Close enough.
Here’s what I can say about last night’s episode of “Breaking Bad,” “Face Off,” without spoiling anything:
1. They sure like their Aerosmith and Def Leppard in New Mexico, don’t they?
That’s it. For everything else that happened, see after the jump.
GAH. That photo. I have never spent so much time analyzing a single episode of TV before it aired than I did for “Face Off” — and that kind of ruined it for me. “That photo,” which I found in an IMDb forum, was 100% accurate (unlike my predictions): Gus’ face literally came off, with some assistance from “The Walking Dead” makeup team. How? Walt strapped a bomb to the bottom of SUCK MY DI*K Tio’s wheelchair. Jesse, meanwhile, spent most of the episode getting questioned by two detectives, who eventually let him go when it was discovered that Brock hadn’t ingested ricin after all — it was Lily of the Valley. And as the last shot made obviously clear (did we really need the close up of the name of the plant? The relief and guilt on Cranston’s face on the rooftop worked just fine), it was Walt who poisoned the boy, therefore making him EVILEST MAN EVER.
What do you guys think of the episode? What do you expect season five to look like? I’m a little let down that we didn’t see Mike (although he probably would have been in the hospital with Gus, etc.) and there wasn’t nearly enough Hank, but overall, it was another excellent episode in another superb season of “Breaking Bad.”
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Isn’t Mike still in a Mexican hospital? I’m pretty sure that plot point was inserted specifically to give him a reason not to be at the old folks’ home with Gus. I suspect his return in Season 5 will be one of the main sources of conflict.
Anybody else think for one quick minute that Gus was a cyborg after he walked out of Tio’s room?
*awkward silence*
Anyone?
Anyone else think the APD might be on Walt’s trail after Tio’s neighbor saw him outside?
Oh, and “The Salamanca name dies with you.” Tio made sure something else died too.
titty episode, this season has been way better than the last imo. Mike isn’t dumb and has some sense of loyalty to jesse/walt, and might have some kinda weird memory of jesse helping him when the mexican doctors would rather talk about what drugs jesse does than give mike blood. mike and saul might be a different story
“Are you insane? Who the hell is going to charge 20,000$ for a plate glass door? No reputable vendor would…”
Surprising amount of laughs in an episode I thought would be nothing but tense.
@schmooze,
tell me that shot isn’t damn close to a shot out of terminator w one human eye and one cyborg metal face w/ red eye… jesse also called his walking into sniper fire a “terminator” move
Ahem.
“did we really need the close up of the name of the plant? The relief and guilt on Cranston’s face on the rooftop worked just fine”
Yes, because stupid people would have argued it for the entire year (i.e. JESSE DIDN’T KILL GALE!! THE CAMERA MOVED!!).
Excellent, and not ruined by the build-up. Who believes anything on the internet anyways?
Apparently this was shown in Gale’s apartment: [i.imgur.com]
Also here are 2 great interviews with Gilligan for anyone interested:
[www.hitfix.com]
[artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com]
@ La Schmoove I definitely got a T-800 vibe off of Gus.
Anybody else think that Jesse was going catch one in the back of the head as the camera followed him out of the police station?
Hank vs. Walt is gonig to be epic.
The Walt poisoning plot works for me as far as the character’s motivations go, but I just do not buy Huell lifting the cigarette pack.
Oddly enough, when Gus walked out of the room post-explosion, I thought of another Batman villain: The Joker. The Dark Knight has that scene where the Joker is the only person who doesn’t get killed in the Gotham PD office when the explosion rocks the place. I was really pissed that gus walked out of there until I saw the side of his face.
it also looked like walts house was gonna blow the fuck up when his neighbor “checked the stove”
*applauds LastTexasFan for TOTALLY calling the “Walt poisoned Brock with the plant” angle*
But what happened to Jessie’s cigarette then, Mr. Man?! Riddle me THAT!!
@Thunder: Exactly right. Breaking Bad is very respectful of the viewer’s intelligence, but it had to be made absolutely crystal that Walt is now one evil SOB, because no one would want to believe it.
tio hector… he had hungry eyes
@La Schmoove: Um…it was the baby! The baby stole Jesse’s cigarette!
Actually I think Huell switched packs on him, just like Jesse accused Walt of doing.
@LaSchmoove Vince Gilligan said that Huell picked it out of Jesse’s pocket when he was frisking him (it’s in the hitfix interview).
I feel that they telegraphed the bombing, but holy shit when Gus initially walked out of the room I about threw my drink at the tv.
Great season finale to me. Further reinforced the possibility of Gomez as the inside man.
Next season is 16 episodes, it sounds like they’ll air over two years.
That’s from the Hitflix interview, and it just ruined my fucking day. I have to wait TWO MORE YEARS to see this finale?
Ugh, first the Texans lose to the Al Davises, then Mario Williams is out for the year, then my fantasy team shits the bed in historical proportions, and now we have to wait til 2013 to conclude this?
Pass the bleach.
I still need explanation on Gus’s shady Chilean past.
The Tio/Hank scene was comedy gold! I still think Gomez is bad and it will be shown…wait…2 years from now??? HOLY SHIT! I hope you are lying LastTexan.
Oh those crazy Tio’s, always trying to get you alone in a room so they can explode all over you…
Wait, only my Tio does that?
I think they tidied everything up a little bit too much, but the transformation of WW into the evilest character on TV is outstanding. Getting that neighbor to enter his house first? That’s some ish right there.
