Top 20 Breaking Bad Episodes v. I'm back...with a vengeance. *SPOILERS*

[Chino]

#7. Felina (Season 5)

"I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really... I was alive."

*snip*
Walt then shows up at the cafe to see Todd and Lydia. He arranges a meetup with the Neo-Nazis. Meanwhile, Walt has something up his sleeve. He creates a robot, well, a gun turret triggered by the trunk opener on the car keys.  At Skyler's apartment,Marie calls Skyler to inform her Walt is nearby.
*snip*

I love this so much. Mainly because in the scene where Jesse and Walt were stranded in the desert, Jesse asks Walt if he was going to build a robot. At the time, as a viewer, I thought "Wow. What a ridiculous thing to say. Stupid meth head". Who would have thought then that Walt would eventually build a robot to save them.


Jesse Pinkman: Okay. You need to cut out all your loser cry-baby crap RIGHT NOW and think of something SCIENTIFIC.

Walter H. White: Something scientific? Right.

Jesse Pinkman: What? Come on! Man, you're smart. You made poison out of beans, yo. Look, we got, we got an entire lab right here. Alright? How about you pick some of these chemicals and mix up some rocket fuel? That way you could just send up a signal flare. Or you make some kind of robot to get us help, or a homing device, or build a new battery, or... Wait. No. What if we just take some stuff off of the RV and build it into something completely different? You know, like a... Like a dune buggy. That way, we can just dune buggy or... What? Hey? What is it? What?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Walter H. White: And, and bring me, bring me brake pads. The front wheels should have discs. Take them off and bring them to me.

Jesse Pinkman: Alright, brake pads. Okay. What are we building?

Walter H. White: You said it yourself.

Jesse Pinkman: A robot?

Walter H. White: A battery. MOVE!

 

[KevShmev]

Haha, that was a great scene for sure.  Funny thing too is Jesse, even early on, was always thinking of things that Walt wasn't thinking of, like just throwing the battery idea out there, or when he was bitching about them only getting 1.5 million to Gus' 90 million, he said in the middle of his rant, "And what happens after the three months?"  You can see the look on Walt's face there, like, "uh oh, I hadn't thought of that," and in light of the attempt on Hank's life, which Walt correctly deduced was originally meant for him, it led to Walt addressing the situation with Gus and their agreement being extended to not only a year, but open-ended.

[Chino]

There was also the scene when Hank sent Walt the pic of the barrel buried in the ground and he said something like "Jesse thought you'd recognize that the dirt was the wrong color".

[Genowyn]

The best part of that scene is Jesse's childlike wonder and amazement when he asks, "A robot?"

[TioJorge]

Yes! SO sincere. 

It was just so...like it all clicked; as if he redeemed himself for not saying 'copper' whenever Walt previously asked him what makes a good conductor for the battery and he said 'wire'! 'A robot!?' It gets me every time.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

#6. Say My Name (Season 5)

"You're goddamn right."



The beginning of this episode really shows Walt at his most arrogant. Walt, Jesse, and Mike meet with Declan and his crew in the desert to discuss business. Walt wants to keep cooking but Jesse and Mike feel like they no longer want to be part of the business. Walt is just being greedy here. He tells Declan he wants to keep his Blue Sky in production but he can buy out Mike's one-third share. AND FUCK this is the episode where I just hate Walt the most. Anyway, Mike gets his five million and leaves. Meanwhile, Dan, the lawyer of the 9 henchmen is putting money into nine different safety deposit boxes at the bank. More on that soon. The DEA head to Mike's house to search, but they come up short. Jesse heads to the Vamonos HQ to ask Walt about his share of the money. Walt tries to convince Jesse to keep cooking with him, but he refuses. In return, Walt says Jesse will not be getting his money. Jesse doesn't seem to care. Since Jesse is out of the business, Todd takes his spot and starts cooking with Walt. Todd isn't even close to what Jesse is as a cook, but he puts a lot of effort in. Soon after, the henchmen's lawyer gets caught. Unfortunately, Walt overhears that he is going to flip and give away Mike. Dan calls Mike and asks him his location, and Mike tells him he is at the park with his granddaughter. Right after, Walt calls Mike to inform him that the police are on their way to bust him. Mike hesitantly slips away, and he doesn't even get to say goodbye to his granddaughter. Mike calls Saul at his office to see if he can get the bag that is in the trunk of Mike's car at the airport. Saul is worried he might get caught, so Walt offers to do it. In the bag is cash, a passport, and a gun. Mike is set to leave. Walt and Mike meet at a distant location in the woods near a river. Walt wants the names of the 9 henchmen so he can eliminate them, just in case they all flip. This greatly decreases the likelihood of Walt getting exposed. Mike doesn't care what Walt has to say and he takes the bag from him. They both start arguing as always, and Mike accuses Walt of getting all of them into this mess. He tells Walt if he had just listened to Gus and kept his mouth shut, everything would be fine. Mike then gets in his car and opens the bag only to find the gun missing. He looks over and Walt shoots him in the stomach out of anger. Mike drives off but crashes moments later. He gets out and tries to leave on foot. Walt follows his trail and he begins to realize what he just did. He arrives at Mike, who is on the verge of death, sitting there looking at the river. Walt tells Mike that he could have just gotten the names from Lydia and that he is sorry. Mike responds with, "Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace." Mike then falls over and dies.

