Ozymandias

"Ozymandias" is the fourteenth and third-to-last episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 60th 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. The episode's narrative concludes the previous episode's cliffhanger. Beckett and Johnson had previously worked together on the season three episode "Fly" and had a friendly working relationship that lasted throughout the production. Beckett was allowed greater creative freedom than she had experienced before. Due to the intensity of the episode's storyline, the production was emotionally difficult for those involved. The episode was subject to much analysis following its release. Focus was given to the episode's parallels to its namesake, Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias", its depiction of redemption, and Walt's (Bryan Cranston) phone call to Skyler (Anna Gunn). "Ozymandias" has been unanimously acclaimed since its initial airing, and is widely considered to be Breaking Bad'''s finest episode. Critics praised its writing, acting, direction, and payoff of storylines set up since "Pilot", and it is considered to be one of the greatest episodes of television ever made. At the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Walley-Beckett won Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for her teleplay; Cranston and Gunn won Lead Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively, for their performances in the episode. It is also the only episode to have an aggregate 10/10 rating on the Internet Movie Database. Plot In a flashback, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman conduct their first meth cook. Walt calls a pregnant Skyler White with an excuse for not being home, and she suggests the name Holly for their baby.