Screenplay Breaking Bad Pilot

8/12/2019 Screenplay Breaking Bad Pilot

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BREAKING BAD

byVince Gilligan

5/27/05

AMCSony Pictures Television


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EXT. OW PASTURE - CONTINUOUSThe Winnebago comes roaring over a berm and down in to a deepgully . Too deep. BAM The front bumper bottoms out,burying i t s e l f . WAAAAAAHI The rear wheels spin a i r .The engine cuts off .open and out stumblesmask, le ts t drop.

Silence again.underpants man. The Winnie s door kicksHe yanks off his gasHe s forty years old. Receding hair l ine. A b i t pasty.He s not a guy who makes a l iving working with his hands.He s not a guy we d pay at tent ion to i f we passed him on thes t ree t . But r ight now at th is moment in th i s pasture?Right now we d step the fuck out of his way.Underpants man looks a t the RV. End of the l ine for that .He l i s tens hard. Out of the si lence, we hear . SIRENS.They re fa int , a few miles off - - but growing louder. Ourguy knows he s boned with a capi ta l B. He HOLDS HIS BREATHand leaps back inside the RV.INT. WINNEBAGO - CONTINUOUSA chrome 9mm i s clutched n the hand of one of the deadMexicans. Underpants grabs i t , tucks t in his waistband.His unconscious passenger, s t i l l strapped n his seat , le tsout a groan. Underpants leans past him, yanks open the glovebox. He comes up with a WALLET and a t iny Sony CAMCORDER.EXT. OW PASTURE - CONTINUOUSDucking outside, he s ta r t s breathing again. A short s leeveDRESS SHIRT on a hanger dangles from the Winnebago s awning.Underpants pul ls t on. He finds a cl ip-on t i e in thepocket, snaps t to his collar . No t rousers, unfortunately.He l icks his fingers, s l icks his hair down with his hands.He s looking almost pulled together now - - a t l eas t from thewaist-up. All the while, the si rens are get t ing LOUDER.Underpants figures out how to turn on the camcorder. Hetwists the l i t t l e screen around so he can see himself in i t .Framing himself waist-up, he takes a moment to gather histhoughts . then presses RECORD.


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UNDERPANTS M NMy name i s Walter Hartwell White.I l ive a t 308 Belmont Avenue,Ontario, California 91764. I am ofsound mind. To a l l law enforcementent i t i es th i s i s not an admissionof gui l t . I m speaking now to myfamily.(swallows hard)Skyler . you are the love of myl i f e . I hope you know that .Walter Junior. You re my big man.I should have to ld you th ings, bothof you. I should have said th ings.But I love you both so much. Andour unborn chi ld. And I just wantyou to know tha t these . thingsyou re going to learn about me inthe coming days. These th ings.I just want you to know tha t . no matter what t may look l ike .I had a l l three of you in my heart .

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The sirens are WAILING now on top of us. WALTER WHITE theunderpants man turns off the camcorder. He carefully se tst on a bare patch of ground by his feet . Next to t he se tshis walle t , lying open where t can be seen.

CLOSE ON the wallet - - a photo ID card i s vis ible . Walt ssmiling face i s on i t . I t ident i f ies him as a teacher a tJ.P. wynne High School, Ontario Unified School Distr ic t .Walt pul ls the chrome pis to l from the back of his waistband,aiming t across the t a l l weeds. I t gl ints hard in the sun.Flashing red LIGHT BARS speed in to view, skimming the tops ofthe weeds. Heading st ra ight for us.Walt stands t a l l in his underpants, not fl inching. Off him,ready to shoot the f i r s t cop he sees

END TEASER


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4.ACT ONE

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - NIGHTNo president ever s lept here. No mill ionaire ever vis i t ed .This i s a three-bedroom RANCHER in a modest neighborhood.Weekend t r ips to Home Depot keep it looking t idy, but it llnever make the cover of Archi tec tura l Digest .We're in Ontario, California - - the Inland Empire. LEGEND:ONE MONTH EARLIER.INT. WHITE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHTDark and s i len t . SKYLER WHITE, l a t e 30s, sleeps peaceful ly.Beside her, her husband Walter i s wide awake.Walt reaches over and presses a button on his Sharper Imagealarm clock. I t projects the t ime in glowing blue numbers onthe cottage cheese cei l ing: 5:02 AM.Walt l i es motionless. Brain churning. He presses the buttonagain, s tar ing s t ra ight up. 5:02 turns to 5:03.Close enough. Walt r ises without waking his wife. He exi ts .INT. WHITE HOUSE - SPARE BEDROOM - NIGHTWe hear an o.s . SQUEAK-SQUEAK as we d r i f t through th i s room.We pass an empty cr ib , Pampers, a baby monitor s t i l l in i t sbox. There's going to be a new addi t ion to the family.We come upon the source of the SQUEAKING. I t s Walt balancedon a Lil l ian Vernon s ta i r -s tepper , jus t three easy paymentsof $29.95. Walt plods up and down in the darkness l ike he 'smarching to Bataan.INT. WHITE HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHTWalt s i t s down on the 7dge of the tub. We're watching hisface in the bathroom Mlrror. He masturbates. Judging by hisexpression, he might as well be waiting in l ine a t the DMV.Walt double-takes, catching s ight of himself .examines the sallow bagginess under his eyes.the loose skin under his chin.

Distracted, heHe draws a tStaring a t himself long and hard, Walt loses his erect ion.He gives up t rying, pulls up his sweat pants .


