7 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, chemistry teacher Walter White, desperate to provide for his family, partners with his former student Jesse Pinkman to cook methamphetamine. Walt, a brilliant chemist, uses his expertise to create a high-quality product, while Jesse handles distribution. Their initial attempts are fraught with danger, including a violent encounter with rival dealers that leaves them dead.
The central conflict escalates as Walt and Jesse grapple with the moral and practical consequences of their actions. They are forced to deal with the aftermath of their first drug deal, including the difficult decision of how to handle a surviving rival. Walt's struggle to maintain his humanity clashes with the brutal reality of the drug trade, leading to Krazy-8 being garroted to death by Walt himself. Later, Walt adopts the alias "Heisenberg" and confronts a dangerous distributor, Tuco Salamanca, by blowing up his office with explosives. This bold move secures their position in the drug world, but also leads to them stealing a crucial ingredient, methylamine, to meet Tuco's demands. The season ends with Walt fully embracing his new, dangerous persona.
Season 1 of Breaking Bad covers episodes 1-7. Here's everything that happened:
Season 1, Episode 1: "Pilot" - Diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer and given two years to live, chemistry teacher Walter White, living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, decides to use his expertise to manufacture methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future. He partners with former student Jesse Pinkman, and they convert a used RV into a mobile drug lab. After a violent confrontation with rival dealers, Walt and Jesse escape, leaving the dealers deceased. The episode concludes with Walt and Jesse driving the RV through the desert, their partnership and criminal enterprise irreversibly begun.
Season 1, Episode 2: "Cat's in the Bag..." - Walter White and Jesse Pinkman grapple with disposing of Emilio Koyama's body and the unexpectedly alive Krazy-8. Jesse attempts to dissolve Emilio in his upstairs bathtub using hydrofluoric acid, resulting in Jesse's bathroom ceiling collapsing into the hallway below. Walt, meanwhile, holds Krazy-8 captive in the basement, struggling to commit murder. Skyler White confronts Jesse, mistakenly believing him to be Walt's marijuana dealer, warning him to stay away from her husband. Walt is left at home, facing unresolved dilemmas.
Season 1, Episode 3: "...and the Bag's in the River" - Walter White and Jesse Pinkman meticulously clean up Emilio Koyama's dissolved remains in Jesse's basement, where Krazy-8 Molina remains captive. Walt grapples with the moral dilemma of killing Krazy-8, even forming a bond during their conversation. However, Walt discovers a missing shard from a broken plate, revealing Krazy-8's intent to stab him. Walt then garrotes Krazy-8 to death with a bike lock, sustaining a stab wound to his leg. Meanwhile, Hank Schrader's DEA team finds the desert cook site and Walt's meth. Walt returns home to find Skyler White crying on their bed, telling her he has something to say.
Season 1, Episode 4: Cancer Man - Walter White finally reveals his Stage III lung cancer diagnosis to his family during a barbecue, leading to a heated confrontation with Walt Jr. Meanwhile, Jesse Pinkman returns to his parents' affluent home but is evicted after taking the blame for a marijuana joint belonging to his younger brother, Jake. Jesse later offers Walt his $4,000 share of meth profits, which Walt angrily rejects. Frustrated by his illness and family dynamics, Walt encounters an obnoxious stockbroker, Ken, at a gas station and detonates Ken's luxury car with fulminated mercury, walking away with a smirk. Jesse is last seen driving away, now homeless.
Season 1, Episode 5: Gray Matter - Jesse Pinkman attempts legitimate employment but, after a failed interview, partners with Badger to cook meth in the desert, only for Jesse to discard their inferior product and drive off. Meanwhile, Walter White attends Elliott Schwartz's birthday, where he rejects Elliott's offer to fund his cancer treatment, fueled by pride and a complex past with Gray Matter Technologies. After a family intervention, Walt initially refuses treatment but later changes his mind, deciding to fight the cancer. He then lies to Gretchen Schwartz about his insurance covering costs, before arriving at Jesse's house, asking, "Wanna cook?"
Season 1, Episode 6: "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" - Walter White, struggling with chemotherapy side effects and the financial strain of his cancer treatment, partners with Jesse Pinkman to produce and distribute methamphetamine. After Jesse is severely beaten and robbed by drug distributor Tuco Salamanca, Walt, adopting the alias "Heisenberg," confronts Tuco. Walt detonates a portion of fulminated mercury in Tuco's office, securing a substantial payment and establishing a new, albeit dangerous, business arrangement. The episode concludes with Walt driving away from the scene, exhilarated by his newfound power, before a cut to black.
Season 1, Episode 7: "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" - Walter White and Jesse Pinkman must produce four pounds of meth for Tuco Salamanca, leading them to steal a barrel of methylamine from a chemical warehouse. They narrowly avoid detection while cooking the signature blue meth in Jesse's basement during an open house. At the junkyard exchange, Tuco violently beats his henchman No-Doze unconscious, leaving Walt and Jesse stunned and fearful in the junkyard.
