Breaking Bad: Felina - A Complete Examination

foreign examination of Felina the series finale of Breaking Bad this video is intended to be a rundown of the events found in the episode in order to assess quality while also relating the events of the episode to the relevance in The Wider context of the show as a whole this video will contain heavy spoilers for all of Breaking Bad so please watch before you see this video if you do not care about spoilers or have seen it before then I'll begin the episode opens showing Walter White as he enters into a car seeing that the owner forgot to lock it once inside he acquires a screwdriver from the glove box and struggles to hotwire the car after stopping in frustration the light of a police siren silently appears from behind him as he cowards from the police he quietly begs the car to just get him home so that he can do the rest just get me home just get me home after the rest to his luck the squad car passes and Walt discovers that the driver left the keys in the visor this Stroke of Luck is an element of the episode which could be called a contrivance which is designed to push the story forward the reason this isn't a flaw in the story is that it is a contrivance which doesn't require a massive leap of logic it is entirely plausible if unlikely that a vehicle owner would leave their keys in their car but a detail which assists this element is that the driver left the door unlocked indicating that the vehicle's owner was likely negligent or nonchalant with his security of his car while it starts the car and punches off the snow which served as the shield from the police off of his window as well clears his windshield of snow to set off the iconic opening titles and main theme play for a final time we then cut to a gas station in the desert as was shown in the premiere of the Season Waltz has driven from New Hampshire back to Albuquerque after refueling his car and coughing down some of his few remaining medications Walt makes a call to gas station's Payphone acting as a journalist from The New York Times Walt manages to get the new address of Elliott and Gretchen it's it's their call I know how busy Mr Mrs Schwartz are should make one hell of a story goodbye after finishing his call what removes the Tag Heuer Jesse gave him for his 51st birthday and places it on top of the pay phone before he departs the reason that he did this narratively is somewhat unclear as was shown in the previous shot just like his finger which has grown too thin to hold his wedding ring Walt's wrist is exceedingly thin for his watch in spite of this the watch has an adjustable band and could have been tightened it could mean that Waltz is leaving behind one of the last remaining memories he has of Jesse but this doesn't explain why he has kept it for all his time while he was in New Hampshire narratively this moment is somewhat jarring and likely meant to create an emotionally striking shot on a production standpoint this is actually done as a means to avoid a potential continuity air Walt wasn't wearing the Tag Heuer in the series premiere but unlike his glasses hair and clothes there wasn't a narrative reason for Walt not to be wearing his watch it wasn't damaged in previous seasons and he never lost it thus Vince Gilligan had Walt leave it on the pay phone it's a little detail which shows the immense care the filmmakers took to ensuring that even the most minuscule of details regarding continuity on the show were kept consistent albeit leaving this moment somewhat confusing narratively speaking we then see Elliott and Gretchen returning home where they neglect to see Walt lurking in the shadows near their porch after they disable the alarm Walt ominously walks through the doors and closes them he then casually walks in and begins admiring the house in pictures on the table when Gretchen and Elliot eventually become aware that Walt is in their house they ask why he is there he claims that he isn't there to hurt them it is instead there to give them something explaining that said item is in his car and then he couldn't get it past their gate hello Gretchen Elliot I really like your new house what are you doing here I saw you on Charlie Rose you look great you both did if you are here to to hurt us oh actually I'm here to give you something it's out in my car how about the three of us take a walk to it it's just parked down the road I couldn't get a pasture gate based on what the audience knows this very well could be the M60 machine gun which was shown in the premiere after Elliot threatens Walt with a knife Walt's crowd-pleasing one-liner implies that this is exactly what is in his car I love you if we're gonna go that way you'll need a bigger knife [Music] the episode Cuts revealing Walt Elliott and Gretchen stacking Walt's money on a table in the living room he then instructs them to give the money to Walter Jr in the form of a trust on his 18th birthday