Wow! I was blown away by season 4's finale. What I love about this show (and what keeps me awaiting the next episode) is how every little detail foreshadows what's to come. And it isn't until things are revealed through the journey of each of the show's characters do things fall nicely into place. I didn't see any of what went down coming in this episode. I know I sound vague, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. I will say each story line is like a game of chess and the payoff is always worth the wait of anticipation. I suspect the next season is going to pick up where the I.R.S. incident left off, but at this point who can really know. Every award 'Breaking Bad' has been nominated for/won is deserved in my humble opinion. This show is spectacular and I hope it keeps going for a few more seasons.
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Marlo_Spencer10 October 2011
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g-bodyl21 January 2015This is the thirteenth and final episode of Breaking Bad season four. If I have been breathless in previous episodes, it is ten times that in this episode. This is the best episode of the series as the stakes are at an all-time high. A phenomenal episode led by strong acting, a great script, and just a mind-blowing ending featuring strong special effects.
In this episode, "Face Off," after failing to blow up Gus's car, Walt must quickly think of a new plan to terminate Gus, and that happens from an unlikely source. Hank is called by Hector who hardly says anything meaningful to Hank. Jesse is questioned by the FBI on his knowledge of ricin.
Overall, there is not much to say expect that this is a fantastic episode. It is a series high and this is a prime example why this series is the best one ever to hit the small screens. Incredible story led by incredible acting. This is one of those series that is why we are in the golden age of television. I rate this episode 10/10. -
Hitchcoc9 May 2018The way Walter White manages to manipulate the conclusion is true mastery. This show won virtually every TV award possible. Brian Cranston is one of the most memorable actors of our time. I waited a long time to watch these four seasons. It's hard to imagine anything to match this one. For the first time since it all began, Walter grabbed control. Gus may be the most unrelenting negative force ever put on film. His cool elegance adds to his portrayal of evil. Jesse is trying to get to the right place, but there are so many things working against him. There is so much death and destruction laid at their feet and yet we pull for them.
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stillworkingfortheknife22 December 2013What is there to say? Season four's finale topped everything there has been up to that point and combines everything that makes Breaking Bad as outstanding as it is. I won't go into every detail in this review because there are really too many noteworthy things about "Face Off", but I'll at least bring up the cream of the crop.
This episode's first quarter or maybe even more is unexpectedly tame and contains a great amount of laughs (kudos once again to Vince Gilligan's fantastic writing), but with the clock ticking, the intensity is looming until we get to "Casa Tranquila" and have Hector Salamanca's scene at Tuco's desert house seem like flyspeck. Holy shite. But "Face Off" isn't over with that ineffable moment that gives it its title – prepare for something even better to come. As we have scenes showing all the main characters reacting to what has just happened in a fashion as if this is the ending of the whole series (FYI, it is not), it's the most entertaining to watch and all and I definitely would have written an acclaiming review. However, what makes "Face Off" as epic and unforgettable as it is, is the very last shot: if Hank would turn out to be a woman right now, it still wouldn't be a bigger plot twist than that. I personally didn't expect that at all (confession bear: I never really think about possibilities and stuff while watching an episode, but only after and before it) and was blown away by it, as was, in a more literal sense, a character of the series, but that's something completely different.
Altogether, "Face Off" is just perfect – combining comedy, drama, thrill, and action into one sublimely written, beautifully shot, and unsurpassably scored episode is quite a feat – and the thing I would like to do most right now is erase all my memory about this episode and watch it again, not expecting anything about these perfect 50 minutes. -
fredschaefer-406-62320420 September 2013The season 4 finale of BREAKING BAD is everything it needed to be and way more; a masterpiece of suspense and storytelling where a number of plot threads from the past couple of seasons were tied up and new ones were pulled loose.
The show opened with chemistry teacher turned meth cook, Walter White, desperately trying to come up with a way to assassinate his employer, chicken franchise owner/drug kingpin, Gus Fring, before Fring has him killed. Walter's back is to the wall and seemingly out of opportunities, while his partner Jesse has been hauled in by the FBI and interrogated over the possible ricin poisoning of his girlfriend's young son. Is Gus responsible, Jesse suspects his partner, but Walt convinces him the guilty party has to be the cold blooded Gus and implores him to help find a way to destroy this monster who can cut a man's throat with a box cutter without changing expressions. Jesse tells Walt of a visit Gus took to a nursing home and an encounter with an individual from their past, Uncle Tio Salamanca, who has very good reasons to despise them all. From this little well developed plot point, a most unlikely alliance is made and allows Walt to fashion a plan to take out his nemesis in a way that no one saw coming.
