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| Left to right: Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston |
Are you tired of long, tedious accounts of Breaking Bad episode recaps? Then look no further than Breaking Half: a weekly column that takes the good and bad from each week's episode of Breaking Bad and dilutes it down to the core necessities. Each Monday, Breaking Half will attempt to take a few key moments from the episode and boil it down to one juicy paragraph.
Season 4, Episode 13
"Face Off"
*Note: This is a tribute video featuring scenes from seasons 1-4 and the music is a remix of "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone as used in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. It is personally one of my favorite tribute videos for the series.
"I won."
-Walter (Bryan Cranston)
With his initial plan to blow up Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) in his car a failure, Walter (Bryan Cranston) defuses it and decides to look into other options with the help of Saul (Bob Odenkirk). Hank (Dean Norris) and the rest of the family is still under surveillance. Walter decides to do a deal with Tio (Mark Margolis), or as he puts it: revenge. Tio talks to Hank and gives some final insults to raise suspicion to Gus. Jesse (Aaron Paul) is taken into custody on the account that him telling Andrea that Brock could have been poisoned by ricin, which is rare and lead many to suspicion. After checking the coast was clear, Gus and Tyrus (Ray Campbell) decide to pay Tio a visit. This results in Gus, Tyrus, and Tio being blown up by an explosive that Walter attached to Tio's wheelchair, leaving everyone dead. Jesse is let go when it is discovered that Brock was not poisoned by ricin. With the help of Walter, they burn down the super meth lab and walk away from everything, thinking that they had won. It is revealed that Brock was poisoned by a plant called Lilly of the Valley, which is poisonous to children. The episode ends with the reveal that Walter poisoned Brock.
Rating: 5 out of 5
MVP: Walter (Bryan Cranston)
Wonder how the best hour of TV came together? For starters, it takes a pretty desperate man to be able to pull it off. In this episode, Walter has a sadistic streak that just won't quit. He sends his neighbor into his house hiding hit men. He then ingeniously manages to kill Gus without actually being there, solving two of his problems at once. This may not be his out, but at least he ends up triumphant, largely thanks to his ability to con his way out of everything so far. It takes a rather confident performer to do it, and luckily Bryan Cranston continues to deliver high caliber work. It may seem like everything is now working his way. But let us not forget the tagline for season 5's remaining episodes: "All bad things must come to an end."
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| Giancarlo Esposito |
Best scene: A classic villain must have a classic death. Gus is easily my favorite villain in TV history and he almost seemed unstoppable for majority of the show's run. The very idea that he emerges from an explosion appearing to be fine is sort of genius. As he ties his tie, it is almost the professional con man finally getting his due. We see his soul and everything is over for him. At very least, it gives a sense of momentary joy that maybe everything will work out in the end for Walter and Jesse. This could be the most perverse happy ending in TV history.
Or is it? I know it isn't right to speculate recap-to-recap, but this is the place where I feel the need to address small details that could come into play. Remember when Mike bugged Walter's house to get back at Skyler (Anna Gunn)? He had a recording proving his guilt. While Saul was seen tearing apart files in his office, what are the chances that he tore apart a recorder? True, he breaks every cell phone he ever owned, but that is still something to consider. Also, Gus had a surveillance camera at his office at Los Pollos Hermanos. It is possible that the computer is still there and wasn't destroyed in the fire. Maybe there was something recorded onto it for Gus' personal use? Also, I don't feel like this is the end between him and Gray Matter. His former job is probably a sore subject that he won't let go of until he shoves it into their faces. Either way, there are small details that Walter probably did not expect. He killed the big picture, but besides the recording devices, it could be his ego that eventually does him in.
Come back tomorrow when we start season five with "Live Free or Die"
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