There were still two episodes to go in the series, and yet “Ozymandias” (another Rian Johnson-directed installment) is such an emotionally trouncing run that it feels like viewers might have little left for dealing with the end. Writer Moira Walley-Beckett, Bryan Cranston, and Anna Gunn won Emmys for an episode that could not be a more perfect hour of dramatic television. But this excellent first episode sets the tone for what’s to come: superb performances across the cast a gripping visual style and a delicious, unexpected mix of darkly humorous moments, intense action, and ever-increasing stakes.

Oh, and then he learns he has inoperable lung cancer, and decides to cook crystal meth with his former chemistry-flunking student, to ensure his family is financially secure after he dies, which is likely to happen in less than two years. Debate and discussion of these picks are more than welcome, but remember: Maybe your best course would be to tread lightly.īryan Cranston won his first Lead Actor Emmy for the series pilot, where milquetoast high-school chemistry teacher Walter White spends part of his 50th birthday moonlighting at a car wash, lives on such a tight budget that he has to juggle credit cards to buy a pack of printer paper, is constantly ribbed by his macho DEA agent brother-in-law, and boasts a love life that’s reduced to distracted manual stimulation while his wife monitors an auction she’s hosting on eBay. The rankings below take into account a range of factors - pivotal moments, major themes, memorable performances, and the overall scope of Breaking Bad as an amazingly detailed story and character study - to come up with each episode’s proper spot on the list. But with the new season of Vince Gilligan’s companion series Better Call Saul upon us, we’re up to the challenge. The worst episode of Breaking Bad is still better than the best episode of most other TV dramas, which makes ranking the series’ 62 episodes much more challenging than it might seem. Ten years after its debut, and with three seasons of a spinoff series doubling down on its excellence, it remains a fact: Breaking Bad - with its intricate storytelling and stellar performances big, fun action scenes patiently devastating character development clever camerawork and stunning cinematography - has only gotten better with age (and many, many repeat viewings).

Breaking bad season 1 ep 1