Paul Watson, Campus Carrier Editor-in-Chief

Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” ended in one of the best ways it could: by leaving its viewership actually content in its wake—something rare in today’s television era.

Before I go on, let me clarify: there will be no spoilers in this article (though, to be fair, it has been four days since the episode aired).

That being said, fans have known since the end of season five part one that Walter White was going to resemble Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ozymandias, a “colossal wreck, boundless and bare” with nothing and no one around him. The real conundrum presented itself in how Gilligan would portray the fall of Walt. Would he be killed? Would he fall to cancer? Or, would it be more metaphorical? Would his family and empire fall as he lived on, an empty shell?

As I said, I won’t be spoiling the last episode; I would be doing you a great disservice if you haven’t had an opportunity to watch it. What I will say is that Gilligan’s delivery is one of perfection. Unlike so many finales that rely on emotional manipulation in the last frame to engage the audience, Gilligan simply follows the logical progression of the show. He never varies from the traits his characters have exemplified (even subtly) from their first appearance in the show. By allowing characters to organically come to their roles in the final episode, there was a sense of closure that is often missing in tearjerker finale. In fact, Gilligan left me with almost a smile on my face with the last frame of his masterpiece.

As much as I’ll miss watching the DEA chase down Heisenberg and his “Sky Blue” meth, I am glad Gilligan ended the show when he did. There is an inescapable end to all organized crime, and Gilligan took that inevitability and created something beautiful with it.

“Breaking Bad” has now set near-impossible standards for cable television. Good luck to all those who follow in its footsteps.