It's time to get excited for Season Five of Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad premieres its fifth season on Sunday, and I'm here to guide you through every thrilling, messy, and sad moment that comes with the next eight episodes.

AMCBreaking Bad is almost back. Time to find out what awaits Jesse and Walter.

Breaking Bad premieres its fifth season on Sunday, and I'm here to guide you through every thrilling, messy, and sad moment that comes with the next eight episodes. Considering this will be the first time I've covered this show here, I figured I'd let you guys in on my thoughts on the series so far, and where I think things will go as the show rapidly approaches its finale. Let's jump right in...

Seasons One and Two

AMCThey were such a happy family at some point.

I was late to the game on Breaking Bad, and when I finally decided to give it a try, the second season was already over. As such, I did my best to blow through what was available as quickly as possible. It wasn't all that difficult - until I got to season two. Season one was a smartly paced, well-written introduction into the life of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a man pushed to the point where he felt the need to cook Crystal Meth to provide for his family. Some things felt laid on too thick, such as Walter's hanidcapped son, played exceptionally well by RJ Mitte, but I was willing to let the show feel itself out before I made any judgement. It only took six episodes, when Walter chooses to flash bang Tuco's (Raymond Cruz) base to get the money that was owed him. That's when I knew - Walter had some very cool potential in him.

And then I started season two. For some reason, Tuco took center stage early on, with Cruz playing him as an over-the-top meth head hindered by Scarface-esque delusions. I hated Tuco, and not in the way a normal viewer hates a bad guy. I thought he was a terrible character, only made worse by the fact that he was disposed of within the first quarter of the season. It was too long of a time to spend with a character just to get rid of him, but also too long of a time to deal with him as a character. It was a conundrum, and one that the show didn't exactly propel out of. The next few episodes of season two consisted of Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul) arguing over whether or not they should start cooking again. Bo-ring.

AMCThese guys were happy, too. Until Walt happened.

Then, once again, Walt did something amazing. He watched while Jesse's girlfriend, played by Krysten Ritter, choked to death on her own vomit, and did nothing. He did this only to get Jesse to do what Walt wanted him to do. This purely selfish, evil turn is something I'd never seen before in a series, and it allowed me to finally push through to the end of the second season. By this time, season three had already finished, and four was underway, so I simply kept going.

Season Three

AMCThe Salamancas were probably never that happy of a family, but they were still ruined by Walt.

For me, the third season is where things truly picked up for the show. This isn't unheard of for a television show, and I was more than thrilled to see all of the potential of Walt's journey being realized. Skipping right ahead to the midway point of the season, the assassination attempt by the Salamanca cousins (Daniel and Luis Moncada) on Hank (Dean Norris) is one of the most tense things I've ever watched on a network television show. I thought Hank would bite it, and he did on an emotional level, which was perhaps even better for the show. Season three also showed us how gone Walt was becoming, as he manipulated just about everyone in his life.

Skyler (Anna Gunn) now knew about the meth, and Jesse hated Walter about as much as possible, though he was persuaded to continue working with Walt. None of this mattered, though, when the final two episodes happened. Watching Walt save Jesse by killing the two gang members, but then racing against Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) and Gale (David Costabile) was intense; something the show got increasingly good at as it went along.

Season Four

AMCWalt is the One Who Knocks, after all.

Finally, there was last season. Walt and Jesse were on borrowed time as far as Gus was concerned. This season became more of a fight for survival, and then morphed into some twisted expression of Walt's hubris. Walt didn't care who he had to hurt to get at Gus, putting every single person in his life in danger. Basically, everything in season four was cranked up to eleven. The rift between Jesse and Walt grew to an insurmountable distance, we learned more about Gus, and found out that he planned to kill Walt very soon, and watched Walt desperately try to remain a family man and drug kingpin. By the time the explosion that ended the season rocked the nursing home, Walt had passed a line he could never go back over, which is what makes season five so enticing.

Season Five

Here's what I expect will happen throughout the rest of the series (I know nothing; this is pure conjecture): This season will be all about Hank finally figuring out who Heisenberg is, and ultimately he will have to go after Walt. Walt and Jesse may work together one last time to get out of this, but ultimately it will end in one of them killing Hank (my money is on Walt). This will leave Jesse and Walt to duke it out, which will happen in the final eight episodes next year, with Jesse ultimately winning. I could be wrong about some or all of this, but I do know that there is no way Walt can leave this show alive. Walt has done so many terrible things throughout this series that he has become the antagonist, which is a remarkable feat for any television series to pull off as successfully as Breaking Bad has. If nothing else, I expect more outstanding entertainment for the next eight weeks, starting Sunday at 10pm. My recaps will follow shortly after, so be sure to visit this site once it's over.

Oh, and I want more Bill Burr.

AMCOnly one half of the best duo on the show.