To me, BREAKING BAD is like a collaboration between Hitchcock and Peckinpah, the suspense simply keeps ratcheting up to unbearable levels, broken occasionally by some great black humor-the scene between Walt and Saul Goodman's secretary where they dicker over his paying for the glass door he broke is priceless. There are no plot twists that just come out of nowhere, but events that turn on ruthless decisions and choices made or the corrupt and compromised natures of the characters involved; one thing leads to another until there is a literal FACE OFF, the title of this episode.
Bryan Cranston's Walter White is truly one of the great characters in the history of television; what sticks out in FACE OFF is Walter's utter determination to prevail over Gus no matter what; and Giancarlo Espositos's Gus Fring is one of television's great villains, one whose final scene will have to appear on any future list of the greatest moments in TV history. Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman shows that he still has a conscience after all, while Bob Odenkirk's Saul more than lives up to his reputation as a "criminal" lawyer. Does anyone notice that Dean Norris's Hank, while originally coming across as something of a buffoon, is one hell of a cop? Mark Margolis does it all with his eyes as Uncle Tio. Anna Gunn has been on the receiving end of a lot of hate as Skylar, Walt's not always supportive wife, but Gunn's acting is exceptional as we feel every one of Skylar's raw nerves.
If I have any complaint with FACE OFF, it's that Jonathan Banks's Mike Ehrmantraut is convalescing in Mexico and nowhere to be seen.
In the final scene, having disposed of Gus, destroyed the lab at the laundry and won back the loyalty of Jesse, Walt tells Skylar simply "I won." This perfectly sets up season 5 with a triumphant Walter White running the show as the head of his own meth empire. But that same scene pulls loose yet another plot thread, one that is sure to unravel spectacularly before the series is done. -
Please do not miss this series; it's as good as TV gets. Well it's as good as any form of entertainment gets, actually. Suspense, surprises, action, horror, pathos, revenge, science, crime capers, Faustian bargains, disabled actors, and all the way through there are laugh-out-loud comic moments. Just off the top of my head from this episode is the clumsy way Walt clambers over the fence of his own house in order to retrieve $25000 in a hurry - but the scene with Saul Goodman's PA 'Honey T*ts', as Walt doesn't at first grasp what she's getting at when he wants to pay for the glass door he's just smashed is priceless.
***SPOILER*** And you need LOL funny in this show, because the darkness is pretty dark. Anybody who's seen 'Eating Raoul', a black comedy from 1982 might be reminded of the electric-fire-in-the-hot-tub scene when the Mexican cartel drop like flies around the swimming pool. But you won't forget the way Gus is bumped off here. This, and the superb plot device it's based around, makes the finale of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' look like 'Wallace and Gromit'.
What a shame to lose Gus in this episode - he's the Prince of Darkness in Walt's Faustian bargain with the Devil; but as Walt says, 'I won', and there's only one way Walt can go now, especially as we see from his houseplants that he's even more evil and scheming than we thought he could possibly be, just like Gus when he wielded the box-cutter on Victor.
So over season 5 expect Walt to get bad, bad, and even badder, and my money's on Jesse being the one to finally put Walt out of his misery. But with the brilliantly involved plotting evident in this episode, I wouldn't put it past Vince Gilligan to put in the mother of all twists at the end. -
Holt34416 September 2019After binge watching this show for the second time I've come to my favorite episode and the second time I watched it I've to say it's one of the best TV episodes in history, it's simply brilliant and you're sitting on the edge of your seat like it have been for the last couple of episodes. The writer and creator of the show are directing the episode and everything is just spectacular, mind-blowing. The cinematography are stunning like it always are, but it's even better in this episode.
The acting in this episode is award worthy, notably for Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, their performances in this episode and the whole series is something special, how they created something so real and portraying it in such a touching way as you really do see the emotion in for example the body language and eyes, magnificent. Giancarlo Esposito was also great in this episode, honestly, he have been great in the whole series but this season have been extraordinary.
This episode wasn't as action packed as the previous ones but it has some of the series best writing, a satisfying and unpredictable season finale which shows how smart Walter White is. -
ComedyFan20105 January 2014An absolutely amazing season finale to an amazing season. Every single minute of this episode was perfect.
To start, Jesse being questioned by FBI was greatly done. So was Walt getting him out of there by giving all the money to Saul's receptionist to get to him.
