Was I the only person who was all depressed at the start of this week's episode, when he visits his (now ruined) home? Maybe I'm just sentimental that way, but holy shit it was agonizing to see him walk through what was once the base of everything good in his life, and is now utterly alien and left to decay.

then he gets the ricin like whaaaaa

As for the way the series ends, it can only end in tragedy. I mean, in the intro for this episode, it's like 6 months in the future. He has legit artillery in his trunk, and a bunch of poison... the only reason I can think of for him to have such deadly and ostentatious weaponry, is because he's going to murder a whole lot of people and not expect to get out of it.

The only reason I can think of for him to do something like that, is because his family is now dead.

I don't like Lydia, she's a loose cannon. My bet is that she'll get his family killed - well I mean he gets his family killed on account of the fact that he's a drug kingpin, but you know what I mean. I don't know about Hank, though. I found it really interesting that in season 4, Walt is shitting his pants on account of Gus having his number; all trying to get his family to disappear etc. Hank has his number now and Walt's all like "come at me bro", it doesn't seem like he has any interest in disappearing his family now (even though now is a really good time to get out of Dodge, what with all that money and shit).

There's the "yellow" subtext - the filter and the colour of people's clothes indicating their involvement/relationship to criminal/drug related activities. Marie is seen in a bright yellow cardigan recently, and I don't think it had anything to do with her kleptomania.

Also I heard Walter is supposed to take on characteristics of the people he kills - after Tuco, he starts cutting the crusts off his sandwiches, there was something to do with him kneeling on a towel to be sick as Gus did when he was purging after the cartel poisoning, I'm sure there were more explicit ones. But in the cold opening for season 5 he's seen on his 52nd birthday arranging bacon on his plate into his age as Skyler had done for him previously, and (don't quote me) there's his new identity on an ID card, supposedly with Skyler's maiden name? I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who destroyed his family. It feels like the logical trajectory.

The show lost a lot of steam since the mid-season premier. I'm definitely still interested but my level of enthusiasm is significantly less. Without the scenes of cooking meth, my voyeuristic involvement as a viewer is reduced. There was a genuine interest and amazement on my part watching those scenes. Like chemistry pornography. Also, the stunning visuals from the first episode (skateboarders in the pool, the shot outside when Walter realizes his car is bugged) are gone. Luckily, we still get plenty of shots of the expansive southwest landscape.

We finally get to see some screen time from Walter Jr. (aka Flynn lol). Best scene from tonight was easily Walter's confession tape. Walt always seems one step ahead of Hank. On a side note, I doubt we will see Hank smile this season.

There have been a lot of predictions online and honestly, I have no idea where things are gonna go. I have a bad feeling about Jessie and Skylar however. Next week is the halfway point so I am expecting shit to go down.

Really? I thought it was (quietly) off the fuckin' hook in the last few weeks. Like, in this past episode:

at 30 minutes in, Marie is telling Walt to kill himself.
At 40 minutes in, Hank's career is over.
At 50 minutes in, Jesse was out.
At 55 minutes in, Jessie was pulled back in. Also, about to Heisenberg the fuck out of Walt's house.

I have a few theories, but my bet is that the body count's gonna start rising next Sunday.

People saying above, and even interviews with Vince Gilligan, how you get drawn into rooting for Walt even after what he's become. I don't, not so much. I am massively intrigued as to how things will play out for him for sure, but the person I really root for and feel for is Jesse. They're polar opposites. Walt is respectable teacher turned arrogant, cutthroat, basically a sociopath. Jesse was a petty criminal but he's tortured by the world he's got drawn into, he feels everything. And the way Walt uses him, time and time again, and won't even admit it! Like their convo at the end of episode 3. I realise things don't look good for him though...

I for one, cannot believe that the ricin cigarrette sublot is still going, I just don't buy it anymore and I believe Jesse should have buried those feelings by now.

Apart from that, the episode was thrilling I couldn't keep belive my eyes as the confession progressed, and before that the restaurant scene was top notch, Hank's character owned it.

I really pictured Jesse in Alaska, somehow seemed plausible but well, you know, his actions are paving the way to complete madness on the next episodes.

Mucho excited.

What is Jesse's plan? Cannot wait for next week's episode.

Poor Gomie :(

Poor Hank, you were a jock and a pig and all but you didn't need to die :(

JESUS CHRIST JESSE

So, that knife fight could've gone way worse (and way more predictable) than it did. I'm glad nobody got accidentally stabbed to death.