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INT. WHITE HOUSE KITCHEN MORNINGWalt i s dressed for work - - Dockers and a shor t-s leeve dresssh i r t courtesy of Target. An American f lag pin on his t i e .He and Skyler eat the i r breakfast in s i lence .Skyler glances up, sees Walt puzzling over his bacon.

SKYLERSizzle-Lean. We need to thinkabout our cholesterol .WALTHuh.

Skyler s cute in a way most guys wouldn t have noticed backin high school. But not soft-cute. Not in the eyes.She s dressed for s taying home - - she s f ive months pregnantand jus t beginning to show.

SKYLERWhen ll you be home?WALTSame t ime.SKYLERI don t want him dicking you aroundtonight . You get paid t ll s ix ,you work t ll six . Not seven.

Seventeen year-old WALTER JR. enters the kitchen, dressedfor school, hai r s t i l l damp from the shower. The CLICK CLICK of his forearm crutches precedes him in to the room.Walt and Skyler s son i s a sweet-faced teenager who appearsto have cerebral palsy. He moves slowly and awkwardly, andgrinds his tee th as he labors to ta lk . But he s a smart kid.

WALTHey.Just seating himself a t the table i s a t r i a l for Walter, J r .His parents don t give him the sl ightest help. They t r e a thim as i f he were able-bodied, which i s how he wants i t .

SKYLERYou re l a te .He shrugs. She gets up, serves him breakfast . Walter, J r .squints a t the plate she plops down before him.


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WALTER JR.What 's--that?SKYLERSizzle- lean. We're watching ourcholesterol .WALTER JR.Not--me I want--baconSKYLEREat i t .

Walter, J r . picks a t his breakfast , annoyed.WALTER JR.What's this--even--made of?

He looks to his dad for backup. Walt shrugs, ambivalent.WALTEat i t .

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL MORNING

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J.P. Wynne High School. Home of the Fightin ' Skyhawks. Twothousand-plus students, many of them in overflow t r a i l e r s .Into the facul ty lo t motors a 1991 Nissan wagon. I t was apiece of sh i t when t ro l led off the assembly l ine and hasnot improved with age. I t parks in a handicapped space.A handicapped placard hangs from the rear-view.Walt climbs out from behind the wheel, checks his watch.He's l a t e . Walter, Jr . struggles to get out of the passengerside. He fumbles with his crutches and his backpack.

WALTAll set?(off his son's nod)Alright, see you a t home.Walt grabs his br iefcase and hurr ies toward the building,leaving his son to work t out for himself - - which i sagain, exact ly how Walter, J r . wants i t .INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM DAYHours l a te r . This i s a chemistry classroom - - black-toppedlab tables with gas spigots . Walt i s lecturing to seniors.


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WALTChemistry i s the study of what?STUDENT(a beat)Chemicals.

Snickers from the smart kids. Walt smiles.WALTChemicals. No. Change. Chemistryi s the study of change.(a beat)Think about i t . Electrons changethe i r orbi t s , molecules changethe i r bonds. Elements combine andchange into compounds. That s a l lof l i f e , r ight? The constant (shrug)The cycle. Solution, dissolut ion,over and over.

Walt seems to be ta lking mostly to himself . A pep ta lk .WALTGrowth, decay. Transformation.I t s fascinating, rea l ly .

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Handsome blonde CHAD s i t s slouched in the back with his handjammed in the lap of his cheerleader GIRLFRIEND. He whispersto her and she giggles. Walt snaps out of i t .WALTChad, keep your hands to yourselfplease. Is there something wrongwith your own table?

Chad sighs heavily and drags his s tool back to an adjoiningtable. Doing so, he makes as much NOISE as he can.WALTAlright , ionic bonds. Chapter s ix .

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - FACULTY WOR ROOM - DAYLast period. Wide on Walt in the background, who s i t s alonein th i s deserted room. Head down he grades t es t s while heeats a sandwich from home. I t s a lonesome tableau.A physics teacher, MARGARET enters . She s 30s, redhead,a t t rac t ive without being pre t ty . Sexy, more l ike .


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M RG RETHeya, Walt.W LTHey, Margaret.

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Margaret feeds the soda machine a dollar . Walt s tares a t herback a l i t t l e too long. We fee l his in terest .Margaret gets her Diet Coke and turns his way. Walt lowershis eyes. Margaret jo ins him a t the table checks her watch.

W LTHappy Birthday.M RG RET(surprised)How d you know?

Walt shrugs. Smiles. Margaret does, too.M RG RETThanks.

She fumbles in her purse, comes up with a cigare t te andl igh te r . She notices Walt s surpr ised glance.M RG RETBe a champ, wouldja? Don t narc.W LT

(amused by the word)My l ips are sealed.Margaret l ights up and sucks deep. hhh yeah She blowssmoke toward the cei l ing gives t a wave with Walt s papers.

M RG RETWalt, you are my hero.Walt glances up a t her once more. She catches him doing i tsmiles back and holds his look. He drops his eyes f i r s t .

W LTThose things 11 k i l l you, you know.

Margaret shrugs, exhales.M RG RETSomething always does.


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9.

EXT. VELVET-TOUCH CAR WASH AFTERNOONThis i s one of those 60s Googie-style structures - - fadedspace-age fu tur i s t i c . young Mexicans dry the cars by hand.INT. VELVET-TOUCH OFFICE AFTERNOONWalt 's afternoon par t- t ime job. He works the cash reg is te r .

