Breaking Bad [UPDATE: Series Finale **SPOILERS**]

and another 20 minute episode flies by in the blink of an eye.

Nah, this episode was chock full of goodness. Walt's confession, more Saul, Jesse losing his shit...

Bucket said:

Nah, this episode was chock full of goodness. Walt's confession, more Saul, Jesse losing his shit...

Yes, that's why it flies by so fast.

Here is a compilation someone made of all the clues Walt gave Hank:

Kudos to the writers. It's been a while since I've wanted to watch the next episode so much. Jesse flipping the fuck out is going to lead to some really intense shit.

Speaking of Jesse: the next episode is called "Rabid Dog". Rabid dogs get put down.
But who knows? The writers are known for foreshadowing fake-outs.

I hope Jesse makes it to the penultimate or final episode.

Here's a somewhat interesting article on the last episode and the show in general.

EDIT: Also, does anyone know what movie was being referenced when we see Skylar in the brown jumper? Scarface?

EDIT: here is a detailed breakdown of how Jesse comes to his ricin revelation. Warning, the second half of the article does some speculating that seems to be informed by information we are not supposed to yet have (which is why it try to resist reading these analysis articles).

Been avoiding the thread since I was a few episodes behind and wanted to avoid spoilers, but all caught up now.

The ending: I have mixed feelings. Friend of mine thought the ending was terrible, but I wouldn't go that far; but it didn't quite feel that the ending really matched (or fit) the build up of the last season. Thoughts?

I absolutely loved the finale! Thanks to Vince Gilligan and everyone involved with this amazing show.

I really liked the scene where Walt explains to his wife why he did it. I thought that was perhaps Walt's best performance.

I always imagined the final episode to be one with a lot of histeria and action. Histeria on the parts of the hank and walt family members, and action on the part of some kind of ultimate confrontation between hank and walt, ...but the writers had other plans....

Hellbent said:

The ending: I have mixed feelings. Friend of mine thought the ending was terrible, but I wouldn't go that far; but it didn't quite feel that the ending really matched (or fit) the build up of the last season. Thoughts?

Sorry, but there's got to be something seriously wrong with you and your friend.

That ending was like the TV equivalent of the greatest orgasm you've ever had in your life.

If you thought this show was going to end in a thrill-ride, you haven't really been watching. It wasn't hackneyed, nor was it an attack on the senses - it was just satisfying.

I loved every second of the final episode! My favourite series since the Sopranos!

He did everything he said he'd do and still technically never got caught. Fulfillment of a great series.

With Frank dead and Jesse's screen time marginalized we had a bunch of unmemorable nazis as the final confrontation. The whole series had compelling characters we could sink our teeth into, from Salamanca? bell-ringing-dude, to Gus Fring to Ermentraut. By the time we get to the finale it's just Anna Gunn and Cranston with a cameo by Paul with most of the screen time taken up by late comers who were less interesting to watch than anyone else (lydia, jack, todd etc). Not to mention they spent 4 plus seasons --most of the show-- building the ultimate confrontation between walt and hank. I found the performances in the last 8 episodes very compelling all the way to the very end, I just wasn't thrilled by the writers' choices; after episode 9, Hank was my favorite character and I was looking forward to the writers giving him more. The confrontations between hank and walt were great, but so few :(.

Also, who says a satisfying ending is synonymous with an ending that is satisfying to Walt? Fuck Walt and his pseudo-redemptions of character or humanity. Shit should have fallen apart for him and he should have died a miserable, wretched, broken man. Or at least it shouldn't have all been tied up so nicely and so quickly in his favor. The ending felt like it was scripted. It wasn't compelling. It was like "okay we have to end the show now, so let's get everyone together and have a nice shoot out where everyone dies, and have Walt die on his terms, yeah, sounds good!" not to mention the likelihood of such a gun-rigged setup would actually pan out so well. It just, could have been more interesting/compelling.