"Face Off" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television drama Breaking Bad, and the 46th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 9, 2011. It was directed and written by series creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan.
The episode marks the culmination of the arc concerning the conflict between Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) which served as the focus of the fourth season. The episode marks Esposito's final appearance in the series as Fring, as well as the final appearances of recurring characters Hector Salamanca and Tyrus Kitt, played by Mark Margolis and Ray Campbell, respectively. All three would reprise their roles in the Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul.
The episode received widespread critical acclaim on its initial airing and was named by TV Guide as one of the best television episodes of 2011.[1]
Walter White removes the bomb from Gus Fring's car and asks Jesse Pinkman if he knows of a place Gus frequents that does not have security cameras. Before Jesse can think of one, Jesse is approached and interrogated by two detectives concerned about Jesse's knowledge of ricin. When Saul Goodman arrives as Jesse's lawyer, Jesse tells him of a potential location that Gus goes to that is not well guarded: Hector Salamanca's retirement home, the Casa Tranquila.
Walt visits Hector and offers him a truce via an opportunity to kill Gus as revenge. Hector asks to speak with the DEA but rather than disclosing anything, simply insults them (by spelling out S-U-C-K-M-Y and F-U-C on a letter board). However, Gus believes Hector is going to the DEA to tell them about his true identity and visits Hector to kill him, as Walt anticipated. Tyrus Kitt inspects Hector's retirement home room for any traps but finds nothing. Gus enters and admonishes Hector for supposedly being a coward, and prepares to kill him via lethal injection. However, Hector looks up at Gus for the first time in years, with a helpless expression, and Gus is shocked. Hector then breaks out into a rage, smiling and repeatedly ringing his bell, detonating the bomb underneath his wheelchair. The explosion kills him and Tyrus. Gus walks out of the room with his face half blown off, before dying.
Walt hears the news of the explosion on the radio and is relieved. Jesse is released from police custody but is forced to cook meth at the lab at gunpoint. Walt heads to the lab, kills Gus' two henchmen stationed there, and frees Jesse. Knowing that Hank Schrader is closing in on the lab, Walt and Jesse burn it down.
Later, Jesse tells Walt that Brock Cantillo will live and that he was poisoned by lily of the valley berries, which children sometimes eat because of their sweet taste. Although Jesse questions killing Gus, since Gus never poisoned Brock after all, Walt assures Jesse that it had to be done. Walt calls Skyler White, who—along with the rest of the family, still under lockdown[a]—is learning of the explosion from the news. Skyler asks Walt if he had caused the explosion and what happened, to which he simply replies, "I won". The episode ends with a shot of a lily of the valley plant in Walt's backyard, revealing that it was he who poisoned Brock.
The episode was written and directed by the series creator Vince Gilligan. It marked Gilligan's final directorial credit on the series before the series finale.
The plot wrapup was planned by the series' production team since the beginning of the season, partly because they were not certain at the time whether the series was going to be renewed for another season. The visual effect of Gus Fring's massive facial wounds took months to prepare, with assistance from Greg Nicotero and the special effects team from fellow AMC drama The Walking Dead.[2] The effect was produced using elaborate makeup on Giancarlo Esposito's face, with additional computer-generated imagery that combined two separate shots. The episode's title "Face Off" was also meant to be a reference to Gus losing half of his face in the explosion.[3]
The songs playing throughout the episode were "Black" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Norah Jones, "Goodbye" by Apparat, and "Freestyle" by Taalbi Brothers.[4] The use of all three songs was praised as among the series' greatest musical choices by Uproxx,[4] while Complex specifically named "Black" on a similar list.[5]
Reception
Critical reception
Vince Gilligan received acclaim for his direction and writing of the episode.
