Breaking Bad's final season doesn't officially come to a close until next summer, but fans have already begun speculating as to how Walter White's dark descent into crime will end. Next week will mark the series' mid-season break, and will hopefully leave us just as eagerly anticipating the next half as past finales have - but it will also give fans more time to toss around theories.
One of Breaking Bad's own cast who has some theories as to how the series might end is Emmy nominee Anna Gunn, who plays Walter's wife Skyler. Over the past four seasons we've seen quite the transformation in Skyler, a metamorphosis almost exclusively brought on by Walter's actions. Needless to say, the two have some issues that need to be resolved.
Gunn doesn't spoil any of the final season's upcoming events, but she also talks only slightly about this current season's story developments. For those who who've yet to catch up, best turn back now - POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.
Speaking with Salon, Gunn revealed that she has a romantic version of the show's ending that she envisions in her head, but also acknowledges Walter's downward spiral has made that near impossible. As an actress, though, Gunn has learned to love these characters and almost refuses to wish ill-will upon them:
"I have a romantic notion of how I’d like to see things end, because I care about these characters, that somehow they would be able to extricate themselves from this business, and the family could be a unit again. But I think that’s impossible, because they’ve turned a corner that can never be unturned. Certainly, Walt and Skyler can’t reach back toward each and forge anything that could be remotely healthy and OK, but there’s a part of me that wishes it could be OK."
As far as another possible scenario that fans have been tossing around – Skyler killing Walt – Gunn says that after the first part of season 5 she can see that happening. Earlier in the season Skyler had a small scene with Ted Beneke (Christopher Cousins) where he promises her he will keep his lips sealed in regards to the many secrets he has been privy to. In that scene Skyler shows some shades of Walt, having been empowered by a single person's fear, and Gunn thinks that could motivate her to finally take action.
But when she realizes that he’s saying to her, "I’m not going to say anything to anyone” and he’s actually scared of her, that little beat she takes after that, when she regards him and then she says “good,” that’s one of those moments for her where a little bit of power starts to be awakened. And it’s a power that she’s certainly never known before. And I think that those little things are becoming alive in her. I think there’s a feeling of, after having gone as far into it as she has and as deeply as she has, well, I’ll do whatever I have to do. I’ll do whatever it takes. And I think that perhaps that includes … that.
Will Skyler kill Walt in Breaking Bad season 5?
It's important to note that Gunn has no more insight into Breaking Bad season 5's final eight episodes than we do – the actors won't be introduced to the script for at least a few more weeks – she's just hypothesizing - much like star Bryan Cranston did when talking about Walter White's fate at the end of the show.
In the interview, Gunn also talks about the tremendous fan hate that has been building towards Skyler, and gives some behind-the-scenes stories about a really spectacular scene from last week's episode, 'Buyout', which involved Walt, Skyler, and Jesse at the dinner table. Needless to say, the entirety of Salon's article is worth a read. Gunn's vision for Skyler and creator Vince Gilligan's might ultimately turn out to be completely different, but at the very least, she hopes to make it through to the sure-to-be-epic finale.
How would you like to see the Walt/Skyler dynamic play out over the rest of Breaking Bad's final season? Will Skyler kill Walt?
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Source: Salon