Breaking Bad (season 1)

Breaking Bad (season 1)

Season 1 DVD cover
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 7
Release
Original network AMC
Original release January 20 – March 9, 2008 (2008-03-09)

The first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad premiered on January 20, 2008 and concluded on March 9, 2008. It consisted of seven episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length, except the pilot episode which runs approximately 58 minutes. AMC broadcast the first season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States. Season one was to consist of nine episodes, but was reduced to seven by the writer's strike. The complete first season was released on Region 1 DVD on February 24, 2009[1] and Region A Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.[2]

Plot

Walter "Walt" White (Bryan Cranston) leads a mundane, timid life as a high school chemistry teacher whose students are uninterested and disrespectful. The job pays so poorly that Walt needs to work at a car wash for additional income, making him the subject of ridicule for his students. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his pregnant wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), and his high school aged son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte), who has cerebral palsy. Walter's life is further complicated when, while working at the car wash on the day after his 50th birthday, he collapses. At the hospital, he is diagnosed with stage-three terminal lung cancer. Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), his DEA Agent brother-in-law, offers Walt the opportunity to go on a ride-along to bust a meth lab. While at the scene, Walt notices former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) fleeing the scene. Walt uses student records to trace Jesse down and blackmails him into letting him join the drug business; Walt wants to make drug money to provide for his family after his death from the cancer.

Jesse attempts to sell their product to a drug distributor, "Krazy-8", who believes Walter is an undercover cop and attempts to kill him. Walter manages to defend himself, killing Krazy-8's cousin Emilio and eventually Krazy-8, who is ironically revealed to be a police informant for Hank. Walter, deeply disturbed by the ordeal and disappointed by Jesse's unreliability, breaks his ties with Jesse. Upon returning home, Walter and his family discuss long-term plans towards dealing with his cancer. While Walter originally wishes to slowly succumb to his disease rather than suffering the side-effects of chemotherapy or spending $90,000 out of pocket for an uncertain treatment outcome, his family eventually convinces him to undergo treatment.

Walter is offered financial assistance by Hank and his wife Marie (Betsy Brandt), and from his wealthy former business partners Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz, but turns down both offers. Instead, Walter decides to return to producing meth and tells his family the money he earns is actually from the Schwartzes. Walter then convinces Jesse that they should start selling their product to Tuco (Raymond Cruz), a powerful but psychopathic drug distributor. The two begin to expand their operations by stealing a large drum of methylamine, thereby allowing them to produce large quantities of meth for Tuco. Walter begins to come to terms with his secret lifestyle, and creates the pseudonym "Heisenberg" (named after Werner Heisenberg, a Nobel Laureate, German physicist who died of kidney cancer) to conceal his identity.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.
overall 		 No. in
season 		 Title  Directed by  Written by  Original air date  U.S. viewers
(millions) 
11"Pilot"Vince GilliganVince GilliganJanuary 20, 2008 (2008-01-20)1.41[3]
Walter White, a 50-year-old chemistry teacher, secretly begins making crystallized methamphetamine to support his family after learning that he has terminal lung cancer. He teams up with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, who is a meth dealer. Jesse tries to sell the meth they made, but the dealers snatch him and make him show them their lab, which is in an old RV. Walt knows the dealers intend to kill him, so he poisons them while pretending to share his recipe.
22"Cat's in the Bag..."Adam BernsteinVince GilliganJanuary 27, 2008 (2008-01-27)1.49[4]
Walt and Jesse try to dispose of the two bodies in the RV, which becomes increasingly complicated when one of them, Krazy-8, wakes up. They eventually imprison him in Jesse's basement. Meanwhile, Skyler grows suspicious of Walter's recent behavior and discovers that their baby is a girl. Jesse disposes of the body of the other dealer, Emilio Koyama, using hydrofluoric acid as per Walt's instructions, but ignores Walt's warning to use a plastic bin and instead destroys his bathtub in the process.
33"...And the Bag's in the River"Adam BernsteinVince GilliganFebruary 10, 2008 (2008-02-10)1.08[5]
Walt cannot decide whether or not to kill Krazy-8. Meanwhile, Marie believes that Walter Jr. is smoking marijuana and asks Hank to scare him straight. Walt brings Krazy-8 something to eat, but things turn bad when Walt collapses while descending the steps into the basement. When Walt wakes up, he tells Krazy-8 that he has lung cancer and they start talking about unexpected things they have in common. Eventually, Walt decides to release Krazy-8 but, while disposing of the shards of a broken plate, he sees that a shard is missing and realizes Krazy-8 has concealed it to use as a weapon against him. Feigning his release, Walt confronts Krazy-8 with this information and is immediately attacked; he subsequently garrottes his prisoner in self-defense.
44"Cancer Man"Jim McKayVince GilliganFebruary 17, 2008 (2008-02-17)1.09[6]
Hank starts looking for the new drug kingpin around town (unaware that it is Walt). Walt reveals that he has cancer at a family barbecue. Jesse goes to visit his family, and finds out that his younger brother, who is very successful in sports and music, is smoking marijuana. Jesse covers for him, and is forced to leave his parents' house.
55"Gray Matter"Tricia BrockPatty LinFebruary 24, 2008 (2008-02-24)0.97[7]
Walt declines an offer of financial help from an old friend. Jesse attempts to cook meth on his own but cannot replicate the quality of Walt's product, while Walter Jr. gets caught trying to buy beer. Meanwhile, Walt's family attempts an intervention to persuade him to undergo chemotherapy; he initially refuses but later relents. Despite being offered funding by Gretchen, his friend's wife, he returns to Jesse's house and asks to resume their partnership.
66"Crazy Handful of Nothin'"Bronwen HughesGeorge MastrasMarch 2, 2008 (2008-03-02)1.07[8]
Walt and Jesse come to an agreement: Walt will cook the meth while Jesse sells it. He eventually discovers Walt's purpose in collaborating with him. Meanwhile, Hank ties the recovered respirator back to the high school chemistry lab and investigates further. After discovering the start of a hair loss, Walt shaves his head. When the initial batch of meth only yields $2,600, Walt demands that Jesse find a new distributor to fund his medical expenses. Jesse gets connected to Tuco, the drug dealer who replaced Krazy-8. However, when Jesse goes to make a deal, Tuco severely beats him and steals the meth. Walt returns and causes an explosion in Tuco's hideout. Tuco then decides to deal with Walt.
77"A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal"Tim HunterPeter GouldMarch 9, 2008 (2008-03-09)1.50[9]
Walt and Jesse face difficulties producing the large amount of meth promised to Tuco. Skyler confronts Marie about her shoplifting after being detained at the jewelry store where Marie stole an expensive baby's tiara that she gave to Skyler for her baby shower. Walt and Jesse use thermite to break into a warehouse, where they steal a large barrel of methylamine. Methylamine is necessary for a new recipe that can produce much more meth in a shorter period of time, without the need to procure large quantities of pseudoephedrine. They deliver the promised amount of meth to Tuco, but during the transaction, one of Tuco's associates makes a seemingly innocuous comment, prompting Tuco to savagely beat him.

