I didn’t start watching “The Sopranos” or “The Wire” until long after they were off the air. Blame my mother for never having HBO, or me for preferring to watch a “Seinfeld” episode for the seventh time rather than try a new show. (But mostly my mom.) So, with the possible exception of the “Lost” finale (shut up, Matt), I can pretty safely say I’ve never been more excited for an episode of TV than I am for the fourth season finale of “Breaking Bad,” set to air Sunday at 10 p.m. on AMC.
The episode’s titled “Face Off,” and according to creator Vince Gilligan, that’s a “strangely appropriate” name. Which begs the question: WHOSE FACE IS COMING OFF? Could it be Hank? Walter? Jesse? Skyler? BABY HOLLY?!? Or maybe it’ll just be an hour-long homage to the 1997 action-thriller classic. Either way, I’m content.
On the next two pages, I’m laying out my predictions for the finale: who might die but won’t, and who’s going to the big meth lab in the sky. So, throw a pizza on the roof and let’s get this thing started.
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I like the Gomie theory… or maybe even Hank’s wife (that would give Hank some seriously driving vendetta fuel). I don’t see Gus getting it — he’s become one of the most interesting characters and they’re going to want to bring him back for the final season.
gus. but it will be a ‘cliff-hanger. we won’t know for sure until next season’s start.
Hank Schroeder, not Hank White. And you must be unaware of the hyacinth theory regarding Brock.
Do I point out that Hank’s last name isn’t White? I’m really sorry for being the dick. SCHRADER-BRAU!
My pick is Badger will die via high-cholesterol. BOOM, SWERVED!
No way Gus will die before season 5.. that would pretty much kill the show..
Maybe not in the finale, but at some point Saul is gonna get iced. And it will be hilarious.
Oh, and I think Saul better call that vacuum guy, or he’s in trouble. I know this doesn’t make sense where the show is right now, but Walt will probably need money, and where else is he going to go/who else is he going to threaten?
Gus dies and Hank also discovers that Walt is H-Berg. Breaking Bad has a habit of rapidly pushing up plot points when you least expect them. Wouldn’t shock me at all if Hank finds out about Walt with a full season still left to go
Ned Stark
I had all my money on Gus but I forgot about Gomez cause he was absent for quite a bit of last season and half of this, so killing him now is going to feel a bit like a ‘whatever’ compare to when he was a more regular character.
As for Mike’s role, I don’t think Jesse and Walt would be able to convince him to betray Gus simply cause his professionalism seems to be more important to him than any sense of loyalty or friendship (and as much as his relationship with Jesse is a step up from previous seasons, it’s still not exactly BFF).
I think Walt and Jesse will kill Gus, and Mike will only return afterwards, just in time to join the new status quo.
Hank Schroeder, not Hank White.
Actually, it’s Schrader. God I love correcting correctors. (And I corrected the post for good measure.)
I’m sticking with my theory that Walt poisoned Brock with some less-lethal tweak of chemistry (the spinning gun stopped on some sort of flower last episode and he looked like he had an epiphany, he probably did his chemistry nerd thing with it to mimic the effects of ricin to get Jesse back on his side).
Gillian has said we’re supposed to hate Walter by the end. He’s not the good guy anymore, he’s the villain.
/56 hours to go.
Face/Off for the win by the way (or FTW BTW). The one thing (sans Pulp Fiction) I’ve enjoyed Travolta in in the past 10 years.
[www.reddit.com]
Apparently I’m not as clever as I thought.
Walt poisoning Brock just doesn’t make sense (along with the homemade bomb), since this season, Walt has been nothing but an annoying tool. My guess is that they won’t reveal the killer until next season (which would be funny if they did do that since the Killing did the same thing).
As for who dies, there’s a photoonline of a character online, missinghalf a face. Not sayingwho as tonotspoil anything for anyone, if the photo issomehow correct.
Thank god this show finally starting being entertaining is the last few batch of episodes. I was really having flashbacks of hatred for season 3.
Jr dies.
Here is my hairbrain theory,
Hank already knows Walt is Heisenberg.
This show is too well written to set Hank up as this brilliant detective, yet he hasn’t picked up on how weird Walt gets when talking about Gus/Gale/Meth.
Having him drive him around on all these little errands are tests, so see how he acts and what he will do.
Which let’s Walk kill Hank in the last season, making him a true villain.
BOOM.
If they end up killing Gus they better explain is shady Chilean past first.
Walter Jr. kills Gus and finally drops the Verbal Kent act.
Walt’s bomb has to go off at some point and that’s a face off-er. I’d be willing to follow that thing around for an interesting hour. Someone minor and unexpected for the win.
@Sean: Thanks for not spoiling it, but as a precaution I think I’m on Internet lockdown for the next two days.
