- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Breaking Bad."
- If you don't have time to watch all 62 episodes of the AMC series before the "Breaking Bad" movie comes to Netflix in October, Insider rounds up the essential episodes you should rewatch before continuing Jesse Pinkman's journey in the sequel.
- In addition to the pilot and finale, a majority of "Breaking Bad's" finest episodes come during its final season.
- We also included a few additional recommendations if you have the time.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
"El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" drops on Netflix on Friday, October 11 and will pick up where the AMC series left off in 2013 with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) driving off to freedom.
If the news of a "Breaking Bad" sequel has you stressing out about trying to find the time to binge all five seasons of the show, you're not alone.
Insider rounded up a list of essential "Breaking Bad" episodes of the AMC series so you're not confused when you dive into the two-hour movie.
This list does not round up all of the best episodes of the series. Instead, it looks at ones that are most important to your understanding of the series along with ones we believe will be pertinent to Jesse's ongoing narrative in the order they were released.
Season 1, Episode 1: 'Pilot'
Why it's important to watch: You'll understand exactly why Walter White, a simple high school chemistry teacher with a side job at a car wash, goes from teaching students to cooking meth with a former student after he learns he has inoperable lung cancer.
Highlight of the episode: The opening of the episode show's an RV racing through the desert with three indisposed people before it crashes. An older man in tighty-whities comes out onto a barren road and aims a gun at nobody as he seems prepared to face an uncertain fate.
If you're completely confused about what's going on, that's the point. But by the episode's end, your questions are answered about how and why this man was in the desert and paranoid.
Season 1, Episode 2: 'The Cat's Out of the Bag'
Why it's important to watch: This is the first of many times Walt and Jesse use hydrofluoric acid over the series when disposing of dead bodies. Here, Jesse learns how he shouldn't handle the very dangerous substance. Though Jesse tries to avoid killing at all costs, he knows exactly what to do if any bodies need to disappear in the movie.
Highlight of the episode: The moment Walt and Jesse horrifically watch as the hydrofluoric acid eats through the ceiling and a man's remains splatter all over the first floor was one of the first moments that had viewers hooked to the series.
Season 1, Episode 4: 'Cancer Man'
Why it's important to watch: Walt's entire family learns he has cancer in this episode, but the primary reason to watch is because of Jesse.
This is the first and last time we really get a full look at Jesse Pinkman's parents and his seemingly perfect little brother, Jake. Jesse has a strained relationship with his family because of his prior drug use. Since the movie revolves around Jesse, he may reach out to them again in the film.
In addition, one of Jesse's friends Skinny Pete is introduced onto the show. We already know he'll be back for the film. Jesse will head to his house after breaking free.
Highlight of the episode: At the episode's end, Walt gets revenge on a rude man named Ken by blowing up his convertible. It's the first time on the show you see Walt do something diabolical and feel nothing but satisfaction as he drives away with a big grin on his face.
Season 1, Episode 6: 'Crazy Handful of Nothin''
Why it's important to watch: Walt shaves off all of his hair. He sticks with the bald look for the majority of the rest of the series. He uses the Heisenberg nickname for the first time during a drug deal, which becomes synonymous throughout the series with the blue meth he cooks.
He also tries out the iconic Heisenberg hat for the first time, and, when he does, he shows the first real signs of his descent into a Scarface-like villain.
Highlight of the episode: Tune into the end of the episode where Walt confronts Tuco after he puts Jesse in the hospital. He winds up blowing up Tuco's place of operation with fulminated mercury to teach him a lesson and get his payment in full — and then some — for himself and Jesse.
Season 2, Episode 8: 'Better Call Saul'
Why it's important to watch: The lovable and quick on his feet Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) is introduced and becomes Walt and Jesse's legal counsel and future money launderer.
Highlight of the episode: Jesse and Walt maneuver to make sure Badger sends a fake Heisenberg to prison.
Season 2, Episode 12: 'Phoenix'
Why it's important to watch: One of the darkest episodes of the series, Walt stands back and does nothing as he horrifyingly allows Jesse's girlfriend, Jane, to choke to death. It's a secret he keeps from Jesse for a long time and one he may revisit in "El Camino."
It's all the more gut-wrenching when you learn Walt was speaking with Jane's father, unknowingly, moments beforehand in a bar. The moment solidifies Walt's turning point in the series as he truly began his descent into a cold-hearted villain.
Highlight of the episode: Jane's death is one of the hardest moments of the series to watch, especially as Jesse lies beside her unconscious.
Season 3, Episode 1: 'No Mas'
Why it's important to watch: Walt's wife Skyler figures out that he's a drug dealer and Walt tries to leave the business, declaring he's not a criminal and doesn't want to be.
During a conversation with Walt, Jesse tells him: "You either run from things or you face them." He says it's about "accepting who you really are." That's a piece of advice that will probably hold true in "El Camino" as Jesse returns home to face his mistakes and make amends.
