What I Want From the End of "Breaking Bad"

Only a month left to go until the last eight episodes of "Breaking Bad." I considered writing down my predictions for what is going to happen, but instead I'm going to lay out a few specific things that I'd like to see happen to Walter White and his family before we leave Vince Gilligan's version of Albuquerque behind. Spoilers galore for the whole series so far below:

Hank vindicated - Walt's descent into irredeemable villainy means that Hank Schrader has become the man to root for. Hank's not the nicest guy, and it was easy to view him as the antagonist during the show's early seasons, but he's come a long way since then. It is high time he finally gets to have his moment in the sun and reveal Walt for what he is. Now, this doesn't necessary mean I want Hank to succeed entirely. There's a high likelihood that Walt comes out on top if the two go toe to toe. However, I want Hank to taste at least a moment of the glory, as karma for all those times when it felt like he was the only one on the case, and had to suffer major indignities in order to stand by his convictions.

Jesse and Walt have it out - There's something to be said for the show's creators choosing an ending where Jesse never finds out the extent of Walt's crimes against him. It would be tragic, poignant, and very effective at conveying the depths to which Walt has sunk. However, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as seeing Jesse final learning the truth about Jane's death or Brock's illness or something else equally as monstrous and making his choice about what to do with that information. Walt and Jesse's relationship is central to "Breaking Bad," and though the two have butted heads before, they haven't been on even ground for some time. What happens if the two end up on opposite sides again, and this time Walt doesn't have the upper hand?

Walter Jr. meets Heisenberg - Walter Jr.'s hero worship of his father has come up before, and was especially apparent during the separation storyline when he sided with Walt against Skyler. Walter Jr. finding out about his father's meth operations would have more impact on Walt than any other character stumbling across the secret, since the kid is one of the last people who still views Walter White as a fundamentally decent human being. Walt has taken some pains to keep his son in the dark, but how far is he willing to go? With the FBI closing in and both Skyler and Hank in the know, it's surely only a matter of time before Walter Jr.'s illusions are shattered. I favor the direct approach - perhaps Walter Jr. coming across his Dad in full gun-toting Heisenberg mode.

Marie gets in on the action - Despite the fact that she hasn't been a major part of the last few seasons, Marie is still one of my favorite characters. She's been great as a comic foil for Skyler and Hank, and her occasional dramatic moments have been solid too. It's looking like the finale will involve pitting Hank against Walt at last, and that means that Marie may have to choose sides. I can't imagine the show's creators are going to pass up on the chance to show us Marie's reaction to having a meth kingpin in the family or the fallout between her and Skyler. Then again, "Breaking Bad" hasn't done a very good job with its female characters, and if there's not enough room for her, she may end up sidelined for the finale. That would be a shame.

Meet the family - The people in Walt's life have been divided into two groups, his family and those involved with the meth trade. The characters are aligned on either side, and rarely have anything to do with each other. When they do, such as Hank's clashes with Jesse and Gus, it's meant trouble. In the later seasons the lines have blurred, creating new opportunities for these separate groups to come into contact. Skyler and Jesse's awkward dinner was a highlight of last season. Now that Hank has had his epiphany, worlds are about to collide, opening up the possibility of all kinds of new character combinations. Will Walt Jr. and Jesse discuss Walt's parenting style? Will Marie catfight Lydia? Does Saul end up babysitting Holly?

SCIENCE! - And finally, one of the elements that first drew me to the show was Walt applying his considerable scientific expertise to activities like disposing bodies and making improvised explosives to deploy against rival drug dealers. One of my favorite episodes was the one with the police station evidence room heist, where we got to see the awesome power of magnets used for nefarious purposes. I'm hoping that Walter White has a few more practical science tricks up his sleeve for this final run of episodes, if only to provide more fodder for Mythbusters specials.
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