Entertainment

10 Things We'll Miss About 'Breaking Bad'

by Rachel Simon

In mere hours, Breaking Bad, one of the best TV series of all time, will come to an end. It breaks our hearts just thinking about the finale, but with just a few more ticks of the clock between now and the final episode, it's time to come to terms with the situation. After tonight, we'll be living in what'll surely be a miserable, pointless, Breaking Bad-less world. The cast will move on and we'll find new shows to watch, but nothing will ever compare to the incredible, six-year-long thrill that was Breaking Bad.

There is an endless amount of things we'll miss about the show, but we've managed to narrow it down to the top ten:

1. "Bitch!"

Jesse is the best character on the show. It's not an argument, but simply a fact. He's the funniest, the most lovable, and the one with the best lines. He's had his share of quotable moments over the years, but by far, his most famous is one word, endlessly repeated at opportune moments: "bitch!" Jesse uses "bitch" to end sentences, to make a point, to fill the silence when he doesn't have anything else to say. You'd think this would get repetitive after awhile, but because of Aaron Paul's perfect delivery, it never does.

Our favorite "bitch" moment:

2. Walt's Tighty Whities

It's not so much how Bryan Cranston looks in them (he's a good looking guy, but tighty whities and sneakers isn't a great combination) as for the memories they bring. Walt's underwear-only scenes came from the show's first season, when he and Jesse cooked in the RV. Now, watching Walt wander around almost-naked in a desert brings on major nostalgia for simpler Bad times, and makes a strong contrast to the powerful Walt of Season 5. Once the series ends, seeing the tighty whities will just bring on a sad, deep longing for the show.

3. The Metaphors

To think we thought symbolism was relegated only to high school English classes. Breaking Bad mastermind Vince Gilligan has used metaphors as a way for viewers to make connections each and every season, from the characters' preferred clothing colors to the one-eyed pink teddy bear. In some other show, this could easily have been overdone, but Gilligan and the rest of the show's writers made the metaphors worth caring about.

4. Saul Goodman

Oh, Saul, we'll miss you so. Thank god the best (by which we mean worst) lawyer on TV is getting a spin-off, because we couldn't deal with a universe without Saul Goodman in it. He was always a source of amusement, but never simply a joke; his intelligence was constantly underestimated. How many days until Better Call Saul premieres?

5. The Cast's Real-Life Love for the Show

One of the best and most unique things about Breaking Bad was how much the cast seemed to love the show. It's not unusual for actors to be proud of their TV series, but the Breaking Bad cast were true fans. Aaron Paul counts down the days before every episode, and this season, invited fans to watch the final few episodes with him — in person.

The majority of Betsy Brandt (Marie)'s Twitter feed consists of theories about the series' end, and she frequently live-tweets each episode. Almost everyone on the show seems to truly love their jobs, which is refreshing to see when so many actors take roles simply for the money. Plus, the cast also seems to love each other; we all know Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston are BFFS, but they seem to also be just as tight with Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Jonathan Banks and the rest of the cast. This makes us very happy.

6. Walt Jr.'s Love of Breakfast

Has any TV character loved breakfast as much as Walt Jr.? We highly doubt it. For several seasons, the majority of the teen's scenes took place at the kitchen table, where a heaping pile of pancakes, eggs, and bacon would be piled high on his plate. It became one of the biggest Breaking Bad running jokes, even catching the attention of RJ Mitte, the actor behind Walt Jr., whose Twitter bio reads: "I'm RJ aka Walt Jr. aka Flynn aka your favorite breakfast eater on Breaking Bad."

7. The Bacon Birthdays

And speaking of breakfast, the writers of Breaking Bad must've really loved bacon. The series opened on Walt's 50th birthday, with Skyler writing out "50" in bacon strips on his plate. On his 51st, Skyler forgets to do it, signaling tension in their marriage. Later in the series, we see a flash forward to Walt's 52nd birthday, where he arranges his own bacon into the number. The bacon birthday numbers have always been a sign of important things to come on the show, and we'll miss their presence. Plus, they always looked delicious - Walt knew how to celebrate.

8. The Chemistry Lessons

There haven't been as many recently, but for awhile, Breaking Bad taught us more lessons about chemistry than high school ever did. We learned the proper ways to make meth and dispose of bodies, and while we don't expect opportunities for us to put those skills to use to arise anytime soon, it's good to know that if they do, we'll be prepared.

9. The Quotes

Between "I am the one who knocks!," "Say. My. Name," and so many more, Breaking Bad provided viewers with an endless amount of quotes. We'll be finding excuses to tell people to "tread lightly" for a long, long time.

10. The Breaking Bad Community

There have plenty of other shows that have brought fans together, but none quite like Breaking Bad did over the course of six years. Devotees shared their love for the series with non-viewers, urging them to watch what was hands-down the best show currently on TV.

By the final season, it seemed like everyone was talking about Breaking Bad. Non-viewers can't go on Twitter on Sunday nights because all they'll see are spoilers, and when Cranston and Paul were overlooked for Emmy wins last week, they were seen as the snubs of the century. Breaking Bad created a community of loyal, obsessive viewers, and we feel lucky to have been a part of it.