It's all coming to an end. The epic story of a chemistry teacher turned crystal meth drug kingpin megalomaniac is approaching its finale. In August, the final eight episodes of AMC's "Breaking Bad" will begin and the fate of Walter White will finally be determined. Up to this point, the show's creators have offered very little insight on the approaching episodes, but series creator/executive producer Vince Gilligan recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to shed some light on the "Breaking Bad" finale.
"We often said in the writers' room that if Walt has a superpower, it would not be his chemistry knowledge or his ability to cook crystal meth but his ability to lie," Gilligan said. This rings true throughout the entire series, as Walt repeatedly lies to his family and colleagues in attempt to crawl out of the hole that he inadvertently digs deeper with every decision.
"Walt has been the world's greatest liar, and I think the person he lies most capably to is himself. So in these final eight episodes, perhaps the lies will cease to find traction and the scales will start to fall away from Walt's eyes. And when that happens, will Walt really begin to realize who he is? That's the question that we asked ourselves a lot in the writers' room this year."
We certainly hope so. The past few seasons have become frustrating, as Walt has slipped deeper and deeper into a numb pseudo reality. He's blocked himself off from everyone and everything, but he doesn't seem to realize it. He must deep down, but on the surface he's failed to change his path, manifesting an intolerable monster that seemed unfathomable in the first season. There's plenty of ground to cover if Walt is to return to his natural state, so much in fact that eight episodes seems like a short amount of time to do so, especially with an emphasis on the relationship between Walter and his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank.
"I have surprised myself at how much story there was left to tell and how quickly we tell it. You need to really settle down on the couch and pay close attention because it's going to come at you fast and furious in the final eight episodes." Not only that, but he confirmed that the final episodes would be "truly satisfying and truly shocking and jarring."
"We worked long and hard to ensure that these final eight - and, in fact, the very last episode - would satisfy an audience," Gilligan said. "I am guardedly optimistic that we have achieved just that. And furthermore, trying to be as coy as possible, trying to give away as little as possible, I feel like this ending represents on some level, however small, something of a victory for Walter White. Read into that what you will. And try to be as open-minded as possible when you watch this episode, because it may not indeed feel like a victory. Or maybe it will. ... I feel good about where it all ended up, and I can't wait for people to see it."
We cannot wait. "Breaking Bad" returns to AMC on Sunday, August 11.