Vince Gilligan addresses 'Breaking Bad' finale reaction, looks back on 2013, previews 'Better Call Saul' spinoff

The Breaking Bad series finale was, unsurprisingly, one of the biggest events on television in 2013. The reaction to it was largely positive, but an extremely interesting theory sprung up in the aftermath that the entire final episode had been a dream concocted by Walter White as he sat in that car surrounded by snow.

In an interview with EW.com, series creator Vince Gilligan addressed that theory and also expressed his overwhelming relief at the reaction to the final episode:

"What surprised you about the reaction to the finale, which was positive, whether it was a favorite fan theory or the one that Walt had actually died at the beginning of the episode?
First of all, I can't tell you what a big, deep sigh of relief I breathed when word came in that people liked the episode. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. However, having said that, when I heard anecdotally that a lot of people were of the belief that the whole thing had been a dream, then I was kind of scratching my head because that to me, as a fan of storytelling, that to me, is the antithesis of a satisfying ending. The whole thing was a dream? [Laughs] The only time the 'It was all a dream' bit worked out well was the first time it was used. The first time that I know of was in the old Ambrose Bierce short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. It worked beautifully in that short story from [123] years ago. It does not work well to a modern audience. It certainly doesn't work well for me that these people I've invested all my care and close attention to for years on end, that nothing they've accomplished happened to be real: It was all some bulls- dream. [Laughs] I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' Who would find that...what's the word?... fulfilling?"

Gilligan also pointed out that the dream theory falls apart thanks to Jesse's woodworking scene in the episode.

As for the Better Call Saul spinoff, Gilligan said the show would "by and large" be a prequel, but it could jump through time somewhat. He added that "nothing is written in stone yet" and "we're still figuring it out."

Check out the full, lengthy interview here.