Critical reviews of U.S. TV shows
and analysis of what makes them
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Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is a drama about Walter White, a chemistry professor who is diagnosed with lung cancer. He enlists the help of his former student Jesse Pinkman to manufacture and sell methamphetamine. AMC 2008-???

Seasons

Season	Overview	#Episodes	Score	Viewer score
Season 1	2008	7	71	76
Season 2	2009	13	72	78
Season 3	2010	7	71	73
Season 4	2011	13	69	20
Season 5	2012	8	64	74

Top episodes

Season » Episode	Episode	Overview	Score	Viewer score
Season 3 » Episode 7	One Minute	Hank beats Jesse’s face in and soon faces... Hank beats Jesse’s face in and soon faces the legal consequences. Jesse is determined to have his vengeance and even threatens to turn Walt in should things go against him. Walt realises that the only solution, short of killing him, is to bring him into the lab. So he berates Gale and asks Gus to make the switch. Hank comes clean with Marie over what he’s been through and prepares to leave the DEA. He stops to buy flowers for Marie just as the Cousins prepare to strike.	88	86
Season 2 » Episode 9	4 Days Out	Walt has a scan to see how his... Walt has a scan to see how his cancer has responded to the chemotherapy. Between a large mark on the scan and his coughing fits, he assumes he doesn’t have much longer to live. He tells Skyler he is flying out to visit his mother but instead he drags Jesse out to the desert to cook a huge batch of meth. Jesse leaves the key in the ignition and after two days of cooking the battery is flat. Their attempts to restart it fail and they are so far away that Skinny Pete can’t find them. Jesse inspires Walt to create another battery and when they return Walt’s diagnosis is good.	84	90
Season 2 » Episode 2	Grilled	Tuco takes Walt and Jesse out to his... Tuco takes Walt and Jesse out to his place in the country where his disabled uncle Tio lives. He tells them that his operation was hit by the DEA and he suspects Gonzo may have tipped them off. He wants to take them to Mexico to cook in a Super Lab. They attempt to poison him with the ricin but Tio sabotages them. His warnings (with the use of a bell) lead Tuco to try and kill Jesse but they manage to shoot him in the stomach and leave him for dead. Meanwhile Skyler begins the search for Walt and Hank takes time off work to help. He follows Jesse’s car out to Tuco’s place and finds a wounded Tuco standing by Jesse’s car.	82	85
Season 2 » Episode 13	ABQ	Saul sends a man to clean up Jesse's... Saul sends a man to clean up Jesse's apartment and prepare him for the arrival of paramedics. Once Jane is taken away Jesse flees to a crack den where he weeps in Walt's arms. Walt sends him to a health resort while he prepares for his operation. While under drugs to relax him he admits to owning two cell phones. Weeks later and Walt is ready to begin a normal schedule again and Donald heads back to his job as an air traffic controller. Skyler tells Walt that he has the weekend to move out. While he was recuperating she uncovered all his lies and wants nothing to do with him. Donald makes mistakes which lead to the collision of two planes over Albuquerque.	80	90
Season 1 » Episode 1	Pilot	Chemistry teacher and suburban Dad Walter White is... Chemistry teacher and suburban Dad Walter White is working a second job at a car wash to help pay for the new baby on the way. He is already feeling a bit pathetic when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. He asks his brother-in-law Hank, a DEA agent, if he can go on a ride along and spots a former pupil-turned-drug-dealer there. He goes to see Jesse and suggests that they make Meth-Amphetamine together. Walt uses his life savings to buy an RV and they drive into the New Mexico desert to “cook.” Jesse is thrilled with the product and shows it to his former partner and his cousin Crazy Eight. They recognise Walt from the initial bust and intend to kill him and Jesse. Walt offers to teach them his methods and then kills them both using phosphate gas.	78	80

Credit AMC

NOW SHOWING

USA TV: AMC
UK TV: FX UK

ORIGINS

Vince Gilligan began to formulate the idea for the show during a phone call with a friend in 2005. He knew he wanted Bryan Cranston to play the role of Walter White because Cranston had played a racist with a terminal illness during season six of the X-Files.

CONTENT

The show debuted to average ratings but the numbers have slowly increased with each subsequent season. The first season was affected by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike and only produced seven episodes. The next three seasons all had thirteen episodes. After negotiations throughout 2011, AMC announced that the show was renewed for sixteen more episodes that may be split over two seasons.

THETVCRITIC

I was tipped off about Breaking Bad by a kind reader in 2009 and was instantly intrigued by the show's clever premise. I wrote blog posts about the show during season three which are available in the blogs section. I began to write full length reviews starting with season four and began to record podcasts to accompany them.

I would love to go back and write reviews for the first three seasons of Breaking Bad, however it will probably be a long while before I have the time to do it.

November 2011

Podcast

Open the Breaking Bad podcast in iTunes or in your favourite RSS reader:

Latest Epiosodes

The TV Critic.org - Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 6: Sunset

Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 6, Sunset

15/05/2013 - 30:51 min
The TV Critic.org - Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 5: Mas

Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 5, Mas

08/05/2013 - 21:12 min
The TV Critic.org - Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 4: Green Light

Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 4, Green Light

01/05/2013 - 25:02 min
The TV Critic.org - Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 3: I.F.T

Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 3, I.F.T

24/04/2013 - 21:45 min
The TV Critic.org - Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 2: Caballo Sin Nombre

Breaking Bad, Season 3, Episode 2, Caballo Sin Nombre

17/04/2013 - 22:26 min

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Breaking Bad

Seasons

Top episodes

Podcast

Latest Epiosodes