Simply put, I believe that AMC’s Breaking Bad may be the single best television show from start to (almost) finish of my lifetime, and maybe even the best television show ever made period. What started as a tale of a desperate father doing everything he could to provide for his family when he thought he was about to die has turned into one of the great morality tales of the 21st Century, showing just how deep a good person can fall if pushed in the right direction. Since the series begins its final run of episodes tomorrow night, I thought I would put together a list of my personal favorite episodes of the series. This was not an easy task. Considering there have only been 54 episodes of the series thus far, it’s a true testament to the greatness of the show that no less than 25 of those episodes made it to my list of considerations. Before I start, I would like to reiterate: this is not a list of what I feel are best episodes of the series, because it would be splitting hairs to figure out which would be considered “greater” than the others. This is a list of the episodes that resonated most with me as a viewer and the ones I will think about most often as I look back on this truly amazing series. And yes, there will spoilers for the whole series, so do not read if you have not caught up on the series for some strange reason. So, let’s start with number 10, shall we?
10) Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
How could I begin this list anywhere except the beginning? This is one of the all-time best first episodes to a series, and it sets the tone for the next six years from the opening moments. There are so many great things to mention in about episode, from the frantic introduction to the character of Walter White, first seen in his signature tighty-whities, the first time we see Walt, Skyler, and Walt Jr. sitting at the infamous breakfast table, the introduction of Jesse Pinkman and the Winnebago, and their first ever shoot-out (which won’t be the last of the series by a long shot). The characters are given distinct motivations from the start, and while those motivations have changed drastically since this episode, it’s great to see this episode again in retrospect and see that the core of each character has been carried along throughout the series. It was the first of many A+ episodes.
9) Say My Name (Season 5, Episode 7)
Breaking Bad has always had a knack for starting its episodes off with a bang and setting a tone for the episode (look no further than the aforementioned Walt tighty-whitey introduction), and I would say the pre-credits teaser of this episode may be the best of the series. Watching this episode in relation to the pilot shows just how far each of the characters has come throughout the series, particularly Walt. Bryan Cranston has won three Emmys for his work on this show, and this episode should (hopefully) win him another one, if for no other reason than the stellar exchange he has at the beginning, showing his mad path to power has reached its peak. But the episode doesn’t end there! This is also a great episode to show off the skills of the amazing Jonathan Banks (currently nominated for an Emmy himself for this episode), playing the fan-favorite character Mike in his last episode as a series regular. Walt’s attempts to lure Jesse back into the meth world show more of Walt’s greed and just how likable a character Jesse has become. From the adrenaline fueled opening moments to the heartbreaking final scene, this is a memorable episode with a quote that may go down as one of the best in television history.
8) Peekaboo (Season 2, Episode 6)
Speaking of how likable Jesse is, this episode shows exactly why fans have rallied to support Aaron Paul’s two-time Emmy winning portrayal of Jesse Pinkman. While Jesse started off as a spoiled-brat meth dealing kid (and lest many people forget, he’s only in his early to mid 20s when the series starts), this may be the episode where his humanity really started coming to the forefront. While on a mission to reclaim stolen money from a couple of meth heads, Jesse sees just how far a junky’s lifestyle can fall into depravity. For the first time in the series, Jesse is given the moral high ground, and he takes full advantage of it. The B-story of the episode shows Walt trying to cover another one of his lies from Skyler (she begins to find out that Walt’s former fling, Gretchen, did not pay for his cancer treatment), and it again starts to unravel the parallel worlds of Walt and Jesse. As Jesse begins to realize he has good in him, the seeds of bad in Walt grow larger by the minute. This episode also shows off Jesse’s greatest weakness: neglected and abused children. It’s a great set up for what happens with his character into season 3 and beyond, and it makes you wonder why Vince Gilligan ever considered killing Jesse off in Season 1.
7) Cornered (Season 4, Episode 6)
This episode showcases the war between Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring and the Mexican drug cartel, and how Jesse is slowly being pulled away from Walt and getting closer to Gus and his team by the minute. And those things are all great. But this episode is, and always will be, known for this. The single greatest monologue in television history. It’s the moment that Walt actually starts believing that he is a drug lord, the moment Skyler realizes her husband is no longer the man she married, and the moment that Walter White becomes a villain. Sure, he hadn’t yet launched a full scale attack on Gus at this point. But in this episode, you learn that Walt believes he is the danger, and you slowly see how his perception becomes a reality.
6) Dead Freight (Season 5, Episode 5)
Cinematic in its quality and scale, “Dead Freight” perfectly sets up the last half of the first half of season 5 (confusing, right?). Starting with a wonderful interrogation scene with Walt, Jesse, and Mike trying to gather information from Madrigal executive Lydia, the dark comedy that was seen much more frequently in the first half of the series wriggles its head back into the fold. The methylamine train heist is one of the best action sequences I can remember seeing on television ever, which is particularly impressive since Breaking Bad isn’t exactly known for its fast paced action, and rather its slow-building character study. There’s even a nice moment in the episode that shows off Walt Jr., who has sadly been forgotten a bit in the series (though I wonder if he’s being avoided for a reason). The final moments of the episode show what Breaking Bad has always done perfectly: give our characters a fleeting moment of triumph and celebration, only to be crushed seconds later with the realization that their line of business will never have a happy ending.
