‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Face Off’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One particular topic that has come up often in these Retro Recaps of the AMC series, Breaking Bad, is the nature of the genesis of evil. In part, because this is a story that explores how good people become corrupt and embrace evil, but also because… this is a series that made us privy to the moment when a person actively made the decision to embrace darkness over anything else and what’s truly amazing… is that every moment that appeared to be the one where Walter White transformed into Heisenberg and left his humble beginnings behind, were nothing more than stepping stones on that journey. The kind designed to fool us so that we would be genuinely shocked when we realized the decision was made and the transformation was complete and it just so happens that the true moment when Walter White became an agent of evil, was revealed in the season four finale of the show.
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Because ‘Face Off’ is an episode that really does give life to a bloodthirsty and ruthless Walter White, one that will do whatever it takes to protect his family and his drug empire, and it accomplishes that particular feat by having Walter finally figure out how to get the very best of Gustavo Fring. Which is quite the stunning twist to say the least. For Gus has been ten steps ahead of both Jesse and Walt for some time now, so to find a weakness is huge and it turns out… that said weakness is Hector Salamanca. Because when Gus takes the time to visit ol’ Hector, he does so with minimal security and is in a setting where he is in fact vulnerable and that gives Walter one hell of an idea to put an end to Gus once and for all… one that requires Hector’s help and well, once Walter sells him on the plan… it doesn’t take long for the plan to work like a charm.

For a visit to the DEA, wherein Hector torments Hank, makes it appear as though Hector is turning state’s evidence on something crucial. Which of course, gets back to Gus and motivates him to quietly sneak into the nursing home and have a chat with his old enemy before putting him down. But unbeknownst to Gus, Walter was there well before Mister Fring, and wired a bomb to Hector’s chair and since no one had a clue that Walter was lurking about… Gus and Tyrus were sucked right into this brilliant trap, and once the opportunity presented itself… Hector took full advantage. Which brought forth a horrifying explosion, one that eventually killed Gus in an unsettling manner and just like that, the bitter man that was Gustavo Fring was gone from the face of the earth and Jesse Pinkman and Walter White were safe and able to erase any clues about their involvement in his operation.

But while that is indeed a ruthless way to be free, that isn’t what made Walter so incredibly evil. No instead, another component to his overall plan of defeating Gus… is what transformed him. Because there was an additional plot point in the aftermath of Gus’ death that really didn’t seem to be all that big of a deal at first. In that, young Brock was going to pull through because was only temporarily poisoned by the berries of a common plant known as the lily of the valley. But what made that so important… is that Walter had those plants in his backyard. Which means that he poisoned Brock in an effort to get Jesse back on his side and while the ends do indeed justify the means since both of them were in danger, clearly… making the decision to harm a kid and manipulate a longtime friend to help murder a drug kingpin… is the moment when Walter White decided to leave his everyday life behind and embrace evil and a life of crime. 

One where he and Jesse can cook Blue Sky with impunity and they can enjoy the profits in their entirety and not have to deal with anyone above them and now that Heisenberg is born, the tragedy can get truly get underway. For a rise to the top in this manner, will only spell disaster and it will be quite interesting to see what brings about the fall of Heisenberg, now that we’ve seen the rise. But before we dive into season five, we can relish in one powerhouse tale. One that really did put us on the edge of our seats with incredible tension and stunning performances and well, this particular Retro Recap also signals a forthcoming hiatus for our journey through Walter’s sorted life. Simply because it is best to revisit the final chapter in his story when we get closer to the final season of Better Call Saul, to properly appreciate how the two will tie in together. Until then.

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