Breaking Bad: Every Major Death Ranked

Talking of villains that never quite worked… Jack Welker was an appropriately sinister figure played to absolute perfection by Michael Bowen, but as a final boss for Walter and Jesse, the sudden insertion of a Nazi felt a cheap move on the part of the writers, an easy way to get viewers back onside with the increasingly evil Walter.

His death was ultimately a cathartic moment, with Walter finally turning his back on the greed that had consumed him in the final season, shooting Jack dead thereby surrendering the millions of dollars buried somewhere in the desert.

The build to this, though, was a bit of a mess, relying on substantial suspension of disbelief as regards Walter’s final scheme, which involved so many moving parts, human chess, and the swift construction of an automatic machine gun.

Had Jack featured elsewhere in the show, this death might be a lot higher, and it certainly works as a redemptive moment for Walter, avenging his brother-in-law’s earlier murder. As one of the show’s final acts, though, it’s a bit anaemic.