WALT- - Eight, nine, ten, and ten makestwenty. Thank you. Come again.The CUSTOMER wanders off , re-counting his change. Waltcloses his drawer and busies himself with record keeping.AMIR the middle-aged Persian owner, argues on the phone.

AMIRNo. Not that i s not what Isaid. What I said to you - -

Amir switches to FARSI. The conversation grows more heated.Finally, he barks something and hangs up. He turns to Walt.AMIRMy s i s t e r ' s worthless son - - pieceof sh i t Shit Fired for goodth i s time(sighs; shrugs)

I ll run the regis te r .WALTAmir, no. We talked about th i s .Inside only. And only till s ix .AMIRI 'm short-handed, walter . What amI to do? What am I to do?

Pissed, Walt unclips his t i e , shoves it in his breas t pocket.

EXT. VELVET-TOUCH CAR WASH AFTERNOONThe sun's sinking low. walt - - master 's degree, InlandEmpire Science Educator of the Year for '92, '95, and '01i s towel-drying cars alongside the teenage vatos His slacksand shoes are spotted with soapy water. He's grim.Walt i s a t work on an anthracite MW 3-Series . As he hunkersdown to Armor-All the t i r e s , we hear:


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CHAD (O.S.)Hey you missed a spot .

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Walt looks up to see handsome CHAD smirking down a t him.young master Chad i s t i ck led pink. This i s his Beemer, bythe way. Chad s gir l f r iend stands in b.g . , giggling in to herce l l phone. Whispering jus t loud enough to be heard.

( intoOhmigod.not goingGIRLFRIENDphone)Oh - - my - - God.to bel ieve You are

She cups a hand over her mouth, turns away. Walt saysnothing. He needs th i s job. Off him, scrubbing harder

INT. NISSAN SENTRA - DRIVING - EVENINGThe speedometer vibrates a t 86. Walt i s alone in the car ,speeding home. Tired and dir ty . He s swallowed a l o t ofanger today. I t s way down deep, but it glows inside him.The needle creeps up to 91. Things r a t t l e and shake. Walt seyes f ix on something ahead.Walt s POV - - through the windshield, it s a s t ra ight shotdown the freeway. A mile ahead of us i s a TRIPLE OVERPASSI t s a graceful , swooping thing made of ribbons of whiteconcrete. I t r ises up out of the f la t lands as we approach,dwarfing everything for miles around.Walt studies i t . He l e t s off the gas a l i t t l e .Cars crawl the overpass, over and under each other . Endlesss t r ings of white headlights, red ta i l l igh ts . This giantstructure routes them in every direc t ion a person can t ravel .Something about it dis t rac ts Walt. Occupies him.Walt coasts underneath it a l l , s tar ing up a t it through hissunroof. Once he s past i t , he speeds up again. He eyes itin his rearview mirror, then leaves it behind.EXT WHITE HOUSE - EVENINGWalt s Sentra chugs in to the driveway, parking behind a shinynew VOLVO SUV Staring a t the Volvo, Walt i s not happy.

WALTOh sh i t .


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WALT SKYLER

H NK(to Walter, J r . )Sorry. You didn t hear that .(to Walt)You say the word, I ll go t a lk toth i s guy. I ll set him s t ra ight .Walt gives a pained l i t t l e smile, shakes his head.

HANKYou sure? Happy to do i t .WALTNo. Thank you.l e t s change the Let s , please,subject .

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Hank shrugs and drains his beer. He winks a t Walter, J r . ,who grins. The teenager worships his f i re -pisser uncle.Walt can t help but notice. Hank i s everything Walt i s n t :bold, brash, confident.Skyler sips her white wine. Marie s tares a t her.

MARIEYou're it s okay to drink.SKYLER

After the f i r s t t r imester , yes.I t was even in "Newsweek."MARIEWell, I didn t see that .

Marie disapproves. prickly. Hank's eyes are on the bar TV.HANKOh, hey Turn it up

Hank WHISTLES.confused. Hanknearest TV SET.the restaurant ,

The college-age BARTENDER glances a t him,hust les over and keys up the volume on theThey're a l l wired together . Everybody inl ike it or not, has to l i s t en to

The local news. HANK the man himself , i s beinginterviewed on te levis ion. He's polished and off ic ia l .


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HANK (ON TV)- - At which point we apprehendedthree individuals and placed themin custody. I 'm proud to say tha tthe outstanding professionalismshown by my fellow agents of theSan Bernardino Distr ic t Officeresul ted in a substant ia l quantityof methamphetamine being taken offthe s t ree t .

An on-screen graphic ident i f ies him as AGENTD.E.A. The rea l - l ive Hank gives a smile andto his family, but to everyone in the place.force of his wil l tha t strangers APPLAUD him.

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HENRY WELD,a nod, not justSuch i s theWalter, J r . holds up a hand, which Hank high-f ives.

WALTER, JR.Damn TV does--add ten pounds.HANKAh hah-hah. Si t and spin.

Hank rubs the corner of his mouth with his middle finger,f l ipping off Walter, Jr . They're l ike two teenagers.Walt eats french fr ies and t r ie s his best to tune everyoneout. Something on TV catches his eye.I t s the spoi ls of th i s drug bust. Laid out on a table arebags and bags of crys ta l meth and several guns. But also . eight big SHOEBOXES ful l of CASH.Walt chews his food, watches. Despite himself . .