Highlight of the episode: Walt's conversation with Gus near the end of the episode when he's offered $3 million dollars to work with him for three months. Here, Walt turns him down.
Season 3, Episode 7: 'One Minute'
Why it's important to watch: Walt changes his mind and is working again for Gus. He enlists Jesse to begin cooking with him. Jesse, meanwhile, tells Walt that he has "lost everything" since working with the "great Heisenberg" after getting attacked by Walt's DEA brother-in-law, Hank.
Highlights of the episode: Jesse's monologue where he goes off on Walt and tells him he wants "nothing to do with him" is one of the series' most powerful and upsetting moments. Aaron Paul shared the scene on Twitter saying it will prepare fans "for what's to come."
The final minutes of this episode deliver a showdown between Hank and the Salamanca cousins in a parking lot. Hank receives a mysterious call warning him that two people are coming to kill him in exactly one minute and it sets in motion a tense and dramatic five minutes.
Season 4, Episode 6: 'Cornered'
Why it's important to watch: Walt delivers one of his most memorable speeches of the series (seen above), and chews out his old boss, Bogdan.
Most importantly, the episode shows that, if given the chance to succeed and driven by the right people, Jesse could do some good. The episode highlights Jesse's loyalty to Gus Fring and one of his security details, Mike. That's in direct contrast to where Jesse's relationship with Walt has gotten him.
Highlight of the episode: 10 minutes into the episode, Skyler tries to convince Walt to give himself in, suggesting he's in danger. Walt turns around and gives one of his best speeches of the series, telling his wife — and terrifying her at the same time — that he is the danger, he is the one who knocks.
Season 4, Episode 11: 'Crawl Space'
Why it's important to watch: Nearly every moment of this episode is non-stop action. Gus is done working with Walt and wants him dead. Jesse says he won't work for Gus unless Walt is kept alive. Gus, reluctantly, tells Walt he'll leave him be as long as he behaves.
By the episode's end, Walt cracks when he finds all of his extra money is missing because of his wife and starts laughing maniacally in the house's crawl space. Bryan Cranston was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in this episode.
It's also worth knowing that Jesse's blood type (A negative) and an allergy to erythromycin is mentioned in this episode. That last bit seems too random to mention without it playing a part at some point.
Highlight of the episode: Around the 35-minute mark, Gus takes Walt out into the desert and says he'll kill Hank and his entire family if he interferes with him after being fired. It's a terrifying moment.
Season 4, Episode 13: 'Face-Off'
Why it's important to watch: Jesse and Walt team up to kill Gus in one of the most unexpected TV deaths.
It's horrifyingly revealed at the episode's end that Walt tricked Jesse into believing that Gus poisoned a child — the child of Jesse's then-girlfriend Andrea — when it was Walt all along. Walt's been manipulating Jesse the entire show and is truly a monster at this point.
Highlight of the episode: Watching the meticulous and careful Gus Fring get outsmarted by Walt and Hector Salamanca isn't just one of the most shocking moments of the series, but it's also one of the best moments on TV in recent years.
Season 5, Episode 2: 'Madrigal'
Why it's important to watch: With Gus gone, we learn about Madrigal, the company that owns his chicken company, Los Pollos Hermanos. Walt, Jesse, and Mike, eventually begin a new meth operation with them under the leadership of an antsy woman named Lydia.
Highlight of the episode: Jesse breaks down apologizing to Walt for thinking that his former teacher could have the capacity to poison a child. It's heartbreaking because Jesse still has no idea that Walt manipulated him.
Season 5, Episode 7: 'Say My Name'
Why it's important to watch: This is Mike's final episode on the show. Walt accidentally shoots him and then realizes it didn't need to happen. Mike, incredibly annoyed, tells Walt to shut up and allow him to die in peace.
"Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan said Mike's death is one of his favorite show moments. Thomas Schnauz received an Emmy nod for outstanding writing for a drama series for the episode.
Highlights of the episode: At the least, tune into the beginning and end of this episode.
The intro scene shows Walt get cocky as he has a stand-off in the desert with their competitor. He tells them to say his name aloud, creating another one of the show's iconic moments.
The final seven minutes of the episode show Mike's final moments on the series as he's foolishly killed by Walt for no reason at all. Before he dies, Mike lets Walt have an earful.
Season 5, Episode 8: 'Gliding All Over'
Why it's important to watch: Walt is on top of the world, raking in millions — too much money to launder even, and Skyler reveals a giant pile of money in a storage unit. But, Walt gets too comfy at top. Just as Gus predicted seasons earlier, he was careless and either doesn't realize or doesn't care that he has left evidence out in the open.
Hank finds Walt's copy of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" in the bathroom and sees it's signed with a dedication from "G.B." On the episode's final moments, he realizes that Walt is Heisenberg.
