Ozymandias (Breaking Bad)

"Ozymandias" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 60th and third-to-last episode of the series. Written by Moira Walley-Beckett and directed by Rian Johnson, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on September 15, 2013.

"Ozymandias"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 14
Directed byRian Johnson
Written byMoira Walley-Beckett
Featured music"Take My True Love by the Hand" by The Limeliters
Cinematography byMichael Slovis
Editing bySkip Macdonald
Original air dateSeptember 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

The title is a reference to the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem "Ozymandias", drawing on the poem's theme of collapse following greatness; in a teaser trailer for the show's final eight episodes, the entire poem is recited by lead actor Bryan Cranston.[2][3]

"Ozymandias" has been acclaimed since its initial airing as one of the finest episodes of Breaking Bad,[4] and many critics regard it as the greatest episode of dramatic television ever produced.[5][6][7][8][9][10] At the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2014, Walley-Beckett won the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Emmy for her screenplay, and Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn won Lead Actor and Supporting Actress Emmys, respectively, for their performances in the episode.

This episode marks the final appearances of Dean Norris (Hank Schrader) and Steven Michael Quezada (Steven Gomez), though Hank's voice is heard in the following episode, "Granite State", and in a flashback in the series finale, "Felina" (along with Gomez, played by Quezada himself).

Plot

In a flashback set during "Pilot", Walt and Jesse are cooking meth for the first time at the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation. Walt calls a pregnant Skyler and makes up an excuse for why he will be late coming home. Skyler suggests the name Holly for their baby, which Walt finds agreeable. After Walt hangs up, he, Jesse, and the RV fade from view.

At present, in the aftermath of the Tohajiilee shootout, Hank is immobile because of a bullet in his leg, Gomez has been killed, and Jack's gang is unscathed. Jack orders a search for Jesse and prepares to kill Hank. Walt begs Jack to spare his brother-in-law, offering Jack his entire $80 million fortune, which is buried nearby; he then asks Hank to swear that he will drop the investigation. Hank refuses and chides Walter for not realizing Jack is going to kill him anyway. Jack shoots Hank in the head, and Walt collapses to the ground in despair.

Walt's coordinates are used by the gang to locate and unearth the seven buried barrels of money; they load six into their trucks but leave one for Walt after Jack accedes to a request from [[Todd Alquist|Todd], who sympathizes with and admires Walt. The gang buries Hank and Gomez in the hole left by unearthing the barrels. Walt spots Jesse's hiding place and requests that Jack's men carry out the "hit" Walt previously requested; Todd suggests that Jesse could be useful, so they make him their prisoner. Walt spitefully reveals to Jesse that he was present when Jane died, and decided not to save her life. At Jack's headquarters, Jesse is abused and detained in a cell, when he is not forced to cook meth.

A bullet pierced Walt's fuel tank during the shootout, so Walt runs out of gas while driving home. Abandoning his car, he rolls the money barrel through the desert until he arrives at a house and buys the owner's truck. At the car wash, Marie informs Skyler that Hank has arrested Walt. With Walt now apparently caught, Marie offers to support her sister and their family, but demands that Skyler give up all copies of the false confession video implicating Hank and tell Walt Jr. the truth. Walt Jr. at first refuses to believe his father is a criminal; he then tells Skyler that if it is true, she is just as bad for going along with it.

Reaching home, Walt hurriedly begins packing. Skyler and Walt Jr. soon arrive, and he orders them to do the same. Walt promises to explain everything later, but Skyler assumes that he has killed Hank. When Walt refuses to answer as to Hank's whereabouts, Skyler grabs a kitchen knife and orders him to leave. An altercation ensues and Walt Jr. calls the police, falsely reporting Walt as the attacker in an effort to get him arrested. Walt escapes with Holly.

The police soon arrive at the White home, as does Marie. They tap the Whites' phone and try tracing it when Walt calls. After Skyler tells him she is alone, Walt berates her, accuses her of never supporting his criminal activities and says he did all the work alone to build up his drug business. Skyler is at first confused by his words and tone, but soon realizes Walt knows the phone is tapped and is trying to clear her of involvement in his crimes. When Skyler inquires about Hank's whereabouts, Walt suppresses his weeping and says she will never see Hank again. Marie realizes Hank is dead and breaks down in tears. Skyler pleads with Walt to come home with Holly, but Walt tells her he still has things to do. He destroys his phone and leaves Holly at a nearby fire station with her home address written on a note. The next morning, Walt sits on the side of the highway where Jesse previously waited for Saul's new-identity contact. A red van pulls up and Walt packs in his bags and his single barrel of money, then rides off.