Favorite Scene: The final scene with Walt and Mike. As much as I hate it, it really is a good scene. Walt is impulsive and fucking stupid at times. There was no reason to kill Mike. There's always an alternative but Walt clearly chose the wrong fucking way. I remember being so pissed after this episode ended. It made me stop watching Breaking Bad...well, not really.. but still. Vince sure did a good job of making the audience REALLY hate Walt after respecting him so much early on. Rest in Peace, Mike. You were one hell of a man.

[TioJorge]

For as much as I knew he was already gone for a while, the moment he goes back to kill Mike...perhaps even the moment he took the gun, he was no longer redeemable. Mike wanted his, he genuinely wanted out and for Jesse and even Walt to get out alive and in peace but knew that was never going to happen for Walt, and by extension, Jesse... It's sad and it's the final nail in Walt's moral coffin. I don't think even saving Jesse redeems him from this act.

[KevShmev]

Honestly, even though I loved Mike's character, and agreed with everything he said to Walt in their last heated conversation ("You just had to be the man!"), a part of me was happy that Walt took him out.  Considering the way Mike always bullied and physically intimidated him, Walt being the one who took him out felt like poetic justice. 

The conversation between Walt and Jesse in this episode is one of my favorite Walt/Jesse arguments ever (and there are A LOT to choose from ). 

Overall, I wouldn't rate this episode this high, but it is still pretty fantastic.

It does, however, have one of my two favorite Gomez moments ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bPCIAblngQ

[Tom Bombadil]

I hated Walt so much by this point already, and then he goes and kills one of my favorite characters. I was pissed after watching this episode for the first time. Looking back on it it is a great episode though.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Lol, you all thought this was #4!

Expect another update tomorrow. Been with a lot of friends lately, and I'm dealing with an ear infection which is giving me a great headache, and I don't like writing when I have a headache. Plus, that's just who I am, I'm inconsistent with my updates.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Lol.

And we're back.

#5. Dead Freight (Season 5)

"What if we can rip off that train, and no one ever knows it got robbed?"




I'm not going to go into so much detail in this review, considering this is a really straight-forward episode. This one was most definitely a nail biter. Basically, Lydia is about to be killed, but she tells the Three "Amigos" (Walt, Jesse, Mike) that she can get them an "ocean" of Methylamine, which is located on huge tank on a train. Jesse comes up with the marvelous plan of robbing the train without the conductor even knowing. Meanwhile, Hank wants to watch Heat on Bluray with Walt Jr. Anyway, the three men get help from some of the Vamanos Pest guys, in which Todd is included. The three plan to siphon the Methylamine from the tank on the train into an underground tank they buried. Then they fill the tank on the train with water from the other buried tank. This is necessary because the train has to go to a weighing station or whatever and they'll suspect it was robbed if it doesn't have the same mass. Anyway, as the train arrives, Kuby gets into a truck and parks it right on the tracks, stopping the train. He claims it won't start, and since it's such a large truck, they have trouble moving it. This buys Walt and co. time to get the Methylamine. However, a man shows up and beings to pull the truck off of the tracks with his own truck. Kuby can't really say no to that, so the process really needs to finish. Walt's greedy ass tells Jesse to get more and more, even as the train is moving, and he's under it. Todd is on top of the train filling the tank with water. This part is so tense and fun at the same time. Luckily, nobody is hurt, and the job is done. Everything is okay. Suddenly, there is another person there: a kid on his dirt bike. This is the kid seen at the very beginning of the episode. He's just a harmless and innocent kid who arrived at the wrong time. He waves at them. Todd waves back and shoots him dead. Jesse yells and the episode is over. This really shows how heartless Todd is if he can just shoot a kid with no hesitation. The kid may or may not have reported them, but I mean really, how much could he have done to trash their whole organization? He's a fucking kid who has no idea what's going on.

