Breaking bad, you watching it?

[Raven]

What I mean is those packets are sealed.  How did he open it, insert the ricin, and reseal it?

With a little steam you can open up sealed envelopes and reseal them.  I'm pretty sure it could be done in a similar fashion.  Showing him doing it would have ruined the reveal though.

[Thrifty Version II]

I can't wait for the DVD.  I need to hear those commentaries.

[wurwolf]

I'm not especially familiar with high-powered weaponry -- is it plausible that a gun like that could shoot through the side of a car and into a concrete house and the bullets would still have enough velocity behind them to kill people?

[Thrifty Version II]

It's about damn time SOMEBODY took a fatal dose of ricin.

[Sugar Ray Dodge]

That was the best Todd/Lydia wedding EVER!

[Raven]

Just saw this on another site.

[JimJ]

The finale didn't wow me or infuriate me.  It was just satisfying, and that's enough.  It's rare that a great show ends perfectly, and I don't think this one did, but it was close enough.  Definitely one of the best shows ever, IMO.

Also, Todd may have been a psychotic, creepy, "Opie dead eyed piece of shit", but he had the best personalized ringtones in the ABQ.

[MrTorso]

I'm not especially familiar with high-powered weaponry -- is it plausible that a gun like that could shoot through the side of a car and into a concrete house and the bullets would still have enough velocity behind them to kill people?

The gun was a M60 and it can use the M61 cartridge which is armor piercing:

Cartridge, 7.62mm, Armor Piercing, M61

TM 9-1305-201-20&P: M61 TM 9-1300-200: AP
Used by M60, M219, and M240 machine guns, and the M14 rifle. The cartridge is used in rifles and machine guns against personnel and light armored or unarmored targets, concrete shelters, and similar bullet-resisting targets.

Armor Penetration.
300 meters: 0.28 in (7 mm)
500 meters: 0.2 in (5 mm)

The cartridge is identified by a black bullet tip.

This ammunition is not authorized for training purposes.

Type Classification: OBS - MSR 11756003

So it might be

[Sugar Ray Dodge]

What I'm about to say does not mean that I didn't like the finale. I did. It was a great episode and a great ending to the show. But it was a tad predictable. Nothing happened that we all really didn't see coming. It was great, super entertaining, especially the first twenty minutes, and everybody got what they deserved. But I didn't think it was particularly mind-blowing. I think that honor belongs to Ozymandias. That was really the climax of the show, and the last two episodes have been long-time-coming wrapping up of the show, which is totally fine. I give the episode a solid 9, one of the best shows of the series. But the BEST show of the series belongs to the pen-penultimate episode. RIP Walt. You certainly deserve to.

[Variety of Cells]

I mostly agree with Dodge, which is why I think it would have played better on Netflix. The week long anticipation of what happenens next did not due the episode any favors. But being shocked by Ozymsndias , then wowed by the last episode, then satisifed by the finale one after the other would have played much better in my opinion.

My wife's only gripe with the episode is that you don't see the emotional switch in Walt from "I want to kill Jesse" to "Im going to save Jesse". You obviously deduce that it happened, but it would have been nice to really see that moment. 

[Sugar Ray Dodge]

I know I'll catch hell for this and some people will question whether I'm being sincere or being a really great troll (something that I don't quite understand, because I'm not sure how my comments come off as insincere,) and this is not to offend or provoke anybody at all. Here goes.

The reason I was so pro-Walt was because I was completely invested in the character. I wanted to see him prevail because of his convictions to being the best and not letting anybody stand in the way of that. He did do a lot of terrible, unforgivable things, I agree. But he prevailed so many times when it looked like all hope was lost. His ability to do what he had to do to be the absolute best in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds was pretty awe inspiring. In the end, he paid the price for it all. All choices have consequences, and these were the consequences of the path he chose to be the best. I can't say that he didn't get what he deserved in the end, but I'll be damned if I'm not sitting up in bed thinking about the character I had invested so much dying. The end is bittersweet, because he ultimately won, but the cost was his very life, along with many other lives.

I also believe that nobody is beyond redemption, that's just my Mormon upbringing coming through. We are all capable of redeeming ourselves no matter what we've done, and I wanted Walt to redeem himself, which he did, but again, at the cost of his life. Maybe that's the point, though.

[Sugar Ray Dodge]

My wife's only gripe with the episode is that you don't see the emotional switch in Walt from "I want to kill Jesse" to "Im going to save Jesse". You obviously deduce that it happened, but it would have been nice to really see that moment.

That's understandable. Personally I was never worried that Walt was gonna kill Jesse because he loves him too much. I know he very nearly had him killed in Ozymandias, but I think that was because, in that moment, he blamed Jesse for Hank's death. I think he thought that if Jesse hadn't changed sides that Hank would still be alive. But several months in a deluxe unabomber cabin gives a man a lot of time to think about pretty much everything and he came to realize that Hank's death was his fault. I think the fact that he saved Jesse proves that Walt had forgiven him. Too bad we can't say for certain if Jesse forgave him back. He certainly didn't have to, but I like to think that he did. And that's just me projecting my own desires onto the character.

[Bastard Poetry]

Some great product-placement, I thought.

[Johnny Unusual]

That was a fantastic episode.  Lot's of great emotional closure.  My one regret is that it said Bob Odenkirk in the opening credits and NOTHING.  Stupid fake out.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

- I actually liked Jesse's finale.  I think it also shows the difference between the two: Walter is about winning.  Jesse is about living.  And I don't think we need to see him go do something else.  Riding into the sunset (well after sunset) is enough.  Jesse reason had every reason to kill Walt.  If Walt hadn't taken that bullet, he probably would have.  But we never see Jesse kill unless he has no choice.  Nice to know that he's leaving the show with his live and let live philosophy.  Plus, I doubt he'll be involved in anymore crime.
- I also actually by that he would save Jesse.  There's precedent for this several times: Walt often is willing to tell Jesse to go fuck off, but then he always wants him back.  He's an abusive boyfriend.  But he really does care for Jesse.
- Perfect song to end the show.
- That final scene with Skyler was great.  The fact that Walt admitted that he was basically doing all of those awful things to make himself feel better was great.
- Probably the most amazing scene of the episode: Walt pays Elliot and Gretchen a visit.  The whole thing was brilliantly staged, and even though I suspected the hitmen were fakeouts (Badger and Skinny Pete for the win), it didn't make the scene any less intense and brilliant.
- I love Walt mumbling El Paso to himself while making his weapon.
- One nice touch I noticed: Walt took care of Lydia from afar (as she would) and the supremacists up close (their style).
- Also, I wonder if Walt would have fallen down to avoid the bullets if he didn't decide to save Jesse.

As for Sugar, I actually get wanting to see Walt win.  I just thought: 1. Seeing him "get his family back and win" aren't really what the show is about.  And 2) just because there are people in Walt's life who stand in his way that they are "dicks" and "bitches", bitch! (Jesse's words, not mine).  Just because you want Walt to win doesn't mean these people default into being bad.

Tonight, I think there are two songs I need to buy:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/kIHRgisdbeY" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/kIHRgisdbeY</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/C53QAuOoSgc" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/C53QAuOoSgc</a>

[ShadowDog]

Walt's a chemical genius and a criminal mastermind ... I didn't need the show to take me by the hand and explain how Walt re-sealed that sweetner. He's got that.

Awesome finale. Its about time a great series doesn't whiz the finale down its leg.