claiming that since Elliot and Gretchen are wealthy benefactors Their donation to the white family will be seen as a charitable act rather than a suspicious one Walt I don't think on my son's 18th birthday which is 10 months and two days from today you will give him this money in the form of an irrevocable trust you will tell him that it is his to do with as he sees fit but with the hope that he uses it for his college education and for the betterment of his family but to ensure that they follow through with his orders what reveals that they're in fact two Hitmen who maltes paid to watch Elliott and Gretchen to ensure that they do what he wants if for any reason that my children do not get this money kind of countdown will begin when you're going for a walk in Santa Fe or Manhattan or Prague wherever you'll hear the scrape of a footstep behind you but before you can even turn around Darkness yeah [ __ ] this scene serves as an excellent example of writer director Vince Gilligan writing the characters of the show with consistency whilst also subverting the expectations of the audience the previous episode granted state had shown Walt it possibly his lowest point on the show having failed to convince Walter Jr to take his money and realizing that all of his lies all of his hard work and all of the people who died as a result of his actions may all be for nothing yes it's so good to hear your voice money it has to be a secret if anyone says a word the police will take it you want to send money I don't want anything from you I don't give a [ __ ] you killed him I did he reaches such a low point that he decides to give up his efforts to evade the authorities and calls the DEA referring to himself by name I'd like to speak to the agent in charge of the Walter White investigation Walter White seeing Elliot and Gretchen on TV is what gave him confidence in a drive to keep going however the implication based on the interview in Walt's reaction was that Walt wanted to kill them because of their misrepresentation of him Walt had shown strong resentment to gray matter as well as Elliot and Gretchen over the course of the show so you run the company with Elliot oh no no that's that's Gretchen and Elliot yeah yeah I I gravitated toward education ah what university [Music] Jesse have you heard of a company called gray matter well I co-founded it in grad school with a couple of friends of mine actually I was the one who named it for personal reasons I decided to leave the company and I sold my share to my two partners for five thousand dollars now at the time that was a lot of money for me care to guess what that company is worth now millions billions with a B what would your presumption about me be exactly go begging for your charity you waving your checkbook around like some magic wand is going to make me forget how you and Elliot how you and Elliot cut me out these expectations however were subverted instead showing that Walt had an idea to overcome the fact that Walter Jr and Skyler won't accept his money Walt remains consistent in his attempts to take care of his family while also making it clear that he doesn't want Elliot or Gretchen to pitch in financially in order to form Walter Jr's Trust and you are not to spend a single dime of your own money if there are taxes or lawyers fees owed he will take it right from here they use my money never yours he needed their help but he only reached said point out of desperation in addition to the consistent character writing the episode manages to have a crowd-pleasing moment with Walt's snipers threatening Elliott and Gretchen this is subversive writing done to Glorious Perfection it Alters the assumptions of the audience based on previous setups while also surprising them with the final payoff all while riding the characters with perfect consistency following this it is revealed that the Hitman World spoke of were in fact Badger and skinny Pete a reveal that enforces what Heisenberg ultimately is mainly a facade created by Walt using theatrics and presentation theatricality and deception powerful agents to the uninitiated after paying both of them ten thousand dollars he asked him about the blue mess still being produced which Walt was informed about earlier on Charlie Rose Badger believes that Walt is the one who is producing it based on the quality as they allude to Walter Deuces the Jesse's in fact the cuckoo is producing the Blue Sky mess as Walt drives off we cut to a flashback of Jesse working on his box he described back 3 which he made for a school project I took this vote tech class in high school woodworking my my project for his class was to make this wooden box by the end of the semester by like box number five I had built this thing you should have seen it it was insane I mean I built it out of Peruvian walnuts it was and laid zebra wood it's fitted with pegs no screws I sanded it for days until it was smooth as glass then I rubbed all