Here’s a letter I’m physically sending to Vince Gilligan. Since he won’t see it in a timely manner in that form (if he ever does), I’m posting it online as well, in hopes someone will bring it to his attention:
Dear Vince,
I’m writing, as a devoted fan of “Breaking Bad,” to suggest that you consider writing a sequel. Having listened to many podcasts and read many blogs on the show, I know a lot of us were/are as interested in the stories of Jesse and Skyler as we were in Walt’s, and we’d like to know what happens to them after Walt’s death. Jesse’s story was especially compelling for many of us, and we’re speculating madly on what he’s doing after escaping the Nazis’ (and Walt’s) clutches. Are the Lambert sisters going to be able to reconcile? Surely, Skyler will break out of her shabby, nervous, cigarette-smoking shell. Will Flynn accept the money from Gretchen and Elliott, and, if so, how will he use it?
I guess what I’m saying is: you gave Walt as happy an ending as he could have – happier than he deserved, considering how much destruction his pursuit of “feeling alive” caused: the deaths of innocents and semi-innocents (Tómas, Drew Sharpe, and Andrea; Combo, Jane, and Mike), and the suffering and scarring of Kaylee Ehrmentraut, Brock, Jesse, and the White and Schrader families. Continuing the stories of the surviving “secondary” characters wouldn’t be as dark and violent as “Breaking Bad,” and probably wouldn’t take as long to tell, but they deserve “happy” endings too. Not to mention further development of their characters – Jesse, especially, went through a lot in these two years, but, except for his rising to the challenges of cooking meth in Mexico and ensuring that Gus and Mike got home in one piece, you haven’t shown him developing a lot of strength and maturity. It might even be interesting to see Badger and Skinny Pete again, remaining essentially themselves, but growing up a bit. All three of these guys could take on some adult responsibility – maybe (especially Jesse) helping to parent Brock, if his family would allow it. Jesse could also meet Flynn and have some contact with Skyler and Marie. I’d love to see him playing with Holly.
Doing this would allow us to see Jesse’s (and Flynn’s) values, not Walt’s, triumph in the end. Of course, you’d have to use the same actors. (P.S. I can usually tell the difference between fiction and reality, but these characters have taken on a life of their own.)
Breaking Baddicts Anonymous 