WALTHank? How much money i s that?HANKAlmost seven hundred thousand.Pret ty good haul.

The TV l ingers on fa t ro l l s of $20s rubber-banded together.I t s more currency than Walt has ever seen outside of a heis tmovie. He's surprised.

WALTThat 's got to be unusual, right?That kind of cash?


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HANKMmm Not the most we ever took.(to the room)There s no def ic i t of to ta l moronsin the drug t rade. And they canmake a ton of money, too. At leastunt i l we catch em. But wecatch em eventually.Hank flashes his great smile around the room.Walt s continued in terest in the news report .

H NKWalt, just say the word and I lltake you on a ride-along. You canwatch us knock down a meth lab.(good-natured)Less tha t s too much excitementfor you.

He notesLikes i t .

Walt forces a pained grin and shrugs - - maybe somedayEXT. WHITE HOUSE - NIGHTThe l ights are off . I t s la te .INT. WHITE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM/BATHROOM - NIGHT

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Walt, dressed for bed in sweats and aout in the bathroom mirror. He s notHe pulls a t the skin under his eyes.

t - shi r t , checks himselfloving what he sees.He COUGHS a l i t t l e .

In the bedroom, Sky1er s in her nightgown, s i t t ing a t thecomputer. She s following the f ina l moments of an auction oneBay. Walt pads in to the room, s i t s down beside her.WALTWhich one s this?SKYLER(eyes on the screen)That faux-La1ique vase I picked up

a t the f lea market.WALTHow s it doing?SKYLERI met my reserve and there s s t i l ltwo minutes.


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Walt nods, s i t s watching. without taking her eyes off thescreen, Skyler reaches over and s l ips a hand into Walt ssweatpants. Walt smirks, surprised.WALTWhat s up?SKYLER

You t e l l meSkyler plays with him, out of s ight below frame. A beat .

SKYLERWhat are y u doing tomorrow?WALT(shrug)Actually, I was thinking about, urnMaybe drive to Cal ech.SKYLERYou re not gonna mow?WALTYeah, I ll mowexhibi t of MarsSupposed to be,rea l ly amazing.

JPL s got anrover photographs.the detai l jus tReally beaut i fu l .SKYLERI jus t need y u to mow a t some

point . I d do it myself, except italways throws rocks a t me I thinkit needs a new bag.

WALTI wil l mow Fi rs t thing.Skyler glances a t walt s crotch. Good-naturedly:

SKYLERWhat s going on down there?Is he asleep?WALTI m jus t . we gotta be careful ofthe baby.SKYLERDon t worry about the baby. Thisi s for you. We re only doing y utonight .


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Obscured by the computer, Skyler gives Walt a vigoroushandjob with one hand and works the mouse with the other .SKYLERJust re lax. Just close youreyes and l e t t

Skyler glances again a t her husband. Apparently, t he re s nomighty oak sprung from whence the lowly acorn l ie s .SKYLERJust close your eyes.

walt does so, concentrating. Trying hard. Tugging away,Skyler 's a t tent ion dr i f t s back to the computer. Completely.SKYLERThat 's i t . That 's i t .

There you go. Keep going. Keepgoing. Keep t going. Keep (react ing to the screen)Yes Fif ty-s ix .Walt 's eyes open. The t h r i l l i s gone.EXT. CALTECH CAMPUS DAYOld Pasadena. Wide greenbelts and dark magnolias. The s ignsays "Jet Propulsion Laboratory." Einstein was a vis i t ingprofessor a t Caltech, once upon a t ime. This place looks i t .INT. JPL DAYMARS f i l l s frame, s ta rk red rocks and red sand. We PAN OFFth i s blow-up of Martian terra in - - we're in a hallway mountedwith two dozen such photos, big and s t r iking.Small in the dis tance stands Walt. He's not looking a t anyof these photos. He's down an adjacent hallway, s tar ing a tsomething else , instead.CLOSER ANGLE WALTHe's studying names engraved on an old plaque. I t s a l i s tof grad students awarded a par t icular research grant .Closer. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 1988 - - Walter H. White."Walt s tares a t his own name on the plaque. We can t read histhoughts, but we can guess a t them.


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ACT TWO

INT. ER - EXAM ROO - DAYWalt i s conscious, seems okay. He s i t s in a blue paper gownlegs dangling off an exam table . He s alone, waiting.Absently tapping the t ab le . He s been here for hours.Muffled RINGING. Walt reaches for his pants , fishes out hiscellphone. HOME i s yet again displayed on the readout .Walt considers, answers i t .

WALTHey. (a beat)Yeah, sorry. I had t turned off .I was, uh (a beat)Yeah, probably about an hour or so.Amid the bust le out in the hal l , two ER DOCTORS standconferring. They re looking a t blood chemistry resul tsf i r s t one man s tudies them, then the other . When one of themglances back our way, we realize they re ta lking about Walt.Walt sees th i s .looks weighty.come through in

He can t hear what they re saying, but tWalt i s anxious. However, he doesn t l e t this voice.WALTI m a t Caltech. I ran into an oldprofessor, we got to ta lking. Ishould be home in about an hour.Okay.

Walt cl icks off . He looks again to the doctors in the hal l .One man nods to the other, walks off . The remaining doctorputs on his bedside smile and enters Walt s room.

DOCTORSorry for the wait . You can putyour clothes back on.Walt climbs off the table , steps into his pants.

