History Recap / BreakingBadS1E1Pilot

* SuicideByCop: Walter initially wants to do this, until he decides that he is {{Driven to Suicide}} instead. Neither one works. Then it turns out they're fire trucks.

* JerkJock: One makes fun of Walt Jr. at a clothing store.

* SuicideByCop: Walter initially wants to do this, until he decides that he is {{Driven to Suicide}} instead. Neither one works.

* GladToBeAliveSex: Walt and Skyler after Walt's first hazard-filled day of making crystal meth. Doubles as [[ShutUpKiss Shut Up Sex]] as Walt is clearly uncomfortable with Skyler's questions.

* ContrivedCoincidence / ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: The meth lab owner just so happens to be one of Walt's former students.

* GladToBeAliveSex: Walt and Skyler after Walt's first hazard-filled day of making crystal meth.
** Doubles as [[ShutUpKiss Shut Up Sex]] as Walt is clearly uncomfortable with Skyler's questions.

* VomitDiscretionShot

* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Walt has one that turns out to be lung cancer

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Walt's chemistry lecture about how elements can change into components and get new properties. It neatly reflects the change in his character that he is about to undergo himself during the series.

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Meet Walter White....

* StartOfDarkness: Meet Walter White....

** Walt's attempted suicide attempt by a self-inflicted gunshot wound [[spoiler:is this for his death in "Felina"]].

The first scene we see is several landscape shots of desert in Albuquerque New Mexico. Suddenly, a pair of khakis falls from the sky and is quickly run over by a speeding RV, driven by the owner of the khakis, Walter Hartwell White. He's driving the RV in his white underpants and wearing a gas mask. A young man in the passenger seat has a gas mask as well, but appears to be unconscious. In the back, broken glass, liquids, and two more un-moving bodies are careening around. Walter's mask becomes foggy, and he goes off the road and crashes. He emerges, flinging the gas mask from him in frustration, before donning his shirt and re-entering the RV to retrieve a videocamera and a handgun. He records a tearful message saying goodbye to his family and then stands on the road pointing the pistol toward the sound of oncoming sirens. Cue title sequence!

The first scene we see is several landscape shots of desert in Albuquerque New Mexico. Suddenly, a pair of khakis falls from the sky and is quickly run over by a speeding RV, driven by the owner of the khakis, Walter Hartwell White. He's driving the RV in his white underpants and wearing a gas mask. A young man in the passenger seat has a gas mask as well, but appears to be unconscious. In the back, broken glass, liquids, and two more un-moving bodies are careen around. Walter's mask becomes foggy, and he goes off the road and crashes. He emerges, flinging the gas mask from him in frustration, before donning his shirt and re-entering the RV to retrieve a videocamera and a handgun. He records a tearful message saying goodbye to his family and then stands on the road pointing the pistol toward the sound of oncoming sirens. Cue title sequence!

** Walt's attempted suicide attempt by a self-inflicted gunshot [[spoiler:is this for his death in "Felina"]].

** Walt[[spoiler:'s attempted suicide attempt by a self-inflicted gunshot is this for his death in "Felina"]].

Their partnership settled, Walt steals a box full of chemistry equipment from his own classroom at the high school, while Jesse purchases an RV for them to use as a lab. They drive into the desert and cook, with Walt in his underwear to keep the smell out of the clothes. Jesse declares Walter "an artist", and is clearly impressed with his technical abilities. Jesse takes a sample to his acquaintance Krazy-8, cousin of Emilio. Emilio then walks out of the bathroom, out of jail on bail. The two threaten Jesse for turning them in and ask where he obtained the excellent sample. The three drive out to the RV where Walt is, and when Emilio recognizes Walter from the bust, the two pull their guns on Jesse and Walt. Jesse falls on a rock and is knocked out, while Emilio and Krazy force Walter to show them his recipe. He begins cooking, but causes an explosive cloud of gas and runs out of the RV, holding the door shut as the two inside are poisoned. Walter suddenly notices that the prairie is on fire from a stray cigarette butt, and frantically puts gas masks on himself and Jesse and drives off.

* {{Fanservice}}: ... contrasted with the topless woman kicking Jesse out of her house. According to [[WordOfGod Vince Gilligan]] on the DVD commentary, that scene was a very popular one for the crew to watch the filming of. Apparently the script had been passed around.

* {{Glad to Be Alive Sex}}: Walt and Skyler after Walt's first hazard-filled day of making crystal meth.

* {{Incurable Cough of Death}}: Walt has one that turns out to be lung cancer

* {{Suicide by Cop}}: Walter initially wants to do this, until he decides that he is {{Driven to Suicide}} instead. Neither one works.

