Though Jesse has parted ways with Walter in the latest episode, creator Vince Gilligan assures fans, 'Just because he's out of the business doesn't mean he's off the show.'
- Sep 5, 2012
AceShowbiz - There are months before "Breaking Bad" returns with its final eight episodes, but the show's creator has answered some burning questions regarding Walter's decision in the Sunday, September 2 outing. Gushing on whether or not Walt can be trusted when he said that he quit the meth business, he says, "We can either take him at his word or not... I tend to believe, personally, he was telling the truth when her told [Skyler] that."
Not giving a straight "yes" or "no" answer, he coyly adds, "Have we seen him cooking his last batch? Hard to say... But it's looking like he's out of the business for sure... We're still working out the final eight episodes."
The executive producer also won't confirm if Walt's cancer has returned or not, but claims that a scene which featured Walt getting a medical scan was shot for something important. "[We] never have a scene in our show that adds up to nothing. If you go through to the trouble to have the crew build a set and shoot a scene, it better be important... It's not for nothing that that scene is in there," he insists.
Jesse, who also quit the meth business after growing uncomfortable with what they did, is not necessarily out of the story. "He's going to have plenty to do," Gilligan says during a conference call with reporters. "Just because he's out of the business doesn't mean he's off the show. It would not be the same show without [actor Aaron Paul's] wonderful contribution."
On the scene that saw Walt and Jesse parting ways, he comments, "That last scene had a very bittersweet feel, a very nostalgic feel to it, for me and for our writers." He explains, "There was a more innocent time on this show, and they are thinking about that. And what they're essentially saying is that those days are over and they can never be returned to."
When Jesse is once again involved with Walt in the upcoming episodes, "the partnership does seem to be fractured." He further reveals, "There's no repairing the fracture... He doesn't trust his former partner as far as he can throw him... Going forward it's less about the assistant or the acolyte attending to the master or the mentor and more about [former] partners on an equal footing. They are very much closer to being equals than they've ever been before."
Gilligan gives more coy answer when asked how Hank will react to his discovery that Walt is Heisenberg. "It's hard to put yourself into Hank's head at the moment," so he claims. "You've got to think, this probably the single biggest most horrible revelation he's ever had in his life."
Despite all the wicked things Walt has done, Gilligan thinks the character doesn't have to be punished in the end of the series. "Someone in real life is getting away with murder as we speak... He could get away with the whole thing," he reasons. "He's a bad guy. But because he's smart and has worked hard and feels the things he feels so deeply, we grudgingly respect him."
"Some days I'm rooting for him, some days I want to see him hit by a car," he further shares, before adding, "I guess the question more precisely becomes, 'How satisfying would that be? What would satisfy the audience at the end of it all?' [But] is the 'satisfying' way the right way?"
In another news, "Breaking Bad" midseason finale rating rose 47|percent| from last season finale. The latest episode drew 2.8 million viewers, while the fifth season has so far averaged 56|percent| more viewers than the first half of the fourth season. The new and final eight episodes of the show will air in summer 2013.
