Season 1

Complete listed story — includes the ending

S1E1 · Pilot

Walter White, a milquetoast high school chemistry teacher dissatisfied with life, celebrates his 50th birthday breakfast with his wife, Skyler, and their teenage son, Walter Jr. Later at his second job at a car wash, Walter faints following a coughing fit; at the hospital, he is diagnosed with Stage 3 terminal lung cancer. Walt does a ride-along on a methamphetamine lab raid with his brother-in-law, DEA Agent Hank Schrader. DEA agents apprehend a cook/dealer named Emilio. Walt, waiting in the car, spots his former student Jesse Pinkman escaping the raid through a neighbor's window, but says nothing to Hank. Walt tracks down Jesse to propose a partnership wherein Walt cooks crystal meth and Jesse manages sales and distribution. They begin cooking crystal meth in a remote area of the desert in a recreational vehicle; Walt's skill in chemistry results in a pure, highly valuable product. Jesse approaches Krazy-8, a local distributor and cousin to Emilio, to arrange distribution. At a meetup with Walt, Emilio recognizes him from the DEA raid. A panicked Jesse tells Walt to run but knocks himself unconscious. Knowing the dealers intend to kill them both, Walt pretends to teach Emilio and Krazy-8 the crystal meth recipe before poisoning them with phosphine gas and driving off.

S1E2 · Cat's in the Bag...

Returning to Jesse's house in Albuquerque, Walt and Jesse try to dispose of the two bodies in the RV, but Krazy-8 disappears. Driving back to Jesse's from work, Walt discovers a barely-conscious Krazy-8 wandering the streets of Jesse's neighborhood; Walt returns him to the house and restrains him in the basement with a bicycle lock. Walt procrastinates killing Krazy-8, instead providing him with food, water, and a means to relieve himself. Meanwhile, Skyler grows suspicious of Walt's recent behavior and, at an ultrasound appointment, questions him about his recent phone call with Jesse. Walt covers by telling her that Jesse sells him marijuana. Skyler visits Jesse and threatens to call Hank if Jesse contacts Walt about marijuana again. Jesse disposes of Emilio's dead body using hydrofluoric acid as instructed by Walt, but he uses his bathtub instead of Walt's suggestion of a plastic bin, resulting in the acid eating through the bathtub floor and leaving a huge mess of dissolved body parts. Two children playing in the desert area where the RV had been find a gas mask that Walt and Jesse accidentally left behind.

S1E3 ·...and the Bag's in the River

Skyler's sister, Marie, mistakenly believes that Walter Jr. is smoking marijuana and asks Hank to scare him straight. Hank takes Walt Jr. to a rundown motel to tell him about "gateway drugs". Walt and Jesse clean up the remains of Emilio, and Walt is torn between whether to keep Krazy-8 alive or kill him. While bringing Krazy-8 food, Walt collapses while descending the stairs and smashes the plate on the floor. Upon waking up, Walt reveals to Krazy-8 that he has lung cancer—the first person he tells—and they start sharing the unexpected things they have in common. Krazy-8 also sows mistrust against Jesse, warning Walt about working with a drug addict. Walt decides to release Krazy-8, but while disposing of the shards of the broken plate, he sees that a shard is missing, and realizes that Krazy-8 has concealed it to use as a weapon. When Walt confronts Krazy-8, Krazy-8 attacks him; Walt strangles and kills him with the bicycle lock restraint. Walt lies and tells Skyler he was working late at the car wash, but she has already talked to his boss and knows he quit weeks ago. That night, Walt returns home and tells Skyler that they need to talk.

S1E4 · Cancer Man

As Jesse and Walt's meth begins to spread in Albuquerque, Hank starts looking for the new drug kingpin, unaware that it is Walt. At a family barbecue, Walt reveals to Walt Jr., Marie, and Hank that he has cancer. Hank promises Walt that he will always take care of his family. Walt Jr. becomes upset that Walt is acting like everything is normal. Jesse becomes paranoid that law enforcement is after him, and he visits his family's house; Jesse's parents are disappointed and worried to see him in such a state. Jesse finds out that his younger brother, who is very successful in sports and music, is smoking marijuana to deal with the intense pressure from their parents. Jesse covers for him but is forced to leave his parents' house, as they believe the marijuana is his. Jesse visits Walt to try and convince him they should continue cooking, but Walt tells him never to try to see him again. Walt and Skyler visit an oncologist who reveals that Walt's cancer is treatable. Skyler is hopeful, but Walt does not think getting treatment is financially feasible.

S1E5 · Gray Matter

Walt and Skyler attend the birthday party of Elliott Schwartz, Walt's former colleague and current CEO of Gray Matter Technologies. Walt also reunites with Gretchen Schwartz, his former fiancée and Elliott's current wife and business partner. After reminiscing with Walt about their time as graduate students, Elliott offers him a job at Gray Matter. Realizing that Skyler must have told Elliott about his cancer diagnosis, Walt declines, believing it to be charity. Jesse becomes frustrated that he cannot secure stable employment outside of the drug world, and he unsuccessfully attempts to replicate Walt's meth recipe with his friend Badger. Walt Jr. is busted by a cop for trying to purchase beer as a minor and calls Hank to pick him up; Hank lectures Walt Jr. for not contacting his own father. Walt's family attempts an intervention to persuade him to undergo chemotherapy. Walt insists that he needs the agency to make a choice for himself and that he does not want to live his last days miserable with treatment. The next morning, he relents and tells Skyler he will accept Gretchen and Elliott's offer to cover the cost of his treatment. Gretchen calls Walt to discuss their offer, but he tells her the assistance isn't needed, lying that his insurance covers treatment after all. Walt then goes to Jesse's house and asks to resume their partnership.

S1E6 · Crazy Handful of Nothin'

Walt undergoes his first chemotherapy session. Walt and Jesse continue their agreement in which Walt will cook the meth while Jesse handles sales. When Walt removes his shirt during a cooking session, Jesse recognizes the radiation therapy marks on Walt's chest and deduces that he has lung cancer. Meanwhile, Hank ties the recovered respirator to Walt's high school's chemistry lab. Hank falsely arrests the kindly school janitor on charges of stealing equipment, who has a criminal record for drug possession and had a small amount of marijuana in his car. Walt shaves his head when he discovers that his hair is falling out. When their initial batch of meth only yields $2,600, Walt insists they need to ramp up production. Jesse's friend Skinny Pete introduces him to the distributor who replaced Krazy-8: psychopathic drug lord Tuco Salamanca. When Jesse demands up-front payment for the meth, Tuco severely beats him and steals the meth. Walt later confronts Tuco on his own, causing an explosion in his hideout, and forces him to pay for the stolen meth. Impressed, Tuco agrees to work with Walt.

S1E7 · A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal

Walt and Jesse face production difficulties when they are not able to procure enough pseudoephedrine pills. Jesse, who is now living in the RV, puts his house on the market. Skyler throws a baby shower, during which Marie gifts her a diamond tiara for the baby. Skyler decides to return the tiara, only to be detained at the store and informed that it had been stolen. Upon being confronted by Skyler, Marie flatly denies stealing it. Walt and Jesse break into a warehouse and steal a large barrel of methylamine to produce larger amount of meth by an alternative cooking process. They deliver the promised amount of meth (4 lbs) to Tuco and his associates, No-Doze and Gonzo. When No-Doze makes an offhanded remark to Walt, Tuco becomes enraged and savagely beats him in front of the horrified Walt and Jesse before driving away.