With the end of Breaking Bad universe of Vince Gilligan seems to have finally wrapped up. Both series are considered some of the best television in history and incredibly rewarding shows to rewatch and catch the early hints and foreshadowing of plot lines to come.
Both shows hold up to even the most intense scrutiny but no show is perfect, and that goes for Breaking Bad too. While there are not many critiques of the show found on a rewatch, there are still a few harsh realities that fans will have to accept when they go back to see episodes. Characterizations that don't make sense and plot points that don't appear necessary can be observed up repeat viewings.
The Cartel Should Have Just Killed Gus
Gus Fring is nigh-indestructible throughout the series until his final confrontation with Walter. But he constantly antagonizes the Mexican cartel, even killing Don Juan Bolsa in a very public execution. The Cartel is well-known to be an exceptionally brutal regime, so it's strange they let a foreign actor do what he wants for so long.
Fring's operation can't possibly be as large as the entire Mexican Cartel; his is just a part of it for most of the show. One would think that removing that part of the drug smuggling business would not be that difficult. And when they have an easy chance to kill him with the sniper, it would have saved them a lot of trouble to just take the shot.
Skyler Is Not That Annoying
Skyler White is a bit of a polarizing figure in Breaking Bad, as she's a wet blanket on Walter's ambition. While Walter is breaking the law and building his criminal empire, Skyler objected to his endeavors, and because the story is told from his perspective, she was labeled a "party pooper."
But the truth is, Skyler behaves exactly as anyone trapped in that situation would. In fact, she's shockingly level-headed about the whole situation. When the viewer already knows all the crimes and destruction Walt will commit, Skyler's actions seem much more relatable.
Uncle Jack Is A Bad Villain
The Breaking Bad universe is full of excellent villains with multilayered personalities and believable motives. So it is a bit of a shame that on the rewatch, the least developed villains end up being the "final boss" for Walter White. The prison Nazi gang just isn't as interesting as the antagonists who came before.
Uncle Jack is a fine character and Jesse Plemons is excellent in his role, but the whole arc of that story never reaches the height of Tuco or Gus Fring. The show saw Walter take on one of the largest meth distributors in the world so his struggle against a handful of ex-cons doesn't seem like a worthy fight.
Marie's Kleptomania Is Forgotten
Marie Schrader provides a lot of comic relief throughout Breaking Bad, constantly needling her husband and her sister's family in the way anyone with a nosy relative can relate to. But early in the show, it appeared that the writers were taking the character in another direction.
In season 1, Marie is involved in a minor kleptomania plot line that sees her stealing a tiara and gifting it to Skyler. The issue is never fully resolved and is only brought back up two seasons later. It feels like this storyline will have important consequences but it essentially disappears from the show.
Tuco Should Have Snorted The Poison
The Tuco Salamanca plot line could have been wrapped up about one episode earlier if Tuco behaved as he had been historically written. When Tuco abducts Walt and Jesse, they plan to poison him with a laced bag of meth.
That should have been exactly how the character died. Up to that pint, Tuco never had any qualms about sampling the drugs placed in front of him, so he should have readily taken what Jesse handed over, chili pepper or not. And he dies just a few scenes later, it would not have that much of a difference.
There Are Not Many Female Characters
It is a man's world in Breaking Bad considering how few speaking parts are given to women in the show. The only female characters of note are Skyler White, Marie Schrader, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, Andrea Cantillo, and Jane Margolis. Three of them are killed off, and four have relationships with male main characters.
Most of the female characters in Breaking Bad are used to further develop the character arcs of the men. Fortunately, Gilligan gave audiences Kim Wexler, the best Better Call Saul character who wasn't in Breaking Bad.
The Plane Crash Is Over The Top
Season 2 sees Walter's actions have catastrophic effects, not just on his family but on the community as well, actions that will eventually lead to Walter's ultimate downfall on Breaking Bad. Over the course of season 2's trailers, it is slowly and mysteriously revealed that two planes collided over Albuquerque, and it's Walter White's fault.
But on the first watch of the show, the black and white scenes are a complete mystery until the crash actually happens, there is no hint of it at all. On rewatch, the crash itself is a bit of a let-down; it comes out of nowhere and Walter doesn't actually seem to be directly responsible. It's almost incidental rather than because of Walter's actions.
Flynn Is Not A Good Character
Breaking Bad is Walter White's show and everyone else simply has to swim in the wake of his actions. This inevitably leads to some characters being underdeveloped to make room for his actions and characterization.
A character who gets the obvious shorter end of the stick on rewatch is Walter's son, Flynn. It's very noticeable that whenever something dramatic happens between Skyler and Walter in their home, Flynn is conveniently out of the house. He never really seems to mature or develop and remains an angsty teen for most of the show.
Mike Was Clearly Rewritten
Mike Ehrmantraut was introduced toward the end of season 2 as "the guy who knows a guy," or the liaison between Saul Goodman and Gus Fring. He's written as the fixer for Saul, someone closer to Kirby or Huell in characterization. But as the series progresses, Mike is given more and more duties until it's clear that he is the head of Gus's security and his right-hand man.
So it's strange to go back and watch the show and see this supremely competent and important drug empire employee doing odd jobs for a low-cost lawyer. Clearly, the writers gave Mike a more important role when they saw how effective Jonathan Banks was, and he becomes one of Breaking Bad's best characters.
Brock's Poisoning Is Lazy
At the end of season 4, all the conflicts are wrapped up thanks to Walter's brilliance. He manages to deflect the blame of Brock's poisoning on Gus and pits Jesse against the drug lord, which is the last obstacle in his way.
It is implied at the end of the season that Walter used the "Lily of the Valley" plant in his yard to poison the kid, but how Walt could possibly get in with Brock to poison seems too complicated to actually pull off.