Students wait in line to view the ‘Breaking Bad’ finale at the Gateway Film Center Sept. 29.
Credit: Ritika Shah / Asst. photo editor
Note: This article contains full spoilers for “Breaking Bad.” If you are a newcomer to the series, refrain from reading.
Anticipation, fear and anxiety are a few descriptions of the way fans felt when they entered the Gateway Film Center to watch the series finale of AMC’s hit show “Breaking Bad.”
The show, which stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, is regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time by some, and this season’s final eight episodes proved why it earned this moniker. The season finale Sunday averaged 10.3 viewers compared to last fall’s season finale, only averaging 2.8 million viewers, according to USA Today.
Tremaine Phillips, a first-year law student at Ohio State’s Mortiz College of Law, was quick to point out his love for the show and what watching it come to an end meant to him.
“I have watched the show since it started, and I haven’t been disappointed,” Phillips said before the finale aired. “I think there will be a lot of people who will enjoy this show like I will, and I expect many deaths (in the final episode) tonight.”
With the Gateway only showing the finale in one theater, along with hosting a private viewing party of the show, tickets were slim for those who wanted to watch on the big screen.
For those who weren’t able to get a ticket to watch in the theater, screens in the main lobby displayed the finale for some 60 people who crammed their way in to get the chance to watch the series end. The lobby was filled with chatter and conversation before and during commercials, but when the show came back on, all eyes and ears were glued to the screen, watching and contemplating what would happen throughout the finale.
Sarah Puchta, a fifth-year in marketing, guessed “Breaking Bad” would go out with a bang and leave fans speechless.
“This is probably the best drama series I have ever watched,” Puchta said. “I really hope that both Walt and Jesse live, but this show has lived off the unexpected, so anything can happen.”
Even though Walt died in the finale, the ending to the show seemed to leave most people at the Gateway satisfied with the direction the finale steered.
Mickey Mekawi, a second-year in economics, said the episode was a great way to end the series and did a wonderful job of tying the entire story of Walt’s journey together.
“(My) first reaction is, I think that was a perfect way to end the show,” Mekawi said after the finale. “All loose ends up until this point were tied together, and I can be satisfied with how ‘Breaking Bad’ came to a close.”
