"End Times" is the penultimate episode of Season 4 that occurs during what is arguably the show's best four episode stretch. "Salud," "Crawl Space," and "Face Off" deservedly get mountains of recognition, but I feel like "End Times" is sometimes unfairly overlooked. The episode contains a masterful buildup of tension. Walt's spinning .38 snub on a table in the backyard takes on new meaning in light of the events of "Face Off." Steve Gomez's sly inspection of the laundry is a breath-holding moment for both the characters involved and the audience. Jesse "misplaces" the ricin cigarette and when he finds out that Brock is in the hospital with serious symptoms, he fears the worst. The climactic scene with Jesse and Walt is one of the most electrifying moments between those two in the entire show. Walt turns in a masterful performance as he employs the ultimate manipulation of Jesse. Finally, at the end of the episode, Walt has rigged Gus's car to explode and is ready to trigger the detonation when Gus stops walking toward the car, thinks for a moment, then turns around to walk away. It is a nerve-wracking, frustrating reversal of expectations for the audience. We think that Walt has finally figured out a way to beat Gus, yet Gus, with his superhuman sixth sense, foils Walt once again. In short, "End Times" is an underrated episode that is integral to the success of final stretch of Season 4. It sets up the season finale flawlessly with an abundance of tension and a number of conflicts to resolve. Memorable Quote: Walter White: "I have been waiting... I've been waiting all day, waiting for Gus to send one of his men to kill me, and it's you. Who do you know who's OK with using children, Jesse, who do you know? Who's allowed children to be murdered, hm? Gus! He has been ten steps ahead of me at every turn and now the one thing that he needed to finally get rid of me is your consent, and boy he's got that down, he's got it. And not only does he have that, but he manipulated you into pulling the trigger for him."
