Brought to you by Breaking Bad.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been one year since the conclusion of “Breaking Bad,” one of the most critically acclaimed television shows ever produced. The story of Walter White, played by Emmy Award-winner Bryan Cranston, resonated with audiences all over the world, who were swept up as this seemingly good man turned to crime in order to provide for his family after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
But what could have been high-concept lark, or a dreary tale of 21st Century tragedy, was bolstered by a complex and fraternal relationship between Walt and his young partner Jesse (Aaron Paul, also an Emmy-winner), and the increasingly suspenseful and ingenious ways they got themselves into and – mostly – out of life-threatening situations as they rose to the top of the world’s crystal meth rackets. Clever twists, emotional character arcs and most importantly personal triumphs transformed “Breaking Bad,” an already daring tale of moral dissolution, into a series with something everyone could latch onto, and even love.
New, limited Blu-ray and DVD editions of “Breaking Bad” – with bonus shirt transfers, just for the fun of it – are premiering in Australia on November 6, so we thought this would be a good time to look back on the best the series had to offer. We’re taking it season by season and singling out the best episodes per storyline. These are the shows that shocked us, thrilled us, and even made us weep. These are the best of the best.
The Best ‘Breaking Bad’ Episode Per Season:
The Best Breaking Bad Episode Per Season
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Breaking Bad: Season 1
Season 1 of 'Breaking Bad' introduced the world to Walter White, a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer. To help provide for his family, he teams up with Jesse Pinkman, a former student, to cook high quality crystal meth, and throwing White into a criminal underworld which, surprisingly, has a place for him.
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Best Episode: 'Pilot'
The first season of "Breaking Bad" was truncated by the Writer's Strike of 2007-2008, so the conclusion feels a little bit rushed. The beginning, however, is one of the great pilot episodes, with great character introductions and a speedy yet believable evolution from a life of suburban normalcy to a life of dangerous crime.
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Breaking Bad: Season 2
Season 2 of 'Breaking Bad' was a turning point for the series, featuring a suspenseful plot device that promised tragedy at the end of the season. Watching Walter and Jesse slouch ever forward towards what seems like inevitable doom makes it one of the better seasons of the series.
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Best Episode: 'Phoenix'
The penultimate episode of Season 2, 'Phoenix,' finds Walter in a tough situation with Jesse's girlfriend Jane (Krysten Ritter), and his solution to the problem remains one of the most shocking moments in the series. Plus, we get the final piece of the puzzle, and learn just how Jesse and Walt are connected to the tragedy we were promised since the very beginning of the season. It is grim and awful and perfect.
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Breaking Bad: Season 3
The third season of 'Breaking Bad' finds Walt finally coming out as a meth dealer to someone he loves, sending his personal life into as much turmoil as his professional life. Walt and Jesse now find themselves working for Gus (Giancarlo Esposito), a criminal mastermind who needs their meth but also has plans to produce it without them, foreshadowing an inevitable clash.
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Best Episode: 'Fly'
The ongoing plot of 'Breaking Bad' takes a backseat in 'Fly,' an episode taking place entirely within Walt and Jesse's lab. Walt is delirious from insomnia and anxiety, and demands that they find and kill a single fly that may (or may not) taint their entire shipment of meth. Walt and Jesse's increasingly shaky relationship is developed and tested, and suspense mounts as to when Walt will reveal something that could destroy their friendship forever. The episode is smart, unexpected and incredibly moving.
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Breaking Bad: Season 4
In Season 4, Walt and Jesse are still working for Gus, and that's a problem. Everyone wants everyone else dead, and Gus begins to manipulate Jesse to turn on Walt, and places Walt's family in mortal danger.
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Best Episode: 'Face Off'
The season finale of Season 4, 'Face Off,' is one of the great showstoppers of 'Breaking Bad.' The noose tightens and it finally seems like everything will actually be revealed, and probably destroyed. But Walt's ingenuity should never be underestimated, leading to a bravura conclusion that ratchets the suspense to unbelievable levels. And that last shot? It's brutal.
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Breaking Bad: Season 5
AMC cut the final season of 'Breaking Bad' in half, resulting in two shorter seasons. The first of them finds Walt and Jesse rising to power all by their lonesome and discovering new obstacles in their path - and an unexpected new alliance - that threatens to rip them apart.
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Best Episode: 'Dead Freight'
If there is one thing that 'Breaking Bad' has taught us, it's that making really good crystal meth is really, really hard. Short on the supplies they need to make a quality product, Walt, Jesse, Mike (Jonathan Banks) and Todd (Jesse Plemons) embark on a daring train robbery with all the tension of a classic heist thriller. It would be the most monumental achievement of their careers, until the unsettling final twist that signals the beginning of the end.
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Breaking Bad: Season 6
Walt is on top of the world in Season 6 of 'Breaking Bad,' having achieved seemingly all of his goals. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and everything that ever threatened Walt finally comes to pass.
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Best Episode: 'Ozymandias'
Although the finale, 'Felina,' is an unexpected and wholly satisfying conclusion to 'Breaking Bad,' it's the appropriately titled episode 'Ozymandias' that really exploded. The final fate of a regular character is revealed, forcing Walt to confront the reality of the life he's chosen. Jesse Pinkman falls into the most horrible situation yet, but not before Walt drops an enormous bombshell. Walt's wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) gives him a final ultimatum, leading to shocking act of betrayal. "Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair."
