Face Off (Breaking Bad)

Face Off is the thirteenth and final episode of season 4 of Breaking Bad and the 46th episode of the series overall.

Plot
Knowing his conflict with Gus can only end in one of their deaths, Walter finds himself asking a former enemy for help. Meanwhile, Brock's condition worsens and Jessie is brought under suspicion of the FBI when he mentions Ricin poisoning.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The conflict between Walt and Gus finally comes to a head, completing their transformation from acquaintances to mortal enemies as they're not committing a battle of attrition to see who comes out on top.
 * 2) Walter's plan to kill Gus is finally put in motion as he had escaped death the previous episode, showing the insane lengths he will go to protect his family.
 * 3) Jessie's personal conflict with Walter is put on hold as they're forced to work together in order to simply survive, which brings an interesting new dynamic to the group who had often not gotten along, but were even more reluctant partners as a result of Gus' interference.
 * 4) Hector Salamanca's character arc finally pays off and we're finally given a concrete reason for why he was kept around for so long, and it's interesting to see how he goes from a mortal enemy to Walt to a valuable ally instead.
 * 5) Lots of suspense throughout, like how Walt is going to outsmart Gus, whether or not Gus will go after Walt's family, whether Brock is going to die from his poisoning, and whether Jessie will be convicted or continue his vendetta against Walt after the dust has settled.
 * 6) The war of attrition comes to a head when Walter sends Hector to the DEA as a ruse to Gus, leading him to believe Hector is ratting him out and thereby making him a target himself.
 * 7) Many loose ends are tied up as the episode was intended to be a finale in case another season wasn't greenlit, with Walter ridding himself of his many enemies and securing a potential way for his family's safety if not their future as they cannot afford the new-identity contact.
 * 8) Saul is used to the fullest extent possible now, not only trying to get Jessie off the hook, but also relaying information between him and Walt (as Gus will target Walt's family if he finds them communicating again) and how even he's getting tired of having to cover for them.
 * 9) Plenty of funny moments that offer a bit of levity, like Walt bringing the bomb on an elevator only for it's magnet to get stuck on the door and Hector using his translator to insult Hank and the DEA while there.
 * 10) An excellent cameo by creator Vince Gilligan's mother as she plays Walt's neighbor who he has go over to his house to draw out Gus' hitmen.
 * 11) "Goodbye" by Apparat, the song that would eventually become the main theme of Netflix's Dark, is used as Gus is traveling to the senior home to kill Hector.
 * 12) One of the most iconic moments in all of television where Gus goes to kill Hector himself after investigating his room for traps, only for Hector to turn the tables on him by revealing that Walt set the bomb on his wheelchair, detonating it and blowing off half of Gus' face, who walks out, adjusts his tie, then falls over dead.
 * 13) Giancarlo Esposito utterly dominates in his final performance as Gus of the series (thankfully, he'd return for Better Call Saul).
 * 14) Walt and Jessie set fire to the meth lab and the laundromat, thereby ensuring that Gus' empire crumbles, they won't be investigated, and their conflict can finally end.
 * 15) A mind-blowing plot twist at the end where it's revealed that Walter did in fact poison Brock, albeit with a non-lethal dose of a plant, in order to get Jessie on his side, completing his transformation from a victim to a full-blown antihero.

Reception
The episode received critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the best episodes of the series in addition to one of the best episodes of all time. Many critics considered it the best episode of the series up to that point and the episode that fixed the series as a whole from some admittedly minor fumbles.