WALTI ve had t before.sugar. Stood up too Low bloodfas t .He s fishing. The doctor doesn t saying anything, jus t f i l l sout a form. Walt pul ls on his sh i r t , buttons i t .


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WALTGuess I should ve had breakfastth i s morning.

DOCTORThere s a spec ia l is t I d l ike youto see. His name i s Dr. Belknap.I should have his . card heresomewhere. Yes.

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The doctor f inds a business card, hands t to Walt. Waltstands in his socks, s ta r ing a t the card for a long beat .WALTOncologist DOCTOR(forced breezy)I t s probably absolutely nothing.

INT. DR. BELKNAP S OFFICE/EXAM AREA DAYDays la ter . A MONTAGE OF CLOSE UPS: a blood pressure cuffgets pumped with a WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH; a stethoscope s l ideshere and there over bare skin; glands get palpated; blood i sdrawn; eyes, ears, nose and throat are checked; more blood i sdrawn; colorful MRIs pop up on a monitor; s t i l l more BLOOD i sdrawn. END MONTAGE.CUT TO - - Walt in his s t ree t clothes, s i t t i ng in a redleather chair . He s staring almost direc t ly into camera.SILENCE. Up from t r ises a faint sor t of buzzy, shimmeringTINNITUS sound. I t s the RINGING in Walt s ears . I t getslouder as we slowly CREEP IN on Walt s face. He s s ta r ing a tus blankly. He s s ta r ing a t :Walt s POV - - DOCTOR BELKNAP. Dr. Belknap i s a balding manin his l a t e f i f t i e s . On a good day, he s maybe avuncular.He s s i t t ing behind his desk, looking r ight a t us, ta lking insl ight SLOW-MOTION. We don t hear a single word he s saying.We only hear the buzzy RINGING.CLOSER POV - - we t lt down from Belknap s face, his movingl ips , to his doctor s coat . On the pr i s t ine white of hislapel , there s a spot of yellow MUSTARD. We f ixate on i t .Suddenly:

DR. BELKNAP- - Mr. White? Are you l i s tening?


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20.

We've snapped out of i t . The SOUND in the room i s normal.No more SLOW MOTION. Walt looks up from the man's lapel .

WALTYeah.

DR. BELKNAPDid you ? You understood whatI ve said to you?WALTYeah. Multiple myeloma. Stage 3.(a beat)Best-case scenario, with chemo

I ll l ive another two years .(off the man's gaze)I t s just , you've got mustard onyour you've got mustard there .

Walt points . Belknap glances down a t the spot on his l apel ,then back up a t Walt. He has no idea what to say to that .Off Walt, looking very matter-of-fact disconcertingly so:INT. VELVET TOUCH CAR WASH - OFFICE - EVENINGSame clothes, same day - - Walt came to work s t ra ight fromget t ing his t e r r ib le news. He's on autopi lot , standingbehind the cash regis te r . The BUZZ i s back in his head.Amir i s in the b.g. , arguing on the phone in Farsi . Thesound i s muted. We can barely hear him. We don' t know whathe s yel l ing about anyway - - it s point less , doesn ' t matter.We're on Walt, who simply s tares into space.No customers. Walt suddenly jerks, l ike a t iny zap ofe lec t r ic i ty goes through him. He s teps out from behind thecounter and exi t s . Amir doesn ' t notice him leave.As seen through the windows, Walt pads along l ike a zombieand nearly gets run over by a car . The v tos a l l watch,confused, as Walt climbs in his Nissan and drives away.INT. NISSAN SENTRA - DRIVING - EVENINGWalt drives. Not speeding. No expression on his face.His POV: it s a s t ra ight shot up the 10 Freeway. Thefamil iar TRIPLE OVERPASS looms ahead in the distance.Walt s ta res a t it l ike it s the monolith in 2001.


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EXT. OVERPASS - CONTINUOUSAn AERIAL VIEW looking s t ra ight down a t th i s vast andcomplex concrete knot. Walt s t iny Nissan i s an anttrundling toward i t . The car disappears from viewunderneath, as i f being swallowed.INT. WHITE HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING

21.

A glass of white wine. Sky1er stands ta lking on the phone.SKYLER( into phone)Absolutely. I sent it to you onthe th i rd . I t s number wait aminute, l e t me get my checkbook.

She cups a hand over the phone, does nothing. After a beat:SKYLER( into phone)Here it i s . I t s check number1148. So m records show I paidtha t , and I cer ta in ly don t feell ike we owe any l a t e ( l is tens)Alright . I guess then I ll checkwith my bank and, I don t know i fthe post off ice los t it or

something . a l r ight then. Let melook in to that . Thank you.Walt enters , hearing the ta i l -end. Skyler hangs up.

SKYLERYou re home early.Walt nods, f inds a beer in the fr idge.l i t t l e as he pr ies off the cap. Skylershe s s i f t ing through a stack of bi l l s .

His fingers tremble adoesn t notice - -Walt s i t s a t the table. He drinks deep, rubs his mouth.

SKYLERHow was your day?WALTYou know. Same.


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SKYLERDon't t e l l me Amir's sending youhome a t five now.WALTNo, jus t . Today.SKYLER(studying a bi l lDid you use the MasterCard l a s tmonth? $15.88 a t Staples?WALTUh. We needed pr inter paper.SKYLERWalt, the MasterCard's the one wedon ' t use.

22.

