In this episode, Walter White undergoes a radical, experimental face transplant procedure to look like Gus Fring, so that he can destroy his operation from within.
I’m sure the real thing will actually be more shocking. I am fully prepared for my head to explode in a few hours.
Here’s the thought I keep coming back to: What’s in all this for Gus?
He’s a drug kingpin, making who knows how many millions of dollars every year. Heck, it’s millions every month. He’s got to have amassed a very large amount of wealth by now, right? Yet he has to live a lifestyle that is totally in keeping with his “cover” of being the owner of a small chain of chicken restaurants. Which is to say, he lives comfortably–as a successful small businessman would–but he is certainly living FAR under his means. He can’t truly enjoy the fruits of his labor, and he also has to do a lot of work to keep up that cover. He sometimes runs the register at his restaurant, walks the tables and fetches drinks for customers, and presumably does inventory and accounting. If you were fabulously wealthy, how long would you want to keep doing all that? I mean, it’s a great cover, but then what’s the point of being a powerful drug lord if you can’t enjoy it?
Which makes me think, what is Gus’s exit strategy? Surely he has one. Maybe he’s had a goal in mind of “once I’ve accumulated $XXX million dollar, I’m retiring to a beach somewhere.” Or maybe that’s not his style, I dunno.
But now that the heat is rising, he might have to pull up stakes earlier than he intended. He knows that Hank is almost on to him, and he can’t really take Hank out without arousing more suspicion, can he? And Walt and Jesse are loose cannons whom Gus hasn’t been able to fully control. And surely there will be some attempt at retribution by the Mexican cartels. So maybe Gus starts to think it’s time to get the hell out of Albuquerque before this all catches up to him.
I’m probably wrong about all that. I love that I can’t confidently predict anything that’s going to happen in this show. Can’t wait to see what happens!
Stupid effin previews from last week. They completely tainted my views of Gomez from the beginning of this episode (as of the midway point…we’ll see what happens in the second half).
FTR, the previews from last week implied (or at least I inferred) that Gomez was Gus’ mole.
Also, I’m glad Jesse was smart enough to just tell the cops he watches too much TV (I’m pretty sure House did a ricin episode). ISTM that if the test comes back negative for ricin, he should be able to walk away without charges. Doubly sure if there’s no poisons in Brock’s system at all.
I also liked the magnet sticking to the elevator. That was a nice touch.
:eek::eek::eek::eek:
:eek::eek::eek::eek:
I assume based on the fact that they needed Tyrus to provide external surveillance of the DEA that there is no mole.
ETA: Though it does make me wonder how they knew that the DEA needed surveillance at that precise time… Maybe a really low-level mole?
HOLY FUCK I DIDN’T EXPECT THAT! Gus wears a clip-on tie?!?!?!?!?!?
So the spoiler screenshot was right…but I have to say it seemed a little cheesy.
But still :eek::eek::eek::eek: about Gus being dead.
Tell me I’m not the only person that wanted to see them hug after he said “Gus is dead”
Heisenberg is back baby!
I think this just topped Vic Mackey’s confession to I.C.E. for jaw-dropping, H.F.S! moment of TV.
That last shot will probably come back in the next season to haunt Walt. Shouldn’t he have gotten rid of that plant?
Nah. I think it was just letting us know what most of us already suspected: Walt poisoned Brock to set this whole thing in motion.
My only question is: What ever bacame of the ricin cigarette?
Thrilling! The pure devil genius. “I’m the guy who knocks!”
Simply brilliant. Yes, it ruined watching TV dramas for years to come but it was worth it.
Meh, it’s a pretty common plant by the sound of it. Not to mention that I don’t see Jesse hanging out a lot at the White household.
Though I wonder if little Brock will ever tell anyone just how he came to eat the berries. Or if he didn’t, and they were somehow slipped into his food.
I’m sure Google Images got about 9 billion hits for Lily of the Vally in the last few minutes and I’m sure that was the image that Vince was the Holy Shit image that Vince was talking about last week.
What threw me was that when Walt and Jesse were talking they kept showing them from a strange perspective. As if someone was watching them. As he pulled out of the lot and stopped to look in the car…the car that the camera was watching them from for the last few minutes I thought that might have been the “Holy Shit” moment we’ve been waiting for. I assume that was just supposed to be the inside of Gus’ car. Can we assume he had someone come and pick him up.
ISTM that they could have ended the entire series with “I won.” So where does that leave us for next year. Walt and Jesse vs the Cartel? Walt and Jesse vs the Walt and Jesse of the Cartel since Don is dead? Do they move somewhere else where they won’t have to deal with the cartel? Is there going to be a power struggle between them? Does Jesse ever figure out that it was Walt that poisoned Brock or is that storyline played out (I hope so)? How much more involved does Skyler get? How much physical evidence is left at the laundry? It’s been 4 seasons and Hank is no closer to Walt then he was a year ago (TV time). So many questions.
i spilled my beer when the backpack magnetized to the elevator frame 
It still seems to me that the ricin was lifted off of Jesse, most likely by Saul’s bodyguard, but we may never know.
Of the 4 seasons this was the weakest finale by far. There was so much random stuff that had to happen perfectly for walts plan to work that it reached impossible cartoon levels by the end. There is a name for that phenomenon in stories where a million things must happen for the story to happen. Can’t think of it though.
I’m disappointed that Hank didn’t make a Walt connection in the finale. That was supposed to be the cliffhanger for Season 5 IMHO. Also surprised that mike wasn’t heard from again after the Mexico thing.
I’d give this season an 8/10. The other 3 are 10/10.
That was funny, especially Walt’s expression.
An old hymn sticks in my head now.
I’m going to miss Giancarlo Esposito. Of course it’s kind of a case of “The king is dead, long live… uh… long live…”. Maybe they’ll find out that Gus had an identical twin brother, Rus, who’s the real badass in the family.
Mark Margolis (Tio Hector) should get an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Star. Considering that all he has to work with is a bell, a few facial expressions, and breathing sounds he’s done a fantastic acting job on several episodes.