Breaking Bad: 5 Characters Who Got Fitting Endings (& 5 Who Deserved Better)
Breaking Bad was packed full of fitting endings for the characters but loved but there were also some who deserved better. Here we look at both.
Popular drama Breaking Bad is often praised for being one of the greatest television shows of all time. It follows the journey of Walter White and his former Chemistry student, Jesse Pinkman, as they learn to cook meth, grow their drug empire and become major criminals.
The show had a tight cast and that allowed all of the storylines to be really detailed and each character to be fleshed out as much as possible. Because of that, every character had their own personal endings from their perspective, some which were great, and others which were lacking.
As with any lengthy television show, wrapping up every plot isn’t the easiest task and there were hits and misses. So let’s take a look at five characters that got fitting endings, and five that deserved a little more.
Fitting: Todd Alquist
Todd Alquist became one of the most hated characters in Breaking Bad due to the way he treated Jesse Pinkman and fans were desperate to see him pay for his behavior. Obviously, Walter White is the man who saves Jesse with the machine gun setup that kills all of the white supremacists.
However, it doesn’t kill Todd, which was the right decision. Having the bullets shoot him would have just been too easy of a way out, which is why it is fitting that Jesse gets to deal the final blow, choking him to death and breaking his neck with the chains he is handcuffed with.
Deserved More: Saul Goodman
By the end of Breaking Bad, the entire meth empire is crumbling around Heisenberg and everyone associated with him, which includes Saul Goodman. Because of that, he makes the decision to split and run, paying to have a brand new identity and life away from the trouble.
In the end, he heads to Omaha to become the manager of a Cinnabon, which does make sense. However, people wanted to see more from Saul, perhaps finding a unique way of talking himself out of trouble and continuing his crooked business, rather than having it all come to an end.
Fitting: Mike Ehrmantraut
Mike Ehrmantraut was one of the best characters within Breaking Bad, being someone who was able to clean up any mess for the worlds biggest criminals. However, his behavior eventually caught up with him and he had to run away to escape, leaving his granddaughter alone in the park in what was a truly heartbreaking moment from the show.
However, his escape doesn’t last long as Walter White catches up with him and ends up killing someone who had helped him out. Mike then ends his life just sat, peacefully looking out at the water, having one last defiant moment by telling Walter to leave him alone.
Deserved More: Walter White Jr.
While he is shown walking from school to Marie’s house afterward, Walter White Jr’s main final scene is him on the phone with his father, making it clear he wants nothing to do with him anymore. He turns on the man who was once his hero after what he did to his uncle.
It was a great scene and it brought an end to that relationship, but it felt like he deserved a bigger ending. Seeing him become the man of the family and try to pick up the pieces of what his father did would have been great, as it would have fully developed him into being a man.
Fitting: Gustavo Fring
It is hard to really call anyone a true ‘villain’ within Breaking Bad, as you’re technically rooting for someone who is cooking meth, making the lines blurred. However, if you were to label one person a ‘villain’ then that would have to be Gustavo Fring.
He was someone who seemingly had an answer for everything and everyone. There was no situation he couldn’t handle and nobody he couldn’t defeat until he met Heisenberg. While they played cat and mouse for a while, it would be Gustavo who lost, ending with the huge explosion that created the amazing half-face visual for his death.
Deserved More: Marie Schrader
Marie Schrader had some amazing scenes throughout Breaking Bad and was quite a complex character when you break her down. Her ending was obviously tied to the fate of her husband, as she was left shell shocked at becoming a widow.
However, we never really saw the true aftermath from her perspective. While we got to see her in black and white clothing, rather than the traditional purple to show her grief, the show never did highlight what she did afterward, which would have been a better way to end things for her.
Fitting: Hank Schrader
When it comes to perfect endings, they don’t get much better than Hank Schrader’s from Breaking Bad. Every great television show has to have some stakes, and this one certainly did but for the longest time none of the core family members died, which is what made Hank’s ending so important.
His death was heartbreaking for many reasons, but mainly because he was one of the most popular characters on the show. It was a whirlwind few moments for him as he finally got to stick the handcuffs onto Walter White, only to end up buried underneath the ground by the end of the exchange with the white supremacists.
Deserved More: Skyler White
Speaking of core family members, Skyler White’s send-off in Breaking Bad wasn’t as great as it could have been. She is given a lottery ticket that has the co-ordinates to Hank’s body to bargain with the police and allows Walt to see Holly one final time.
The problem was that it all felt a little bit too calm and nice. Skyler should have been irate and lost her cool, and while she clearly hated him, it wasn’t the big blow-off between them that could have created something really memorable.
Fitting: Walter White
Breaking Bad was essentially the Walter White story and it is only fitting that the show ended on him, having one final moment with his cook lab as he died. He knew his time was up and that he was about to be caught, but he went out swinging with one final Heisenberg moment to rescue Jesse.
Giving a nod of respect to his partner and best friend before going off to die in the place that meant the most to him was the best way to wrap things up. It felt like a fitting end, with Walt never truly being caught or arrested, getting away with his crimes.
Deserved More: Jesse Pinkman
While Walter White got a perfect ending, the same cannot really be said for Jesse Pinkman. Considering he was one of the main characters, he really did deserve a little bit better from the show. Having been trapped and tortured, Jesse finally was able to break free and ride off into the distance, which was nice to see.
However, he didn’t get the focus that his character deserved, and while we got to see him break free, there were a lot more questions than answers. Thankfully, fans were given El Camino, a spin-off movie that focused just on Jesse and gave him the ending that he deserved.
