Three years ago one of the greatest, most well-written television shows wrapped up for good as AMC's Breaking Bad came to an end. The show followed the journey of former chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) from humble family man to ruthless drug lord when he turns to cooking meth to fund his cancer treatment. The show is undoubtedly one of the most iconic pieces of television of the decade and its fanbase has only grown vaster since it came to an end three years ago, it was clever, it was violent and it overflowed with suspense. The show contained numerous memorable moments that left audiences on the edges of their seats with mouths wide open in awe, the following list is my choices for my ten favourite moments of the show. Needless to say if you haven't finished the show yet there are spoilers ahead.
10. Say My Name
Like many great shows, Breaking Bad was filled with memorable quotes that have become plastered over merch everywhere since, one of the most iconic of these being 'say my name'. In season five Walt had made his way to the top after taking out former crime boss Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), now nothing could stand in his way. When his accomplice Mike (Jonathan Banks) decides to retire, Walt looks for somebody to take over his role which he finds in the form of a group of dealers led by a man called Declan (Lois Ferreira). Once the dealers agree to take up Mike's end, Walt begins to taunt them by letting them know who's boss, requesting that Declan say his name. When the nervous dealer finally acknowledges Walt as Heisenberg, he responds by saying 'you're goddamn right'. I think this is a brilliant scene, Walt is finally at the top and unopposed so he decides to assert his dominance over the group of dealers. It is a prime example of how really nasty Walt gets with his growing power and one of his most badass moments on the show. You can watch that moment here.
9. Car Park Ambush
Throughout the third season of Breaking Bad a pair of formidable twins (Daniel and Luis Moncada) made their way to Albuquerque with one goal, to kill Walter White. They were seeking vengeance on Walt as they believed that his betrayal of their cousin Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) led to his death, they almost had their revenge and everything until they were stopped by Gus Fring. Fring knew that Walt was a valuable asset and instead told the twins that Tuco's killer was in fact Walt's brother-in-law Hank, this prompted them to go after him instead. What followed was an extremely intense scene where the twins attempted to kill Hank in a car park, luckily Hank managed to crush one with his car first before shooting the other in the head, narrowly escaping his axe. It is an incredibly suspenseful scene as we watch Hank fight for survival against these two terminator-esque foes who are seemingly unstoppable and when Hank finally delivers that final shot a long sigh of relief was breathed. Truly intense stuff which you can witness here.
8. Jane's Death
Season two saw the introduction of Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter), the landlord turned love interest of Walt's partner in crime Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Jane was fiery and strong-willed and her and Jesse got on like a house on fire, however for Walt she proved quite the problem. Not only did she get Jesse hooked on heroin which resulted in Walt almost missing a deal with Gus Fring but she even went as far as blackmailing him so that he would give Jesse his share of the deal. Walt heads to Jesse and Jane's apartment to reconcile however when he moves her to shake Jesse awake she begins to overdose and choke on her own vomit while Walt simply stands and watches it happen. It is a truly harrowing scene as we see Walt's manipulative and cunning nature surfacing, it also acts as a defining moment of season two as it sparked off several other events such as Mike's introduction and the infamous plane crash. What makes it most distressing however, is the fact that Jesse was completely unaware of Walt's presence at the time and remained unaware right up until season five. You can watch that scene here.
7. I Am The Danger
Another brilliant Walter White quote this time directed at his nagging wife Skyler (Anna Gunn). There was always tension between Walt and Skyler, especially when he finally began to crawl from beneath her thumb and gain a new sense of independence. In the sixth episode of season four Skyler once again tries to push Walt to do what she believes to be the right thing, going to the police, which is something Walt clearly disagrees with. She believes that her family is in danger and that going to the police would be the best option, however Walt soon snaps and shoots down her statements by assuring her that they are not in danger because he is the danger. He goes on to say that when someone opens their door and gets shot that he is the one who knocks, these statements leave Skyler speechless for once as Walt has finally managed to assert his dominance. It is a great scene for Walt, he takes a stand against his domineering wife and assures her that he is the biggest and most ruthless power in the meth industry, something that leaves Skyler with a lot to think about. You can see that iconic scene here.
6. Machine Gun-Car
The final episode of Breaking Bad was one of the best possible ways to finish up the show, it saw Walt tying up all of his loose ends before exacting revenge on vicious neo-Nazi Jack (Michael Bowen) in preparation for his inevitable death. In order to eliminate Jack and his men, Walt fitted a machine gun to his car which he then turned on via remote control during negotiations with them. What resulted was a catharsis of violence and gunshot as the gang of neo-Nazis get pumped full of lead relentlessly, Walt then shoots Jack with his own gun and frees Jesse who had been kept by the gang as a prisoner. It was an explosive and satisfying final confrontation for Walt which ended with himself and Jesse making amends before parting ways for good. It was essentially Walt tying up his final loose ends before embracing his impending death, an action packed sequence that you can watch again and again here.
