Walter White has arguably already done the irredeemable several times on Breaking Bad, but series creator Vince Gilligan says we still haven’t seen the former chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin at his worst. Makes sense with sixteen episodes left to go. Gilligan told the Comic-Con crowd Friday that his own opinion of Walt changed dramatically only recently. “He does something this season that, as the first viewer of the show, I myself would probably say, ‘I lose all sympathy,’†Gilligan said, taking care to separate the idea of Walt’s “likability†from his “watchability.†At one point, he even polled the audience: “How many of you guys think this guy’s as bad as he’s going to get?†When they cried back, “No!†Gilligan smiled. “He may get worse yet.â€
When we last left Walt, he had proclaimed his victory over Gus to Skylar (“I wonâ€), and Gilligan said “winning†and its consequences is very much the theme for the fifth and final season. “Walt has found a new power, and it’s his ego,†said Bryan Cranston, who wore a hazmat suit onstage and was met with a standing ovation.
“Somebody said to me once, ‘Is it possible for Breaking Bad to have a happy ending?’ And I said, ‘Have you been watching?’ Perhaps the happy ending would be for him to die. He’s become so toxic and cancerous, maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to go.â€