Walt nods, overwhelmed and hiding i t . Skyler doesn' t knowabout his doctor 's appointment. Even i f Walt wants to t e l lher, something stops him. He sips his beer, s ta res .Loud MACHINE GUN FIRE s ta r t les them both. Skyler yel ls in tothe l iving room.

SKYLERDAMMIT, WALTER TURN THAT OWNmore GUNFIREGo t a lk to him.Walt r i ses , sets his bot t le in the s ink.INT. WHITE HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUSThe end of Scarface plays on the TV. TONY MONTANA, withhis mountain of cocaine and his M-16, takes on a l l comers.Walter, J r . i s sprawled on the couch, watching. His crutchesare leaned against the armrest.

WALTER, JR.Hey.WALTHey. (watches TV, remembers)Your Mom wants you to turn t down.WALTER, JR.Shit , come--on. This i s - - the bes t- Wait, wait


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TONY MONTANA (ON TV)COME AN MEET Y LEETLE FRIENDWALTER, JR.Oh--damnl Hell , yeahl

23.

Walter, J r . awkwardly pumps his f i s t . Walt keeps watching.DVD? WALT

WALTER, JR.(nods)Uncle Hank--gave--it to me.Walt s eyes stay on the screen. The garish l i t t l e kingpinmows down acres of Columbians, then dies in a blaze of glory.Off Walt, whose thoughts are unknown to us INT. WHITE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHTGlowing blue numbers project on the cottage cheese cei l ing:4:26 AM. Walt l i es awake beside his sleeping wife.INT. WHITE HOUSE - SPARE BEDROOM - NIGHTSQUEAK-SQUEAK, SQUEAK-SQUEAK. Walt thumps up and down on hischeapie s ta i r -s tepper . He speeds up - - fas te r than the l a s ttime. Thump, thump, thump. As seen through the bars of theempty crib, he s rea l ly working t hard.Sweat beads on his face. Bam, bam, bam. Faster , fas te r .Harder. Violent. Sweat drips off his nose. u n t i l - -- - CRACK. He BREAKS the s ta i r -s tepper . One footpad snapsfree, hangs limp. Walt steps off and examines i t .He s tareshis face.Belknap s

down a t t for the longest t ime. We CREEP IN onThe thousand-yard s t a re he s had since Doctoroff ice gives way to something else now.WALTTwo years .

He says t barely audibly. I t s l ike the clouds have parted.The s i tua t ion has f ina l ly , t ru ly regis tered in Walt s brain .


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24.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - D WNEarly morning. A fa int glow in the sky. Silence except forthe THWACK THWACK of the NEWSPAPER GUY driving past .INT. WHITE HOUSE - KITCHEN - D WNwalt s i t s alone a t the kitchen table, s ta r ing in to space.Deep in thought. Considering something careful ly. He r i ses ,picks up the phone and dia ls . Keeps his voice low.

WALTHank? Hey it s Walt. I didn twake you, did I(a beat)Good. Listen, I ve been thinking.Could I take you up on your offer?The r ide-along?

EXT. BLUE-COLLAR NEIGHBORHOOD - MORNINGCUT TO:

A di fferent morning - - these things take time to se t up.We re in a neighborhood not unlike Walt s . A non-descriptFord i s parked a t the curb, blended in with the other cars.H NK (O.S.)I t s down there on the cul-de-sac.White? Kinda redwood-looking trim?

INT. FORD - MORNING - CONTINUOUSHank s i t s behind the wheel. A subordinate agent, GOMEZ i sbeside him. Hank i s pointing out the TARGET HOUSE to Walt,who s i t s in the back seat in an i l l - f i t t i ng bulletproof vest .

HANKSee i t ?WALTYeah.

Tiny house, a block down the s t reet . Not a t a l l noteworthy.WALT(quiet in teres t )That s a meth lab.


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WALTPhosgene gas, I think.HANKYeah, exact ly . One wh i f f l l k i l lyou. That s why the moon sui t s .

26.

Walt nods, watches the entry team take posi t ion a t the door.INT. TARGET HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUSTo ca l l th i s a shi thole would be an insu l t to shitholeseverywhere. There s f i l thy clothes, overflowing garbage,ro t t ing pizza boxes dating to the Clinton administrat ion along with stacked cannisters of plumber s lye and Colemanstove fuel. A rambling, Rube Goldberg lab of hoses andbuckets stands out against the knotty pine panelling.A Mexican man EMILIO s i t s a t the kitchen table, l is teningto headphones - - obl ivious to the o.s . BANGING a t the door.He s got an enormous mound of RED POWDER in front of him, andan even bigger pi le of MATCHBOOKS on the f loor.He scrapes off the s t r iker s t r ips and col lects the powder.This i s a source of red phosphorus for meth production.BOOOM The front door busts open. Feds pour in, pointingguns and breathing through the i r masks l ike Darth Vader.Emilio nearly pisses himself. He s ta r t s to run for i t , butdoesn t get far . The agents hold him down cuff him.EXT. TARGET HOUSE - MORNINGHank Gomez and Walt wait in the Ford. The RADIO crackles.

AGENT (RADIO V.O.)House i s c lear . We ve got onesuspect in custody.HANKCopy that . The suspect might hebe of the Latin persuasion?AGENT (RADIO V.O.)Si, Senor.

Hank tr iumphantly puts a hand out . Gomez grumbles and payshim his twenty.


