- Breaking Bad (season 1)
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Breaking Bad season 1 
Season 1 DVD coverCountry of origin United States No. of episodes 7 Broadcast Original channel AMC Original run January 20, 2008 – March 9, 2008 Home video release DVD release Region 1 February 24, 2009 Region 2 December 14, 2009 Region 4 July 8, 2009 Blu-ray Disc release Region A March 16, 2010 Season chronology ← Previous
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Season 2List of Breaking Bad episodes 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 47 minutes in length, except the pilot episode which runs approximately 57 minutes. AMC broadcast the first season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States. There were nine episodes planned for the first season but this was cut short 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]
Contents
Plot
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) leads a mundane life as a high school chemistry teacher, living with his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte), who has cerebral palsy. His life is complicated when he is diagnosed with stage-three terminal lung cancer. Walter decides to enter the illegal drug trade to develop a sufficient inheritance for his family before he succumbs to his cancer. He uses his chemistry knowledge to cook a remarkably potent methamphetamine (crystal meth) with one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
The two attempt to sell their product to a drug distributor, "Krazy-8," who believes that Walter is an undercover cop and attempts to kill him. Walter and Jesse manage to defend themselves, by kidnapping and killing Krazy-8 and his accomplice. Walter, deeply disturbed by the ordeal, breaks his ties with Jesse. Upon returning home, Walter and his family discuss long-term plans towards dealing with cancer. While Walter originally wishes to slowly succumb to his cancer rather than suffering the side-effects of chemotherapy, his family eventually convince him to undergo treatment.
Walter is offered financial assistance from his brother-in-law, Hank (Dean Norris), who is a DEA agent, and from his wealthy friend Gretchen, but turns down both offers. Instead, Walter decides to return to producing crystal meth, and tells his family that the money he earns was actually from Gretchen. 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" to conceal his identity.
Cast
See also: List of Breaking Bad charactersMain cast
- Bryan Cranston as Walter White
- Anna Gunn as Skyler White
- Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
- Dean Norris as Hank Schrader
- Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
- RJ Mitte as Walter White, Jr.
Guest starring
- Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez
- Carmen Serano as Principal Carmen Molina
- Jessica Hecht as Gretchen Schwartz
- Maximino Arciniega as Krazy-8 Molina
- Charles Baker as Skinny Pete
- Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca
Episodes
See also: List of Breaking Bad episodes- The first column refers to the episode's number in the overall series.
- The second column refers to the episode's number in that particular season.
№ # Title Directed by Written by Original air date 1 1 "Pilot" Vince Gilligan Vince Gilligan January 20, 2008 Walter White, a 50-year old chemistry teacher, secretly begins making crystal methamphetamine to support his family when he finds out that he has terminal lung cancer. He teams up with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, who is a meth dealer. Jesse is trying to sell the meth but the dealers snatch him and make him show them the lab. Walter knows they intend to kill him so he poisons them while showing them his recipe. 2 2 "Cat's in the Bag…" Adam Bernstein Vince Gilligan January 27, 2008 Walter and Jesse try to dispose of the two bodies in the RV, which becomes increasingly complicated when 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. 3 3 "…And the Bag's in the River" Adam Bernstein Vince Gilligan February 10, 2008 Walter 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. Walter brings Krazy-8 something to eat, but things turn bad when Walter collapses while descending the steps into the basement. When Walter wakes up, he tells Krazy-8 that he has lung cancer and they start talking and get to know one another better. Eventually, Walter decides to release Krazy-8 but, upon realizing he intends to stab Walter upon his release, murders him instead. 4 4 "Cancer Man" Jim McKay Vince Gilligan February 17, 2008 Hank starts looking for the new drugs kingpin around town (unaware that it is Walter). Walter reveals that he has cancer at a family barbecue. Jesse goes to visit his family, and finds out that his young brother is smoking marijuana. Jesse covers for him and is forced to leave his parents' house. 5 5 "Gray Matter" Tricia Brock Patty Lin February 24, 2008 An old friend of Walter offers him a job to pay the chemotherapy, but he turns it down. When Walter tells Skyler about this, she doesn't respond well. Jesse attempts to cook meth on his own, while Walter Jr. gets in trouble when a cop catches him trying to buy beer. 6 6 "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" Bronwen Hughes George Mastras March 2, 2008 Walter and Jesse come to an agreement: Walter will cook the meth while Jesse is the one who sells it on the streets. Skyler asks Walter about his missing hours and he explains that he just wants to be alone sometimes. Walter almost faints while cooking meth and Jesse discovers that the real reason why he is cooking meth is that he has lung cancer and is trying to help his family. Hank tells Walter the truth about Krazy-8. Walter and Jesse search for a new distributor; despite initial problems, they make a deal with a new drug dealer named Tuco. 7 7 "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" Tim Hunter Peter Gould March 9, 2008 Walter and Jesse face difficulties producing the large amount of meth promised to Tuco. Skyler confronts Marie about her shoplifting. 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,[3] and in Region 4 on July 8, 2009.[4] 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.[5]
Reception
The first season of Breaking Bad received generally favorable reviews, scoring 74 out of 100 on Metacritic.[6]
The first season received numerous awards and nominations, including four 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. Cranston also won a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Drama. 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 the pilot episode.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season (2008)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DJLCRC. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b Lambert, David (January 15, 2010). "Breaking Bad - Slight Delay for Season 2 DVD and Blu-ray (and also Season 1 Blu-ray)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Breaking-Bad-Date-Change/13217. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Breaking Bad - Season 1". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0027UY840/. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ "Breaking Bad - The Complete 1st Season (2 Disc Set)". EzyDVD. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/806051. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ "Breaking Bad - 1st Season DVD Set Gets Detailed in the Studio's Press Release". TVShowsOnDVD.com. December 16, 2008. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Breaking-Bad-Season-1-Press-Release/11038. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ "Breaking Bad: Season 1". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/breaking-bad/season-1. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- ^ "Awards for "Breaking Bad" (2008)". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/awards. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- List of Breaking Bad episodes at the Internet Movie Database
- List of Breaking Bad season 1 episodes at TV.com
- Breaking Bad at epguides.com
Breaking Bad Creator Characters Walter White · Skyler White · Jesse Pinkman · Hank Schrader · Marie Schrader · Walter White, Jr. · Saul Goodman · Gus Fring · Mike EhrmantrautEpisodes Related articles Categories:- Breaking Bad (season 1) episodes
- Lists of drama television series episodes
- 2008 television seasons
- Breaking Bad seasons
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