Well, as some of you may know, and all of you should know, the fifth and final season of Breaking Bad starts today. This is perhaps one of the best shows ever. Period. If you haven’t seen it, and you love TV (which, if you’re reading this, you obviously do), you must needs watch this show. I have yet to meet someone who hates it. Sure, they think it’s gross, tough, pessimistic and sometimes hard to watch, but no one denies that it’s an epic piece of art. It’s that good.
With that said, I’ve been rewatching the first four seasons of the show in preparation for tonight’s premiere. It’s been a wild ride, not only because there were a lot of things I had forgotten about, but also because you can see the little hints even at the beginning that lead up to where we are now. And, upon second viewing, I have a few predictions for this last season.
So, here they are. I’m going to say right off the bat, I know nothing about what is going to happen this season. These are just speculations. And most likely, I’m going to be wrong about everything because this show has the uncanny ability to surprise me. However, if I’m right, I will gloat about it as much as possible. Either way, you can’t blame me for spoilers. These cannot be misconstrued as that.
1. Jesse will find out about Walt poisoning Brock – This is kind of a gimme. Of course, he will find out. Jesse keeps getting smarter while Walt keeps getting dumber, so ergo… If, for some reason, this doesn’t happen, then I say Jesse finds out about Walt’s involvement with Jane’s death. Walt almost spilled the beans in “The Fly,” so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the truth to finally came out.
2. The conflict of the season becomes a war between Walt and Jesse – Season four officially rid us of many big bads. The cartel is gone. Gus is gone. So where’s the conflict? Yes, the DEA is always a looming threat, but for my money, Walt v. Jesse will be the main conflict of the final season, especially if I’m right about prediction #1. The two characters have had their blows in the past, like last season’s epic fist fight, but they’ve always been relatively loyal to each other. How exciting would it be if this partnership truly dissolved and they went at each other for real? Imagine Walt’s cold logic and egomania coming up against Jesse’s keen instincts and ultimate morality. I’m excited just thinking about it.
3. Hank is the one to catch Walt – There’s a point in season four, when Hank thinks that Dale was Heisenberg, where Hank laments not catching the guy himself. He mentions that he wanted to be Popeye Doyle, and get the guy on his own. Well, I surmise that he’s going to get his wish. Whether he figures it out himself (which would be awesome) or Walt confesses to him (also awesome), I’d put money on Hank being the one to finally bring the great Heisenberg down.
4. Walt takes the blame for everything to save Jesse – At its core, the key relationship of the show has been between Walt and Jesse, the dynamics of which have driven the show forward. I would expect that if shit went down, Walt would protect Jesse, like a father protecting his son. Even if this season puts the two at odds, this would reconcile things. And it would be Walt’s legacy, the indication that he hasn’t been completely corrupted by his actions. It would mean redemption, which is something Walt certainly needs to strive for.
5. Junior gets hurt/killed – How has this not happened yet? Honestly? Hank has ended up in the hospital multiple times. Jesse has been beaten up at least once a season. And practically everyone who is/was close to Jesse has gotten into some kind of trouble (Jane/Brock/Combo). But Walt’s immediate family has stayed safe. It seems to me that this is just tempting fate. Walt said that he has has the shadow of death looming over him since his diagnosis, but I’m not sure that necessarily means his own. The threats are eventually going to become real, and I think Walt’s son, the person who Walt has been doing all this for, will be the victim. I hope I’m wrong here, but I’ve got a feeling in my gut that I’m not.
6. Someone important dies – Well, duh, you say. And I agree. It has to happen. There’s no way we are going to come out of this without a painful, gut-wrenching loss. That would be too easy, and this show is not easy by any means. Junior is my obvious choice, but my money is also on Skyler or Marie. Or, hell, it could be Jesse, which would thoroughly break my heart. Or it could be Walt himself. The cancer could come back and take him out the way he hoped to go. Or he could pull a Sydney Carton and do the “far, far better thing.” (That would support my #4 prediction, at least). But who knows, really? All I know is that I expect to cry at least once before it’s all said and done. And I’m kind of looking forward to it.
7. I have a heart attack from the stress of the season – This isn’t an actual possibility, except if I keep making my own butter (that stuff is like meth), but never have I experienced a show that is so intense. Even rewatching, when I know exactly what’s going to happen, has caused my blood pressure to rise. So, I expect that this season will be no different in terms of stress. At least my nails won’t be able to grow to long. So there’s that.
Well, we’ll see, won’t we? I do realize that I won’t know if I’m right about these for another year because of the way the final season is being broken up, but no matter. I’m still super excited for tonight. I cannot wait to be sucked into this world all over again!!
Got opinions of your own? Let me know in the comments.
Mary the TV Maven 