's always that slight possibility of another season. But the conclusion to BB was also disappointing because, thought Vince Gilligan wrapped up all of the strands of the series pretty effectively, he did so by granting Walter White almost superhuman powers - or luck. Did anyone else wonder how in hell he managed to sneak into the house of the wealthy couple? Or how they would manage to distribute millions in cash to Walt's children? And how did he manage to build that weird contraption in the Cadillac trunk that mowed down the whole rival gang? Even the assassination of the Chicken King in the nursing home seemed more possible, if not more credible. In other words, in this last episode Walt stepped out of the boundaries of ordinariness that made his character, and the show, so intriguing. I didn't buy into it, and thought an accidental or unexpected death would be a more likely and more satisfying conclusion. (BTW, I always thought it was a mistake to kill Tony in the final episode, and that he should have been left as the last one standing, with his family and his crew all gone.) Despite these quibbles about the final episode, Breaking Bad takes a deserved place among the great American TV dramatic series, maybe just a notch below The Wire and The Sopranos, but certainly on a level with Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, Homeland, and even the surprising Battlestar Gallactica - each different in style and genre but each just a great contribution and a high point in American culture and to popular, commercial entertainment.