Full Measure

"Full Measure" is the thirteenth episode and final episode of the third season of Breaking Bad and the thirty-third episode of the series altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

In a flashback to 1993, a realtor shows a younger Walt and Skyler (pregnant with Junior) the house where they will eventually live. Walt, currently working at the prestigious Sandia Laboratory, and envisioning a bright future with three children, worries they aren't setting their sights high enough with the house. However, Skyler argues that the house is the best they can get.

Act I[]

In 2009, Walt sits in his car in the desert until an SUV arrives. Mike phones Walt and instructs him to walk toward the SUV. Meeting him halfway, Walt is frisked by Mike. As he nears the SUV, Victor exits, followed by Gus, who demands to know why he put them all at risk for Jesse, a "worthless junkie." Walt explains that Jesse wanted revenge against Gus's dealers for killing Tomás. When Gus says that they should have let Gus handle it, Walt suggests that Jesse may have believed that Gus had given the order. Gus asks Walt if he's asking whether he ordered the murder of a child, to which Walt replies that he would never ask such a question. When asked of Jesse's whereabouts, Walt says that he does not know, but probably "several time zones away" and that the has enough money to stay hidden. Walt tells Gus that he sees two options: execute Walt and spend months searching for Jesse, or overlook the incident and continue their partnership. Gus accedes, but insists on choosing Walt's new lab assistant.

When Walt reports to the superlab the next morning, he is surprised that the door lock has been changed. Victor opens the door for him and Walt finds Gale has been reinstated as his assistant.

Act II[]

Four cartel hitmen go to a warehouse owned by Gus's chemical supplier, Duane Chow, and take him and his secretary hostage. Mike appears, disables the building's electricity and effortlessly kills all four of the hitmen. He then shoots Chow through the hand and orders him to have his secretary drive him to the hospital—the wound is Chow's punishment for not picking up his phone calls. At Gus' office, Mike and Gus examine the gunmen's passports and although they were not "A-grade players," agree that the cartel is looking for weaknesses to exploit in Gus's operation.

In the superlab, Walt and Gale cook while Victor observes them from the catwalk. Alluding to previously upsetting Walt, Gale promises to follow his instructions exactly and to be the perfect lab assistant. Walt assures him that he's doing fine.

That night, Gus surprises Gale at his apartment and tells him about Walt's cancer diagnosis, deliberately making the situation sound more dire than it is. Gus tells Gale that he plans on keeping Walt as long as Walt wants, but asks Gale to learn how to master Walt's cooking process so that he can continue production in the event when Walt dies.

Act III[]

Gale tries to ask Walt about his condition while in the superlab but Victor conspicuously leans in, so Gale instead asks how to purge the catalyst bed, a process which Walt offers to show later.

Mike heads to Saul's office in order to find Jesse's whereabouts. Saul initially invokes attorney-client privilege, but when Mike threatens to break his legs, Saul lets Mike sneak a peek at a notebook containing the name of a trailer park in Virginia. Later, Saul drives Walt to the laser tag business, knowingly being followed by Victor, and assuming the car is bugged. Once inside, it is revealed that Jesse is hiding out in the laser tag building. Saul warns both of them that Mike will soon realize the Virginia address is a decoy. Speaking privately with Jesse, Walt says that he is only safe until Gale feels confident enough to take over the lab. They decide that they have to kill Gale, and debate over who should do it. After Jesse states he doesn't want to be a murderer, Walt says that he will kill Gale instead. Since Walt is under constant surveillance and Jesse is believed to be out of state, Walt tasks Jesse with determining Gale's address.

Act IV[]

That night while Walt is having a heartfelt moment with his newborn child, Jesse calls Walt to tell him Gale's apartment's address. As Walt is leaving his house to go kill Gale, Victor pulls up and tells him to get in, claiming there is a chemical leak in the lab. At the industrial laundry, Walt sees Mike and realizes he's about to be executed. Pleading for his life, Walt offers to give up Jesse. Mike demands to know Jesse's whereabouts, but Walt explains that since he doesn't know where Jesse is, he must call him to arrange a meeting. Back at the arcade, Jesse prepares to smoke some meth when he receives Walt's call. Walt then informs Jesse that they have him at the laundromat and that they are about to kill him, and therefore he must be the one to do it. Mike then seizes the phone from Walt. Jesse hangs up, grabs a gun, and runs off.

Mike and Victor then draw guns on Walt, but Walt tells them to hold off, telling them that Gus would want him spared. When Mike questions why that would be the case as he cocks his gun, Walter confidently states Gale's address. Both Mike and Victor are shocked, realizing what Jesse is about to do. Victor turns to look at Mike before immediately leaving to intercept Jesse while Mike phones Gale to warn him of the impending attack. However, music and a noisy tea kettle prevent Gale from hearing his phone vibrate. As he pours himself a cup of tea, Gale hears a knock on his front door. He answers the door as a teary-eyed Jesse appears on his front door.

