A collective sigh was released around the world Sunday night; “Breaking Bad” finally ended, holding the same captivation it had when the series began.

It took six years, 62 episodes, five seasons and a mid-season break, but the journey of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) — a 50-year-old high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealing drug lord — found its resolution.

What executive producer and creator Vince Gilligan presented is the new standard of television drama. “Breaking Bad” from the beginning was like a brakeless roller coaster cart on fire, chaotically whizzing down the tracks with no end in sight — that was until last Sundays’ finale.

“Breaking Bad” was immediately appealing. The scene in the pilot episode when cancer-ridden Walter held a gun underneath his chin contemplating suicide was the moment the series promoted its intensity. It suddenly became clear that the show was going to be more than some dark comedy similar to “Weeds.” Watching the goofy father from “Malcolm in the Middle” cook crystal meth in his tighty-whities in the desert made it seem that way, but it developed into something beyond imagination.

There is so much to take away from the shows well-crafted writing. The cliffhangers alone were forms of scripted art that left the audience speculating week-to-week — or occasionally year-to-year. Foreshadowing kept the audience in check, too. A seemingly irrelevant prop or person in the show often reappeared to reveal a shift in the plot and story’s development.

Continuity was a focal point of the show — the symbolism, tying together potential loose ends to important plot points, the reoccurrence of events and switching between the story’s timeline to tell an epic story. There were times when the next event seemed predictable—that there was only one course of action available—just to have an unforeseen incident happen, leaving the audience jaw-dropped and breathless from disbelief. The writers were always in control of the story and effectively swayed the emotions of the audience that had them begging for more before the 47-minute episode went to black screen.

The chemistry between the main actors was endearing, especially the father-son-type bond between Walter and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Watching a mild-mannered chemistry teacher in the midst of a mid-life crisis bond with a low-life, drug addict and former student of Walt’s was fascinating to see develop throughout the run.

There were plenty of interesting interpersonal relationships beyond Walt and Jesse. Walt’s ever-complicated marriage with Skyler (Anna Gunn); Walter and Jesse’s individual relationships with the sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk); the business partnership between Walter and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito); etc., they all had a range of intensity that helped the show develop.

The dialogue was patient and often tense. Even during scenes with limited dialogue, the actors could reveal their emotions or the intensity of situations with minimal non-verbal gazes. Long, complicated dialogue was hardly ever necessary to evoke a reaction; a simple “I am the danger,” or “tread lightly” was enough to send chills down your spine, further pushing the anticipation.

Thomas Golubic — the show’s music supervisor—did a phenomenal job at finding music to plug into the show. Many songs were recorded decades ago, yet so erringly fit perfectly to the shows’ circumstances. One example is in the episode “Ozymadias”. A gloomy song by The Limeliters is played — “Take my True Love by the Hand” — and features the lyrics, “Times are getting hard boys, money’s getting scarce. If times don’t get no better boys, I’m gonna leave this place.”

With the show’s meticulous writing and exceptional acting, it should come to no surprise that the show has dominated the Emmy Awards. Nominated 151 times, “Breaking Bad” has won 50 awards total. Cranston won the award three years consecutively for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; Paul won twice for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; Gunn won her first Emmy this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The show also won its first award for Outstanding Drama Series this year.

In several interviews leading up to the final episode, Bryan Cranston said the ending would be unapologetic to the series aura and he was absolutely right. The finale, appropriately titled “Felina,” is an emotional 75-minute journey that appropriately closes the series. All of the pressing issues are resolved, some characters come to terms with each other and a central character has an epiphany. Also, there are plenty of conflicts resolved and violence.

Gilligan, a very modest man, said that whatever his next project is, it will never live up to the legend of “Breaking Bad.” He might be right; however, when his show is being compared to “The Godfather,” “Scarface,” and “The Sopranos,” he should embrace “Breaking Bad” as his life’s work.

“Breaking Bad” is a modern Shakespearean tragedy cloaked in a John Wayne western; the only thing left for the show now is the test of time. The legacy of the show will be juxtaposed with the other great dramas throughout history, and it’s sad to see it go. But as the show’s promos states: “All bad things must come to an end.”