Breaking Bad: Face Off

A villain is born

The nursing home goes KABOOM

Now we'll have to wait.

Sadly, it's time for the Breaking Bad Season four finale: Face Off.

I hope they have the same prescription.
It would just make things easier.

This week's episode opens with Walt furiously running to remove the bomb from Gus's Volvo. He heads into the hospital to find Jesse and fill him in that Gus is on to them. Walt asks for the one place where they can take on Gus where there are no cameras. As Jesse strains to think of a place, two APD officers arrive to talk to Jesse about what he said to Andrea [ricin!]. They take him  in for questioning and act like dicks as Jesse tries to cover his ass. He says he must've learned about ricin on House [it's not lupus!] or the Discovery channel. As the cops continue to harp on him to try and get more info or a confession of some sort, he says, "Call Saul" - the signs work.

Spoiler: It's not ricin either!

Honey Tits is shredding evidence** of some sort at Saul's office while Walt bangs on the door. She never answers so Walt decides to break in. He needs Saul now. She mouths off and blackmails him for $25,000. He takes off to get the money [leaving through the broken door - he's inside and could unlock and open it - why is Walt being so dumb this episode?]. He drives home, and surveys the place before going in. Walt gets Information to call his neighbor and tells her to go over to check and make sure the burner is off (cause her life doesn't matter) so he can see if she gets murdered when walking over. He watches as she goes inside and two of Gus's henchmen escape via the backyard. Once he gets the all clear from the neighbor, he runs inside to get some money from the basement. While grabbing some cash, he sees the two men entering again and manages to escape via duct. Phew. He really must hate that neighbor.

Find out what happens next, after the JUMP!

Jesse is still at the police station and we know hours have passed since both cops have now taken off their jackets and rolled up their sleeves:

"This is hard work."

Saul - our knight in shining armor - comes in and lets Jesse know that Walt almost got caught at home. Jesse tells Saul to fill in Walt about Tio Hector in the nursing home - one place where there are no cameras. Walt figures out that Gus and Hector are enemies! He rushes over. Walt offers Hector "an opportunity for revenge" DING DING DING! Just what Hector wanted to hear.

The next morning Hector tells his nurse he needs the DEA. The nurse doesn't get it "is it dear? is it deal?" But who exactly assumes an old nursing home patient will need the DEA? I know I will from now on.

Steve shows up at Hank and Marie's where everyone has dressed in color coordinated shades of blue, and lets Hank know they have a lead: Hector's down at the station but he will only talk [ring] to Hank - in person. Marie doesn't like this plan one bit. Steve says (basically with a wink), "If you do want to talk to this guy, there's no safer place than the office." Despite Marie's begging, Hank heads down to the station and asks what Hector wants to say. He starts out by spelling "suck my..." but they stop him. Wait! Suck my what?! Ack! Cliffhanger.

No thanks.

Hector ends up saying nada. As he's wheeled out, Tyrus is watching and calls Gus to inform him that Hector's just left the DEA office. I love this plan! Walt's letting the imagination take over. As they say, when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and Gus. Now Gus is a little more on edge than he already is.

The nurse at the home gives Hector a lecture. I love her. She needs a spin off. Walt comes out of the closet bathroom and asks Hector if he had any second thoughts. No bell rings. "Let's get to work." I love the plans Walt comes up with - so I'm ready.

Tyrus shows up at the nursing home to see Hector. He runs a bug detector (?) over him and finds nothing. Walt is hanging outside and nearly gets discovered when Hector's nursing home neighbor tries to pick up Walt.

Back at the APD headquarters, we are told that Brock wasn't poisoned after all. Phew, again. Jesse gets to leave and is immediately tasered and taken by Gus's men. He needs to get back to cooking.

Tyrus calls Gus to let him know Hector's room is free of bugs and wires. Tyrus offers to take care of things himself, but Gus is insistent that this is his to do. Western music plays at the OK Corral Nursing Home as Gus drives up and Tyrus heads inside to make sure it's all clear. I'm just waiting for a tumbleweed to blow past as Gus walks towards the home in slow motion, the sun beating down on him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_zeiKrRTuk

"What kind of man talks to the DEA? No man, no man at all." Gus says with his accent back in full Chilean. Hector sure didn't talk to the DEA - Hector can't talk. For a drug mastermind, Gus sure is silly.

Tyrus pulls a Dexter and prepares a syringe for Gus. Hector FINALLY looks at Gus and then KA- BLOOOEY! Gus emerges like nothing happened:

...but then turns around.He's like Two Face! He straightens his tie and quickly falls dead to the ground. I'm guessing it won't be an open casket.

You've got something on your shirt.It's a good thing
you own a Laundromat.

Jesse is in the lab being watched. The elevator dings and it's Walt. He quickly kills Gus's guy (and elevator guy) and tells Jesse: "Gus is dead. We've got work to do."

And boy do they get to work. They destroy the crap out of the lab, wipe their prints of everything upstairs, pull the fire alarm to get everyone out and blow up the lab. This is all too clean and easy, right? Of course it is, there's still 8 minutes left.

Adios, Mofos.

Jesse gets word that Brock is going to be ok. It wasn't ricin. They doctors say it was lily of the valley - hmmm, what was the plant Walt looked at the other day? "Gus had to go, right?" Jesse says. Fucking Walt and his genius twisted plan. I'm starting to think he double majored in chemistry and psychology. But is Jesse's comment one he'll regret when he realizes Walt's the one who did it [or does he already? that comment makes me wonder]? Do the ends justify the means? People assume Walt is bad and actually poisoned Brock to the point of murder, but I'm guessing genius Walt knew that he'd make it but be ill enough to set Jesse off.

Walt calls Skylar and lets her know: I won. Don't get ahead of yourself, Walt. Vince Gilligan signed you up for 16 more episodes.You are most definitely not in the clear. This won't last forever:

Friends forever. Friends til next summer.

This has to be the most exciting tv episode ever to take place in a nursing home. As soon as Walt talked with Hector I knew that he would get Hector to sacrifice himself - but wasn't expecting that extra shot of Gus walking out with half a face. I think blown up Gus would be an excellent Halloween costume in case anyone was lacking an idea.

So...where do we go from here? This could've serves as the series finale as far as I am concerned. I'd be worried about Mike and Jesse, but it's like 96% of the ends are tied. I actually applauded the episode and entire season when the screen turned to black. If this season doesn't get the show the best drama award at the Emmy's, Golden Globe and SAG awards, I'll be pissed.

One giant plot hole that bugged me was why would Gus leave his car unattended? Wouldn't he have immediately called someone to watch it? That way if Walt approached it he could've been taken out at that point?

I'm assuming next year will begin with everything being ok and possibly a rehash of season 1 - he's gotta get back into the meth world somehow, right? Surely, Mike will be back and realize what happened. Could Tyrus be alive? Skylar didn't say that a third person died. He'd look uber cool with an eye patch or a scar. Hank is surely not going to give up on Heisenberg. There is still the video the Mexicans took of Jesse making meth at their lab, and there is all the footage of Walt's lab on Gus's computer. Who would know to erase it? The DEA (at least Hank) will want to continue to investigate Gus's crazy death.

What did you think of the finale? What do you suspect will happen next year? How will you spend the next 9-10 months waiting for next season (seriously, you could have a baby, but don't)?

**That "evidence" was Brock's school class schedule! Yay details! a college schedule? Yay misleading details!

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