By Christine Puza

Walter White, Mr. White, W.W., Heisenberg. Whatever name you prefer, we’re all obsessed with the same guy; the mild mannered chemistry teacher turned ruthless drug lord on AMC’s acclaimed series Breaking Bad.

It seems like it’s been years since we’ve seen Walt and former student Jesse Pinkman in that old R.V. cooking up their first batch of “blue sky” meth. Compared to what’s at stake now, it seems like a picnic! I should probably give a little *SPOILER ALERT* warning now. The end of the gritty drama is nearing and it’s definitely living up to our expectations and then some.

This past Sunday’s (9/15) episode of Bad was entitled ‘Ozymandias’, and wow, where to start? If all our hearts have returned to normal rates, let’s talk about it. We all knew that humble DEA agent Steve “Gomie” Gomez was going to Belize right after that ferocious shoot out. A guy like Gomie—a supporting character—his death seemed inevitable. But as for his partner ASAC Hank Schrader, one of the stars of the show, it certainly had to seem like quite a tossup. At first I thought he was dead for sure, then I thought Walt would somehow work his criminal magic to save his life. What did happen, though, exceeded all our expectations.

“You’re the smartest guy I ever met, and you’re too stupid to see- he made up his mind ten minutes ago.” Boom. Bye bye Hank. Not only did Walt lose his brother-in-law at the hands of Uncle Jack, he lost his money. Oh, I’m sorry, he got $11 million out of pity while Jack and his gang took the remaining $69 million. Regardless, pocket change for Walt. I’m sure we were all screaming the same things at the TV: “Just let them kill Hank!” or “Don’t tell them where that money is!” As always, Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind Bad, had our hearts racing.

Due to the fact that Skyler and Walt Jr. (or “Flynn”) have become totally lame (trying to stab your husband, finding out the truth about your dad and calling the cops on him… really guys? After all, he’s just a meth king!), Walt left with Baby Holly. Why would you leave with a baby when you’re on the run? Whatever, at least he gave her back (kind of, leaving her in an ABQ fire truck to be discovered). That is, after guiltily calling Skyler and threatening her for turning on him. At first I thought Walt was being genuine with those threats until I saw tears running down his face. He knew the cops were there and he was making sure that Skyler had a legitimate alibi before he disappeared. He was securing his family’s life, consistent with one of the main themes of the entire series: that family is everything.

That old red-minivan showing up at the end of the episode meant one thing and one thing only: goodbye Walter White, hello completely new identity. Walt meeting up with Saul’s mysterious “disappearing guy” at the end was a real jaw-dropper. At least now we get some kind of bridge between the man we saw at the beginning of the season, sitting in a diner in New Hampshire with a full head of hair on his 52nd birthday, and now.

With two episodes left, what’s going to happen? The series seems like it’s at a stand-still now; Walt is leaving with a new identity and all his troubles are behind him… for now, at least. But what about Jesse? Throughout the entire series, Pinkman has been my favorite, even if he was a rat. Now that Todd has him chained to a dog leash, what’s the poor guy to do?

Some predictions of the last two episodes…

1. Todd is the new Heisenberg. Despite his quiet and seemingly innocent nature, behind that lies a ruthless sociopath who has no problem killing, threatening, or torturing people. So “Meth Damon” will have no issue adapting to the job of doing exactly that.

2. Jesse kills himself. This is a very sad prediction, but at this point I wouldn’t be surprised. Pinkman has become a total sap. He is beyond guilt-stricken for the criminal activities he’s been tied to in the past; and now that Todd is forcing him to cook, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse used some of the stuff he’s learned from ‘Mistah White’ and suffocates himself in some sort of mixture. Also adding to the likelihood of that chance is that he now knows the real truth behind his ex-girlfriend Jane’s death, which Walt coldly admitted to him just before he was taken away without showing any remorse at all. Another reason for him to take his life. What’s Jesse have left to live for? Nothing.

3. Skyler changes her mind. This is far-fetched but possible. Skyler stood by Walt’s side for a long time, and she snapped on him for only a short period of time. She has no money coming now (besides their lousy car wash) so I wouldn’t be surprised if she tracked him down for money. Who knows how Walt will react if that does happen. Send his own wife to Belize? Entirely possible.

There are tons of other predictions to be made, but those are a few of mine. Two episodes are left and only a few people are left living. It’s time to sit back, prepare ourselves, and see what Vince Gilligan and the rest of the brilliant writing staff of Bad has in store for us.