Season 5 of Breaking Bad is generally considered to be the greatest season of television of all time. I don't quite agree with that statement, I don't even think it's the greatest season of the series! However, Season 5 is still a powerhouse of a season that shows Breaking Bad going out on a high note.
Season 5 is split into two parts, 5A and 5B, each eight episodes long. Season 5A is the weaker half of the two, a slower paced half-season about Walt forming his big drug empire. As a result, there are a lot of subplots about economics and a general lack of the drama that Season 4 had. However, I still kinda like this half of the season. There are a lot of fun heists this time around as Walt tries to cover his tracks, from the magnet scheme in the premiere, to the train heist in Dead Freight, to the murder of Mike's men. Walt is full-on villain this season and it's a ton of fun to watch Bryan Cranston in the role. I also think this is probably Skylar's best season as well, Anna Gunn does an amazing job conveying the terror that she feels living with Walt. It all culminates in an excellent midseason finale that nearly resolves everything in a neat and tidy fashion, at least until it doesn't.
Season 5B manages to be even better than the first half in a lot of ways due to one major change: Hank now knows Walt is Heisenberg. Seriously, the conflict between Hank and Walt is so ridiculously compelling, it rivals Walt's conflict with Gus. The personal connection that the two have and the amazing job on part of the actors makes every single confrontation between them electric and dramatic, and the cat and mouse game between Walt and Hank is super compelling and fun. This really is a half-seasons about secrets being revealed and characters dealing with the consequences of their actions, as Jesse also starts to learn about the awful things Walt did from poisoning Brock to killing Jane. It all builds up to the climax of the series and greatest episode of all time, Ozymandias. I'll elaborate more on why I love it so much later, but it really brings all of the plot threads and characters together to one explosive head. The sheer quality of nearly every episode in this second half is phenomenal and just barely matches the level of the second half of Season 4, even if I do have a few gripes with this season that prevent it from surpassing the fourth.
My biggest issue with Season 5 is the pacing, a common issue for Breaking Bad. Walt makes his drug empire and retires in the course of just eight episodes and the season contains massive time jumps in episodes like Gliding Over All and Granite State. I feel like Season 5 could have been split into two normal sized seasons rather than two halves of a slightly longer than average season. In addition, I'm not quite sure how I feel about Walt's shift from a straight-up villain to a bit of an anti-hero in the finale. He's done so many awful things that I actually prefer a more tragic episode like Ozymandias as a series finale so that he doesn't end up with a bittersweet ending where he got closure with everyone, though I still enjoyed the ending we got. And while I do enjoy Todd's gang, they don't hold a candle to Gus. Still, when most of my issues with the season boil down to "it's not as good as Season 4", I'd still say this is a pretty great season. Despite my misgivings, I still really love Season 5. It was so compelling that I pretty much just binged it in three days, and packs in some of the best episodes of the series.
Speaking of which, these are the highlights for me, yes, I know it's basically half the season:
Dead Freight: I already mentioned how much fun the Season 5A heists are, but Dead Freight is easily the best of the bunch, likely the best setpiece in the series (if not second to the shootout in Felina). It's tense, exciting, and a bit of a spectacle, while still having its consequences on the series when Todd suddenly shoots a child that saw the whole affair. It's such a shocking shift in tone that pretty much destroys any remaining source of lightheartedness for the rest of the series.
Say My Name: If you've seen this series, you know why this episode is a highlight, two big reasons. First of all, the "say my name" scene is one of the most badass Walt moments in the entire series. Second of all, Mike's death is easily one of the most gutwrenching in the series because of how unnecessary it was, it's not cathartic or shocking, it's just plain tragic. This is a great episode with an amazing start and end.
Gliding Over All: Outside of some time jump quirks, Gliding Over All is a great midseason finale for the season that serves as the obligatory "nearly end everything on a positive note before things start to go to hell at the very last minute" episode that many tragic shows do. It just felt so crazy seeing Walt finally make all of the money he needed to retire, though still not as crazy as Hank finally learning the truth.
Blood Money: This was a great start to Season 5B, nearly entirely focused on Walt and Hank as they both deal with the massive change in their family dynamics. The final confrontation at Hank's garage is so intense and well-acted that it sticks out in my mind as one of my favorite scenes of the season.
Confessions: Similarly to Blood Money, this episode has some truly stunning confrontations within the family, particularly the big scene at the restaurant. I didn't know what to expect when Walt gave Hank a confession tape, but I definitely didn't expect him to make a video that framed Hank instead. There's also a pretty great ending where Jesse learns Walt poisoned Brock, fully turns against him, and plans to burn down his house using gasoline.
To'hajiilee: This episode felt like the final confrontation between Hank and Walt, the end of their cat and mouse game where Hank ended up the victor... almost. Hank was really smart this episode in the way that he finally managed to trap and arrest Walt, but of course, it couldn't end there. The Neo Nazis arrive and start a massive shootout with Hank and Gomez, completely ignoring Walt's pleas. It's a hell of a cliffhanger and a perfect set up for...
Ozymandias: Ozymandias was inevitable. It's the climax, the payoff, the fallout, the consequences of all of Walt's actions. This episode is jam-packed with twists, shocking moments, and resolutions. Its cinematography is immaculate, the pacing is relentless, it left me breathless from start to finish. Like seriously, the sheer amount of stuff that goes on in this episode! Hank and Gomez die, Walt loses his money, Jesse is captured, Jane's death is revealed, Walt Jr learns the truth, Skylar and Walt have a knife fight, Holly is kidnapped, and Walt gets his identity erased, nearly every minute of this episode has some sort of big plot development! Even more, I feel Ozymandias could have even been a strong though tragic series finale, and the next two episodes suffer just because they're not as good as this one. Ozymandias is my favorite episode in television history, and it's gonna take a hell of a lot for that to change. It's hard to improve on perfection, after all.
Felina: I know I said that I don't quite love this episode's direction, but I won't deny that this is still a strong finale and a satisfying note to end on, even if it felt a bit underwhelming after Ozymandias, I feel it still really works as an epilogue. Felina is just plain cathartic, with nearly every villain (except Walt) getting what they deserve. There are a lot of really great scenes in Felina, from Walt's reunion with Skylar, to the final showdown with the Neo Nazis, to Jesse excitedly driving away, to Lydia's death, to Walt dying in the middle of a meth lab. That final scene in particular is pretty much perfect.
Overall, I have my personal gripes with Season 5, but there's no denying that this is just a stellar season of TV with a ton of phenomenal episodes (including the greatest of all time), some satisfying character resolutions, and an absolutely killer back half.
5/5 Stars
My ranking of the Breaking Bad seasons is:
4 > 5 > 2 > 3 > 1
My ranking of the Breaking Bad finales is:
4 > 2 > 5A > 5B > 3 > 1
Favorite Episode: Ozymandias, duh
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