Music

Breaking Bad's original score is composed by Dave Porter. The show also uses music from other recording artists with Music Supervision by Thomas Golubić. Select songs from Season 1 are featured on the Breaking Bad Soundtrack available through iTunes and Amazon.com.[10]

Home video releases

The first season was released on DVD in Region 1 on February 24, 2009,[1] in Region 2 on December 14, 2009,[11] and in Region 4 on July 8, 2009.[12] It was released on Blu-ray in Region A on March 16, 2010.[2] Special features on the DVD and Blu-ray include two audio commentaries—"Pilot" by creator Vince Gilligan, cast members Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, and RJ Mitte, and editor Lynne Willingham and "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" by Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, and writer George Mastras; "The Making of Breaking Bad"; "Inside Breaking Bad"; AMC Shootout – Interview with Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, and Mark Johnson; deleted scenes; screen tests; and Vince Gilligan's photo gallery.[13]

Reception

Reviews

The first season of Breaking Bad received generally favorable reviews, scoring 74 out of 100 on Metacritic.[14] New York Post critic Linda Stasi praised the series, particularly the acting of Cranston and Paul, stating "Cranston and Paul are so good, it's astounding. I'd say the two have created great chemistry, but I'm ashamed to say such a cheap thing."[15] Robert Bianco of USA Today also praised Cranston and Paul, exclaiming "There is humor in the show, mostly in Walt's efforts to impose scholarly logic on the business and on his idiot apprentice, a role Paul plays very well. But even their scenes lean toward the suspenseful, as the duo learns that killing someone, even in self-defense, is ugly, messy work."[16]

Awards and nominations

The first season received numerous awards and nominations, including four Primetime Emmy Award nominations with two wins. Bryan Cranston won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lynne Willingham won for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series. Vince Gilligan was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the pilot episode and John Toll was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series for the pilot episode. Cranston also won a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The series was nominated for Outstanding New Program of the Year at the Television Critics Association Awards. The series also received three Writers Guild of America Award nominations with one win. It was nominated for Best New Series, Patty Lin was nominated for Best Episodic Drama for "Gray Matter", and Vince Gilligan won for Best Episodic Drama for his work on the pilot.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season (2008)". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Lambert, David (January 15, 2010). "Breaking Bad - Slight Delay for Season 2 DVD and Blu-ray (and also Season 1 Blu-ray)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ O'Connell, Michael (September 30, 2013). "TV Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Finale Smashes Records With 10.3 Million Viewers". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ Yanan, Travis (January 29, 2008). "Sunday original finals: 1/27/08". The Programming Insider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  5. ↑ Yanan, Travis (February 13, 2008). "Sunday original finals: 2/10/08". The Programming Insider. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Yanan, Travis (February 20, 2008). "Sunday original finals: 2/17/08". The Programming Insider. Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  7. ↑ Crupi, Anthony (September 30, 2013). "Breaking Bad Finale Draws 10.3 Million Viewers". Adweek. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ Berman, Marc (January 31, 2010). "Breaking Bad Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ Levin, Gary (March 11, 2008). "Nielsens: 'Runway' finale rules on cable". USA Today. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Music From Breaking Bad Season 1". AMCTV.com. January 18, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Breaking Bad - Season 1". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Breaking Bad - The Complete 1st Season (2 Disc Set)". EzyDVD. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Breaking Bad - 1st Season DVD Set Gets Detailed in the Studio's Press Release". TVShowsOnDVD.com. December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Breaking Bad: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  15. ↑ Stasi, Linda (January 17, 2008). "TOUR DE PANTS, Breaking Bad is Not Your Typical Drama". New York Post. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  16. ↑ Bianco, Robert (January 17, 2008). "'Breaking' is far from bad; it's fantastic". USA Today. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Awards for "Breaking Bad" (2008)". IMDB. Retrieved November 13, 2010.

External links

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