Breaking Bad Finale Spurs Bitter Lost Fans To Harass Damon Lindelof On Twitter
But is it apples and oranges?
Given that Lost ended three years ago, you wouldn’t expect it a sudden barrage of tweets about it to begin slamming the account of that program’s showrunner, Damon Lindelof. But that’s precisely what happened last night, ranging from profanity-ridden assaults on his talent to the simple, one-word tweet “Checkmate.” What was behind this assault on Lindelof’s Twitter feed? The series finale of AMC’s Breaking Bad, which wrapped up five seasons in brilliant fashion last night. It seems many Lost fans think Lindelof should be taking notes on how to end a beloved series.
WARNING: BIG HONKIN’ SPOILERS FOR THE FINALES OF BOTH LOST AND BREAKING BAD BELOW!
Much of the Twitter barrage was simply damning Lost’s controversial ending by comparison to the pitch-perfect way Breaking Bad wrapped things up. Lost left many questions unanswered and served up a final season that seemed to many like a blatant cop-out. Breaking Bad, on the other hand, provided satisfying closure for pretty much every character, culminating in an ending that felt honest, consistent, and earned.
Here are some of the tweets directed at Lindelof. To his credit, he was a good sport and retweeted many of them.
Breaking Bad. THAT is how you end a series! Am I right @DamonLindelof ?
— Matt Agronin (@magronin) September 30, 2013
HEY @DamonLindelof MAYBE YOU SHOULD WATCH BREAKINGBAD SO YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO FINISH WHAT YOU BEGAN PROPERLY
— João Victor Dutra (@sokeod) September 30, 2013
Now THAT is how you end a TV series!!! #BreakingBad Take a lesson @DamonLindelof #lost Thanks for a great run @VinceGilligan !
— Todd Vanden Branden (@t_vandenbranden) September 30, 2013
#BreakingBadFinale Thank you,Vince Gillian, for knowing your craft. Still pissed @DamonLindelof over that USA late-night movie Lost ending
— Mac Williams (@wuapinmon) September 30, 2013
@DamonLindelof Checkmate.
— Hallie Boston (@may0negg) September 30, 2013
Vince Gilligan thanks for a brilliantly written #BreakingBad ending, @DamonLindelof @CarltonCuse did you take notes? #GoodbyeBreakingBad
— Alex Cervasio (@cvas) September 30, 2013
@DamonLindelof, I love you, but this #BreakingBadFinale has to be embarrassing for you.
— MikeWillis (@MikeWillis) September 30, 2013
@DamonLindelof LOST and Breaking Bad are very similar shows. Do you feel embarrassed by the way they showed you up all over town?
— Justin Morissette (@JustinMoris) September 30, 2013
@DamonLindelof how do worthless fuckheads like you get hired when there are people with actual talent like Vince Gilligan around?
— onawarmsummerbreeze (@notmysaletonite) September 30, 2013
I really like @DamonLindelof but dude, i'd be crushed after that final scene in breaking bad, they practically laughed at your face.
— Divad (@ldavs) September 30, 2013
That last one raises an interesting point that the final scenes of both Lost and Breaking Bad culminate in a very similar way, visually. Both have the protagonist (or one of the protagonists, in Jack’s case) lying on their back, staring upwards as they die and the camera pulls away from them. You can compare the two scenes below, assuming the powers that be haven’t yanked the Breaking Bad video by the time you read this.
Some are suggesting this was a deliberate dig at Lindelof and Lost, adding insult to injury by aping their final shot. I don’t think that’s the case, simply because Breaking Bad creator VInce Gilligan seems like way too classy a guy to stoop to that sort of thing.
Then again, both Jack and Walt are dying from a fatal abdominal wound on the right side. Hmm…
Either way, it’s not just Lindelof who should be taking notes. Breaking Bad’s finale was a great way to end a great series, and it definitely raised the bar for the future.