Production
Dean Norris made his final on-screen appearance in "Breaking Bad" in "Ozymandias"

The episode was written by Moira Walley-Beckett and directed by Rian Johnson. Walley-Beckett requested to work with Johnson because of their positive experiences together working on the third-season episode "Fly."[1]

It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on September 15, 2013. The song used in the episode is "Take My True Love by the Hand" by The Limeliters, which is a version of a folk song called "Times Are Gettin' Hard, Boys".[11]

The episode title refers to the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, which recounts the crumbling legacy of a once-proud king. Over the course of the episode, most of the main characters fall to their knees out of grief, in keeping with the poem. At the end of the fifth episode of Talking Bad, Vince Gilligan emphasized the line: "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" in reference to Walt and his fallen empire. Bryan Cranston recites the entire poem in a 2013 trailer for the series.[3][12]

This episode marks the final appearance of Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada). On Talking Bad, Norris said that Hank's death was shot in just one take. Hank was originally supposed to die at the end of the previous episode, but it was moved to "Ozymandias" for better pacing.[13]

To preserve the drama of the scene in which Hank is killed, the show's producers secured special permission from the Hollywood guilds to delay showing the credits (which would normally appear immediately after the main title sequence) until 19 minutes into the episode.[14]

The opening flashback scene was the last scene to be shot for the entire series. The crew waited to film the episode to allow for Cranston's and Paul's hair to grow in so they would look like they did before Walt began shaving his head and Jesse began wearing his short. Although it was filmed months after the rest of the episode, Johnson was able to return to direct the scene.[1][13]

When Walt holds Holly in a changing room, after taking her from his home, she looks at him and says, "Mama" several times. Producer Moira Walley-Beckett, who wrote the episode, said during an interview with NBC News that it was unscripted, but when it happened Cranston went along with it. The production team decided it was a moment of "movie magic".[15]

Reception

Critical reception
Bryan Cranston (left) and Anna Gunn (right) won Primetime Emmy Awards for their respective performances in "Ozymandias".

"Ozymandias" received universal critical acclaim and was described by several publications as the series' best episode, as well as one of the greatest episodes of television ever produced.[7][4] Critics praised every aspect including the acting by the cast (particularly Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, and Betsy Brandt), directing by Rian Johnson, and writing by Moira Walley-Beckett.[11][16][6] By the end of 2013, TIME placed the episode number 1 on their list of "Top 10 TV Episodes of 2013."[17]

Tom Mendelsohn of The Independent speculated that the episode may be the best ever written for television, stating that "the show's writers are positively Shakespearian in the thorough way they set about bestowing calamity on their characters. [...] After a slow start to the second part of this fifth and final season, in which the moving parts of this catastrophe engine were painstakingly set into place, the master plan was finally made appallingly clear".[7] Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a full 10 out of 10 score and called it the "most gut-wrenching, twisted, horrific, and well-planned" episode of the series thus far and described it as "a capitalization on all of the built-up pieces that add up to a puzzle." Amitin additionally lauded the episode's directing and acting, stating that he could "taste" the episode's "cruelty and bitter tears".[18] In Amitin's later review of Season 5B as a whole, he referred to the episode as "maybe the best episode of TV [he's] ever seen."[19]

James Poniewozik of Time magazine noted the significance of both phone conversations between Walt and Skyler, marking the beginning and the end of his journey, respectively.[20] Kevin Yeoman of Screenrant saw the final phone conversation as an act designed to clear Skyler's name and kill off Walt's current identity, with the new one being Mr. Lambert (as seen in the flashforwards in "Live Free or Die" and "Blood Money"). Yeoman also noted that the fact that most of the harsh violent scenarios occurred off-screen did not deduct from the cinematic intensity.[21] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post stated that the episode was indescribable and "the hardest episode of TV [she] ever watched", describing it as "mind-bendingly, soul-churningly devastating" and "sickening".[6] Tim Surette of TV.com called the episode "terrific and awful to watch; a powerful piece of television that transcended fiction". He also compared the sight of Walt rolling the money barrel in the desert to a dung beetle.[22] Nick Harley of Den of Geek stated that the episode was "the single greatest hour of television" he had ever seen.[23]

On the Breaking Bad Insider podcast, Vince Gilligan revealed that he considers the episode to be the best of the series.[13] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter agreed with Gilligan, and noted that several events that the show had been building up to in past episodes finally came to fruition.[24] On his blog, George R. R. Martin, the creator of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire (which was adapted to the critically acclaimed TV series Game of Thrones), called both the series and the episode "amazing" and noted that "Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros", adding further "I need to do something about that".[25][26][27][28] Drusilla Moorhouse, an online contributor to The Today Show's website, remarked how "nothing could compare to Walt's cruelty" when he revealed to Jesse the truth about his involvement in Jane's death, and described the episode as the destruction of Walt's family; however, she also noted Walt's selflessness when he "rewrote the history of [Skyler's] complicity" by making the phone call, and when he placed Holly in a fire truck to be safely returned home.[29]

TVLine named the two infant actresses Elanor Anne Wenrich and Moira Bryg MacDonald, who both performed the role of Holly White in tandem, the "Performer of the Week" for their performance in this episode.[30]

In 2016, Alan Sepinwall stated, "If you were to ask me what is the best hour of dramatic television ever, I would say Breaking Bad's 'Ozymandias' and not think twice about it."[31]

Mendelsohn has discussed the esteem in which fans also hold the episode by noting that it had received a perfect 10 score from over 12,000 reviewers on IMDb within less than three days, and it still remained on 10. It has remained a 10/10 after 125,381 votes as of January 2021.