The episode received unanimous acclaim from television critics. Seth Amitin of IGN awarded the episode 9.5 out of 10, describing it as "the perfect blend of Breaking Bad".[6]Alan Sepinwall, reviewing for HitFix, said the episode was "fantastic, from beginning to end".[7] Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic awarded the episode a 4.8 out of 5 and described Breaking Bad as "the best show on television".[8] Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A".[9] James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the finale as "stunning, morally searing and, well, explosive ... with a few holy-crap moments for the ages",[10] while Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter reckoned that the episode "did a lot of things right, course-correcting most ... worries and giving viewers not only an action-packed, satisfying episode but putting the show on the path to finish ... in a nearly perfect dramatic state."[11]
^"2011's Best Episodes: Flights and Tights and the Final Friday Night Lights Goodbye". TV Guide. from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
^Itzkoff, David (October 10, 2011). "Vince Gilligan of 'Breaking Bad' Talks About Ending the Season, and the Series". Artsbeat. from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^"'Breaking Bad''s Gus Fring, Giancarlo Esposito, talks about his season finale face-off". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
^ ab"'Guess I Got What I Deserve': The 11 Most Perfect Song Selections in Breaking Bad history". Uproxx. July 31, 2015. from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
^"13 Great Songs from Breaking Bad". Complex. from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
^Amitin, Seth (October 9, 2011). "Breaking Bad: "Face Off" Review". IGN. from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Sepinwall, Alan (October 9, 2011). "Season finale review: 'Breaking Bad' – 'Face Off': Say uncle". HitFix. from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Richenthal, Matt (October 10, 2011). "Breaking Bad Season 4 Finale Review: Who Won?". TV Fanatic. from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Bowman, Donna (October 9, 2011). "Face Off". The A.V. Club. The Onion. from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Poniewozik, James (October 10, 2011). "Breaking Bad Watch: The One Who Knocks". Time. from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^Goodman, Tim (October 10, 2011). "'Breaking Bad' Spoiled Bastard: Season Finale: 'Face Off'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
^. The Envelope. Los Angeles Times. July 19, 2012. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
^"Breaking Bad". Emmys.com. from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
^Giardian, Carolyn (February 18, 2012). "ACE Eddie Awards: Editors Honor 'The Descendants,' 'The Artist'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
^Kilday, Gregg (January 28, 2012). "Directors Guild of America Awards 2012: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
face, breaking, face, thirteenth, episode, season, finale, fourth, season, american, television, drama, breaking, 46th, overall, episode, series, originally, aired, united, states, october, 2011, directed, written, series, creator, executive, producer, vince, . Face Off is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American television drama Breaking Bad and the 46th overall episode of the series It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 9 2011 It was directed and written by series creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan Face Off Breaking Bad episodeAfter an explosion half of Gus Fring s face is blown off The visual effects in this scene earned the episode an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects Episode no Season 4Episode 13Directed byVince GilliganWritten byVince GilliganFeatured music Black by Danger Mouse Goodbye by ApparatCinematography byMichael SlovisEditing bySkip MacdonaldOriginal air dateOctober 9 2011 2011 10 09 Running time50 minutesGuest appearancesMark Margolis as Hector Salamanca Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez Michael Shamus Wiles as George Merkert Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt Myra Turley as Hector s caregiver Gonzalo Menendez as Detective Kalanchoe Tina Parker as Francesca Liddy Jason Douglas as Detective Munn Christopher King as Chris Mara Gail Gilligan as Rebecca SimmonsEpisode chronology Previous End Times Next Live Free or Die Breaking Bad season 4 List of episodesThe episode marks the culmination of the arc concerning the conflict between Walter White Bryan Cranston and Gus Fring Giancarlo Esposito which served as the focus of the fourth season The episode marks Esposito s final appearance in the series as Fring as well as the final appearances of recurring characters Hector Salamanca and Tyrus Kitt played by Mark Margolis and Ray Campbell respectively All three would reprise their roles in the Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul The episode received widespread critical acclaim on its initial airing and was named by TV Guide as one of the best television episodes of 2011 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Reception 3 1 Critical reception 3 2 Awards 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksPlot EditWalter White removes the bomb from Gus Fring s car and asks Jesse Pinkman if he knows of a place Gus frequents that does not have security cameras Before Jesse can think of one Jesse is approached and interrogated by two detectives concerned about Jesse s knowledge of ricin When Saul Goodman arrives as Jesse s lawyer Jesse tells him of a potential location that Gus goes to that is not well guarded Hector Salamanca s retirement home the Casa Tranquila Walt visits Hector and offers him a truce via an opportunity to kill Gus as revenge Hector asks to speak with the DEA but rather than disclosing anything simply insults them by spelling out S U C K M Y and F U C on a letter board However Gus believes Hector is going to the DEA to tell them about his true identity and visits Hector to kill him as Walt anticipated Tyrus Kitt inspects Hector s retirement home room for any traps but finds nothing Gus enters and admonishes Hector for supposedly being a coward and prepares to kill him via lethal injection However Hector looks up at Gus for the first time in years with a helpless expression and Gus is shocked Hector then breaks out into a rage smiling and repeatedly ringing his bell detonating the bomb underneath his wheelchair The explosion kills him and Tyrus Gus walks out of the room with his face half blown off before dying Walt hears the news of the explosion on the radio and is relieved Jesse is released from police custody but is forced to cook meth at the lab at gunpoint Walt heads to the lab kills Gus two henchmen stationed there and frees Jesse Knowing that Hank Schrader is closing in on the lab Walt and Jesse burn it down Later Jesse tells