It's also worth noting that Walt has Mike's car crushed and destroyed and doesn't tell Jesse that Mike is dead. He simply tells him "he's gone."
Highlight of the episode: Aside from the episode's very end, a surprising and chilling montage occurs when Walt teams up with Todd's white supremacist uncle to have Mike's nine henchmen killed within a two-minute span at three different correctional facilities. This episode also gives us another one of the series' best musical montages to the tune of "Crystal Blue Persuasion."
Season 5, Episode 11: 'Confessions'
Why it's important to watch: Walt blackmails Hank by making a fake confession tape that names Hank as one of his partners in his meth operation.
Jesse says out loud that he knows that Walt killed Mike. Walt tries to send Jesse out of town to make sure he doesn't tell anyone about their wrongdoing. It almost goes off without a hitch, until Jesse finally learns the truth about Brock's poisoning and sets his sights on Walt. Aaron Paul won the Emmy for his performance on this episode.
Highlight of the episode: Jesse's realization that Walt and Saul lied to him, causing him to rush back to Saul and hold him at gunpoint. He then rushes over to Walt's house, ready to burn the entire thing down.
Season 5, Episode 14: 'Ozymandias'
Why it's important to watch: This is the episode where everything falls apart. If you have time, you'll want to go back and watch the final eight minutes of episode 13.
Hank and his partner are killed and Walt gives Jesse to Todd and his white supremacist uncle. They chain him up and force him to work for him, threatening the life of his old girlfriend Andrea and child Brock if he doesn't.
To make matters worse, Walt tells Jesse he watched his old girlfriend Jane die. Walt then gets in a huge fight with his family and kidnaps his daughter Holly. He comes to his senses though and leaves her at a fire station. At the episode's end, Walt is seen disappearing with a previously-buried barrel full of his cash.
TV Guide named this as the best TV episode of the 21st century.
Highlights of the episode: If you're not already mad at Walt, you're probably heated when he angrily outs Jesse to the white supremacists, and are torn up when he coldly reveals he let Jane die before his own eyes.
Walt and Skyler's huge fight will leave you unsettled. Pay close attention to the episode's beginning. The camera distinctly shows a set of knives at one point. They're an important prop later during the Walt and Skyler fight. The juxtaposition between the opening scene and their chaotic fight later shows just how far those two have come.
Season 5, Episode 16: 'Felina'
Why it's important to watch: This is just an obvious episode to watch to know where Jesse left off at the end of "Breaking Bad." Walt's final act to save his former student and partner is emotionally heartwrenching.
It's been called one of the greatest finales of all time.
Highlight of the episode: Walt comes up with an elaborate plan to take out Todd, his relatives, and the rest of the white supremacists who are holding Jesse hostage in order to set him free.
Other noteworthy episodes and moments that are worth checking out:
Season 2, Episode 6: "Peekaboo"
Typically, I would have suggested skipping out on this one; however, the "El Camino" trailer had a big callback to the episode's start, so it's probably worth a watch.
This is a Jesse centric episode where he goes to acquire some money from a couple who ripped off his friend Pete. Jesse finds a dirty-looking little boy inside the couple's house quietly watching TV on his own. Jesse then takes care of the little boy until his parents come, attempting to play peekaboo with him. This episode shows Jesse's complicated relationship with children and how he attempts to do right by them.
Aaron Paul received an Emmy nomination for this episode.
Season 2, Episode 11: "Mandala"
Around 30 minutes into the episode, Walt has a meeting with Gus where some important information is exchanged. Walt suggests the two of them are the same and Gus says that couldn't be more wrong. He points out that Walt is "not a cautious man at all." That astute observation becomes Walt's eventual downfall.
Season 3, Episode 11: "Abiquiu"
It's worth knowing that Skyler suggests that they launder Walt's money through a car wash instead of a laser tag facility.
Season 3, Episode 13: "Full Measure"
Jesse is forced to kill Gus' cook Gale so that Walt doesn't become expendable. It pains him to do so and haunts him afterward. It's something that could come up again in the film as he remembers his pitfalls.
Season 4, Episode 12: "End Times"
You need to watch this one for the standoff scene between Jesse and Walt. It's even more heartbreaking and unsettling when you realize, an episode later, that Jesse was correct about Walt the entire time, accusing him of poisoning a young boy. That's when you really realize that Walt is a master manipulator who can lie straight to Jesse's face.
Season 5, Episode 5: "Dead Weight"
One of the series' best episodes is the one in which Walt, Jesse, Mike, and Todd pull off a train robbery. Walt's greediness gets the best of him when he, once again, puts Jesse's life at risk.
Season 5, Episode 9: "Blood Money"
Tune in to the final eight minutes of the episode to see Hank confront Walt about his true identity as Heisenberg.
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