Breaking Bad: Some season-ending thoughts...

In lieu of full-blown reviews of the final two episodes of Breaking Bad this season, here's a few overall thoughts on the episodes, and the season as a whole:

• Is it just me, or did Mike's death in episode 5.07 seem a bit hasty, plot-wise? From a scene-work perspective, the episode was magnificent - Mike silently departing from his granddaughter in the park, the gorgeous final scene of Mike and Walt gazing out into the water (especially the final wide shot where Mike plops to the ground). But, for whatever reason, I just wasn't sold on how the story had gotten us to the point where Walt shot Mike. The episode itself made the best case for justifying it, in how Walt belatedly realized how he could've gotten the list of names from Lydia… and besides, Walt has basically devolved to a point where he believes that murder solves everything (as the prison-shanking montage from the finale demonstrated so vividly), so, to an extent, it seems just enough within character. But still, it just seemed so hasty, compared to the show's slow-burn approach towards these matters. Which leads to…
• Would this season have best been served by a full 13 episodes, instead of just the 8 that we received? Although Mike's death seeded this idea in my head, I really started to convince myself of this during and after the "Crystal Blue Persuasion" meth-making montage. For a show that's taken its sweet, sweet time (4.5 seasons!) covering a single year, it felt jarring to have a montage skip past three months of time… and the extra time would've helped to justify the changes that have happened in Walt's life as a result of the extravagant success of the new meth operation. When Skyler revealed the ginormous pile of money in the storage shed in the finale, it was a staggering sight, to be sure… but I would've loved a bit more justification in the show to show how we've gotten to that point. I also realize that we've still got to burn through nine months of time to get to the season-opening 52nd-birthday flash-forward… but the more I wrestle with it, the more it seems contrary to how the show traditionally operates.
• Even in these final two episodes, the sheer filmmaking skill on display was off the charts. I already mentioned the gorgeous scene where Mike dies, but the opening of the episode - the desert meeting between Walt and the prospective methylamine buyers - was a delicious stand-off for this modern Western. The penultimate episode's montage in the safe-deposit room (complete with the awesome wrist-cam!) was a bouncy bit of fun, too! And the finale's two montages were tremendously executed and edited. The stark combination of the brutal violence, the jazzy music, and Walt looking outside, Godfather Part II-style made for a disturbing, yet memorable, montage. And the "Crystal Blue Persuasion" meth-cooking montage was staggeringly complex and deliriously brilliant in terms of editing, scene transitions, and furthering the show's narrative. (And yes, once I realized what song they were using, I couldn't help but think, "It took them this long to finally pull this song out?" What a fun little moment...)
• I'm still trying to figure out what Todd's angle is in this entire operation; I'm simply convinced that there's more to Todd than what we've been let on thus far. Besides, after three months of working with Walt, I'm sure he's pretty skilled at the specifics of the business at this point… almost dangerously so.
• Walt's teary-eyed re-appearance at Hank's office was downright slapstick-y, compared to what we saw earlier this season. I can't say that I liked it, but the episode needed to get down to business, I guess…
• Even a character like Mike isn't immune to the degradation of a barrel of hydrofluoric acid. Frowny-face!
• All season long, the ricin has threatened to come back into play… and although we got so very, very close in the finale with Lydia, Walt hasn't had to use it… yet.
• Bad-ass quote from Walter, in the hotel room with Todd's "connections": "It can be done exactly how I want it. The only question is, are you the men to do it?"
• So, just how much money is in that storage-shed pile? Somebody do the math… quick! :-)
• The CAT scan in the final act of the finale had to have been shown for a reason… has Skyler's wish for the cancer to return come true?
• That tortured look on Jesse's face after Walt left his house said so much… dammit, who doesn't feel bad and sympathetic for Jesse at this point?
• I doubt you'll disagree with me that next summer's first episode needs to pick up immediately from where Sunday's finale left off. It would be a tremendous disgrace if we don't see how Hank reacts to his mind-blowing discovery. (As an aside, I found it darkly funny how Breaking Bad managed to put the "shit" in the season's final "Holy shit!" moment.)
• Some fun ephemera that's hit the Internet in the past couple of weeks:
• Walt's "Say my name" moment from the desert face-off spurred this fun remix of the Destiny's Child song of the same name.
• Entertainment Weekly dug up the first film appearance of Jonathan Banks, who plays Mike: the 1974 educational film "Linda's Film on Menstruation". Skip to the 1:10 mark, and watch in amazement.
• Also, in amazing revelations: Jonathan Banks was also in the finale of the comedy classic Airplane! Skip to the 0:37 and 1:09 marks.
• Finally, since Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass figured prominently into the season finale, I must post a clip of Homer Simpson's thoughts on Walt Whitman, from the episode "Mother Simpson".

Breaking Bad will return in the summer of 2013 with the final eight episodes of the series… we hope to see you then!