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HANKCheer up. You people s t i l l gotJ . Lo.(grins a t Walt)How you doing back there , buddy?This sure as hel l beats spendingyour day clapping erasers , huh?

Walt smiles, acts agreeable. Hank turns to Gomez.HANKI made the mistake of watchingJeopardy with th i s dude one t ime.

He i s a stud, Gomez. He's abrainiac. BEEP "What i s E equalsM squared, Alex? BEEP "Whati s , l ike , freaking . Shakespeare?Hamlet? I 'm t e l l ing you Walt, youshoulda gone on tha t show. You'dacleaned up.

GOMEZRight on, man.HANK(to Gomez)Shit , you don ' t know the half ofi t . Two big companies wanted himwhile he was s t i l l in college.

He coulda writ ten his own t icket .

27.

Hank looks to Walt for confirmation. Walt s ta res out thewindow, barely shrugs - - and changes the subject .WALTHank? Do you think I might get togo inside? See the lab?HANKYeah, t e l l you what - - we're gonnago peek our heads in , check t out .Stay here a minute.

Hank and Gomez exi t the car , leaving Walt behind.Walt 's pleasant demeanor fades. Spending t ime with Hank i shard for him. While feds in moon sui t s come and go acrossthe lawn, Walt ' s a t tent ion dr i f t s to the HOUSE NEXT DOORHe double-takes, noticing a high WINDOW get raised. I t s outof s ight of the D.E.A. agents. Only Walt can see as


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29.

Walt nods, follows him to the house. He s not going to t e l lHank what he knows.EXT. BUNGALOW STREET - NIGHTWe re in an old neighborhood of Sears-Roebuck cottages up inthe foothi l ls . One part icu lar bungalow i s shabbier than theres t . I t s paint peels off l ike sunburned skin.EXT. BUNGALOW - BACK YARD - NIGHTTHE CAPN l icense plate gets covered - - Dupree i s out herein the darkness, hurriedly draping his Daytona with a ta rp.

He s antsy as he l l . Hearing FOOTSTEPS, he grabs a t i r e i ron,crouches behind the car . The FOOTSTEPS slow, stop.WALT (0. S. )I t s me. I m alone.

Walt appears out of the blackness. Dupree slowly r i ses .After a wary beat:DUPREEHow d you find me?WALTYou re s t i l l in our f i l ing system.Your aunt owns th i s place, r ight?DUPREEI own i t .

Walt nods. Whatever. He glances a t the t a rp .WALTNobody s looking for you.DUPREEwhat do you want?WALT

I was curious.(a beat; shrug)Honestly, I never expected you toamount to much. Methamphetamine,though. I didn t picture that .(off the silence)Lotta money in i t , huh?


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30.

Dupree peers into the darkness beyond Walt, wonders who elsei s out there. His hand t ightens around the t i r e i ron.

DUPREEI don' t know what you're ta lkingabout.WALT

NoDUPREE

No freakin' clue.WALTHuh. Cap'n Cook? That 's not you?(off his head shake)Like I said, no one's looking foryou. I didn t t e l l anyone.

Dupree grows more agitated. His voice stays low.DUPREEI don' t know what you think you'redoing here, Mr. White. I f you'replanning on giving me some bul l sh i tabout gett ing r ight with Jesus orsomething, turning myself in - -WALTNo. Not really.DUPREE

You a i n t Welcome Back, Kotter,so step off . No speeches.Dupree points the t i r e iron for emphasis. Walt should leave,but he doesn' t . Instead

WALTShort speech. You lost yourpartner today. What's-his-name,Emilio? Emilio's going to prison.The D.E.A. took your money, yourlab. You got nothing. Square one.But you know the business, and Iknow the chemistry. I 'm thinking.Maybe you and I partner up.

Long, pregnant si lence. Dupree can t bel ieve his ears .


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DUPREEYou - - wanna cook crys ta l meth.(off Walt s nod)You You and me

31.

Walt means i t . Dupree breaks in to a crooked, spreading grin.Before he can laugh out loudW LTEither tha t or I turn you in.

Dupree s smile fades. Off Walt, serious as a heart at tack END CT TW


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32.

ACT THREE

INT. WHITE HOUSE - KITCHEN - AFTERNOONBrown shipping tape gets pulled of f i t s ro l l with a SKRRECKskyler seals a cardboard box, readies t for the post off ice .The kitchen table i s stacked with bubble wrap and boxes.Marie helps pack. She holds up an item.

MARIEWhat the he l l i s th i s?SKYLERDamned i f I know. I described tas a mid-century objet d ' a r t .MARIEAnd somebody bought i t ?SKYLERSome guy in Minneapolis. Fourteendol lars plus shipping and I got

t a t a yard sa le for eighty cents.God I love eBay.Marie shakes her head, bubble-wraps the ob je t

MARIEAt th i s ra te , in f i f ty or s ix tyyears you ' l l be r ich.That 's the dynamic - - Marie i s constantly yi tz ing her olders is te r . Sometimes, she 's not even aware she ' s doing i t .She's jus t natural ly negative. And competi t ive.

MARIEWhat's up with Walt la tely?SKYLERHe's f ine . What do you mean?MARIE

He jus t seems I don ' t know.Quieter than usual .

Skyler thinks about i t , shrugs.SKYLERTurning for ty was a big deal . Iknow I 'm not looking forward to i t .(smirk)You - - are gonna be a basket-case.


