The episode marks the culmination of the arc concerning the conflict between Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), which served as the focus of the fourth season.

Walt visits Hector and offers him a truce via an opportunity to kill Gus as revenge for wiping out the Salamanca family.

Hector asks to speak with the DEA but rather than disclosing anything, simply insults them (by spelling out S-U-C-K-M-Y and F-U-C on a letter board).

Later on the top floor of the hospital parking garage, Jesse tells Walt that Brock Cantillo will live and that he was poisoned by lily of the valley berries, which children sometimes eat because of their sweet taste.

[2] The effect was produced using elaborate makeup on Esposito's face, with additional computer-generated imagery that combined two separate shots.

[3] The songs playing throughout the episode were "Black" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Norah Jones, "Goodbye" by Apparat, and "Freestyle" by Taalbi Brothers.

[4] The use of all three songs was praised as among the series' greatest musical choices by Uproxx,[4] while Complex specifically named "Black" on a similar list.

[9] James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the finale as "stunning, morally searing and, well, explosive ... with a few holy-crap moments for the ages",[10] while Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter reckoned that the episode "did a lot of things right, course-correcting most ... worries and giving viewers not only an action-packed, satisfying episode but putting the show on the path to finish ... in a nearly perfect dramatic state.

[14] Editor Skip Macdonald won the ACE Eddie Award for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television for this episode.