Full Measure (Breaking Bad)
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Episode 13
| "Full Measure" | |
|---|---|
| Breaking Bad episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Vince Gilligan |
| Written by | Vince Gilligan |
| Cinematography by | Michael Slovis |
| Editing by |
|
| Original air date | June 13, 2010 |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Full Measure" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 33rd overall episode of the series. It was written and directed by the show's creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan.
It originally aired on AMC in the United States on June 13, 2010.
In a flashback to 1993, Walter and Skyler White, who's pregnant with Walter Jr., are shown by a realtor the house where they will eventually live. Walt, then working at the prestigious Sandia Laboratory, envisions a bright future with three children and worries that they are not setting their sights high enough with the "starter house".
In the present, after Jesse Pinkman goes on the run, Walt meets with Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut to negotiate for his and Jesse's safety. Walt pleads with Gus to tolerate the incident, let him return to cooking and agree to forget about Jesse. Gus accedes but informs Walt that he will be choosing Jesse's replacement.
The next day, Walt arrives at the lab and discovers that Gale Boetticher has been reinstated as his partner, and Victor now supervises them constantly. That evening, Gus visits Gale at his apartment and informs him of Walt's cancer. Gus tells Gale he must learn Walt's method to prepare for the "worst-case scenario."
Mike demands Jesse's location from Saul Goodman, who refuses to cooperate. When Mike physically threatens him, Saul allows Mike to look at a notebook containing a fake address for a trailer park in Virginia. Later, Walt and Saul meet with Jesse, who is hiding in a local laser tag arcade. Walt informs Jesse of his situation and explains that when Gale is confident enough to take over, they will be disposed of. They decide they must kill Gale and debate over who should do it. After Jesse says that he is not a murderer, Walt says he will do the job, and Jesse only needs to find Gale's address. Later that evening, Jesse calls Walt and tells him the address.
As Walt is leaving his home to kill Gale, Victor arrives and claims there is a chemical leak at the lab. Walt suspects a setup but is forced to go with Victor. Upon arriving at the laundromat, Walt sees Mike, confirming his suspicions. Pleading for his life, Walt offers to give them Jesse. Mike demands Jesse's location, but Walt says he needs to call him and set up a meeting. When Jesse answers the call, Walt tells Jesse to kill Gale before Victor and Mike can wrestle the phone away from him. When Walt quotes Gale's address to them, they realize what he has told Jesse to do. Victor hurriedly leaves; Mike stays with Walt and attempts to warn Gale, but Gale does not notice his phone ringing. Jesse arrives at Gale's apartment and pulls a gun on him. Gale begs for his life, but a tearful and shaking Jesse reluctantly pulls the trigger.
Production
The episode ends with Jesse's pulling a gun on Gale and firing directly into the screen, with Gale's death not visibly revealed on-screen. This led to wide speculation among fans and reviewers that Jesse did not actually kill Gale, but rather aimed away from him and fired the gun. However, Gilligan said he never intended for that scene to be a cliffhanger and he believed it clearly conveyed that Gale had died.[1][2][3]
David Costabile, who portrayed Gale, has stated that he did not initially know his character was to be killed off: "It was quite a sadness when I was informed that my doom was imminent. [...] I probably knew about halfway through. I think sometimes one has to be sacrificed."[4]