5. Hank's Death
As a DEA agent, Hank Schrader found himself clashing with Heisenberg quite a lot, unaware that the mysterious cook was in fact Walt. After eventually finding out and apprehending Walt in the desert it looked as though Hank had finally closed that case for good, that was until Jack and his gang of neo-Nazi's arrived on the scene. In the thirteenth episode of the fifth season the final scene sees a gunfight breaking out between Hank and his partner Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) and Jack's gang, one that's aftermath is shown in the next episode. With Gomez dead and Hank severely injured things did not look too good for him, although Walt pleaded with Jack to spare Hank's life, the DEA agent knew that he could not escape this one. In one of the shows most powerful scenes, Hank accepts his fate and refuses to beg for mercy knowing that Jack had already made up his mind, something which he tells Walt before abruptly being shot. It was a truly harrowing scene as Hank was such a major character, it leaves a heavy emotional impact on the characters and audience alike. You can watch that harrowing scene here.
4. Train Heist
Not exactly a scene, moreso the guts of an entire episode, the train heist takes place during season five and sees Walt, Jesse and Todd (Jesse Plemons) attempting to rob a train of its methylamine. It is a nailbiting sequence that is so clever and elaborate that it left me sweating with anticipation, not only did the trio have to drain the methylamine from the train but also simultaneously pump it full of water to keep its weight consistent. Things begin well until the train begins to move earlier than expected which placed the whole operation in jeopardy. Despite being told to stop the operation Walt pushes on, risking the lives of both Jesse and Todd, however the trio ultimately get what they came for before the train begins moving again. A truly remarkable sequence like something straight out of a film, it is not only one of season five's most well-written moments but also one of Walt's biggest risks as he puts his partners' lives on the line for the sake of their mission. You can view the fantastic train heist here.
3. Gus Kills the Cartel
Speaking of elaborate moments, the following, for me was one of the highlights of the shows fourth season and sees crime boss Gustavo Fring taking his revenge on the Mexican Cartel. It was previously shown that Gus held resentment towards the Cartel's leader Don Eladio (Steven Bauer) after he killed his business partner years beforehand. Fring arrives at Eladio's villa with Jesse and Mike and for a while it looks as though he has forgiven Eladio, presenting him with a bottle of tequila from which he and his capos proceed to drink along with Gus. However it is soon revealed that the tequila was poisoned as Gus forces himself to vomit it back up, all of the capos and Don Eladio soon succumb to the poison and die thus granting Gus his revenge. Not only was this scene a clever one but it was just so cool, seeing Gus being as calm and collected as ever despite the circumstances really made his character stand out among the rest and it is one of his finest moments in the show. Although he was a bad guy, it was satisfying seeing Gus finally get justice for his partner killed by the Cartel. For me it was one of the coolest scenes on the show and you can watch it in all its glory here.
2. The Prison Massacre
Taking place in season five's midseason finale, the prison massacre sequence is one of the most brutal moments of the show and definitely one of the most memorable ones. After Mike's death, Walt orchestrates a plan to assassinate his nine henchmen and their lawyer simultaneously in three different prisons in the space of two minutes. An ambitious scheme, Walt enlisted the help of Jack who had contacts in the prisons who could carry out the assassinations in the given time and as the clock begins to tick the body count rises in a montage of ultraviolence. There is stabbing, throwing and even burning alive as the ten lives are slowly whittled down to zero and as the chaos ensues in the prisons Walt simply waits in the comfort of his own home. This explosion of violence and mayhem was truly one of Walt's most ruthless schemes and he organised it all without having to kill anybody himself, the juxtaposition of the violent imagery with the music of Nat King Cole playing over it also worked nicely. You can watch the fantastic prison massacre here.
1. Hank Finds Out
My favourite moment from Breaking Bad is not some clever operation or a violent showdown, in fact it has no action at all. However, this scene acts as one of the shows most pivotal turning points and as it was placed at the end of the midseason finale the impact was only enhanced. Earlier in the show Hank found a lead to the identity of Heisenberg in the notes of Walt's former partner Gale (David Costabile) where the initials 'W.W.'were written. He jokingly accused Walt of being W.W. which they both proceeded to laugh about. However, later in season five while Hank is in Walt's bathroom he flicks through the pages of a Walt Whitman book given to Walt as a present from Gale, it is then when he finds Gale's message inside referring to Walt as W.W. After seeing this, Hank finally puts two and two together and realises that Heisenberg had been hiding under his nose the whole time. It is one of the greatest cliffhangers in television history and marked a pivotal turning point in both the show and the relationship between Hank and Walt. Hanks expression of realisation is one that will remain with audiences forever. You can watch that scene here.
So those were just my top ten favourite moments from the show, there are tons of other brilliant scenes in Breaking Bad but these were my personal favourites. If you have a favourite moment from the show let me know in the comments, other than that thank you for reading!
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