How Vince Gilligan Really Feels About Walt Years After Breaking Bad's Ending
Following the series finale of "Better Call Saul," creator Vince Gilligan has officially brought an end to the "Breaking Bad" universe. Gilligan has already inked a new series deal, and he's excited to get away from Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), at least for a while. Since the finale, Gilligan has had ample time to contemplate where he left things off with his iconic characters.
Having called Walter White's ending a victory in previous interviews, even though the character meets a tragic end, people wondered if Gilligan felt the same for Saul Goodman's conclusion. "Better Call Saul" ends with the sleazy lawyer forgoing a seven-year plea deal and instead opting to spend the rest of his life in prison to pay for his crimes. Even though the ending seemed like it would take a dark turn at times, it ended up being a much happier conclusion than the one in "Breaking Bad."
Saul's ending somewhat serves as a redemption for the character, and Gilligan specifically loves that about "Better Call Saul." The series ending with the titular character finding his humanity was a bittersweet moment (via The New Yorker). Gilligan can't say the same for Walter White. In fact, over time, his opinion of the character has completely changed.
Vince Gilligan no longer feels sorry for Walter White
While the "Breaking Bad" creator once thought Walter White's story ended as a victory for the character, he doesn't feel that way anymore. Gilligan previously cited the ending as triumphant because the character died on his terms while securing a comfortable future for his family.
However, with every year that passes since the finale of "Breaking Bad," Gilligan seemingly has less sympathy for his main character. The writer focuses on the fact that, if he had been a better person, Walter could have easily taken the money his former friends and partners offered him, treated his cancer, and lived a normal life. Not only did Walter reject the money, but the result was a long line of death and destruction. "He goes out on his own terms, but he leaves a trail of destruction behind him," Gilligan said in an interview with The New Yorker. "I focus on that more than I used to."
Gilligan later doubled down on this sentiment, even going so far as to say "Breaking Bad" was rigged for viewers to side with Walt over his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn). He says that the extreme dislike toward Skyler was misplaced and should have gone toward Walter.
"Like, wait a minute, why was this guy so great?" Gilligan said. "He was really sanctimonious, and he was really full of himself. He had an ego the size of California. And he always saw himself as a victim. He was constantly griping about how the world shortchanged him, how his brilliance was never given its due. When you take all of that into consideration, you wind up saying, 'Why was I rooting for this guy?'"