Let me explain what this is with a bunch of commas. This is
me, having just finished Breaking Bad, wanting to discuss it like crazy, yet
being aware that as the show has been off the air for a while, therefore deciding
to bring in a couple of more dramatic series finales to get more clicks. And
specifically, Game of Thrones to get even more clicks. I will keep this
annoyingly spoiler free, in an attempt to lure even more readers to this
clickbait of a post.
I am a comedy fan myself. I appreciate the shorter runtimes
of episodes and the lack of commitment. I am left with a more positive outlook
on life when Ross and Rachel break up, but the rest of the Friends are eating hair
removal wax in Monica’s room. I mean, wax, those goofs. I feel that plot holes
matter less as long as the punchline is right and therefore I get less
frustrated by impossible mechanical skills, essentially channelling
Transformers logic in an otherwise non-robotic series. But there are some drama
series that you cannot escape; the hype and pop culture references are just too
important. Bitch. For me, those would be Mad Men, Game of Thrones and Breaking
Bad. All of them praised for their character development, their antiheroes, and
the realistic ethical roller coaster that their characters go through. Some of
them even managed to keep that going until the very end.
Mad Men follows Don Draper, the man all men wanted to be and
all women wanted to be with, during the 1960’s, that is. The main character is
portrayed by the handsomest handsome man, Jon Hamm. He has a complicated past,
he is a little less sexist than most sexist men of that era, he is smart and a
good friend, but also an alcoholic, dishonest womanizer. Breaking Bad follows
Walter White, a sweet chemistry teacher turned drug dealer and murderer once
diagnosed with lung cancer. As you do. Game of Thrones follows a bunch of
people and, occasionally, White Walkers.
Game of Thrones was rightfully praised for dealing with so
many (so, so many) three-dimensional characters, while taking into account
political and social variables and still maintaining an action driven plot. It
was this combination of magic and sociology (and nudity and violence) that drew
in nerds and casual viewers alike. It was what made it special. I believe Game
of Thrones was a huge feat for television, not so much for its budget, its set
and definitively not its cast, but mostly because it was giving us 50 probable
personalities to follow, love and hate, and showed ripples of consequences for
their actions. In other words, Robb could not go back on his promise to marry a
Frey and still ask for their help and loyalty. I see that clearly now, seven
years after the episode aired. But it seems this balance was indeed too big a
feat. Showrunners fucked up the series that I would otherwise hold at the same
standard as Mad Men and Breaking Bad. It just ignored their characters, their
journeys and the consequences of their actions, past and present. It traded in
its essence for a scene where Daenerys emerges with dragon wings aligned so
that she herself looked like a dragon. At least they got a good poster out of
it.
I have had people say that five-to-six excellent seasons
should not be overwritten by two-to-three bad ones. And I beg to differ. If a
series is more than independent episodes, the ending is as important, if not
more. The aftertaste is important. And more so because excellent endings have
been achieved by its contemporaries. The ending of Mad Men was genius, fully
encompassing Don Draper’s character. And while the ending makes so much sense,
you are effectively side-tracked; you get momentarily fooled by the showrunners
that they pulled a Daenerys Targaryen on Don Draper. Is this a spoiler? Is it a
spoiler now that I wondered if it was a spoiler? I don’t know what it is, but
it surely was a good ending. No one got a fairy tale, not everyone got justice.
The world remained unfair and the risks remained risky. And Don Draper remained
Don Draper but more knowledgeable and evolved. And hot. Very, very attractive.
If the Mad Men finale was amazing, the Breaking Bad finale
was amazing-er. Everything led to this finale. Walter has an inner ethic from
beginning to end, but of course this ethic gets adjusted, compromised and
eventually distorted. Yet it’s there. Every moment of the show is reasonable
yet shocking. You end up appreciating every little redeeming quality of an
otherwise villain and then you get this self-hatred, both for rooting for this
man and for watching episodes when you should be sleeping (or working). The
series tests your patience; it really takes its time, it sets things up, it
shows the struggle in an almost excruciating pace, and then it hits you with
adrenaline rushes similar to Battle of the Bastards. It turns chasing a fly into
a deep dive inside the psyche! It gives you characters that can hold critically
acclaimed spin offs that you actually look forward to. Because who cares about
House of the Dragon anymore? It ruined Bob Odenkirk for any other role because
of how good he is as Saul. Honestly, he shows up in Little Women all patriotic
and righteous; I almost burst out laughing. Most importantly, it keeps this
quality to the very end. I don’t think the last episode or even season
necessarily cost more than the rest; it didn’t need to. It just made sure to
deal with the characters and give them all an appropriate ending. Or an El
Camino movie.
Another friend mentioned that they look forward to the end
of this in-your-face realism. I agreed until I watched Breaking Bad. I want my
superheroes and my sci-fi; I can even semi-ironically watch Riverdale, but if
Vince Gilligan can produce another series finale like this, it can start with a
PE teacher for all I care. And just so I finish on another comparison with Game
of Thrones, we might have seen Ned Stark get beheaded but at least his head was
not then placed on a tortoise. You don’t need Westeros for inspired violence.
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