Breaking Bad
Season 5, Episode 1
Air date	July 15, 2012
Written by	Vince Gilligan
Directed by	Michael Slovis
Episode Guide
previous Face Off	next Madrigal
Images from "Live Free or Die"

"Live Free or Die" is the first episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad and the forty-seventh episode altogether.

Contents 1 Teaser 2 Summary 3 Credits 3.1 Main Cast 3.2 Supporting 4 Trivia 5 Featured Music 6 Breaking Bad Episodes

TeaserEdit

The episode opens in a Denny's restaurant, across the street from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. A man, sitting alone at the counter, is served his breakfast: bacon, two eggs sunnyside up and hashbrowns. The man breaks the pieces in half, then arranges the pieces into the number "52 ("Pilot")." This man is revealed to be Walt, full head of hair, an unkempt beard and no wedding band. We are a year into the future.

A waitress tries to make conversation with him, but Walt is not very compliant and begrudgingly answers her benign questions, giving her a fake name (Lambert, which is Skyler's and Marie's maiden name) and shows her an ID from New Hampshire. Excusing himself to the bathroom, Walt then trades an envelope of cash for a set of keys in the bathroom with Lawson, his previous gun dealer ("Thirty-Eight Snub"). Lawson asks Walt for his word that "it" won't be crossing the border. Walt assures him that "it" won't be leaving town. Before exiting the bathroom, Walt lets out a slight cough. He pops a pill.

Leaving a $100 tip under his breakfast for the waitress, Walt exits the diner and locates the car that the keys belong to. Opening the trunk, "it" is revealed to be an M60 machine gun with ammunition. Walt looks around cautiously, then puts his bag in with the gun and slams the trunk shut.

SummaryEdit

Returning home following the explosion at Casa Tranquila ("Face Off"), Walt disposes of all evidence from the pipe bomb and Lily of the Valley poison. Walt Jr. and Skyler return shortly thereafter and although Jr. is excited that Gus' death means Hank would be labeled a hero, Skyler is terrified of her murderous husband. Walt takes a drink of celebratory whiskey, but is startled as he remembers the security cameras inside the destroyed superlab.

Hank and Steven Gomez survey the charred remains of Gus' superlab, noting that it was identical to Gale Boetticher's designs. Gomez remarks that the corpses - who were shot by Walt - are unidentifiable due to the fire. Hank notices the remains of the security camera with great interest.

In Mexico, Mike feeds chickens outside the temporary medical clinic where he had been recuperating from the shootout with the cartel. After learning of Gus' fate, Mike drives the cartel's car to go kill Walt. However, he is intercepted by Walt and Jesse in the desert, and after a heated argument they agree to find a way to destroy the laptop which held footage of them all in the lab.

Mike fakes a call to the Albuquerque Police Department, finding out that the laptop had already been placed in the APD's evidence locker. Mike and Walt argue about creating a bomb to destroy the laptop when Jesse hatches an idea to use a giant magnet. The three meet with Old Joe to purchase an electromagnet from his junkyard, which they hook up to 42 car batteries inside a moving truck.

Saul visits Skyler at the Car Wash to inform her that Ted had an accident. She fears for his death, but he insists that he was still alive, having just woken up from a coma. She visits Ted at the hospital where he was in a spinal neck brace being treated for severe head trauma. He promises her that he will never speak a word of the events that transpired. "Good," Skyler replies.

That night, Mike hot-wires the gate into the APD parking lot. Walt and Jesse drive the magnet-equipped truck next to the building to the wall outside the evidence room. The magnet disables the guard's computer, alerting the police. In desperation, Walt cranks the magnet up to its maximum voltage, sending a force so strong it tips the truck over. The police security guard finds the evidence room destroyed by the magnet and sends officers outside to apprehend the crooks, but Walt and Jesse escape with Mike, leaving the truck behind. Mike is dubious that their ploy worked but Walt responds to him that it worked "because I said so."

The police officers clean up the evidence room and find account numbers of a bank in the Cayman Islands behind a picture of Gus and Max.

Walt visits Saul's office where Saul explains what transpired in regards to Skyler giving Ted $600,000. Saul attempts to sever all ties with Walt but Walt responds, "We're done when I say we're done."

Walt returns home to a frightened Skyler and tells her that he knows what has happened to Ted and that he forgives her. She hesitantly accepts his hug.

CreditsEdit

Main CastEdit

• Bryan Cranston as Walter White
• Anna Gunn as Skyler White
• Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
• Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman
• Dean Norris as Hank Schrader
• Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
• RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr.
• Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut

SupportingEdit

• Larry Hankin as Old Joe
• Steven Michael Quezada as Steven Gomez
• Christopher Cousins as Ted Beneke
• Jim Beaver as Lawson
• Monique Candelaria as Lucy
• Gail Starr as Nurse
• JB Blanc as Barry Goodman

TriviaEdit

• The episode title "Live Free or Die" refers to New Hampshire's state motto and Walt's mentality about being out from under Gus' and the DEA's thumbs.
• Walt's New Hampshire car is an older model Volvo, which happens to be the same brand of car Gus Fring drove.
• Walt's arranging of "52" with bacon mirrors Skyler arranging "50" with veggie bacon in the "Pilot".
• Marie does not appear in this episode.
• True to other season premieres, the first few seconds of the episode overlap with part of the previous season's finale.
  • Walt and Jesse witnessing Tuco's wrath. ("Seven Thirty-Seven")
  • Reports of the plane crash. ("No Mas")
  • Jesse shooting Gale. ("Box Cutter")
• However, this is the first season premiere to not feature any characters being killed.
• "Live Free or Die" was the series' second most-watched episode to date, raking in 2.93 million viewers on it's initial airing.
  • It was the first, until Say My Name beat it with 2.98 million views. 
• When Bryan Cranston visited Conan O'Brien on his talk show, Conan called the episode "amazing".

Featured MusicEdit

• "Conversations" by David Castle
• "Running Through Me" by Frank Shelley and Ian West

Breaking Bad EpisodesEdit

Season 1	Season 2	Season 3	Season 4	Season 5
“Pilot” “The Cat's In The Bag...” “...And the Bag's in the River” “Cancer Man” “Gray Matter” “Crazy Handful of Nothin'” “A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal”	“Seven Thirty-Seven” “Grilled” “Bit by a Dead Bee” “Down” “Breakage” “Peekaboo” “Negro y Azul” “Better Call Saul” “4 Days Out” “Over” “Mandala” “Phoenix” “ABQ”	“No Mas” “Caballo Sin Nombre” “I.F.T.” “Green Light” “Mas” “Sunset” “One Minute” “I See You” “Kafkaesque” “Fly” “Abiquiu” “Half Measures” “Full Measure”	“Box Cutter” “Thirty-Eight Snub” “Open House” “Bullet Points” “Shotgun” “Cornered” “Problem Dog” “Hermanos” “Bug” “Salud” “Crawl Space” “End Times” “Face Off”	“Live Free or Die” “Madrigal” “Hazard Pay” "Fifty-One" "Dead Freight" "Buyout" "Say My Name" "Gliding Over All" "Rock and a Hard Place" "Episode 510" "Episode 511" "Episode 512" "Episode 513" "Episode 514" "Episode 515" "Episode 516"

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