Favorite Scene: The train heist. Everything about it was great, and my nails were gone by the end of it.

[Obfuscation]

Awwwwww yes, shit my pants watching this episode.

[Chino]

My head exploded when Todd shot the kid.

[MetalJunkie]

Loved that episode. But in writing about it, you brought up my least favorite thing about the series: Lydia. I hate the way she talks.

[Phoenix87x]

My head exploded when Todd shot the kid.

Yeah, me too. I never saw that coming in a million years, with todd being so unassuming and everything. But shocking to see how he was actually a psychopath.

[Chino]

Loved that episode. But in writing about it, you brought up my least favorite thing about the series: Lydia. I hate the way she talks.

She's beautiful when she doesn't talk.

[KevShmev]

Hmmm, I always thought her OCD & paranoid personality somehow made her more attractive.  It's like she was always nervous about something, which made her even more attractive than the actress herself already is.  But that's me.

But yeah, great episode, with a shocking ending to say the least, yes.

I love the part where Walt talks to Lydia alone, asking her why she tried to kill Mike, and when she tells him that she had to add Mike to the list of people to off because he was protecting his nine guys, Walt's response was basically, "Yeah, I would have done the same thing," which he did non verbally and without saying a word, and then he moved on in the conversation.  Great moment.

[chaossystem]

If I had to pick a favorite episode of the series, it would probably have to be the final episode. It was a satisfying and somewhat believable conclusion to the story.

Anybody got a WORST episode?

Mine would have to be when Hank and Steve got killed. It was sad and a little bit too contrived at the same time.

[TioJorge]

Buscuit:
Amazing episode. Perhaps my favorite for a few reasons. I love that Walt took complete charge of the operation and you could really see his..."Clyde" mentality take over. A true criminal mastermind. I love it. Also, the music. Holy shit that industrial beat whenever they initially start the process of attaching the hoses to the train; the song itself sounds like a train and it's so fuckin' groovy and catchy. All around everything about the episode is right on track (AHHHHHHH NUGZ).

But yes...that damned ending. It's horrible and horrific but it set a lot of things in motion, mainly the leaving of Jesse and the end of the relationship/partnership of Walter and Jesse. It was one of the biggest moments in the series and anyone that says they could see it coming is probably talking out their dirty little ass. It was, in every sense of the word, FUCKED. It was one of those moments where after it's over, you realize your mouth is agape. That usually looks so awkward and unnatural if I see it on TV or in a movie but I definitely had to close my mouth after a minute or two of seeing that... So utterly fucked.

...But then it's not over...In the next episode, we see he's taken the goddamn tarantula...some kind of trophy or token of the kid. I wished death on Todd the moment he pulled the trigger, but when I saw him inspecting the tarantula like it was a prize...I wanted him chopped up into little pieces, but not after someone has shoved a soldering iron up his ass.

[chaossystem]

Well Tio, you kind of got what you wanted in that final episode.
Todd's death was NOT exactly pleasant.

Also want to mention that maybe the funniest episode was the one where they used the giant magnet to destroy all of the evidence in the police lock-up.

[TioJorge]

Oh definitely, it was supremely satisfying; made all the better because it was Jesse committing the act...with his handcuffs. I clapped. It's the only time I've done that douchey act, and I'll proudly admit it. I stood up and clapped and said 'SCIENCE BITCH'.

[GuineaPig]

Anybody got a WORST episode?

My gut would say "Felina", just because of how much it harms the series in retrospect. But there are a couple episodes in mid-seasons 2, 3, and 4 which are kind of filler-y.

[TioJorge]

I'll probably regret asking this, and I'm not looking to start up a big discussion; but how did Felina 'harm' the series? I'm just wondering what you mean by that.