the wood with tongue oil so it was rich and dark it's perfect a moment which shows Jesse's ability to achieve his goals when he sets his mind to it after showing Jesse admiring his hard work we hard cut back to Jesse in the present day still chained to Jack's meth lab he now has long uncut hair a beard and severe facial scars it is clear that Jesse is severely traumatized both physically and mentally and has abandoned the previous efforts he had to escape from Jack following this we see a recap of the teasers at the beginning and midpoint of the Season while eating breakfast for his birthday acquiring his M60 machine gun and taking the rising capsule from his condemned house we then cut to Lydia who is still going to the same coffee shop as always to meet with Todd as she orders chamomile tea while it can be seen in the background casually sitting at a table before Todd arrives we get a close-up of her taking the stevia from an assortment of sweeteners Walton erupts their awkward conversation insisting that he has a method for cooking meth which requires no methylamine after he leaves Lydia tells Todd that they will have to kill Walt before the scene Cuts however we get an overhead close-up of Lydia porn Stevia into her tea Walt is then seen in the desert creating a MacGyver style device that rotates back and forth which is activated by a remote car opener as he works his wedding ring necklace falls into view reminding him of his family we then see Skyler in her new house while this seems to be relatively spacious and well kept Skyler has returned to smoking and seems to be at odds with Marie based on the message she leaves on the phone all right Skyler I have news Marie informs Skyler that Waltz is an Albuquerque based on what the police have discovered Schuyler tells Marie that she will be on the lookout if Walt is coming for her when we cut back to Skyler the camera reveals that Walt is now standing in the kitchen both in her conversation with Marie and her second words to Walt Skyler asked if Walt hurt anyone it didn't hurt her oh he's just like hey Becky or Carol whatever you didn't kill anybody sneaking in her did you you didn't hurt anybody didn't have to Walt has gone from being a figure of greed in Skyler's mind to someone who is violent and unpredictable she is scared of him he tells Skyler that he came to give her a proper goodbye claiming that the people who threatened her earlier will never come back to hurt Skyler or her family he then offers her the lottery ticket containing the coordinates to the bodies of Hank and Steve telling her that she can trade it for a deal with the prosecutor to get herself out of her situation Walt then says all the things that I did you need to understand I have to hear one more time that you did this for the family I did it for me I liked it I was good at it and I was I was alive yeah [ __ ] oh this is a payoff for one of the show's long lasting conflicts throughout the entire show Walt had been in constant denial about why he was doing the things he did constantly telling himself he was to pay for his son's education and to give Skyler enough money to support the family after his death 10 years 240 thousand dollars plus 360 plus one three seven thirty seven 737 thousand dollars that's what I need that is what I need how much is enough how big does this pile have to be I have made a series of very bad decisions and I cannot make another one why did you make these decisions for the good of my family the things that they're saying help me I did wrong but the reasons always well it may have started because of that it quickly became clear that Walt group obsessed with his work and in spite of Skyla catching on to Walt's lies and discovering what he had done won't refuse to stop lying to her but worse yet he refused to stop lying to himself it wasn't until Walt saw what he had become through the fearful eyes of his wife and son that he realized what he truly was this is the moment where Walt decides to stop lying to Skyler but more importantly he stops lying to himself tragically however it is too late while this confession clearly gives Walt a sense of relief he cannot go back on the things he has done just like Walt's Revelation to Jesse that he watched Jane die this is a moment which is significant in providing a payoff for one of the show's most long-running conflicts and it is done absolutely marvelously Walton asked if he can say goodbye to Holly before he leaves he manages to impart his last bit of love on the daughter he never could raise and lovingly watches Walter Jr from a distance before he leaves the lives of his family forever we then see Walt's Cadillac as it approaches the locked fence to Jack's complex Kenny greets him and asks him to drive the car to the clubhouse in spite of Kenny's instructions Walt avoids the parking lot and drives the car sideways in front of the clubhouse once parked Frankie gives Walter pat down