We continue our look at Breaking Bad with the amazing season 3. The show hadn’t quite hit peak form yet, but that’s not to say there aren’t some all-time great episodes in this – in fact, this is the first season where I’ll be awarding some A+ grades. How would I rank the episodes?
You can read other Breaking Bad lists here:
13 – Kafkaesque
Rating: D
Easily the most boring episode in the show’s run, and probably the worst of the bunch.
12 – Green Light
Rating: C
After the great opening “No Mas”, the season grinds to a halt for three episodes in a row (maybe two, one of the episodes has a great ending that we’ll get to eventually), and this dry spell is partly why I consider this to be the second-worst season.
“Green Light” is probably the worst offender of the bunch, as even less happens in this than the other two slow-burners.
11 – I.F.T
Rating: C+
A slow-burner like “Green Light”, except this episode has a little more going for it.
10 – I See You
Rating: B-
There are some great character moments (Jesse alone in the lab is very funny), but the ending seems really out of place and unbelievable.
9 – No Mas
Rating: B
Picking up straight after the events of the season 2 finale, “No Mas” does a great job showing what mental states each of the characters are in. Walt has a great speech in front of the entire school, but it’s Jesse who has taken the events of season 2 the worst, and Aaron Paul deserves all the awards he got for playing the role.
8 – Fly
Rating: B
The definition of a “marmite” episode, most people love to hate on “Fly”, but I actually quite like it.
It has some great slapstick comedy in the first half, before the second half takes a complete left-turn and becomes a character study – and provides some of most revealing character moments in the entire show.
7 – Caballo Sin Nombre
Rating: B
Part of the trio of slow-burners to start the season, except I actually quite like this episode.
Walter’s tangle with the policeman is great to watch, and the ending with the cousins on the cusp of killing Walt was edge-of-your-seat intense. Whenever I hear “Horse With No Name”, I’ll think of this episode.
6 – Abiquiu
Rating: B+
Now THIS is how you set up a two-part finale!
You really feel Jesse’s inner turmoil, and you completely understand why he has to take matters into his own hands.
5 – Mas
Rating: B+
I was wondering if the RV would end up getting stale as a location, so it was amazing when Gus demonstrates a full-on super lab. This was arguably the episode that turned Gus into a bonafide villain, with his speech on “what it means to be a man” chilling me to the core.
4 – Sunset
Rating: A-
An amazing episode of television that puts a lot of events into motion, with the final scenes of the RV being some of the best moments of the entire season.
3 – One Minute
Rating: A
There are too many unbelievable moments in this episode to mention, such as both Hank and Jesse giving some of the most emotional speeches I’ve heard in my life.
The crowning achievement of “One Minute” is of course the final fight scene between Hank and the cousins, and the many twists and incredible moments in the fight easily earn it an A grade.
2 – Full Measure
Rating: A+
This was the first finale in the show that really blew my socks off, and Walt going to meet Gus in full Heisenberg mode is one of my favourite moments ever.
Spoilers to those that haven’t seen the episode, but the end cliffhanger with Jesse and Gale is equal parts incredible as it is heart-breaking, and I was dying to watch the next episode to see what had truly transpired and what the consequences would be.
1 – Half Measures
Rating: A+
At the time, I didn’t think anything would top this masterpiece of televsion.
Mike gives an amazing speech about half measures, Jesse is on the brink of murder, and the ending left me shocked and speechless for hours. Coupled with “Full Measure”, this is one of the greatest season finales of all time without a doubt.
Season Rating: A-
Amazing season, but I know the show can do better. Let’s see the stats:
- 4 A (31%)
- 6 B (46%)
- 2 C (15%)
- 1 D (8%)
4 As in a season is fantastic work, but that one D grade lets the season down, and the dry patch at the start is one of the most frustrating in any season of the show.
Next time we look at season 4, which is up there as one of my favourite seasons of televsion I’ve ever seen …
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