AMC’s Breaking Bad is among the most beloved, critically acclaimed American television series of our time. Created by Vince Gilligan, the series charts the transformation of high school science teacher Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) into a cold, calculating meth kingpin. Breaking Bad 101 collects esteemed critic Alan Sepinwall’s (Uproxx) popular Breaking Bad recaps in book form, featuring new, exclusive essays and completely revised and updated commentary—as well as insights from and interviews with the creative masterminds behind Breaking Bad. The ultimate critical companion for one of the greatest television dramas of all time, Breaking Bad 101 offers fans Sepinwall’s smart, funny, and incisive analysis of the psychology and filmmaking craft behind each episode and celebrates the series’ unique place in pop-culture history.
| Foreword |
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10 | (6) |
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| Introduction |
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16 | (10) |
| Season 1 |
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Growth, Then Decay, Then Transformation |
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26 | (4) |
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30 | (4) |
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S1/E2: "Cat's in the Bag..." |
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34 | (2) |
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S1/E3: "...And the Bag's in the River" |
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36 | (4) |
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40 | (6) |
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46 | (1) |
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S1/E6: "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" |
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47 | (8) |
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S1/E7: "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" |
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| Season 2 |
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55 | (4) |
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S2/E1: "Seven Thirty-Seven" |
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59 | (3) |
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62 | (2) |
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S2/E3: "Bit by a Dead Bee" |
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64 | (2) |
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66 | (2) |
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Nothing But a $10 Savings Bond |
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68 | (4) |
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72 | (3) |
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Everyone Needs a Good Lawyer |
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75 | (4) |
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S2/E8: "Better Call Saul" |
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79 | (3) |
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82 | (2) |
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84 | (3) |
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87 | (4) |
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91 | (8) |
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| Season 3 |
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99 | (3) |
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102 | (3) |
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S3/E2: "Caballo Sin Nombre" |
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105 | (2) |
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107 | (3) |
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110 | (3) |
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113 | (3) |
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Ruined. Turned to Shit. Dead. |
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116 | (6) |
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122 | (3) |
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125 | (3) |
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128 | (3) |
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131 | (3) |
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134 | (4) |
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138 | (7) |
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| Season 4 |
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145 | (4) |
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149 | (3) |
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S4/E2: "Thirty-Eight Snub" |
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152 | (3) |
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155 | (3) |
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158 | (3) |
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161 | (4) |
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165 | (1523) |
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1688 | |
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174 | (4) |
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178 | (3) |
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181 | (3) |
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184 | (3) |
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187 | (10) |
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| Season 5.1 |
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The Mysterious Mr. Lambert |
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197 | (4) |
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S5/E1: "Live Free or Die" |
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201 | (3) |
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204 | (4) |
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208 | (3) |
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211 | (3) |
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Hydroflouric Acid and Methylamine |
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214 | (3) |
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This Whole Thing Could Have Been Avoided |
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217 | (3) |
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An Honor Working with You |
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220 | (7) |
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S5/E8: "Gliding Over All" |
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| Season 5.2 |
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227 | (4) |
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231 | (7) |
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238 | (6) |
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244 | (5) |
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Back to the Burial Grounds |
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249 | (4) |
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253 | (7) |
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260 | (4) |
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264 | (8) |
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| Afterword |
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272 | (6) |
| (Burst) Appendix |
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278 | (4) |
| Acknowledgments |
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282 | |
Alan Sepinwall is currently the television critic for Uproxx.com. Prior to Uproxx and HitFix, Sepinwall spent fourteen years as a columnist for Newark, NJ's The Star Ledger. His thoughts on television have appeared in the New York Times, Time magazine, Grantland.com, AOLTV.com, and Variety. Slate has said Sepinwall changed the nature of television criticism and called him the acknowledged king of the form. Sepinwall is also author of The Revolution Was Televised. The New Yorker called it a smart and substantive walk through the past fifteen years of television drama.
