The explosive season 4 finale of Breaking Bad was undoubtedly one of the best hours the great show has ever produced. Walter White stepped up as a truly diabolical genius, masterminding the death of Gus Fring and the destruction of the meth super lab. It seems like he fixed all of his problems with brute force and intelligence.

In the finale, “Face Off,” Walt recruited his former enemy Hector Salamanca to blow up Gus, resulting in the titular “face off” as the right side of Mr. Fring’s face was blown off. Walt then saved Jesse, destroyed the lab and called his wife to let her know that “I won.”

Breaking Bad will return in 2012 for its final season of 16 episodes (though they will be split up into two parts). Where could the story possibly go? Here are my top five questions that need to be answered when Breaking Bad returns for season 5.

Will Jesse Learn the Truth About Walter?

The final shot of season 4 revealed the biggest twist of all, that it was Walter who poisoned Jesse’s girlfriend’s son Brock, all as a way of turning Jesse against Gus once and for all. Putting a kid’s life in danger makes Walter a truly despicable character, but will Jesse put the pieces together and come after him for it?

Will the Old Lady Rat Out Walter?

Walter was very careful to keep his identity hidden while working with Hector Salamanca at the nursing home, but in one seemingly innocent and hilarious scene, the old lady next door saw Walter outside the window and waved to him. Is that the one loose end Walter failed to fix, and will the old woman be lucid enough to give a detailed description of the man she saw lurking outside shortly before the explosion?

Is the Gale Boetticher Murder Investigation Closed?

Hank seemed to believe Gus Fring was responsible for Gale’s murder. Now that Gus is dead, will that case dry up too? I hope not, and I hope the show finds more ways to bring him back for another dose of karaoke magic.

What Will Hank Find at the Laundry?

In the season 4 finale, Hank once again looked into the laundry where the meth super lab was. He noticed it was using too much electricity and suggested the DEA take another look at it. With the meth lab set ablaze, will they find the charred remains, and is there any evidence that may have survived in the wreckage that could point back to Walter or Jesse?

What Happened to Mike?

If there was one thing missing from the season 4 finale, it was Jonathan Banks as Gus Fring’s top enforcer. While the action was going down, he was presumably still in Mexico, recovering from the gunshot wound. How will he factor into the endgame and what will be his next move without Gus around to tell him what to do? He’s always been a deadly force, but he’s never really had to make his own decisions.

Hopefully all of these questions will be addressed when Breaking Bad returns for season 5 in 2012.

(Image courtesy of AMC)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.