“Ozymandias” (Season 5, Episode 14)
I’m pretty sure every list of top Breaking Bad episodes I’ve ever seen has this as their #1, and this one’s no different. Not only do I consider this to be the best episode of the series, but possibly the best episode of any TV show ever. It has some of the best writing I’ve ever seen, and every moment is filled with emotional drama and suspense. Hank was around for the entire series, which makes his death extra heartbreaking, and if Walt hadn’t completely lost his mind before, then he certainly does at this point. This episode also has some amazing call-backs to earlier moments in the series, such as Walt walking by the pair of pants he lost in the first episode, and Walt’s pose and facial expression after Hank is killed being the same as Gus’ after Max was shot in a flashback in season 4. After seeing this episode, I had no idea how they were going to end the series using only two more episodes, but they managed to do it and it was truly awesome.
”Face Off” (Season 4, Episode 13)
The season finale of season 4 is just incredible. In fact, I really wanted to put the last four or so episodes of season 4 on here because of how much I love them all. However, this one takes the cake for a variety of reasons. Gus’ death, Hector’s death, and the reveal that Walt was the one who poisoned and almost killed Brock, are the three main reasons why I love this episode. It made me hate Walt, but also made me realize how ridiculously manipulative he has become. When he’s on the phone with Skylar and says, “I won,” it really cements the fact that Walt cares very little about most of the people he is associated with and sees his whole business as a mere game that he’s winning. It becomes blatantly clear at this point that he’s not cooking meth for the money, but because he loves it.
4 Days Out
This episode might be the best example of that comedy/drama mix that makes Breaking Bad so enjoyable. The dramatic elements include Walt and Jesse getting stranded in the desert, and Walt waiting to hear the results of the medical tests he has gone through. The comedy elements mainly include Jesse being an idiot, and Walt’s reactions. Both of them almost die in the desert, but lines such as “We’re gonna build a robot!?” and “You brought a meth lab to an airport!?” Make it hilarious to watch. Also, this episode really depicts the Walt and Jesse relationship, which is one of the most important aspects of the series.
One minute
The writers of Breaking Bad are truly masters of suspense, and it really shows in this episode. Here, we finally see the cousins get what’s coming to them. It is extremely satisfying, but because Hank gets badly injured, it’s also extremely nerve-racking. Earlier in the episode, we see the cousins’ back story, and although Hector’s abuse of them doesn’t clear them of all wrongdoing, you can’t help but feel a little bad for them. In fact, this happens with most of the “villains” of the show, which allows the audience to sympathize with them (except for Todd, Lydia, and the Nazis…). This episode also includes the hilarious hospital scene with Walt, Jesse, and Saul after Hank beats Jesse unconscious. It’s incredibly sad, as well, but that mixture of comedy and emotion is pretty much whatBreaking Bad is all about.
Box Cutter
As previously mentioned, I think that Gus is an awesome villain and character, in general. Perhaps the defining moment for him, overall, happens in this episode where he kills one of his men using a box cutter. Giancarlo Esposito is a fantastic actor, and that is shown when he silently enters the lab and prepares to kill his man right in front of a stunned Walt and Jesse. He is absolutely terrifying and the fact that he doesn’t say a word as Walt pleads for his and Jesse’s life makes him even scarier. Overall, this is one of the most suspenseful scenes in the series. This episode also has amazing acting not only from Esposito, but from Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. Jesse is still traumatized after killing Gale, yet is surprisingly level-headed, whereas Walt is incredibly desperate to save his and Jesse’s skins.