Breaking Bad 

Breaking Bad: Every Character Arc Wrapped Up In The Finale, Ranked

Breaking Bad's finale is remembered as one of TV history's most satisfying but which characters got the best endings to their arcs in the episode?

On a format that has very few satisfying finales, as most shows overstay their welcome by going on for way too many seasons, Breaking Bad had one of the most satisfying series finales of all time. It achieved the impossible, as every fan had their own theories and their own opinions on how they wanted the show to end, but regardless of that, it still managed to knock every viewer off their feet.

There were just as many surprises as fans of the show had come to expect, and above all else, almost every single character had their arc neatly wrapped up. Between villains getting slaughtered, caged heroes finally escaping, and fan-favorite recurring characters pretending to be hitmen, “Felina” is one of the best episodes in television history.

Marie

Marie on the phone in Felina in Breaking Bad

Marie might be the only character in the series that was given the short end of the stick when it comes to character arcs being wrapped up. She was only in the finale for a couple of minutes to serve the purpose of setting up Skyler’s conversation with Walt when she calls her on the phone.

But the greatest thing about this conversation is the fact that Marie, whose obsession with the color purple became somewhat of a joke amongst fans, is just all in beige and there isn’t a single color in sight. It shows that Walt really has taken all of the light out of her life.

Lydia

Lydia on the phone in a scene from Breaking Bad, looking terrified.

When Lydia picked up the sweetener packet that was actually ricin, she finally got what was coming to her all along. However, the logistics of it all don’t really make sense. How did Walt get the ricin into the sugar packet, how could he have been so sure that nobody else would have picked that packet in the cafe, and when would he have had the time to do it?

And out of everything that happens in the finale, this is the one questionable part of it all, but if anything, that’s a testament to how well-written and plothole-proof the show really is. And it was satisfying to finally learn who was going to get the ricin, which was something that the show had been teasing for years, considering that there was a year-long gap midway through season 5.

Gretchen And Elliot

Two red dots appear on Gretchen and Elliot’s chest in Breaking Bad

They were unfairly hated by fans because, though they came off as a little patronizing at times and flaunted their wealth, they wanted the best for Walt, offered to pay for his cancer treatment, and offered him a great job at Grey Matter. But it was Walt who turned Gretchen and Elliot down.

But even though they didn’t exactly deserve being threatened by Walt, it was the most entertaining moment of the finale. Walt had Badger and Skinny Petter secretly point laser pens at them, and he acted as if they were snipers, saying that if the couple didn’t take care of his money, then they’d be picked off in an instant.

Badger And Skinny Pete

Badger and Skinny Pete sit in a car with Walter in Breaking Bad

Badger and Skinny Pete were brilliantly named as the two best hitmen west of the Mississippi by Heisenberg himself. And with the laser pen gag, the two underachievers got exactly the send-off they deserved as fan-favorite recurring characters.

The laser pen gag was a perfect epilogue of all the jokes, banter, and pranks the two had gotten into over the past six seasons. However, their story wasn’t completely over, as they returned on top form in the Jesse solo-type movie, El Camino, and their roles in that were just as equally hilarious and innocently sincere.

Jack Welker And The Nazis

The series big-bad previous to Jack, Gustavo Fring, who was brilliantly relaxed and methodical, had half of his face blown off in one of the most over-the-top murders ever. Compared to that, Jack’s murder was less theatrical, but it was way more satisfying.

Jack and his neo-Nazi friends were so sinister, and the way they acted, though not as entertaining as Gus, felt much more grim and realistic. And because of that, it so satisfying when Walter all-out slaughtered them with a robotic machine gun. Jack and the Nazis got exactly what they deserved.

Skyler And Walt Jr.

Skyler sitting with a cigarette in her small apartment in Breaking Bad

The show did such a great job of showing how much of an impact that Walter had on everyone in his life and the most devastating of all of them is what happened to Walt Jr. and Skyler.

After the two years of absolute grief she had to suffer due to Walt’s behavior and being forced to launder drug money, Skyler moves into a much smaller house and lives out her life chain-smoking away. And after Walt admitted the truth to Skyler, he watches his son get home from school, in possibly the most emotional shot in the series. It’s brutal but very real, which reflects what fans love best about the show.

Todd

Jesse Pinkman kills Todd in Breaking Bad

It’s a strange coincidence that many TV characters named Todd are distinctly unlikable, whether it’s Todd Packer in The Office or The Todd in Scrubs. But the worst of the lot is Todd Alquist. He’s a child and woman killer and he seemingly has no emotions or feelings.

One of the worst things he ever did was treat Jesse like he was nothing and keep him caged up for months. And that’s what made his death so perfect. Jesse choked him to death with the very chains Todd put him in, and nothing had fans cheering more.

Walter White

Walter strokes a tank in a meth lab in Breaking Bad

There were so many theories surrounding what would happen to Walter at the end of the series, whether it was being thrown in jail or joining witness protection, starting a family with Lois, and beginning Malcolm in the Middle. But it was always inevitable that the cancer would come back.

In what is possibly the most poetic death in TV history, Heisenberg dies stroking one of the pieces of equipment in the meth lab that Jesse had been working in, and it comes with the most fitting song played over the top, “Baby Blue” by Pete Ham.

Jesse Pinkman

Jesse Pinkman drives away from Jack’s clubhouse in Breaking Bad

Simply being led down the wrong path at a young age, it’s easy to have sympathy for Jesse. But in season 5, he had it really rough. He was captured by white supremacists, kept in an underground cage, and forced to cook meth for them against his will.

Ever since he was reunited with his old science teacher, his life got worse and worse, which is why it was so satisfying seeing him race out of the Nazi camp in the El Camino, screaming in joy as he did it. And though his arc continued in the movie named after that very car, his final scene is what made him one of the most heroic characters.

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