5) One Minute (Season 3, Episode 7)
And now, to acknowledge one of the most underrated characters in television history, I give you “One Minute”, or as I like to call it, “Ode to Hank Schrader”. The episode starts off with Hank brutally beating Jesse to a bloody pulp, and it continues to escalate until the epic final showdown between Agent Schrader and the creepy cousins of the Mexican cartel. As a self-contained episode, Hank’s arc is possibly the best in the show’s history. He starts off the episode as broken emotionally and willing to give up the job he worked so hard to keep, and it ends with him broken physically, but as a hero. Dean Norris has long stood in the shadows of some of the heavy hitters of the show, including Paul, Esposito, and of course Cranston. But this episode shows why he deserves to be in the pantheon of great actors Breaking Bad has given the world. Jesse has a few great moments as well, and the teaser features a memorable moment with Hector “Tio” Salamanca (who will show up on this list later), but this is Hank’s finest hour.
4) 4 Days Out (Season 2, Episode 9)
“4 Days Out” may not be one of the grandest or elaborate episodes of the series’ run, but it is one of the absolute best character episodes, and also one of the funniest. The plot is simple: Walt is waiting to hear tests results that will indicate if his tumor has shrunk, and he is almost certain the results are negative, so to take his mind off things, he invites Jesse to go on a marathon bake in the middle of the desert. Of course, the Winnebago breaks down, and Jesse and Walt are stuck trying to figure out how to fix their broken vehicle and get back home. It’s a simple screwball comedy set-up, but the results show the true wants and needs of the two: Jesse wants to be loved (he misses a day trip with his soon to be dead girlfriend, Jane), and while at first it seems that Walt wants to get out of the meth business so he’ll stop lying to his family, the greater revelation is at the end, when it’s shown that he’s afraid of living any longer. It’s another moment of relief followed by anguish. The chemistry between Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston carries this episode into the top 4 for me.
3) …And the Bag’s in the River (Season 1, Episode 3)
This was the episode that officially had me hooked on the series. While the pilot was great, “…And the Bag’s in the River” showed off all the things that made Breaking Bad so special in its early run. It starts off with one of the best dark comedy moments of the series, with a flashback showing Walt talking about the makeup of a human body, only to cut to the present day Walt flushing the dissolved remains of Emilio Koyama. The rest of the episode is a morality play running through each of the sub-stories: how far will someone go to protect their family? For Skyler, it means investigating into the beginning of Walt’s lies. For Hank, it means teaching Walt Jr. a lesson when he thinks his nephew is smoking pot. For Walt, it’s a number of things, namely 1) Is keeping my cancer from the rest of my family actually protecting them? and 2) Should I kill another person to keep my family from knowing the truth. It’s an incredibly intense episode, and you really don’t know how Walt will handle his situation with Krazy-8 until the final moments. For me, Krazy-8’s death is the moment where Walt officially “breaks bad”, and from that moment on, there’s no turning back from him. Definitely worth a rewatch to see the beginning of Walt’s psychosis and to remember how funny the show could be.
2) Crawl Space, End Times, Face Off (Season 4, Episodes 11, 12, and 13)
Yes, I know I’m cheating here by putting three episodes in one post. However, these last three episodes tell one cohesive and grand story, so I’m sticking with it. These are the episodes that show the culmination of the battle between Gus Fring (arguably the greatest villain in television history) and Walter White (who may take Gus’s place by the end of the series). I have to go through some of the amazing moments of this run of episodes: the awesome ending to Skyler’s Ted Beneke storyline, Gus revealing to Walt that he’s after Hank, Walt losing his mind in the crawl space of his house when he finds out Skyler has taken all his money, Jesse thinking Walt poisoned Brock with ricin, the stand-off between Walt and Jesse where they finally team up again for the rest of the season, the tense scene of Walt trying to bomb Gus’s car, Saul Goodman’s secretary extorting money from Walt, the return of Hector Salamanca and his bell, Gus’s final moments, Walt and Jesse burning down Gus’s Superlab, Walt’s declaration to Skyler that he “won”, and the revelation in the final moments that Walt actually did poison Brock, only with a plant he had sitting in his backyard the whole time. I’ve said it before, but I believe the final three episodes of Season 4 of Breaking Bad are the best run of episodes in television history for all the moments listed, plus many more. And they would have made it until my number 1 slot if it weren’t for a pesky fly.
1) Fly (Season 3, Episode 10)
There are two elements of Breaking Bad that I’ve never gotten tired of and that I’ve tuned in to watch since I was first introduced to the series. The first is Walter White’s decent into madness, and the second is his relationship with Jesse Pinkman. And that’s why this is my favorite episode of the series by far, and probably always will be. I’ve always considered this a sequel to “4 Days Down”, with many of the same questions and themes popping up in this episode. When a stray fly finds its way into Gus’s Superlab that he built for Walt and Jesse, Walt spends day and night trying to kill the fly so it won’t contaminate the meth he’s worked so hard to perfect. As he and Jesse wait for the fly to appear, they discuss how their lives have changed since they first met. With Jesse, he’s hanging onto guilt thinking that he was the one responsible for Jane’s death, and Walt is guilted by the mere fact that he is still alive. The vast majority of the episode is spent in the Superlab, with only Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston having any dialogue through the entire hour. Directed by Rian Johnson of Brick and Looper fame, this episode takes its times and gets the audience reacquainted with the two most important characters in the series. There are a few lovely moments between Jesse and Walt where Walt nearly reveals that he could have prevented Jane’s death, and his inability to say so in conjunction with his guilt over what he’s put his family through show how Walter White is the single most complex and interesting character on television today. The final moments of another fly circling around Walter as he sleeps show that all of Walt’s grief, pain, and misery may be for nothing. If I only was allowed to show one episode of the series to show a friend why I love this show, it would always be “Fly”.
So there you go. That’s my list, but with eight episodes left in the series, there’s still a lot of room for a few changes come the end of September. What are some of your favorite episodes, and how do you think the series will end?
Tag After the Credits 