Couldn't help but notice the purple orchid in Skylar's office. And on her sleeves, too. THE COLORS

Hank, seriously, should have called in the cavalry. He knew Walt was dangerous, even when everybody else didn't; even if he wasn't expecting fucking Nazis, he should've been expecting some bad shit. Wait, he should've been expecting Nazis, Jesse knew about them. JESUS HANK

And, oh my god Jesse, that last shot of him in the meth lab with Todd suiting up in the background felt like such a violation, like on top of the whole called-in-a-hit, Jane, and torture thing.

My heart fucking bleeds for Jesse, it really does. He's done some shitty things but MAN. Worst year!

Now I want to know who Walt is after in those flash-forwards; is he after the Nazis alone, or Jesse too?

And I'm not quite over Gomie or Hank. I think I actually whimpered when Jack had the gun on Jesse too, just too much to take in all at once.

My boyfriend pointed out that the episode title refers to a poem:

"I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Hank and Gomez were obviously going to die, but Jesse becoming a slave cook? That is dark. I feel sorry for Gomez's actor though. It feels like such a disservice to kill someone who's been around since the beginning between episodes.

I really liked this episode, for me it's tied with Ozymandias. I loved seeing Walt in such an opposite setting. I do wonder though, do you guys think they are going to find Hank's body? I think it's a bit unnecessary as it would take away time for other plot points, but I kinda want to see a resolution for Marie, as much as I hate her.

I keep thinking about it, and like, Hank knew he was walking into trouble by setting up Walt like that; that's why he brought Gomie. He also knew Walt was on speaking terms with a gang of nazis, AND he knew he had Walt dead to rights.

dude should've called in some cavalry to back him up. If he did that, maybe he'd still be alive now.

I've been thinking about that ever since Walt Jr all flipping out on his dad. Dude, first of all, Hank's a grown-ass man, he knew what he was doing; and also, we all know you're just overcompensating for the fact that you were a huge spoiled snotmuffin to your (now sainted) mom when she was trying to get separated, and I bet you didn't even apologize to her neither

Personally, I think that ending was just about perfect. And completely ridiculous. But pretty perfect. I could never picture Walt being taken alive. Seeing him admit his selfishness to Skyler, and say goodbye to his family was so touching. The whole thing, damn, so cathartic. I'd really started to resent Walt by the end of this season, but the last few episodes, and then this one, where you actually see he's still in there, watching it all fall apart... I'm glad he gave the location of Hank and Gomie's bodies too, and saved Jesse (and Jesse's flight to freedom!). And Lydia! Thank FUCK. I'd forgotten about him taking the ricin (I think ridiculous neo-nazi slaughter scene drove it out of my mind for a bit). It was good to see Badger and Skinny Pete again too.

So many people laud it as their favourite TV show of all time, and I always thought that was a bit much; I mean it's damn fine TV but it's not comprehensively great. The finale was so on the money though. If I ever find the time I'd like to go back and rewatch with a fresher perspective.

My only wish was for Todd to die. I feel so validted. So does Jesse, I bet

The finale really hit everything it needed to both in terms of loose ends and Walt finally admitting to his mistakes. I was a little worried going in that they would leave it as an open ending like so many other big series finales, so it was refreshing to get a proper ending.

Jesse strangling the hell out of Todd reminded me so much of Walt having to strangle that dealer back in season 1. I'm curious if that was intentional.

It was great seeing Badger and Skinny Pete again, but I have to wonder how Walt contacted them. He could barely remember their names even when they worked for him.

I love that they gave such importance to Walt taking off the watch Jesse gave him when it was really just to prevent a continuity error in the diner scene. I hadn't even noticed he was still wearing it. I always preferred the calculator watch he wore at the beginning of the series anyway since I wore that exact watch back in elementary school.

Jesse's ending seemed to lead directly into Need For Speed, so I'm going to regard that as canon.

Good catch! With a show as deftly-written as Breaking Bad, it's safe to assume that most of these little details are intentional.

Last night's finale was perfect. I don't have much else to say about it at the moment, suffice to say that it gave me everything I could have possibly wanted and then some. This ranks up there with The Shield and Six Feet Under as one of the best series finales I've seen.

I'll miss Breaking Bad, but like all good stories, it had to end eventually. I'm glad they didn't drag it out unnecessarily. It was exactly as long as it needed to be, and everything worked perfectly.

I couldn't be happier tbh. Lydia was killed, Todd was killed; hell, I thought Jesse wasn't gonna make it but he flew out of there laughing like whoa. Fantastic.