taking his wallet in Keys Kenny goes the extra mile and asks Walt to lift his shirt to ensure that he isn't wearing a wire considering the fact that Jack's crew is so thorough in searching Walt's person it is somewhat convenient that the neglected to search his car however Jack's crew outnumbered whatever reinforcements could possibly be hiding in the trunk and Kenny did check the back seat when he met Walt at the gate Jax threw her confident that Walt's intentions are either for money or a way to make a deal with the authorities therefore they decided to check Walt's person for weapons and wires before meeting in the clubhouse out of range of the car also Kenny tells one of the crew members to stay outside and keep a lookout showing that they are still cautious about Walter and understand that it is possible he brought back up but assume that they are not hiding in his car when we enter the clubhouse Jack opens with casual conversation about Walt's new look and Walt notices that Frankie places his wallet and keys on the pool table is that real yes yes it's not a wig seriously no what are you doing before shaving yes Walt asked about his offer to give Jack his meth formula which requires no methylamine but Jack tells wolf that they are not in the market Kenny pulls a pistol on Wolf and Jack instructs him to kill Walter back in desperation while it taunts Jack belittling him for not killing Jesse as he promised and instead choosing to partner with him Jesse Pinkman you promised that he would kill him and you didn't come on instead all right you partnered with him you're his partner none of us wouldn't stop Partners what are you talking about he's alive isn't he cooking for you what are you gonna lie enraged Jack instructs Todd to bring Jesse in from the lab and tells Walt that after he sees Jesse he's going to kill Walt himself we then cut to outside as Todd walks Jesse to the clubhouse Jessie's chains rattling as he struggles to keep up with Todd as Kenny makes himself comfortable in a recliner and Jack lights up a cigarette Walt manages to get a hold of his keys when Jesse arrives Jack begins to taunt Walt just look like a partner to you come here take a look come here this is my partner right partner right buddy Jesse and Walton slowly exchanged tortured glances both of them now with disheveled hair and beards made Weak by time and abuse seconds pass before Walt lets out a Roar and tackles Jesse to the ground as Jack instructs Todd to get Walt off of Jesse Walt pushes the button to his remote car opener all right as Todd Walt and Jesse coward on the floor what reacts is one stray bullet manages to strike him the gunfire continues to destroy the entire Clubhouse with blood and debris everywhere before the belt runs dry leaving the Rotator to move the empty machine gun back and forth yes hell yeah hey come on baby come on yes come on yes yes when we cut to the inside of the clubhouse Kenny's recliner is still moving his lifeless body up and down as the sound of dripping blood is heard a direct overhead shot confirms that Walt Jesse Todd and Jack are all alive likely believing the gunfire to be a cartel or gang hit Todd cautiously looks outside only to see the gunfire came from the now burning trunk of Walt's car Todd attempts to talk to Walt only for Jesse to wrap his chains around Todd's neck screaming as he violently strangles the man who has been the central figure of pain in Jesse's life as Todd's neck snaps Walt picks up Kenny's pistol and walks over to Jack Jesse takes Todd's keys and begins unlocking himself from the chains as Walt prepares to shoot Jack he asks him to wait and spitefully picks up his still lit cigarette from the ground wait wait he tells Walt that he knows where the rest of Walt's money is and then if he kills him he'll never find it how much money right [Music] you wanna know where it is you pull it through here a satisfying conclusion to one of the most hated characters in the show which calls back to the moment where Jack killed Hank mid-sentence heck I gotta film it you gotta tell him now that we can work this out please please God you want me to beg you're the smartest guy I ever met and you're too stupid to see he made up his mind 10 minutes ago do what you're gonna do where's heck accepted his fate and told Jack to do what he had to do Jack attempts to bribe Walt leaving Jack is a pathetic and sadistic Maniac who coward and when placed in the same situation he placed Hank in and died at the hands of a man who Jack believed he had broken as Jesse frees himself from his chains and stands he stares at Walt wondering if he will finish the deed and decide to kill him Walt raises the pistol only to slowly lower it to the ground and slide it over to Jesse Jesse briefly glances at the door and then to the gun and quickly picks it up and holds it on Walt Walton tells him do it however Jesse refuses to until Waltz says that he is in fact the one who wants to