Missed that question, and...
My immediate answer would be Peekaboo despite me loving the overall feeling and seeing Jesse bond with that poor little dude... But in comparison to some episodes it pales and is definitely 'filler' when considering that almost nothing impactful happened.

[GuineaPig]

I'll probably regret asking this, and I'm not looking to start up a big discussion; but how did Felina 'harm' the series? I'm just wondering what you mean by that.

Breaking Bad spent its entire run building up very specific themes about morality, principally by deconstructing the actions and mentality of Walt. It presented a universe that wasn't just or karmic, but nevertheless had a very firm sense of what was wrong and what was right, and what would happen to people who decided to abandon doing what is right for whatever reasons. It's right there in the title.

Then "Felina" comes along and reverses all of that by indulging in what was essentially Walt's fantasies for the entire finale, bizarrely presenting him as a noble hero and implicitly justifying a lot of the awful shit he did. It's a really strange episode that runs completely opposite to the entire rest of the series, and it's really tonal whiplash considering it comes just two episodes after its polar opposite "Ozymandias."

I think I've mentioned it before, but the entire episode makes more sense thematically if it were just the dying fever dreams of Walt in a snowed-in cabin. But that's not the case.

[TioJorge]

Damn... I must discuss. Beautifully said... I don't see it all too differently, but you're more than likely right in what the creators had in mind, I think. It was definitely a 'HEY GUYS WE KNOW HE'S HORRIBLE BUT CHEER FOR WALT' episode.

All that's presented, but I viewed it kind of how Walt would be thinking that as he died. I saw the 'reality' of the show as pretty by-the-numbers when it comes to the show's take on comeuppance and setting things not straight but...simply what the consequence of actions are. Walt desperately attempting to right a few very dark, twisted wrongs in an equally twisted way (condemning Jesse to something worse than death, and abandoning his family) and failing completely but in one very small way: To save Jesse's life.

Except, in what I think is true BB fashion Jesse is, in every sense of the word, broken. He is still going to be living a tortured life. Not as tortured as he was but he is royally fucked mentally, emotionally, even physically scarred now. I took that final shot of Jesse as them saying he's 'alive' but he may as well be in hell. Then you have Walt's family...despite his final attempt at reconciliation, Jr. spat in his face and wished death upon him (after offering what Walt himself would once call 'pennies') and Skylar, for as neutral as she was (and kind in letting him say bye to Holly), certainly had no problem with him finally dying; she seemed to be crying for what was (AND CAUSE SHE'S A PUSSY ASS BITCH) and not for the sentiment of Walt. It depicted him as a pretty vile creature still at the end, for as obvious as it got that this was Walt's last hurrah.

The way I see it, it was quite the appropriate ending...Walter did eventually get to die thinking all of those things...but I didn't see that as the reality of what happened. If that makes sense... But anyway, I do NOT regret asking.  Sleepy time. Dream of me.

[Chino]

I thought he best part of the finale was the last 30 seconds. He puts his hand on the big boiler thing and smiles. That's what he loved (chemistry). In the very first episode, while teaching his chemistry class, he said something like "chemistry is the study of change, matter changing from one form to another". I thought those final moments were very symbolic and brought the whole story full circle.

[Big Hath]

mater changing from one form to another

[KevShmev]

GuineaPig, I see what you are saying, but I don't agree; I think the finale was absolutely perfect. 

Yes, Walt ultimately got what he wanted - his family being secure financially - but look at the price he had to pay: he went to his grave with a destroyed reputation, his entire family hating him, and he died alone.  Like the first line of Baby Blue says, he more than got what he deserved. 

It's easy to say that they made him look like the good guy, since he was never nearly as bad as Jack, Todd and their crew, but I think the difference is that Walt was a "the end justifies the means" type of person, while guys like Jack and Todd were just mindless thugs who seemingly had no redeeming values whatsoever.  I am not saying Walt wasn't a bad guy.  He was.  But on the sliding scale of badness, he wasn't nearly as bad as Jack, Todd or even Gus.

Take him poisoning Brock.  Yes, that was an absolutely despicable act, but I think that was another case of him thinking the end justified the means.  While Gus was cold and calculated and emotionless, like when having that kid shot down in the street and showing no remorse whatsoever, Walt at least looked incredibly relieved, almost to the point of tears, when Jesse told him the news that Brock was gonna make it. 