And what a wonderful idea to kill Gus using Salamanca! I really liked how he went to DEA to insult them and then have Gus killed. His really got to enjoy his last day. And Gus coming out of his room adjusting his tie with half of his face blown off was a chilling moment. Good bye to Gus and Salamanca. Both Giancarlo Esposito and Mark Margolis were amazing actors. Esposito created an absolutely magnetic personality and Margolis managed to show so much emotion without really moving or saying a word!.
And the very ending, wow! I didn't expect that! -
Oh boy look how far have we come since episode 401. Season 4 started off a little slow and didn't really pick up until episode 5. But since then, this show has been a roller coaster ride and "Face Off" finishes it off.
The episode starts off with Walt desperately retrieving the bomb under Gus' car and meeting Jesse in the hospital. Two police officers come to question Jesse about Brock's sickness and Walt tries to figure out how to take out his old boss. The episode is paced very well. There is action, there is drama and there are "Holy S***" moments that fans of the show will be dying for including the final seconds of this incredible episode.
I won't spoil anything further because this episode is so great. Walt finds an unlikely partner in his war with Gus and the plan they come up with is genius. Vince Gilligan, who wrote and directed the finale, did a superb job with this episode. The writing was excellent and the direction was smooth and effective.
"Face Off" is the best season finale compared to the other seasons. There is no big cliffhanger like the previous season finales but a "Holy S***" moment that truly changes the audience's mood . . . in a good way. Season 4 has really shown what great television really is. This was a fantastic season with an excellent ending. Season 4 might be the best season in the series so far. 10/10 -
ahmedelarnaooty-547928 September 2020The best episode i have ever seen in my life, the tension from the very first moment to the ending music what a masterpiece
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One of the best episodes I have watched, although I knew Gus Fring was dead before watching the episode, but I didn't know the way he died, and the sequences of the episode were great, the direction and writing were great, Gus Fring was one of the best characters in the series, and the death scene of Gus Fring It was one of the best scenes with the background music that was great, Walter's character development was one of the best character development in history, especially the end of the episode was great.
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Smhasnb8 January 2012This was the year of Breaking Bad. Previously living under the shadows of Mad Men, Breaking Bad took full advantage of M.M creator's salary dispute with AMC. It had been picking pace since season 2, and hit its peak this year. Season started with double barrel bangs in the premier and maintained the thrill through its 13 episodes. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were the show runners for 3 previous seasons, but this year Gustavo Fring, Gus, made his mark as the most elegant and outstanding character in a cast of extremely talented characters/actors. Season 4 raised B.B from a very good TV Show to just about the league of The Wire and The Sopranos (Please tell me you've seen one of these at least). The penultimate episode of the show was the finest piece of art that ever blessed our TV/Computer screens. It was a battle between Walter and Gus in which Jesse was being used as a pawn. Both of the big shots knew that the town was big enough for only one of them and one of them had to go for good. Walter displayed his evil side which he had previously hinted at in the final scene of the episode. It confirmed that Walter had gone to the depths of poisoning a young boy to turn Jesse against Gus. Walter finally got his way and got one over Gus. He used every trick in the book and manipulated every character on the show to kill Gus. The one that finally worked was an unusual person, Tio Salamanca, the disabled rival of Gus. Walter crafted a master plan to kill Gus and it was beautifully picturized as well by the director. The scene below was one of the best scenes of all times in my opinion. It was quite literally (not metaphorically) jaw dropping. After that we see Walter calling his wife and saying that he won, which was quite symbolic end to the season.
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silverton-3795930 September 2022Walt runs around in this episode playing the distraught family man desperate to kill his boss to save his family. The trouble is, if you've been watching everything he does up until now, you know that he's a scheming, neurotic psychopath who thinks he sees what everyone around him intends, and their intentions are always bad for him at least in his diseased mind.
Walt believes that only he knows what has to happen next and he will use anyone in order to arrange his best outcome. Walt creates havoc with his neurosis and his compulsion to control everything and everyone in his life.
The final scene in this episode shows that he is willing to poison a child in order to make Jesse see things Walt's way. Walt is a monster. That's as clearly as the case can be stated. -
My overall rating of "Breaking Bad"'s Season 4: 5/10
I honestly am kind of upset to see this episode rated so highly. My guess as to why it is, is that a big chunk of the audience hates the "slow" parts/episodes and wishes for the series to be a high-octane crime drama with the maximum possible amount of gruesome murders, gore and explosions, or at least stunning plots and capers. This episode takes this to an extreme and, as an expression has it, "the people lap it up".
