Well, it’s over. It’s finally over. After 5 seasons of drama and many deaths, the saga of Walter White is over. The series finale “Felina” premiered last Sunday night to an AMC record 10.9 million viewers, nearly doubling the previous ratings high. Critics have said that this is one of the cleanest series endings ever, neatly wrapping up all the story lines with a neat little bow. I’ve got a few things that I liked and didn’t like about the way this series ended:

Warning: Spoilers below

I liked…how everything was wrapped up neatly. So many times a series tries too hard to end a series in an “artistic” way lie the series finale of Lost that was widely despised by critics. This ending saw Walter White give his wife a proper goodbye, give his daughter one last hug, make sure his son was financially taken care of and he got to save his adopted son Jesse from a fate worse than death. He realized that living his life away in the New Hampshire wilderness was a prison worse than any jail cell. He made right with himself and family, and that feels good for an audience who has hated him since season two.

I didn’t like…that Walt had to die. I understand the finality of death, and how the only option for the writing staff was to have Walt die in the end. I think they could have changed the ending a bit so that Walt didn’t get hit by the stray bullet, but instead just admired the machinery while the police arrested him. He could have made everything right with his family and still lived to at least hear about his daughter growing up.

I liked… using Badger and Skinny Pete as “hit men.” It was a brilliant way to get one last exposure to the “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” of the Breaking Bad sonnet. The use of the laser pointers as a harmless threat against the naïve Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz was wonderfully done.

 I didn’t like… how naïve the rich must be. Walt hired 2 hit men for a lifetime contract for $200,000 total? Come on, I bet real hit men get paid more than that for a quick job. The Schwartzes had no idea of Walt’s financial situation, he could have said he paid them a million each…that’d have been a little more believable.

I liked…the best line of the entire series: “If we’re going to go that way Elliot, you’re going to be a bigger knife.” Sorry rich boy…a cheese knife isn’t going to do much against the mighty Heisenberg.

I liked…the music selection. While I had never heard of any of these songs coming in, the lyrics were perfectly chosen for the situation. Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” and of course Todd’s ringtone of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” by Marx Bros was blended with the story seamlessly.

I LOVED…Todd getting choked out by Jesse. It was amazing to see the “Dead-eyed piece of s*** Opie” get his comeuppance from the very chains that held Jesse down.  The whole Nazi crew got what they deserved mainly because they forgot to check the trunk of a very dangerous man. You should really just shoot people as soon as you get the chance.

I didn’t like…that it’s over. What else am I supposed to do with my Sunday nights from now on? Breaking Bad…you were there for me for 5 years, and I loved every minute. I can only hope my next love is amazing as you