I thought the finale did an excellent job of towing the line of both the good and bad in Walt.

[Full Speed]

Anybody got a WORST episode?

Mine would have to be when Hank and Steve got killed. It was sad and a little bit too contrived at the same time.

Whoa! That's crazy to me that it could be someone's least favorite episode. Ozymandias is far and away my favorite episode of the show. It was the climax the whole show was building up to. Dead Freight and Peekaboo would be in my top 10 as well.

I don't think Felina would make the cut for me, but I still don't think it's anywhere close to a bottom-tier episode. I couldn't even pick out a least favorite as I'm sure it's one of those unmemorable episodes in the middle of seasons 2, 3, or 4 as GuineaPig mentioned.

Edit:
Actually after looking back through plot summaries I think I'd pick the Season 1 finale.

[KevShmev]

  Ozymandias is far and away my favorite episode of the show. It was the climax the whole show was building up to. 

Best hour of television ever.

[chaossystem]

I guess it's just that Hank's death was such a HUGE disappointment for me.

He was one of the few truly "Good-guy" characters in the series, and I hated seeing him go.

on the other hand, I guess just having him "take Walter in" would have been rather anti-climactic.

[TioJorge]

He was a good-guy in a sense, but he was very much a vigilante in spirit. He was more like Walter than he'd like to admit in the end. He let his pride kill him. I'd say that's a big part of Walt's character's flaw as well as Hank. But yeah, it was sad because for as foolish as he was, I think he was still good at heart. I can't say the same for either Jesse, Walt, Skylar, hell...most of the cast, minor or major. But Hank was pretty damn resolute, I'll give him that. Even if it did get him killed.

[Outcrier]

  Ozymandias is far and away my favorite episode of the show. It was the climax the whole show was building up to. 

Best hour of television ever.

Yeah, i thought the only way they could surpass Face Off was doing the best TV episode ever.
They did it.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Longest fucking Top 20 ever 

#4. Face Off (Season 4)

"I won."



The finale of the fourth season was out fuggin standing! The ultimate plan to take down Gus was pure genius. Gus had a weakness, and that was Hector. He visits Hector just so he can fuck with him basically. Gus can't get over his past, and he likes making Hector his bitch. Can you blame him? Well, Walt convinces Hector to help him bring Gus down. He tells the bell man to meet with the DEA for no reason. Tyrus is keeping an eye on Hector and realizes he might be giving the DEA information about Gus and other matters. Gus decides he needs to finally kill the old man, and he heads to the nursing home. Gus has his guard down at this point, as his main focus is just to avenge his former partner's death. Underneath Hector's wheel chair is the bomb that Walt had previously planted under Gus's car in an unsuccessful attempt to kill him. The bomb is triggered by the bell. Gus has a syringe with something in it, and he plans to inject Hector with it and kill him. As he is about to do it, Hector gets this awful look on his face, and as a viewer, I was like, AW  . Then he started getting that evil looking face and began ringing the bell which sounded awfully weird. Gus panics and quickly realizes he's done for. The bomb goes off. Tyrus and Hector are immediately killed. Gus then walks out the room, and he appears to be okay, until the camera pans around to his face. Half his face is completely gone, hence the episode title "Face Off". And because Gus is a champion, he adjusts his tie before he falls on the floor. Good job Walt! You did it! After this, Walt heads back to the lab to rescue Jesse from the two guys. He shoots and kills them both. He then informs Jesse that Gus is dead, and soon after, they destroy the lab and "think" they get rid of all the evidence. The final scene is where the two meet at the parking garage, and Jesse is relieved that Brock is going to be better and that the ricin wasn't what poisoned him, but it was actually a flower called "Lily of the Valley". Skyler calls Walt and asks if what happened at the hospital was his doing, and he says "I won."  This is actually a super happy ending to a very dark season, until of course it is revealed that Walt poisoned Brock.

Favorite Scene: Gus getting killed. At first, I hated it, because I loved Gus. But, he had to die. It was what needed to happen. Just a very epic scene and I was not expecting Gus to walk out of that room. I almost thought he was a machine and he was just gonna walk away. 

[Tom Bombadil]

Fantastic episode that's definitely worthy of the placement. The suspense when Gus was walking into the nursing home was like nothing I've ever felt before.