Breaking Bad - The Final Season* [DVD]

As per the title, do not read this review if you want to avoid spoilers.Having watched the entire lot of Breaking Bad after watching series 1 on a whim, I can honestly say that it's been one of the most enjoyably addictive dramas I've consumed on box set since The Wire. This final season has good points and bad points but it does properly round off the story arcs and ties up all the lose ends.First the good points. Hank is at his best in this series and he comes into his own during his final scenes. When he finds out the truth about his brother in law, his shocked reaction is brilliantly tempered by his instincts as a cop. He knows that any confrontation or accusation may bring his own life crashing down around him, but resolved to put law enforcement above all else, sacrificing his own career. This makes me like Hank even more.... and makes me even more shocked and saddened when he is executed. Other good point is Jesse who slowly comes to a change of heart and realises that Walt is out of control and must be stopped. His final break-up with Walt is engrossing and compelling to watch. And then we have Walt himself, who I had started to dislike and even hate by the middle of this series, but who turned it around and made me like him again when he saw sense and finally came back to the good man he used to be.... albeit too late to regain his family's love.Bad points: The new bad guys on the block, a series of thuggish ex-cons who muscle in on Walt's business when he screws up. Now these are good solid villains but their introduction seems forced, like the writers needed something new after Gus was dispatched and had to come up with something. Their youngest member, Todd, proves to be the most interesting of characters, through his soulless and remorseless actions coupled with a youthful naievety. But even Todd feels like a forced entry into the story. As for Walt's death? I saw it coming, or at least, I saw that he'd die in battle rather than from his cancer. So it loses 1 star for predictability there.The final scenes felt a bit rushed and in need of some epilogue. Here's what I would have written: I would have liked to have seen a replay of the home video scene during Holly's party in the 1st or 2nd episode, and maybe a funeral scene for Walt, with nobody but Skylar attending. Maybe a posthumous medal of honor for Hank and Steve, with Marie mourning him and Skylar begging forgiveness. Some sort of closure for Walt Junior, perhaps graduating high school and getting a regular job. And why not a scene of Saul relaxing on a yacht in the sun somewhere? And then finally flash forward 16 years to high school with Holly in a class where somebody is teaching the dangers of drug addiction.... And the person giving the lecture is one Jesse Pinkman.So the ending could have been so much more... But was good enough. And I enjoyed the journey.

MGM are noted for making slushy cheesy films filled with unbelievable stories of rich man meets poor girl; falls in love; and the woman gets to live a life of luxury. Not so here - MGM have broken the mould - for what you have in a gritty 'tell life as it really is' story – the sort favoured by Warner Brothers.Here is a ‘story well told’ that is filled with twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat - a story that is a 'black comedy' full of pathos, juxtapositions, intrigue, murder, and much much more as it examines the ‘dark’ side of ‘the human condition’.These are not two-dimensional characters without any depth that one encounters in many many films and TV series - these characters are real and 'true to life. All of the characters are seriously flawed; all of the characters are 'two-faced'; not one of them is 'nice' - and every character has their own 'hidden agenda' - and while you find that you cannot 'warm' to any of them, these sleazy double-dealing, double-crossing characters will speak VOLUMES to you – and make you question YOUR integrity.All things must come to an end – but – this amazing series has a VERY fascinating ending to what is a truly wonderful cinematic epic of gigantic proportionsAnd the clever bit – you are ADDICTED – but there isn’t any more – now what?

Arrived undamaged in sturdy cardboard envelope.👌Better than beaten-up, like my complete Airwolf dvds - just sent in a plastic bag, ordered by a friend, before I had an Amazon account. Obviously new, in cellophane, and not shrink wrapped and possibly a return. CASE AND DISCS PRISTINE!. A friend, last year, ordered me "5th & Final Season", supplied by Amazon from Italy. Turned out to be Region 1, not 2; checked first disc, and was fine, but out of warranty found ALL 3 FINAL SEASON discs could not be read by my Samsung and LG multi-region blu ray players. (To be fair, all my UK Region 2, and most of my Region US1 DVD box sets have rotted; so I only buy UK/US dvd/blu-ray if heavily discounted; or used, from Amazon & eBay.) I have now watched this set, and all discs have excellent picture and sound. Thank you. Will try to use this supplier, in future.

Have just completed watching "Final Season" of this unmissable series!However, have realised that I bought this DVD thinking it was exactly what it was...... the Final Series - namely Series 5 containing 8 episodes. As I watched several questions went unanswered for me .... now I know why !! Have discovered that I should have first watched the DVD labelled "Series 5" with another 8 episodes on that follow on immediately from Season 4. No wonder I wasnt sure where certain characters had come from!!In other words, I have watched the climactic end, and have now got to backtrack to Series 5 Part 1 to answer my questions. So a whole chunk of the story has been missed through bad labelling of the product. Awful and shocking ! Agree with all other reviews that product should have been labelled differently so that customers who have invested time and money in this whole fabulous piece of TV can watch the climax in the right order !!! Still... am giving it 5 stars but am disappointed that have to watch 8 episodes.. already knowing the outcome of the whole series !Beware of this anyone buying in the future!

Some of the episodes are not available to buy on Amazon uk, which left me short on the last series and I was gutted after paying for the rest to be unable to complete the collection on here.