‘Breaking Bad’: The Best and Worst Episodes of Season 5, According to IMDb
After four seasons of drama and suspense, Breaking Bad took its final bow with its fifth season back in 2013. The AMC series’ final outing brought Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) journey to a close, weaving tragedy, betrayal, and even a bit of redemption into the last episodes. As fans bid farewell to Walter and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in Breaking Bad Season 5, emotions ran high — and so, too, did the episodes’ ratings. Nearly every installment in the final season was well-reviewed. And the best episode definitely won’t come as a surprise.
‘Breaking Bad’ Season 5 marks the end of the line for Walter White
Breaking Bad Season 4 sees Walter White fully embracing his Heisenberg persona, but there’s only so long that can last. Walter’s actions come back to haunt him during the fifth and final chapter of the show. Once Hank (Dean Norris) realizes his brother-in-law is the man he’s been after all along, tensions boil over. Walter’s involvement in the meth industry ultimately leads to Hank’s demise. It also sees his family finally turning on him.
All of this happens toward the tail end of season 5, right before Breaking Bad skips ahead in time and forces Walter to reckon with what he’s done. But while the series finale is thrilling and satisfying, the episode where four seasons of storytelling come to a head is, predictably, the most loved.
‘Breaking Bad’s higest-rated episode is really no surprise
When Breaking Bad Season 5 first aired, “Ozymandias” was the most explosive of all the episodes — and that hasn’t changed years later. The third-to-last installment in the series brings Walter’s feud with Hank to a close, resulting in Hank’s death and breaking up Walter’s family. Not only is “Ozymandias” packed with suspense and drama, but it showcases some of the best acting of the entire series.
Those are all aspects of “Ozymandias” that landed the episode a 10-star rating on IMDb. It’s the best-reviewed installment of the AMC series, with reviewers calling it “perfect” and a “masterpiece.”
One fan from the “masterpiece” camp marveled at how Breaking Bad never shied away from difficult and brutal developments, writing on IMDb:
“Everything I was hoping for in an episode that has it all. This is the show that goes places you don’t expect, willing to wallow in the darkness, evil, and brutality of human existence. It’s raw, shocking, superbly directed and acted, and simply a powerful masterpiece of TV history.”
Most viewers felt the same, citing similar points in their reviews of the episode. And for season 5 to have a highest-rated installment is impressive, considering none of its installments dipped below 8 stars. For that reason, it’s hard to identify the lowest-rated episode of the final outing.
Multiple episodes tied for the lowest-rated of season 5
Although “Ozymandias” is clearly the best episode of Breaking Bad Season 5, the worst installment is a bit hazier. Not only did none of the episodes receive overwhelmingly negative feedback, but several of them tied for the lowest-rated spot — with 8.9 stars. That’s hardly a score to feel disappointed about. But which installments didn’t jibe with viewers as well as the others?
The one thing all three lowest-rated episodes have in common is that they take place early in the season. “Madrigal,” “Hazard Pay,” and “Fifty-One” all focus heavily on the aftermath of Gus’ death in Breaking Bad Season 4 — but once Jesse and Walter dive headfirst back into business, the episodes’ ratings pick up again.
Of course, it helps that they hijack a train toward the middle of season 5. “Dead Freight” is one of the season’s best installments at 9.7 stars. And things stay in the 9-star range once Hank discovers the truth.
As always, the action-packed, suspenseful episodes of Breaking Bad resonated the most with fans. And they continue to draw viewers back to the show after all these years. It’s no wonder it’s often considered one of the best series of all time.