How does Gus walk out of the room (from which a door was blown off, mind you!) when half his skull is missing? And the ladies approaching him from the damaged side don't even see it until two steps away (or when the camera turns)? Also, why does Saul stick around enough to come to Jesse's aid, wasn't he...
"Don't think, just watch the clever planning tied together with a big explosion! Great television, right?!"
But why did these guys kidnap Jesse when Gus was fine having him be with the kid? Also, how did Walt manage to kill the first guy? Is he Bruce Willis now? How did he prop him up for the ruse to work?..
"Sounds like thinking to me! Are you not enjoying the twists and turns, and the explosion?!?!"
Ok, but what happened to subtlety? Why does Walt have that laminated page with the name of the flower in the flower pot?
"For the benefit of the audience!"
Come to think of it, how did he poison that kid?.. Ah, forget it, if it's highly-rated it must be good, woe to actually cerebral entertainment! -
Red_Identity9 October 2011So here we are. We have finally ended the fourth season of Breaking Bad, and what an incredible season it has been. This finale was extremely tense and definitely a great conclusion. Gus' last scene was pretty shocking. I am certain that many will question its credibility and say it was far-fetched, but when I literally saw him coming out of the room walking I was completely shockedÂ… seconds later the camera reveals the truth. It was a great scene and it showed how unpredictable this show can be. Because of Gilligan's statement the last scene of the season didn't make as much of an impact as it could have (since he had already stated about what it could be). It definitely shows just how far Walter has come to protect himself and what he is willing to do. Overall, it was a great finale and I do wonder who helped Walter achieve his task that was revealed in the end.
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Leofwine_draca28 March 2021A superb last episode for season four, possibly my favourite yet. The suspense never lets up and the drama is top level. The events at the old people's home are jaw-dropping and that final scene of Gus's is incredible, a great and blackly comic bit of television history. Just when you think you've seen it all and know it all, the show hits you with yet another twist, the darkest yet. Mind-blowing stuff.
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Tweekums22 January 2013After Gus walks away from the car with the bomb underneath Walt is convinced that he will have to act quickly if he is to get to Gus before Gus can have him killed. To this end he asks Jesse if he has any idea where Gus might go that isn't secure; before he can answer Jesse gets taken into custody to be questioned about the ricin he thought Gus had given to his girlfriend's son. Luckily for Walt, Jesse tells lawyer Saul Goodman the one place Gus goes where he isn't secure... the old people's home where he goes to taunt Tio Salamanca. Walt comes up with a plan; he knows Tio hates him but he also knows he hates Gus far more and will do whatever he can to get revenge. Be the time the deed is done Jesse is no longer in custody, it turns out the boys had consumed Lily of the Valley, not ricin. With Gus gone Walt just has to destroy any evidence at the lab to be free from Gus and drug business.
This was a great ending to the season; it had plenty of action and more twists than I'd expected. It is a shame we won't be seeing any more of Gus as Giancarlo Esposito did such a good job in the role. It wasn't much of a surprise that protagonist Walter White survived but the things he did showed just how far his character has come from his days as the mild-mannered chemistry teacher; I dread to think just how bad he will be when the series concludes! Bryan Cranston has done a great job as his character has changed so gradually you barely notice then realise when he does something particularly shocking; as he does more than once in this episode. I can't wait for season five! -
eddieyellin-3103921 May 2020Wow. What a brilliant finale and episode overall. The entire episode felt like the build up from an action movie. The scenes in the hospital with Walt, and the bomb in his bag! And what a fantastic farewell to Gus Fring, one of the best characters in the show. That scene alone was so well done and thoughtful. When hector taps on the bell, and Gus realizes what's going to become of him it's crazy. That shot of him coming out, leaving the audience to think for a second that he might be alice, but that wasn't the case at all.
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sfarhan-7317614 June 2020WATCH,GET BLOWN. MIND BLOWN.WHAT A FINALE.FITTING FOR SOMETHING LIKE BREAKING BAD.WHAT A SEASON.WHAT A JOURNEY.
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rxckne4 August 2023Sadly as of today, Mark Margolis, the man who portrayed Hector Salamanca, has passed away. One of the key characters not only in Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul as well. In which both shows he brought out stellar performances. To name a few, his performance in the season 3 finale of BCS, his scene in Rock and a Hard Place where he was shook by the Nacho reveal, his introduction episode in 2x2 of Breaking Bad, as well as Crawl Space when finding out about Don Eladio’s demise from Gus. I’m definitely missing some episodes, but those are some key moments I remember. But to me, this episode was his best, and certainly his most iconic performance.