For its 65th anniversary, TV Guide picked "Ozymandias" as the best television episode of the 21st century.[32]

In 2019 The Ringer ranked "Ozymandias" as the best episode out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes, noting it contains the "moment when Walt’s monstrous selfishness finally shatters his family unit for good" and declaring it as "indisputably" the peak of Breaking Bad.[33]

Ratings

The episode was watched by 6.37 million viewers on its original broadcast, which increased in over a million viewers from the previous episode.[34][35]

The episode is rated 10/10 on IMDB.

Accolades

Moira Walley-Beckett received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for writing this episode.[36] Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn both submitted this episode for consideration after being nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, with each winning their categories, as well.[37]

References
  1. Wickman, Forrest (September 19, 2013). "Director's commentary with Rian Johnson". Slate. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
  2. Mainville, Devin (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad Review: The Empire Stikes Back in "Ozymandias"". Chicago Now. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  3. Moaba, Alex (July 30, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' 'Ozymandias' Teaser Sounds Ominous". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  4. Dietz, Jason (September 15, 2013). "Episode Review: Breaking Bad, "Ozymandias"". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  5. Forcella, Dan (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad Review: For Family". TV Fanatic. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  6. Ryan, Maureen (September 15, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' 'Ozymandias' Recap: Devastation". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  7. Mendelsohn, Tom (September 17, 2013). "Is Breaking Bad's Ozymandias the greatest episode of TV ever written?". The Independent. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  8. Branham, Matt (October 7, 2016). "The 10 Best Episodes Of TV History". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  9. Bishop, Hunter (February 15, 2016). "The Five Best TV Episodes Of All Time". FanSided. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  10. Carter, Matt (November 24, 2016). "From Buffy To Breaking Bad: What Is The Best TV Episode Of All Time?". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on November 1, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  11. Bowman, Donna (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad: Ozymandias". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  12. "Why did Breaking Bad use Ozymandias?". BBC News Magazine Monitor. August 1, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  13. Dixon, Kelly and Gilligan, Vince (2013). Breaking Bad Insider Podcast (podcast). iTunes. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  14. Sepinwall, Alan (December 26, 2013). "'Breaking Bad': Ozymandias review, take two". Uproxx. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  15. Fernandez, Maria Elena (September 16, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' producer: 'I didn't script the baby saying mama'". NBC News. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  16. Sepinwall, Alan (September 15, 2013). "Review: 'Breaking Bad' – 'Ozymandias': Roll out the barrel". HitFix. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  17. Poniewozik, James (December 4, 2013). "Top 10 TV Episodes". TIME. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  18. Amitin, Seth (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad: "Ozymandias" Review". IGN. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  19. Amitin, Seth (October 3, 2013). "Breaking Bad: The Final Season Review". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  20. Poniewozik, James (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad Watch: Take Good Care of My Baby". TIME. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  21. Yeoman, Kevin (September 17, 2013). "'Ozymandias' recap: The newest 'Breaking Bad' episode finds many main characters in trouble". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  22. Surette, Tim (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad "Ozymandias" Review: Family Feud". TV.com. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  23. Harley, Nick (September 15, 2013). "Breaking Bad: Ozymandias, Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  24. Goodman, Tim (September 15, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Deconstruction, Ep. 14: 'Ozymandias'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  25. Martin, George R. R. (September 16, 2013). "Breaking Bad". Not A Blog. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  26. O'Neal, Sean (September 18, 2013). "Breaking Bad inspires George R.R. Martin to finish writing blog post about how badass Walter White is". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  27. Goldman, Eric (September 18, 2013). "George R.R. Martin Says Breaking Bad's Walter White is a Bigger Monster than Anyone in Game of Thrones". IGN. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  28. Wigler, Josh (September 18, 2013). "George R. R. Martin declares 'Breaking Bad's' Walter White 'bigger monster than anyone in Westeros'". HitFix. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  29. Moorhouse, Drusilla (September 16, 2013). "'Breaking Bad': How Walt destroyed his family". Today.com. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  30. "TVLine's Performer of the Week: The Little Actresses Playing Breaking Bad's Holly". TVLine. September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  31. Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (2016). TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 1-4555-8820-2.
  32. Roush, Matt (April 2–15, 2018). "65 Best Episodes of the 21st Century". TV Guide.
  33. Alison Herman (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer.
  34. Bibel, Sara (September 17, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night, 'Real Housewives', 'Dexter, 'Devious Maids', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'The Newsroom' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  35. Bibel, Sara (September 16, 2013). "Breaking Bad' Delivers a Record 6.4 Million Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
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  37. Beachum, Chris (July 16, 2014). "Exclusive: AMC's Emmy episode submissions for 'Breaking Bad' & 'Mad Men'". GoldDerby.com. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
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