I’m betting the show will end with some kind of Godfather parallel. Jesse will kill Walt and then Walt Jr. will kill Jesse and discover the formula. That’s my guess anyways.
I’ll say this for Gus…motherfucker adjusted his shit before he went out.
I guess I should probably start to watch this show now.
DEA can’t be done now. You’d think all of those cameras Gus had… One had to have a recording device with Walt all over it.
@LastTexansFan Props, dude. Props.
@Chris – Vodka Collins Gilligan said in an interview that even though Gus is dead (WHAT?!?), that doesn’t mean the character won’t appears in flashbacks in season five.
Season 5 is going to be all about Jesse turning on Walt and Hank catching up with Hiesenberg (who else is he going to think took out Gus?).
TWO YEARS???
@LastTexansFan: DUDE! Your use of the force is impressive…
Perfection. I can’t stop thinking back to Full Measure, the season 3 finale, with Walt begging Gus to save Jesse’s life, and this exchange:
Gus: “Are you asking if I authorized the murder of a child?”
Walt: “I would never ask you that.”
That was such a powerful moment because it represented such a stark dividing line between the careful, controlled businessman we were led to believe Gus was, and a ruthless, “do whatever it takes” style of kingpin. And you ended that season not knowing which version was true – whether Gus’s reaction was honest and that was a line that he wouldn’t cross, or if he thought there were no lines at all.
One season later, and its Walt, the guy leveling the accusation originally, who most certainly has crossed that line and become the monster that you weren’t quite certain Gus could be a year ago. Brilliant. If the downward spiral has to continue in season 5, you have to wonder about who within his own family is the next one to go.
My wife and I were watching this while eating dinner, and when Gus walked out of the room, I was disappointed and yelled, but when they cut to his face, she threw up.
I thought it was brilliant. Couldn’t work out how he survived and then boom, over he goes. He went down only after fixing his tie. Stay classy Gus.
Still, I hated Tio. He didn’t deserve to go out how he wanted to.
Last weeks episodes when Walt is spinning the gun on the table in the backyard, it points at the damn Lily Of The Valleys, the flowers even come into focus briefly.
Yeah the next season will be split over 2 “Emmy” seasons. 8 episodes probably over the summer, then 8 more over winter. Gobble up lots of nominations
Wow.. impressive how they turned Walt from good guy to complete pussy to proper bad-ass in the course of one season.
I think the final season will be hank vs walt vs jesse..
guys, don’t get ahead of yourselves. the studio has made an agreement to film 8 more episodes but no negotiations have been made with the network yet. With this being the best show around you’d think for sure more seasons, but you know how AMC is…if the 8 episodes air, that will be the last season.
@amanda: 16 more episodes.
[blogs.amctv.com]
My only question is that they didn’t tie up their loose ends all the way. It leaves a lot open for next season (and the next). Gus had everything filmed and was on his laptop as he left his desk for the last time. That means they have video of all Pinkman and White from the entire arrangement they’ve had. Although, Gus was so thorough that he may have had a self destruct sequence in those tapes. I DON’T KNOW, BUT FUCK AM I EXCITED FOR NEXT SEASON. I’ll say it here. Better than the Wire. There, I said it.
@amanda
No, AMC has renewed the show for a final 16 episodes.
I don’t think the rooftop scene gave it all away, I was leaning toward “Walt did it”, but not totally sure, so the last shot was welcome.
Also the song by Apparat when Gus walks toward the retirement home was pretty good and added to the mood!
Bit worried about the last season though, there’s no “bad guy” left with Gus dead and the cartel wiped. Although Walt as the bad guy against Pinkman against Hank will probably do it. I’m still convinced Walt is going to die of his cancer though.
Just testing out the new digs (comment technology).
It was NOT Walt who poisoned the kid… the two goons who were in Walt’s house had come around from the back yard when his neighbor was checking the stove. They ‘planted’ it (hurrrrr, puns) in his backyard.
Also – I am not 100% convinced Gus is dead. I know they confirmed it and whatever, but he’s powerful and could easily have had it reported that we was dead. I know it would be wayyy over the top and comic book-y, but what would be more super villain than a guy with a half a face? Just saying – if they really want to get loco, they could still bring Gus back in the next season.
Also – Smegga’s wife threw up in her dinner. AWESOME.
@Bentz: He was seen looking RIGHT AT the flower in the previous episode. He did it. And Gus is dead. SO dead. Gus storyline is over, time to move on to Walt being the main bad guy.
Did no one else at all mind Gus’ death? As in the nature of it? An explosion from that close that ripped half of his head off, completely removed one eye and would impact his brain with such significant force and he’s able to stand up, walk out of the room and adjust his tie before just toppling over? It was my only problem with the episode. I think just showing him dead on the ground would have done the trick. Having him adjust his shit beforehand was far cheesier and un-necessary than the close up on the lily at the end…though that was cheesy.
That said everything else about it was brilliant. A few set ups for next season with the neighbour seeing walt, the video evidence and about 50 people cleaning laundry who watched him punch in every day for a year or two… some splendid acting from both Jesse and Walt throughout, some fantastic comedy from Hank, Saul and others.
I’m looking forward to Walt being a complete fucking badass next season. I want him slaughtering the young left, right and centre.
It figures that my favorite show would have its last episodes Harry Pottered. If you’re going to split up the end, at least call it two different seasons, don’t blatantly tell me you’re milking this for all it’s worth by having a part 1 and a part 2