Let’s not overstate the importance of finale episodes to television series that last several years. There is so much to consider when measuring the value of a show, such a wide scope of storylines and characters and themes, that placing too much stock in a single episode loses sight of the grander scheme at play. There are many things endings can do for stories: they can wrap things up, they can deliver a big surprise and shock us, they can tie everything together, they can leave us hanging, and much more. Applying any set of rules to finales makes it virtually impossible to appreciate both the beautiful cut to black ending of The Sopranos while also the sublime conclusiveness of Six Feet Under.
Breaking Bad will, over time, be judged on its entire run, despite the inevitable attempts of many to retroactively assess the whole series based on what they thought of its concluding episode, whether they loved it or loathed it. And if the previous season finales and episodes are any indication, it seems safe to predict that this episode will be celebrated even more as time goes on. One of the reasons the episode is so strong, and indeed the main reason the series is arguably the greatest of all time, is that it contains unbelievably well-crafted scenes and sequences, and capitalizes on big plot moments as well as nailing the smaller, understated but perhaps even more crucial moments between characters.
Here are the 6 greatest moments from Breaking Bad’s concluding episode that confirmed its status as one of the best series ever produced.