/turns computer off
//waits…breaks out in sweat
///is found on corner giving out handies in exchange to log into peoples’ Echofon.
Probably gonna be Gus, but I’m preparing my anus for anything these days.
…
That doesn’t sound right
(Death Rankings: Gus, Hank, Marie, Skyler, Walt Jr, Holly, Jesse, Walt)
Plus, I’m already banking on the theory that Gomez is secretly involved with Fring, and I refuse to back down on that until proven otherwise.
Either Gus or Walt has to die. It’s gotten to the point that they can no longer continue to exist in the same universe. And I don’t think they’re going to kill the main character off (well, not for 18 more episodes anyway).
I don’t think they’re going to reveal Gus’s shady Chilean past yet, either. Not fully, anyway. My theory is that Gus dies, predictably in some glorious de-facing fashion, which sets Hank up to REALLY sniff in to his business post-mortem. Because how often does your garden variety franchise owner violently lose their face? Hank > Gus > Heisenberg.
Oh, and I am totes on board with the Gomie eating it theory. Ha ha! Teach HIM not to believe Hank, that asshole.
Dammit, Josh. Now all I can think of is how Gus is going to lose his face…
Thank you for the last name correction. My bad.
@Sean I’ve seen the photo you’re referring to, and while it looks BITCHIN’, I just can’t believe it’s true. Actually, more accurately, maybe I just don’t want it to be true, because that would ruin the fun. That being said, it supposedly leaked before the finale trailer, and the person’s wearing the same outfit in the photo as they are in the trailer…
Just listened to a podcast interview with Cranston and he gives a little tease about the season finale. The direct quote (SPOILER ALERT!):
“There is an OH… MY… GOOOOOOD! moment, almost near the end. It’s like, hold your head, you can’t believe what you just saw. THEN… there’s a scene with two characters that tie up some loose ends and answer a couple of the questions that were lingering, and that’s resolved. And then almost insignificantly, almost forgettable, the last scene… there is no dialogue, there are no actors, it’s a familiar exterior scene… if you’ve watched the show, you’ll recognize the place, and you don’t even really know what you’re looking at, you’re looking at something and it’s like, ‘yeah, so?’… and the camera slowly pushes in, pushes in, pushes in, you don’t know where it’s going, it’s innocuous, and then all of a sudden, it rests on an object… and once you understand and recognize the meaning of the object, you hold your head once more and go, ‘NOOOOO! HOLY SH**!!!!! NOOOO!’… blackout, end of the season.”
Thoughts?
The theory I have is this: Brock dies. Walt/Jesse/Mike kill Gus. Everyone assumes Gus was responsible for Brock’s death, Jesse/Walt are reunited and happy, everyone is content moving forward with Walt at the head of the meth lab, blah blah blah. THEN, the final shot… is of Jesse’s house (or, possibly, his girlfriend’s place). The camera zooms in and we see…? What? The cigarette, lying among Brock’s toys? Perhaps the one-eyed purple teddy bear from Season 2? It will be SOMETHING implicating Walt has Brock’s murderer… and that’s what we’ll be left with going into Season 5.
What other significant object could Cranston possibly be referring to? Don Eladio’s necklace? Hector’s bell? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
@LastTexansFan I think in an earlier post you mentioned that Saul’s bodyguard, the dude whose head looks like a dented egg, appears to have taken the cigarettes from Jesse’s pocket. Or am I confusing you with another user with a Justified avatar?
@markuss (SPOILER ALERT!)
Many people have been connecting the purple teddy bear with the leaked photo. Again, won’t say what’s in the photo, because it’s not something that’s been officially released (can be found in the IMDb message board), but there’s a direct connection between the two.
@Josh: I’ve heard there’s a screencap that shows Huell slipping something into his pocket after the patdown at Saul’s.
*remembers I’m on the f*cking Internet*
[i51.tinypic.com]
They better not do a cliffhanger. I freakin’ HATE those!
As for the theory of Walt poisoning the kid, I don’t know how to feel about that. Part of me thinks it’s possible because he let Jesse’s junkie girlfriend die, but part of me thinks that Walt couldn’t stoop as low as to kill a kid. I think the best bet is that it was an accident. I think if Gomez or Brock are one of the only characters who die, that it would be a letdown. Not that I WANT to see them die. Gomez seems cool and the kid is innocent. It’s just that if there’s going to be a death, it’s gotta be someone MAJOR.
My guess is that it would be Walter Jr or Skyler. Something that would push Walt over the edge into full out a**hole villain.
“What other significant object could Cranston possibly be referring to? Don Eladio’s necklace? Hector’s bell? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.”
A bug? I think it’s going to have something to do with the plant, personally.
Oh, and I forget where I read it, but Gilligan gave an interview and said that they unequivocally reveal “who” poisoned Brock in the finale. So he was definitely poisoned.
