Breaking Bad : Season 4 'Post-Mortem'

                                                            He IS the one who knocks!

     Well, that was quite a roller coaster of emotions.  I don't blame you if you need some ant-acids, my heart was in my throat for most of the season, as well.  Breaking Bad has always had a very deliberate pace with it's storytelling.  It has never succumb to fan pressure and tipped its hand too early.  And in the end, we are truly the ones who benefit.  Let's break down how this season progressed and how Walter White went from high school chemistry teacher, to Scarface.

                                                 ***MAJOR SPOILERS*** 

      Look, it was inevitable that Gus had to die in order for this tale to continue and grow, but this show was so great that over the course of the season I was questioning that inevitable fact.  Sure, when the last few episodes came around, we could all see that Mr. Fring's vulnerability over the death of his friend and partner would be his undoing.

      It's hard to imagine Breaking Bad not winning the Emmy for Best Drama next year.  For that matter, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston not being favorites for Best Actor is hard to fathom, as well.  Who knows, maybe Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, or Game of Thrones will give them a run for their money.

     Season 3 ended with a bang (literally).  Walt asked the unthinkable of Jesse; killing an innocent man.  At the onset of Season 4, I certainly thought that it must have pained Walt to have Gale killed, because he was a respected colleague and equal.  Now, however,  I shudder to think that it may have been easy for him to digest because Gale represented a potential threat to his supremacy as a meth cook (and chemist, in general).  Walt has become just as much an ego-maniac as he has a sociopath.    

     It was clear, early on, that Walt was so wrapped up in his own worries that he did not notice, or maybe even care, about the drastic effect the murder had on Jesse's fragile psyche.  This played right into the hands of Gus, as he and Mike became the approving 'father figure' Jesse so desperately needed now, more than ever.  While Gus was most likely just manipulating Jesse for his own ends, I'd like to believe that Mike took a genuine shine to him.  Every time you hear Jesse call Walt, 'Mr. White', it displays just how much he truly reveres Walt and just how desperately he desires his approval, despite how terribly he has treated him.       
 
     It was unsettling to see Jesse relapse into drugs and surrounding himself with the dregs and delinquents of Albuquerque.  Aaron Paul's acting prowess was on display as he nailed the symptoms of someone with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  

     We were given a little insight into the consummate businessman/drug overlord who's presence has hung over Walt and Jesse for 2 seasons.  We saw him as a young, possibly too brash, black market businessman.  We saw that the tension between him and the Mexican cartel began when they brutally murdered his partner and friend.  Gus' mysterious Chilean connections prevented them from putting him six feet under.  Perhaps we'll learn more about that in Season 5 as it may come back to bite Walt in the ass.  Maybe it will remain a mystery.  No one can say for sure.  

                                                                         "WTF?!!?"                        

        Going into the season, we were told that Walt IS the danger.  At times, with how frantically sloppy he was, it certainly didn't seem that way.  Slowly, but surely, he snapped.  When he realized that Skyler had given the money to Beneke, he began laughing maniacally.  The last few minutes of that episode had me so uneasy that I had trouble sleeping afterward.  I was half-expecting to hear a gun shot in the distance, signifying Skyler's death.  Breaking Bad had me clutching my pillow at various points through the season because i wasn't sure what was coming next.  Gus' daring murder of the entire cartel at the very locale of the murder of his friend was both jaw-dropping and poetic.  And I think I speak for everyone when I say that I was relieved when Beneke did a header into the counter.  Even on a show of drug dealers, that guy was a serious prick.  

      The finale was appropriately, and somewhat humorously, in retrospect, titled 'Face-Off'.  For most of the season, Gus had the upper hand and made Walt look downright foolish.  Gradually, we began to see cracks in Gus' tough exterior, beginning with his hand flinching in the elevator after being questioned by Hank and the DEA.  

      As for Hank, we saw him begin to overcome his rehabilitation and throw himself head-first into his work.  And by God, Hank was just about spot on any time he had a hunch.  The death of Gus will not stop Hank's crusade, that's for certain.  The question going into the final season is : who will be the cause of Walt's ultimate demise? Hank or Jesse?  

                                                         Walt : "We're cool now, right?"      

        We have seen Walt make some morally questionable decisions over the last few seasons, but he has finally gone over the edge.  As we saw with the final reveal, he is capable of poisoning an innocent child in order to protect himself and his family.  He expertly manipulated Jesse, Saul and Hector Salamanca into doing exactly what he needed in order to take out Gus.        

                                Even Hector Salamanca was shocked by last night's season finale.

       Well, with all that's happened, I think it's safe to say that we're no longer seeing Walter White.  Heisenberg has taken full control.  How low will he go before he must be stopped?  With all that he's already done, have we even seen the worst of what Heisenberg is capable of?  Will Hank finally be redeemed?  Will Jesse find some sort of peace?  Will Walt finally realize that he has been a cancer to those around him or will he meet his demise?  Will things end tragically for all those involved?  Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, Breaking Bad will have us wiping our eyes in disbelief until the very bitter end.

                                                    Gus Fring: Two-faced to the very end.