Breaking Badis the only show to have an episode with a perfect score of 10/10 onIMDb, but the impressive achievement came with an unexpected cost for the award-winning crime drama. WithBreaking Badwidely regarded as one of thebest TV shows of all time, such an accolade is perhaps not all that surprising.
That said, theBreaking Badcastand crew faced an interesting challenge after the episode in question aired. It featured one of themoments that definedBreaking Badand set a new standard for narrative milestones in the television industry. On the other hand, the show created a massive obstacle for itself that it failed to overcome.
Vince Gilligan’s Show Is Breathing Exclusive Air
IMDb’s scoring system allows viewers to rate TV episodes on a scale of 1-10, andBreaking Badseason 5, episode 14, “Ozymandias,” is the only installment from across the industry to emerge from this process with a perfect score of 10/10. For a little context,everything from 2nd to 20th place on the same list currently has a score of 9.9/10.
Written by Moira Walley-Beckett and directed by Rian Johnson,“Ozymandias” is flawless in its executionand its placement within the largerBreaking Badstory. It chronicles the immediate fallout of Walter “White” White’s (Bryan Cranston) secret life as the leader of a meth empire being irrefutably outed by his brother-in-law, Dean Norris' Agent Hank Schrader.
Hank’s death boldly takes place before the episode’s first act is even complete, but “Ozymandias” is so densely packed with tension, drama, and long-awaited narrative payoffs that it doesn’t lull for a single second. Viewers have all come to the same conclusion thatthere’s nothing to be done to improve “Ozymandias,“which is an incredible feat.
Even the episode’s title, which is a reference to a famous sonnet by Bysshe Shelley, has been perfectly selected. The literary work centers around its title character, who is also known as Pharaoh Ramses II of Ancient Egypt. It heavily references the ruins of a Ramses II/Ozymandias statue and the fall of his empire, which feels very fitting given Walt’s defeat.
There is no doubting the quality of “Ozymandias.” It was as great as it was, and that’s just how the episode needed to be. However, there were still two more episodes to go beforeBreaking Badcould conclude. The issue with that is that “Ozymandias” was so incredible that"Granite State” and “Felina” had a lot to live up to.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, neither episode was able to uphold the perfect rating awarded to “Ozymandias.” So, it could be argued thatBreaking Badpeaked too soon. A show’s very last episode can routinely be its finest effort, butBreaking Bad, through no real fault of its own, doesn’t fit that pattern.
One of the biggest questions inBreaking Badwas when/if Walt was going to get caught. Season 5 has a gradual ramp-up to that moment, and it comes in the form of a massive turning point in the story. In “Ozymandias,“Walt has completely lost control of the situation, and the rest of the show handles what remains of the aftermath.
So, even thoughthere was more story to tell after “Ozymandias,“the questions of where Walt would go and what he would do next were brand-new. As such, they were very slightly less engaging, although obviously still vital to his arc. In short, placing “Ozymandias” where it fell in the show’s final season was a necessary evil.
Breaking Badwould go on to have one more chance at returning to the heights of “Ozymandias.“Six years later,2019’sEl Caminomovie acted as an epilogueto the show and essentially served as its 63rd episode. Seeing what Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) did after the finale was a worthwhile endeavor, but the movie was still haunted by the success of “Ozymandias.”
“Granite State” is ranked seventh in the list ofbestBreaking BadepisodesonIMDbwith a rating of 9.7/10, and “Felina” is third, with a rating of 9.9/10.“Felina” is even 11th onIMDb’s list of the best TV episodes overall. While neither installment is quite as good as “Ozymandias,” the difference in quality is not very big at all.
Breaking Bad’s penultimate episode, “Granite State,” continues the events of “Ozymandias” brilliantly, and sees the final appearance of Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman in the show. The time jump that then leads to “Felina” is what allows the show to provide itself with an outstanding finale, and eventual sequel movie withEl Camino.
“Ozymandias” essentially serves as the first installment in what goes on to be a three-part finale for the show, withEl Caminotaking up epilogue duties. So, theexplosive moments like Hank’s death were always going to steal the showfor their shock value, but that doesn’t mean theBreaking Badepisodes that follow aren’t part of the same masterpiece.