I never thought someone in television could have such an impact without a single piece of dialogue, but Mark Margolis brought that out of Hector. His facial expressions and aneurisms were exceptional and brought so much intensity throughout this universe, and ESPECIALLY in this episode. When I first got to experience this scene 4 years ago, the moment his face lit up I blatantly remember my heart dropping. That 15-30 second duration of Gus getting ready to inject the needle into him as well as the aftermath were so tense and Mark brought so much to the table. Those finale moments as Hector will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic moments in the entire universe, and in television history.
And after finishing Better Call Saul last year, this scene has so much more power after getting the grander story that led up to Breaking Bad. I won’t spoil anything but if you haven’t seen Better Call Saul, I highly recommend it especially if you’re already a fan of Mark from Breaking Bad alone. His story in BCS adds so much to the moment in this episode. From his introduction, to his last lines, and to the moments that lead into this series. Not to mention BCS in general is one of the most intriguing stories in television and impossibly puts Breaking Bad on an even higher pedestal than it was already on.
In conclusion, Mark was outstanding in this role, seemed to be outstanding outside of it as a person, and will forever be remembered for his large impact on one of the greatest fictional universes of all time. May he rest in peace. -
binz4513 January 2020I've seen this episode twice, almost 7 years apart, and my god, it only gets better. What a perfect, beautiful, jaw-dropping hour of TV (ever, really)... right to the very end. 🌸
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and_mikkelsen21 April 2023This was just out of this world! I am almost shaking right now trying yo process what just happened! I am struggling to find words that can describe it! Much like Crawl Space, this episode remains iconic! Some of the best scenes you can find in any TV show! Unforgetable moments of tension and emotions!
This episode is just the perfect finale! Everything that was set up concludes in spectacular fasion! Very few shows does pay-off so well! Same level could be Better Call Saul or Attack on Titan!
By the end we realize that Heisenberg has taken over and thst final shot was subbtle shoking end! Oh man... Walt is not the same anymore!
Overall this episode still remains one of the best episodes in TV history! Very few episodes and shows can deliver on this level! This episode cerments this as one of the best seasons of any TV show ever!
What a reputation to leave behind! -
85122222 December 2015Greetings from Lithuania.
"Breaking Bad" Season 4 is a terrific season. With arguably the best "face/off" between good guy and the bad guy at the end of any series ever, this season is the last before the final, and masterpieces season 5.
Writing, directing, cinematography, acting is in a top notch as usual, but it is the storytelling that makes this season best after first 3 unforgettable seasons. Don't get me wrong, i love every each of them, but this one improved a bit in almost every in comparison to previous ones. As usual for each season, there is "The Unfogetable Scene" in this one as well, as you probably all know to which one particularly i'm pointing my finger, "Face/Off" left me speechless, literally.
Overall, this is a great season on all accounts. Because by this time almost everyone has already seen it (and i'm re-watching whole series for the second time), i can only recommend it to see it second time, this is a blast. -
michaelchikliscares22 October 2019Did Walter really poison Brock that is the question for the end scene ? Why was his deploy like that ? Jessie mentions Lily of the Valley which grows outside of Walter's garden, was it a risk ploy to Gus doubt Jessie and read his eyes in the last episode where it was ending. Either way a great twist. Walter kept Jessie safe in the custody and not to maybe go storming Gus or get killed and ruin the plans of smokescreen Tuco's guy. Great finale but I would not give it a 10. They gave me hope that they keep the lab and keep doing meth but yeah it is too risky since no one is operating it anymore !
Rewatch review: Mediocre episode with little twist. Killing Gus was way out of touch, with no real threat to Walter in this episode , the review rating I dropped it to 6, plus Jessie's ass was grabbed the whole episode, yawnfest. -
yasir61912 April 2020You might all be thinking, "Oh, wow, what a great strategy by Walt to kill Gus". But listen to me, Gus was never meant to be dead, he was an honorable man, he did right things and he didn't hurt anyone, he had to threat Walt because his brother-in-law was after him.
I didn't like the death of Gus, I really saw such good manners in him that he mustn't have died. His character was never meant to harm anybody, not even he ever meant to kill Walt. He was doing things rightly.
Not so good by the death of Gus, I really liked him they way he was portraying his character. He could have be some kind of good lead by as he was shown, he never meant to be dead.
Secondly, seriously Walt? he had to do it all fuss of poison just to turn Jesse back on Gus? just by using that little kid , huh?
He actually manipulated Jesse, that's all. It was just part of being selfish.