! This episode provides examples of:

Their partnership settled, Walt steals a box full of chemistry equipment from his own classroom at the high school, while Jesse purchases an RV for them to use as a lab. They drive into the desert and cook, with Walt in his underwear to keep the smell of the clothes. Jesse declares Walter "an artist", and is clearly impressed with his technical abilities. Jesse takes a sample to his acquaintance Krazy-8, cousin of Emilio. Emilio then walks out of the bathroom, out of jail on bail. The two threaten Jesse for turning them in and ask where he obtained the excellent sample. The three drive out to the RV where Walt is, and when Emilio recognizes Walter from the bust, the two pull their guns on Jesse and Walt. Jesse falls on a rock and is knocked out, while Emilio and Krazy force Walter to show them his recipe. He begins cooking, but causes an explosive cloud of gas and runs out of the RV, holding the door shut as the two inside are poisoned. Walter suddenly notices that the prairie is on fire from a stray cigarette butt, and frantically puts gas masks on himself and Jesse and drives off.

* HowWeGotHere: The teaser.

Now we're back at the opening sequence, and Walter is staring down the road menacingly. He suddenly changes his mind and puts the gun to his head and pulls, only to discover the safety on. His efforts to unlock it only result in a misfire into the ground. The siren vehicles emerge and are revealed to be fire trucks, not police cars as Walt had feared, and are merely rushing past to get to the brushfire they left behind. Jesse emerges from the RV, sporting a black eye, as Walter vomits in the middle of the road. We then see Walt drying all of the cash from the botched drug deal in the family dryer, and getting into bed with Skyler, who is concerned about where he's been. In response, Walt starts seducing her, turns her around for some very intense {{Glad to Be Alive Sex}}. Skyler is clearly shocked, asking "Is that you?" as the credits roll.

After the credits, we flash back to three weeks earlier. Walter is exercising and staring at a plaque commemorating his contributions to Nobel Prize-winning research. At breakfast, his wife Skyler makes him a plate of eggs with veggie bacon spelling out "50". It is Walter's 50th birthday today. His son, Walter Jr., who has cerebral palsy, mocks the veggie bacon and his mother's healthy food crusade. Walter and his son then drive to the JP Wynne High School, where Walt Jr. is a student and Walt Sr. is a chemistry teacher. Walter is also shown working as a carwash cashier, his second job to make ends meet. One of his students happens to spot him wiping down car tires and takes a picture. Humiliated, Walter returns home late to find a surprise birthday party for him, with many guests. His brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, a DEA agent married to Skyler's sister Marie, is making an unsafe demonstration of his Glock pistol, and hands it around to Walt, who has his drink taken from him as the party toasts him, left holding the firearm instead. Hank also features on the television busting a local meth lab. Walt is astounded at how much money the criminals have made.

Now we're back at the opening sequence, and Walter is staring down the road menacingly. He suddenly changes his mind and puts the gun to his head and pulls, only to discover the safety on. His efforts to unlock it only result in a misfire into the ground. The siren vehicles emerge and are revealed to be fire trucks, not police cars as Walt had feared, and are merely rushing past to get to the brushfire they left behind. Jesse emerges from the RV, sporting a black eye, as Walter vomits in the middle of the road. We then see Walt drying all of the cash from the botched drug deal in the family dryer, and getting into bed with Skyler, who is concerned about where he's been. In response, Walt starts seducing her, turns her around for some very intense {{Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex}}. Skyler is clearly shocked, asking "Is that you?" as the credits roll.

Now we're back at the opening sequence, and Walter is staring down the road menacingly. He suddenly changes his mind and puts the gun to his head and pulls, only to discover the safety on. His efforts to unlock it only result in a misfire into the ground. The siren vehicles emerge and are revealed to be fire trucks, not police cars as Walt had feared, and are merely rushing past to get to the brushfire they left behind. Jesse emerges from the RV, sporting a black eye, as Walter vomits in the middle of the road. We then see Walt drying all of the cash from the botched drug deal in the family dryer, and getting into bed with Skyler, who is concerned about where he's been. In response, Walt starts seducing her, turns her around for some very intense glad to be alive sex. Skyler is clearly shocked, asking "Is that you?" as the credits roll.

Their partnership settled, Walt steals a box full of chemistry equipment from his own classroom at the high school, while Jesse purchases an RV for them to use as a lab. They drive into the desert and cook, with Walt in his underwear to keep the smell of the clothes. Jesse declares Walter "an artist", and is clearly impressed with his technical abilities.