Everyone keeps thinking Walt looked at the plant and had some amazing revelation. What if he was actually looking BEYOND the plant, to something hidden from our view? Can’t you just see them opening next season with one of their patented flashbacks, where we see Walt spinning the gun, looking over… and noticing the purple teddy bear? As far as we know, that bear is still in the pool/backyard somewhere.
My money is on Walt/Saul/Yuell (sp?) somehow getting that bear to Brock, with some sort of poison on it or in it or something. That’s the final shot of the season. The bear, among Brock’s toys, which lets the viewers know that, yes, Walter White has indeed “broken bad” once and for all.
Walt isn’t so horrible he would sentence an innocent kid to death. But Walt’s most important thing in his world is Walt, and second, his family. He would do anything (and has done a lot) to make sure he (and secondly, his family) survives. I don’t think poisoning a child, non-lethally, is beyond what Walt would do to get Jesse on his side against Gus.
It’s going to be the bushy eyebrows guy who sold Walt the car wash. See, he’s now set up a new mobile car washing service. Walt calls him up, sends him to the car, and flicks the switch.
Should be Skyler though. Hate that character.
@markuss: Damnnnn why can’t it be both? He sees the plant, realizes it’s toxic and doses the bear with it. Gets Huell to remove the cig with ricin so Jesse can believe Gus poisoned the kid, Gus gets killed, everyone’s happy, then they zoom in on an old, beat up (still poisoned) teddy bear in Brock’s room.
@LastTexansFan… yep, I agree with you 100%. Was even saying to my girlfriend last week that I keep expecting that damn bear to make a re-appearance. You’ll remember in season 2, during one of the cold opens, they showed the bear being scooped out by some police investigators and being put in a plastic bag, alongside a pair of Walt’s glasses. We also saw two bodies in body bags on the front yard. Some people (incorrectly, IMO) assumed it was all part of the plane crash… but I don’t think so. I think that was all a flash forward to the very end of the series. Right now, that bear is still out there, and after hearing Cranston’s little spoiler on the podcast, I’m absolutely convinced THAT’S the object they’re going to zoom in on. Which sets up next season with Walt as the head of a meth lab who just murdered an innocent child. Mr. Chips to Scarface… done.
Two bodies: Walt and Skylar, both shot by Jesse in revenge for poisoning (and perhaps killing) Brock?
I saw the finale, and some of you have gotten it right
@LastTexansFan… Oh yeah, the possibilities are endless! Ha ha. But that’s getting a little too far ahead of ourselves! I definitely think it’ll be a lethal dose to Brock (or at least Walt hopes it is). If not, the kid will surely be able to explain what happened to him (ie. “I was playing with my new teddy that Saul/Yuell/that bald man gave me and I got sick.”). Then again, that could create a whole new set of chilling circumstances, should Walt feel the need to “finish the job”.
I’m utterly convinced the teddy bear is the final shot of the season. 100%.
Have we seen the pink bear in anything so far but the cold opens? We all assume it fell from the plane all burned and destroyed but it could very well be waiting in Brock’s room to be poisoned and thrown in the pool after a revenge killing or two.
@markuss and @LastTexansFan
I know it’s because I’m a sentimental asshole, but I just don’t want to believe Walt would purposefully kill a child for his own gain. I wonder if there would be any backlash to the show if that happened? I like the teddy bear theory a lot, and I’ve been waiting for that guy to pop up again. But nope, still don’t think it was Walt.
@LastTexansFan @Josh… yes, I distinctly remember the teddy bear falling from the plane and crashing into the water, with Walt sitting poolside. And remember it lost one of its eyes, which Walt then scooped up from the drainage system and put in his shirt pocket. The eye eventually fell under his bed (I believe one of the cousins even picked it up/played with it during the scene where they were waiting to kill Walt while he was in the shower). So the bear has been established. It’s missing an eye. We just don’t know where it is (likely somewhere in the backyard or pool is my guess).
@Josh… Yeah, there will likely be backlash. But then the 5th season becomes all about rooting for Jesse/Hank (the good guys), while Walt takes the role of Gus (the bad guy). They sort of flip everything on its head, and suddenly the audience has a brand new rooting interest.
It’s a gamble… but I think that’s where they’re going with this.
@Josh: I don’t think Walt wanted to kill Brock (if he even dies). Walt would not purposely murder a child. But he has murdered people to stay alive and protect his family. I don’t think he’s above, with Gus’ figurative gun to his head, poisoning a kid just a little bit to get Jesse back on his team.
However, that’s not to say Brock won’t die, I just don’t think Walt planned to give him a lethal dose. Just enough so Jesse would buy his Gus story.