Jesse draws his gun and points it at Gale's head. Gale, at first thinking it's just a hold-up, offers he take whatever he wants, adding he has large amounts of cash. It quickly dawns on him that none of that will do, and that Jesse is there to kill him. Gale begs for his life. Jesse, his eyes tearing and hands shaking, reluctantly fires the gun.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

• This is the first episode to be directed, but also both written and directed, by Vince Gilligan since the "Pilot".
• Walt donning the signature black pork pie hat of his "Heisenberg" persona was Bryan Cranston's idea - (donned at first to keep the desert sun off his newly shaved head whilst on set.)
• The flashback teaser in this episode, is the only time in Breaking Bad where Walt appears without any facial hair whatsoever.
• When Mike tells Chow to ask his secretary if she's still there, the Mandarin translation of the exchange between Chow is: "Peng, are you still there?" "Of course I'm still here! Where else can I go?! What is going on?! I have a husband and kid at home, I have to go home and take care of them! You do not pay me enough, somebody got killed right in front of me!" Chow translates: "She says yes."
• Despite being the seventh episode he appears in, this is the first episode to reveal Mike's name, with Saul addressing him as Mike in their encounter at his office.
  • Victor's name is also spoken for the first time, by Walt and Jesse during their conversation at the laser tag business.
• Mike disables the chemical warehouse security with several helium-filled mylar balloons by letting them float up to a power line connected to the warehouse. A similar occurrence happens in the Malcolm in the Middle episode "Blackout", in which Jaime lets go of his helium balloon, sending it floating a power line transformer and causing it to spark, cutting off the power.
• The previous episode's title of "Half Measures" refers to Mike's speech about how he took a half measure when he threatened someone to back off instead of killing them and how it backfired; this caused Mike to realize he should have taken the full measure, which would have been to kill the man. In this episode, Walt takes the full measure when he decides to have Gale killed rather than to just scare him away.
• The scene where Saul's Cadillac rear is filmed while he drives Walter to the laser tag business is featured as one of Better Call Saul's title sequences.

Production[]

Credits[]

Featured Music[]

• "308 Negra Arroyo Lane" by Dave Porter (as Walt & Skyler look around their future home and as Walt sits at home feeding Holly)
• "The Long Walk Alone (Heisenberg's Theme)" by Dave Porter (as Walt walks over to meet Gus and at the start of the end credits)
• "Shambala" by Beastie Boys (as Mike breaks into the Golden Moth warehouse and takes out the cartel henchmen)
• "Crapa Pelada" by Quartetto Cetra (in Gale's apartment when Gus visits)
• "America the Beautiful (Reprise)" by Pat Boone (in the reception of Saul's office)
• "滿場飛 (Man Chang Fei)" by 張帆 (Zhang Fan) (in Gale's apartment when Jesse arrives)

Memorable Quotes[]

Walter: "[answers phone] Yeah?"

Mike: "Walter, you see us?"

Walter: "Yeah, I see you."

Mike: "I'd like you to exit your vehicle and start walking toward us."

Walter: "And then what? I'm gonna need some...some kind of assurance."

Mike: "I assure you I could kill you from way over here if it makes you feel any better."

―Mike organizes the meeting of Walt and Gus in the desert.

---

Mike: "You know I haven't slept since Thursday? I was out all night cleaning up after you. I need my sleep."

Walter: "You said no half measures."

Mike: "Yeah. Funny how words can be so open to interpretation."

―Walter and Mike about the half measures.

---

Mike: "Now when I say I'm looking for Pinkman, we both know why, don't we? And you pretending otherwise only wastes my time and serves to annoy me."

Saul: "Look, Mike, there are rules to this lawyer thing."

Mike: "Is that right?"

Saul: "Yeah! Attorney-client privilege. I mean, that's a big one. That's something I provide for you. I give up Pinkman, well, then you're gonna be asking, "Ol' Saul gives 'em up pretty easy. What's to keep him from giving me up?" Y'see, so, then where's the trust?"

Mike: "I trust the hole in the desert I'd leave you in."

Saul: "Yeah, that's...an argument."

Mike: "Saul, don't make me beat you until your legs don't work. Now tell me where to find him. You know it's the right thing."

―Mike persuades Saul to reveal where Jesse is hiding.

---

Jesse: "Did you do it? Mr. White? Did you do it?"

Walt: "No, I didn't do it. I can't now. It's gonna have to be you."

Jesse: "What? No way, man."

walt: "Listen to me. You're closer than we are. You'll have about a 20-minute lead. They've got me at the laundry and they're going to kill me. [Mike takes Walt's phone, while Victor aims a gun on him] Jesse, do it now! Do it fast!"

Victor: "Son of a bitch!"

Walt: "Do it, Jesse! Do it!"

―Walt calls Jesse and tells him to kill Gale.

---

Mike: "[closes Walt's phone and aims a gun on him] Just what the hell was that exactly?"

Walt: "You might wanna hold off."

Mike: "Yeah? Why?"

Walt: "Because your boss is gonna need me. 6353 Juan Tabo, apartment 6. (...) Yeah."

―Walt tells Jesse's location to Mike and Victor.