die so the worst nothing happens until I hear you say it shot wound in Walt's side instead he chooses to drop the pistol and tells Walt to do it himself then do it yourself Jesse has spent the majority of the show being a character who is placed in situations as a direct result of Walt's actions at one point going so far as to kill an innocent man on Walt's orders this moment serves as a point of freedom for Jesse as he refuses to kill Walt not out of a lack of Desire but simply to liberate himself from World's control instead placing the obligation of Walt's death on Walt himself as soon as Jesse leaves a ringtone sounds throughout the clubhouse Walt rummages through Todd's pockets and finds his cell phone we then cut to Lydia in her house looking pale and worn out she asks if it is done and if he is gone to which Walt pridefully replies yeah it's done he's gone they're all gone well to ask her how she is feeling stating that if she is feeling like she has the flu it is because he slipped rice and into her Stevia that morning providing the audience one last crowd-pleasing line wow goodbye Lydia an immensely thirst quenching fade for a hateful character which ties up the last of the Loose Ends related to Jack Smith business as Jesse opens the door to Jax El Camino he glances back at Walt the two share accepting looks and Walt gives Jesse a final nod Jesse then climbs into his newly acquired car and speeds away from the complex crying tears of relief and screaming with the joy of freedom [Laughter] laughs after he leaves what begins feeling the pain from his gunshot wound and walks away from the clubhouse into Jack's meth lab he Taps on a pressure gauge and admires the equipment found in the lab while walking through the lab the distance sound of sirens grows closer as what picks up a respirator bad fingers baby blue begins playing Walt reaches out his hand to a shining Kettle as the police cars are seen in the background we then see a close-up shot of Walt's metallic reflection in the kettle as he slowly Falls backwards leaving a bloody handprint giving us a final direct overhead shot of Walt's lifeless face with a faint smile on it the camera then slowly pans up as police enter the lab Walt dies is a man who lost everything but cleared up all loose ends and died in the place where he felt alive and that is the end of Breaking Bad oh my God what an astonishing and unparalleled achievement well it may not be the best episode of the show it is nonetheless an excellent and immensely satisfying episode Ozymandias in Granite State were the episodes which brought Walter White to his absolute lowest point he lost Hank in spite of his best efforts and gave Jesse up to Jack out of Vengeance and to fulfill his dying sense of Pride he was then left with a single barrel of cash in a car with a leaking gas tank only to end up wandering through the desert to desperately attempt to get back to his family but Hank's death left him alienated from them Walt's only method to help his family was to take the blame for himself by belittling Skyler on the phone in the presence of the police Walton hid from Justice growing into a thin and disheveled shell of his former self after spending six months mustering up the confidence to go to the local bar he realized that there was nothing he could do to help his family Walter Jr hated him for what he had done and refused to accept his money Waltham believed that everything he had done was ultimately forfeit but his confidence was restored when he realized that Elliot and Gretchen could give him the ability to give the money to his family while only drive after this was revenge against the man who destroyed his life he said his goodbye to Skyler and told her the words she had known for a long time but had never heard Walt admit to providing the audience with the perfect Bittersweet conclusion for both characters who have spent the show as long time Rivals who finally came to understand each other only after it was too late to go back Walt's Vengeance taken out against Jack is immensely thirst quenching it is the true fulfillment of Vince Gilligan's idea for the character of Walter White stemming from the concept of changing a character from Mr Chips to Scarface with Walt unleashing his rage and murdering all of Jack's crew with a machine gun before killing him personally in the same way that Jack mercilessly killed his brother-in-law mixed in with his theory is a touching Act of Mercy where Walt chooses to spare Jesse Walt taunted Jack to save his own life in the moment but in addition to this killing Jack wasn't enough for him Walt still hated Jesse for leading Hank to arresting him he had every intent to activate that remote and kill everyone including himself with his machine gun trap but it was only after seeing what Jesse had become that Walt once again saw a little bit of himself and Jesse he realized that Jesse had grown just as tortured as he was