Walt that Brock Cantillo will live and that he was poisoned by lily of the valley berries which children sometimes eat because of their sweet taste Although Jesse questions killing Gus since Gus never poisoned Brock after all Walt assures Jesse that it had to be done Walt calls Skyler White who along with the rest of the family still under lockdown a is learning of the explosion from the news Skyler asks Walt if he had caused the explosion and what happened to which he simply replies I won The episode ends with a shot of a lily of the valley plant in Walt s backyard revealing that it was he who poisoned Brock Production Edit Giancarlo Esposito made his final appearance as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad before reprising the role in Better Call Saul The episode was written and directed by the series creator Vince Gilligan It marked Gilligan s final directorial credit on the series before the series finale This episode marks the final appearance in the series of Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring and recurring actors Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca and Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt Esposito Campbell and Margolis would reprise their respective roles in Breaking Bad s spin off series Better Call Saul Margolis from the show s second season and Esposito and Campbell from the third The plot wrapup was planned by the series production team since the beginning of the season partly because they were not certain at the time whether the series was going to be renewed for another season The visual effect of Gus Fring s massive facial wounds took months to prepare with assistance from Greg Nicotero and the special effects team from fellow AMC drama The Walking Dead 2 The effect was produced using elaborate makeup on Giancarlo Esposito s face with additional computer generated imagery that combined two separate shots The episode s title Face Off was also meant to be a reference to Gus losing half of his face in the explosion 3 The songs playing throughout the episode were Black by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Norah Jones Goodbye by Apparat and Freestyle by Taalbi Brothers 4 The use of all three songs was praised as among the series greatest musical choices by Uproxx 4 while Complex specifically named Black on a similar list 5 Reception EditCritical reception Edit Vince Gilligan received acclaim for his direction and writing of the episode The episode received unanimous acclaim from television critics Seth Amitin of IGN awarded the episode 9 5 out of 10 describing it as the perfect blend of Breaking Bad 6 Alan Sepinwall reviewing for HitFix said the episode was fantastic from beginning to end 7 Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic awarded the episode a 4 8 out of 5 and described Breaking Bad as the best show on television 8 Donna Bowman of The A V Club awarded the episode an A 9 James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the finale as stunning morally searing and well explosive with a few holy crap moments for the ages 10 while Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter reckoned that the episode did a lot of things right course correcting most worries and giving viewers not only an action packed satisfying episode but putting the show on the path to finish in a nearly perfect dramatic state 11 Awards Edit The episode was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards at the 64th ceremony 12 including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Vince Gilligan Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Mark Margolis Outstanding Cinematography for a Single Camera Series Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series One Hour and Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role 13 Editor Skip Macdonald won the ACE Eddie Award for Best Edited One Hour Series for Commercial Television for this episode 14 Gilligan was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series 15 The episode also received nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series at the Cinema Audio Society Awards Best Sound Editing in Television Short Form Sound Effects and Foley at the Golden Reel Awards and Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program at the Visual Effects Society Awards Notes Edit The DEA imposed lockdown of Hank and Marie Schrader from the cartel that began in Crawl Space References Edit 2011 s Best Episodes Flights and Tights and the Final Friday Night Lights Goodbye TV Guide Archived from the original on January 29 2012 Retrieved January 23 2012 Itzkoff David October 10 2011 Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad Talks About Ending the Season and the Series Artsbeat Archived from the original on October 12 2011 Retrieved October 10 2011 Breaking Bad s Gus Fring Giancarlo Esposito talks about his season finale face off Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on November 12 2020 Retrieved November 22 2019 a b Guess I Got What I Deserve The 11 Most Perfect Song Selections in Breaking Bad history Uproxx July 31 2015 Archived from the original on October 28 2020 Retrieved May 26 2019 13 Great Songs from Breaking Bad Complex Archived from the original on May 26 2019 Retrieved May 26 2019 Amitin Seth October 9 2011 Breaking Bad Face Off Review IGN Archived from the original on July 8 2013 Retrieved June 3 2013 Sepinwall Alan October 9 2011 Season finale review Breaking Bad Face Off Say uncle HitFix Archived from the original on July 19 2022 Retrieved June 3 2013 Richenthal Matt October 10 2011 Breaking Bad Season 4 Finale Review Who Won TV Fanatic Archived from the original on June 6 2013 Retrieved June 3 2013 Bowman Donna October 9 2011 Face Off The A V Club The Onion Archived from the original on May 24 2013 Retrieved June 3 2013 Poniewozik James October 10 2011 Breaking Bad Watch The One Who Knocks Time Archived from the original on July 9 2013 Retrieved June 3 2013 Goodman Tim October 10 2011 Breaking Bad Spoiled Bastard Season Finale Face Off The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on October 26 2012 Retrieved June 3 2013 Emmy 2012 Mad Men Breaking Bad Modern Family earn nominations The Envelope Los Angeles Times July 19 2012 Archived from the original on July 20 2012 Retrieved July 19 2012 Breaking Bad Emmys com Archived from the original on March 28 2016 Retrieved April 9 2013 Giardian Carolyn February 18 2012 ACE Eddie Awards Editors Honor The Descendants The Artist The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on February 21 2012 Retrieved February 20 2012 Kilday Gregg January 28 2012 Directors Guild of America Awards 2012 Complete Winners List The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on May 26 2019 Retrieved January 20 2018 External links Edit Face Off at the official Breaking Bad site Face Off at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Face Off Breaking Bad amp oldid 1139579223, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