My theory: It’s going to be a tracker on Walt’s SUV, like the one Walt placed on Gus’s car. Hank either put it there on purpose or had a sneaking suspicion Walt could be behind it or just used Walt’s car to test the thing out to see if it worked.
I hope it’s Walter Jr. That little prick is insufferable. I understand he’s misled constantly by his parents and therefore his perspective is different than the all knowing viewer’s but I think Hank summed it up best in season 3, “Don’t you have some friends or something, kid?”
Some theories seem to be getting a little LOSTy, but I’ll say nothing’s off the table. But as far as that pink bear, it was taken away by folks in the National Transportation Safety Board in hazmat suits while there were still body bags in the driveway, near the Aztec, with two smokey areas (presumably planes) and multiple helicopters on the scene. I can’t agree that that’s actually some sort of super flash forward, it was part of that season only.
I think Brock could have actually handled the ricin, or he got sick by some other means. I don’t think he’ll actually die, or if he does it won’t be linked to Walt or Gus. The show sets up conveniences that the characters try to take advantage of and sometimes (not always) botch. Jesse telling Tuco there was chili powder in the meth, Walt drunkenly boasting that Gale wasn’t the genius Hank was after, Walt pulling Jane over but then letting her choke and die. There are so many IF ONLY moments that change the course of the show. I think Gus and Jesse use Brock’s sickness to their advantage, but it wasn’t because Gus/Walt had anything to do with.
My money’s on Gus or Mike biting the bullet. But if Mike goes, it’ll be amazing.
@Dragon of The Black Pool – Eh? The tracker dies?
You guys, Gus HAS to die. He has to! I bet they will bring back Giancarlo Esposito next season in flashbacks.
I want to read this after the show. But for the record, please let it be Skylar.
I’m really holding out hope for Mr. Eko to come back.
@smegga. Yeah, the tracker dies. Vince Gilligan said that the last shot pushes in on something and it’s a reveal before it cuts to black. That’s what I was referring to.
Just saw my last post. Apparently my school computer space key has Narcolepsy.
Yeah. I sure hope the photo isn’t true, cause then all the fun and surprise is ruined. I think i’m done with going on the imdb forums. Only use for it now is Alison Brie gifs.
I have a wild quite a wild theory:
Junior and Brock will die.
Most of my reasons are simply elimination, and I don’t believe that Gus is going to die because he’s the only real antagonist left.
Remember that Junior was expressing quite a bit of distress due to Walt not being there with the family. I’m assuming that he’s going to find some way to go and find his father. If he does this, he’ll get in the way and then die. This will enrage Walt and give him even more cause to fight the antagonist.
Then, of course, Brock is already set up to either die or be saved. If he dies, this will piss off Jesse even more and ultimately lead to him wanting to kill Gus. (I had originally thought that Brock was just trying to be cool by smoking a cigarette. Right after they mentioned him being in the hospital, this is what I assumed. However, it makes perfect sense that Gus was trying to get Jesse to pull the trigger on Walt.)
This will set up enough conflict to move on into Season 5. If the fifth is the last season, I’ll say that somehow the rest of Walt’s family dies. If this happens, Walt will commit suicide and then Jesse will redeem himself. Easy ending.
If the series moves into a sixth season, which I doubt, then all that I’ve said is complete BS. Oh well. We’ll all see Sunday night.
Gus won’t die. My order of deaths are these, in order: Steve Gomez (surprised he’s still alive), Hank’s Wife, Walt’s wife. Steve Gomez wouldn’t really be a big deal but would jump start Hank’s vengeance. Hank’s wife is kind of the same deal but it would be much more emotional. Walt’s wife would be soooo intense but I think it’s highly possible, also ensuring Walt’s drive to kill Gus.
Walt has already snapped and is in full desperation mode now. He will do anything now to survive. I am almost certain that he had something to do with Brock getting poisoned. Just a feeling I have. I also believe, like Suppes said before, that Gus has someone in the inside of the DEA and its Gomez. I know Gus is meticulous with all of his planning and is pretty much a genius but it seems odd to me that he is ALWAYS 10 steps ahead of the DEA. I think he has to have someone on the inside like Gomez. Gomez is going to wind up killing someone close to Walt like Skylar, that’s my hope at least. She sucks.
Oops forgot to mention….I know Walt has appeared to be his inside man this season to all things DEA recently due to Hank but I just think someone who is as careful as Gus has to have someone working on the inside that he can trust. As we all know he does not trust Walt anymore.
*****SPOILER**** Things i know: Jesse is questioned by the police about the poisoning but ultimately not charged. Hank gimps his way to the laundry facility and finds the lab. Jesse ends up handcuffed to a pole and now for the big one! WALTER SHOOTS HANK and frees Jesse. This is all my source gave me but this is a real spoiler.
Lol. Reading this now is hilarious.