Phonte Recaps "Breaking Bad" Series Finale

AMC’s “Breaking Bad” concluded yesterday (September 29), with a record-breaking series finale, which reportedly nabbed 10.3 million viewers. Foreign Exchange’s Phonte, an avid viewer of the program, spoke with HipHopDX about his take on the series’ end.

“Overall, I thought it was really well done,” Phonte said in an exclusive statement to HipHopDX. “They stuck the landing, so to speak. There was definite closure on all ends and if each character didn’t necessarily get what they ‘deserved,’ they certainly got what was naturally coming to them…There’s nothing I would change about the finale.”

“I don’t feel there were any loose ends,” Phonte continued. “If anything, I would’ve liked to see how Walt poisoned Brock [in a previous season]. That’s one of the few events that I thought would’ve made for a great cold open flashback. Also, I was always curious as to why Don Eladio never killed Gus. His ‘I know who you really are’ line always stuck out to me and made me wanna know more about Gus’ backstory.”

Phonte Details His Favorite “Breaking Bad” Moment

Phonte also spoke about his favorite moment in the series, which took place during the show’s finale.

“I think my favorite part of the series was last night’s episode when [Walter White] and [Skyler White] said goodbye to each other,” Phonte said. “I’ve always said that ‘Breaking Bad’ was never a show about a guy who went from ‘good to evil’ as much as it was about a guy who found out he was dying and finally decided to live on his own terms. When he told Skyler, ‘I did it for me,’ that was the moment where Walt finally dropped the bullshit and admitted his truth. He never cooked meth for his family. He cooked it because he was great at it and it was the only thing that made him feel appreciated and gave his life meaning.”

“Breaking Bad’s” ratings rose considerably from last season’s finale, which hit 1.9 million viewers. This year, the show hit 6.4 million viewers two weeks ago and 6.6 million in the penultimate episode, according to Entertainment Weekly. The finale, which hit 10.3 million viewers had 6.7 million viewers who were adults ages 18-49. As a testament to its popularity, “Breaking Bad,” which appears on cable’s AMC, reportedly charged more than $400,000 per 30-second commercial, according to AdAge. Those prices are generally reserved for network television programs, such as Fox’s “American Idol” or ABC’s “Modern Family,” as per Entertainment Weekly.

Phonte isn’t the first rapper to speak with HipHopDX about “Breaking Bad.” In August, Murs spoke exclusively to HipHopDX about the program’s characters and the season premiere. On September 22, Tonedeff detailed predictions for the series.

As a member of Little Brother, Phonte released several albums, including 2003’s The Listening and 2010’s Left Back. In 2011, Phonte released his solo debut, Charity Starts at Home. This year, Phonte released his new album, Love in Flying Colors, as a member of the duo Foreign Exchange, with Nicolay.