and rather than finishing the deed he chose to save his life taking a bullet for Jesse as he protected him from the gunfire Jesse also manages to claim his own revenge against the man who murdered the woman he cared about and to just forced him to be Jack's meth cooking slave following this he separates himself from Walt's manipulation by refusing to kill Walt resulting in both men being able to share accepting glances as both of them depart on understanding terms Walt having finally accepted his fate and having completed everything he set out to do managed to die on his own terms and in the place where he felt most alive in a man who died only after he had truly lived it is a tragic yet touching tale of a character who is arrogant and narcissistic but because of all the time the audiences spent with Walt we have come to sympathize with him thus making his send-off emotionally rich and immensely satisfying Beyond his sharp writing Vince Gilligan shows immense talent in the realm of Direction in both the open and in conclusion of the episode police siren lights are used to show the inevitability of Walt's fate he spends the episode out running or evading the police and manages to die just before they had the ability to arrest him following in the tradition of the show Gilligan uses directorial motifs of the direct overhead and low angle shots immense care was taken to keep continuity consistent for Walt's appearance as well as every plot detail which had been set up in previous episodes early in the season he also manages to draw the audience's attention to details such as the stevia in the coffee shop which results in an excellent payoff on Walt reveals the reason he acquired the ryston at his condemned house while it isn't subtle he also uses the wooden pillar in Skyler's new house to illustrate the Divide which has separated them just before Walt breaks this divide by telling Skyler why he did the things he did the Carnage created by Walt's machine gun booby trap is filmed in a way which is chaotic yet always clear to watch small motifs such as first person POV shots and while it seem reflections of himself are also used in this episode while it kills Jack in a way which ingeniously calls back to Hank's death with the bullet interrupting him mid-sentence and using the rare directorial choice of having blood cover the camera lens topped off finally by The Perfect soundtrack choice of baby blue which calls back to Walt's Blue Sky meth whilst also serving as the Perfect theme for Heisenberg to die to this episode is as close to perfect of a conclusion that I can imagine for this show all of the characters are written with methodical consistency and the plot flows with Exquisite structure in regards to flaws they're only the slightest contrivances which assist Walt innovating the police and helping him kill Jack's crew these contrivance is usually assist a component of a scene however they are never at the cost of logic or consistency thus making them what you might call nitpicks valid flaws which don't have any significant bearing on the Story from beginning to end the entire show remained consistent managing to give several characters long-running arcs which had logical progression and were handled in an incredibly careful Way the final season is a tragic season as it revolves around the fall of Heisenberg with several people that won't work closely with being killed as a result of the instability created by Walt's decision to kill Gus frame everything Walt worked for blew up in his face but he managed to pull through and provide hope for his family while also taking Vengeance against the men who ruined his life it's an incredible episode which is tightly written despite featuring The Season's most crowd-pleasing payoffs to the showrunners and everyone involved with making the season in the final episode possible I say Well done breaking bad is one of the best television shows of all time and this finale just like all of the final season was pivotal to solidifying the show as such thank you so much for watching please let me know what you think about this format I typically cover flaws and films and tend to make videos that are topical rather than to cover whole pieces of media I wanted to change things up a bit and cover something which I believe to be of excellent quality I saw this episode fitting seeing that Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows of all time and that its finale is incredibly well written if you appreciate this format I will try to create more videos like this in the future as long as I'm passionate enough about a particular film or TV show until then thanks again and I will see you next time bounce [Music] El Camino do not screw this up [Laughter]

Channel: Evan Monroe

Views: 3,514,119

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Id: egK2CuvB8E4

Length: 29min 38sec (1778 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 11 2019