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Breaking Bad, Season 5, Episode 16: “Felina”

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By Alex Greenberger
Courtesy of AMC (Photo by Ursula Coyote)

Courtesy of AMC (Photo by Ursula Coyote)

In a recent interview, Vince Gilligan brought up the fact that he actually really did like the finale of “Lost” — two hours of TV that, for those who don’t know, proved massively polarizing. After the end of “Breaking Bad,” Gilligan’s opinion isn’t even all that shocking.

No, “Felina” is not even nearly as polarizing as the end of “Lost,” which I admittedly do love but find stunning in the fact that it is flawed. On the contrary, I would go so far as to call “Felina” one of maybe three perfect hours of TV I’ve ever seen. Still, despite whatever major differences the finales have, they do explore similar themes — retribution, changes in morality, and returning to beginnings.

I remarked several times that one of “Breaking Bad’s” favorite themes is that evil never ends, and I think it’s fascinating that in “Felina,” evil finally does end. Most of “Felina” is spent following Walt as he rights his multitude of wrongs. We see Walt raise the show’s body count by about ten (“Feeling like you have the flu, Lydia?”), give away his amassed fortune, and finally admit to Skyler that what he did was all for himself. Obviously, Walt broke bad, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help everyone else to find good in their lives.

Not so surprisingly, Walt’s final interaction with Skyler got me really emotional. A lot of “Breaking Bad’s” fifth season has been devoted to tracing the complete degradation of the White family, but “Felina” in particular strikes a chord because it finds a beautiful conclusion to that arc. The fact that Walt Jr. has renounced the name his father gave him is terrible enough, but Walt’s admission that he did all of it for himself is truly heartbreaking. It’s not heartbreaking in the sense that the events of “Ozymandias” are heartbreaking. What truly cuts to the emotional core here is the fact that Walt has admitted this only as he was ready to die.

Strangely, this is also a moment tinged with happiness. Skyler cries not because she is just upset, but also because an emotional weight has lifted. Now, having been through allthe trauma she has had to bear, she can finally continue on with her life with this admission.

In that sense, “Felina” finds Walt acting selflessly for the first time, and in no sense is that truer than when he saves Jesse by killing all of the neo-Nazis. And when Jesse escapes, he screams because he’s so happy that he’s finally broken free of Walt’s grasp. Jesse may not have been able to shoot Walt himself, but he was able to (awesomely) strangle Todd with his own chains, showing the subservience inborn his character is finally gone.

And well, I’d be lying if I didn’t get all teary-eyed when Jesse was screaming because it finally means that things changed for all the characters here. Walt is by no means a good human being by the end of “Felina,” but the fact that he helps others to find the good in themselves is truly moving.

Perhaps that’s what I find best about “Felina.” For a show that’s always had poeticism take a backseat to high-intensity action, “Felina” finds the show doing the opposite. Vince Gilligan’s writing, sharp as ever, finally manages to embrace its poeticism while also delivering what is truly an entertaining episode. That’s a feat that’s rarely ever done — or even attempted — but Gilligan manages to find a perfect balance. What’s more is, he seems to do it effortlessly.

All this is summed up in the last shot, in which Walt lies dead on the ground as the police search the cook site. Walt has killed himself, in a way — he has chosen not to run or come up with an insane solution to save himself like only “Breaking Bad” could have done. Instead, he finally accepts what he has done, and he dies, letting the natural forces of life take over. Finally, he realizes that he is human.

Alex Greenberger is film editor. Email him at agreenberger@nyunews.com.



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