So much for that phone call last week. And I definitely was not expecting Saul to get out of that van. A round of applause for Robert Forster by the way.
(Some Spoilers)
I liked "Granite State" quite a bit (in addition to New Hampshire's nickname, it signified to me Walt hit rock bottom and perhaps, at the end, Walter White and Heisenberg's black becoming more of a gray) though it feels like "Ozymandias" was the real finale. This episode was more like part one of an epilogue, played perfectly and calmly relative to all the oh-**** that happened last week. It's hard to imagine any true happy endings. Skyler may be absolved of Walt's crimes, Jesse may not be a meth-cooling slave anymore, and Marie may find out where Hank's body is buried. Those are consolation prizes at best comparatively to what they've lost. Each of them is irreparably worse and broken. I think most viewers would have been ready and willing to accept "Ozymandias" as an appropriate ending. Walt's phone call exonerating Skyler seemed like it worked until Saul explained why that was a total nope.
Instead, we get more Deus Ex Machina and Walt's extraordinary luck (seeing Elliot and Gretchen on TV and bailing before cops storm the bar) which, at this point, is a rather minor flaw for a show as strong as Breaking Bad. I suppose it works for dramatic tension. It seems like the writers "tried on" various endings in this last batch of episodes: Walt retiring, Hank catching Walt, Walt going into exile (after losing his family and keeping some of his money with no way to give them any). They all worked in one way or another. If it wasn't for the season premiere, we wouldn't know Walt was in New Hampshire (seemingly the opposite of New Mexico) for months and the show could have ended last week, shocking as it was.
I'm glad it didn't though. It's ingenious how the season and show is coming full circle. Walt returning with a vengeance to take care of unfinished business works better for his character arc even if being separated from his family with literally a barrel full of cash is more ironic. The writers just had to twist the knife into Jesse a little more, and more than anything else next week, I'm interested in what happens to him. Surely, meth-cooking slave isn't his ultimate fate, but he doesn't have much left in the tank, physically and emotionally. Adopting Brock has roughly a zero percent chance of happening and wouldn't work in the world of Breaking Bad. Jesse is still a wanted man, having assisted in most of Walt's crimes. Still, I want Jesse to get away because even though he hasn't paid his debt to society, it feels like he's paid for his crimes. It would be nice to see him find some peace somewhere. Maybe he can manage a Cinnabon with Saul.