Vince Gilligan’s chef d’oeuvre Breaking Bad is deemed one of the best pieces of fiction to have graced the Earth. Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman, and their narrative have reshaped popular culture in the memes we share, the phrases we quote, and the stories we yearn for. The AMC show offered us an outstandingly palatable taste of a crime drama whose legacy cannot be easily replicated.
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A decade back, the acclaimed series’ conclusion presented a fitting ending to the overarching tale of the show. Considered one of the greatest series finales of all time, “Felina” appropriately utilized one of the props—an M60 machine gun—the writers introduced in season five’s first episode that initially made fans wonder what Walter was meant to do with it.
Gilligan’s latest statement indicated that he himself was unsure of how to implement the object in the narrative. This dilemma would soon evolve into a nightmare for the series’ creator, with his behavior worrying his fellow writers.
Vince Gilligan Had No Idea What To Do With Walt’s M60 Machine Gun
In Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 1, “Live Free or Die,” we see a gaunt, bearded Walt in a flash-forward sequence at a Denny’s on his 52nd birthday, and what would follow soon was birthed out of the creator’s desire for a glorious beginning to their final run. In an interview with Variety, to commemorate the 10-year-anniversary of the show’s uber-renowned finale, Gilligan even remarked that he wanted the last season to start “with a bang.”
And what exactly would this “bang” entail? Buying a M60 machine gun!
Little did Vince Gilligan know that he would soon regret this choice. Calling it the dumbest decision of his career, the screenwriter admitted that he had no clue what to do with the firearm. He had put himself in a bind, much to his horror.
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Thus started the director’s long-running nightmare of what to do with the plot point. He stated in an interview with Slash Film the following:
“There were times I was literally standing in the corner of the writers’ room, slowly banging my head against the wall, trying to make the ideas loose, and jar them loose and make them come out of my brain. And I think everybody was a little worried about my sanity at that point.”
Vince Gilligan was plagued with the unknown solution to his self-incorporated mystery. He was on the verge of abandoning the machine gun plotline, urging the team to forget about it. However, the voice of reason—the writers—held him to it, refusing to let him take such haphazard actions.
How Vince Gilligan Solved This Breaking Bad Dilemma
Gilligan, alongside the writers, brainstormed for ideas. One possibility they envisioned was Walt using the weapon to free Jesse from prison. However, they strayed away from this narrative choice, with the writers questioning, “Do we want to see Walt break into a jail and shoot down a bunch of cops? Probably not.”
The team quickly identified an alternative. Instead of gunning down cops, Walt would mow down a bunch of Nazis. Todd, Uncle Jack, and the rest of the criminal gang were introduced to the viewers in Season 5. It was during the finale that Gilligan realized how to put the M60 machine gun into use. With Walt’s trunk-mounted auto-gun, the writers could successfully tie all the loose ends of the plot lines established in earlier episodes.
Read also: “Someone else would’ve played Walter White” If Another Bryan Cranston Show Hadn’t Ended!
That’s how “Felina” triumphed in reaching a conclusion that felt satisfactory to the story arcs of these iconic characters. It set a landmark in fictional history, becoming one of the most revered season finales.
Although everything worked out for the best, Vince Gilligan acknowledged that pushing himself into a tight spot with the machine gun plotline taught him a “valuable lesson.” He stated the following to Slash Film:
“We always endeavor to tell [the story] organically, but the most inorganic thing we ever did, and I take full responsibility for it, was this inorganic bit of business with the machine gun, not knowing how that paid off. That is the essence of inorganic storytelling, and I learned a valuable lesson from that. Don’t do that to yourself in the future.”
Presently, Breaking Bad continues to enjoy its stature as one of the best-written pieces of fiction in TV history.
But getting to that point wasn’t a straightforward ascent. The above-recounted statements highlight how the project occasionally drove Gilligan to the verge of insanity. Most creative productions are no stranger to uncertainty, writer’s block, and not knowing what to do with a particular idea.
We never cease to be in awe of the writers and creators who, despite all the challenges, manage to bring such greatness to the screen.
Breaking Bad is available for streaming on Netflix.