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MARIESO, it s a mid-l ife c r i s i s .SKYLERNQ. He's just . Quiet.MARIE(a beat)How's the sex?SKYLERMarie Jesus.

33.

Marie holds up her hands. Whatever Irked, Skyler runs hertape gun over the top of a box - - SKKKRRRECK. A beat or two.MARIEmumbles)Guess tha t answers that .

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - AFTERNOONWalt 's chern lab i s empty - - school has ended forHurrying around, Walt peers in cabinets high andout FLASKS BEAKERS TUBING STANDS and BURNERS.a l l th i s up, loads it in a cardboard box.

the day.low, pullsHe gathersHe pauses, h i t by a br ie f f i t of COUGHING. He recovers,snif fs and feels his chest with his f ingert ips. Margaret thephysics teacher s t icks her head in the door behind him.

MARGARETHey, you're s t i l l here.WALTOh, hey.MARGARETI missed lunch - - I was thinking ofswinging by T.G.I. Fridays. Icould use a drink. How 'bout you?

Walt clear ly would l ike to jo in her, and she knows i t .WALTShoot, I can t . My other job.MARGARETOkay. Some other time.(notices the box)Whatcha doing?


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WALTOh. Inventory. Not a week goes bymy kids don t break two or threepieces of glassware.

34.

Margaret considers. Does she believe him? We don t know.But then she winks a t him, leaves. Walt glances a t his boxful l of school property. Shit , tha t was close. He carriest to the door, pauses to peek out. No witnesses.

Walt f l icks off the classroom l ights with his back, thenhumps the heavy box down the ha l l and out of the bui lding.EXT BUNGALOW AFTERNOONDupree s i t s on his front porch, drinking a long-neck beer andglowering. Walt s Nissan putters into view, reverses andbacks in to Dupree s driveway. Walt climbs out , jazzed.

WALTLook what I got.Walt opens his hatchback. Dupree doesn t budge. Walt staresa t him - - a teacher s tar ing a t a recalci t rant student - unt i l Dupree slouches down the steps.

WALTQuit my par t- t ime job - - I ve gotfour hours to devote to th i s everyafternoon. And Walt l i f t s a blanket, revealing his CARGO Lots of goodies.Dupree peers a t the s tolen lab gear, pulls something out .

WALTAh. Kjeldahl-style recovery f lask,2000 mil l i l i t e r s . Very nice. Yougot your Griff in beakers, you gotyour volumetric. But check th i sout - - the piece de res is tanceRound bottom boil ing f lask, 5000mil l i l i t e r s .Big. Dupree wipes his nose with his sleeve, refusing to beimpressed. He points to something else ins tead.

DUPREEI cook in one of those. A big one.WALTThis? This i s an Erlenmeyer f lask.You wouldn t cook in one of these.


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DUPREEYeah. I do.WALTNo you don' t . An Erlenmeyer f laski s for general mixing andt i t ra t ion . You do not apply heatto an Erlenmeyer f lask. That 'swhat the boil ing f lask i s for .Did you not learn anything in mychemistry class?DUPREENo. You flunked me remember?Prick? And l e t me t e l l yousomething else - - th i s sh i t a in tchemistry. This sh i t i s ar t .Cooking i s ar t . The sh i t I cook i sthe bomb so don' t be t e l l ing ~WALTThe sh i t you cook i s sh i t .I saw your setup. Ridiculous.(firm)You and I wil l not make garbage.We wil l produce a chemically pureand s table product tha t performs asadvertised. No adulterants .No baby formula. No chi l i powder.DUPREE

Chili P s my signatureWalt shakes his head - - o t anymore

DUPREEYeah, well we l l see about tha t .The he l l s al l this?

35.

He pul ls out heavy LAB APRONS GLOVES RESPIRATORS. Theseare the respirators we saw Walt and Dupree wearing in theTeaser (Dupree was Walt's unconscious PASSENGER by the way).WALT

Lab safety. We're also gonna havean emergency eye wash s ta t ion.These chemicals and the i r fumes aretoxic or didn t you know that?Dupree holds up an apron, snorts .


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DUPREEHey, you can dress up l ike a faggoti f you want. Not me.

36.

Walt glares a t him, losing patience. Dupree roots throughthe pi les of R W SUPPLIES walt has brought along.DUPREEStove fuel not n o u g ~ of i t .Lye. You got the gener1c crap.Red Devil 's bet te r . Iodine,matches also not my brand.

W ~Somehow, we' l l manage.(points)Sinus tablets . That should beenough pseudoephedrine to producethe f i r s t pound. Then I 'm thinkingwe can switch to a proper phenyl-2-propanone method.Dupree's not l is tening. Instead, he 's noticed somethingabout Walt 's shopping bags. They're a l l the SAME

DUPREEWait. Tell me you didn ' t buy a l lth i s from one single goddamn s tore .W ~Why?DUPREEJesus They know what you're doingwith th i s Any goddamn re tard theygot workin' a reg i s t e r ' s gonna knowyou're making crysta l You'reprobably on some l i s t now(as i f to a child)You buy - - your suppliespiecemeal. One s tore a t a time,one item a t a time.

Walt looks worried now. Chastened.W ~I t was way over in West Covina.I paid cash. Nobody seemed to

Dupree considers Walt. Studies him l ike he 's from Mars.


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DUPREEActing l ike some skippy l i t t l ebi tch. Like th i s i s fun and games.This sh i t i s sh i t you take - ser ious.walt suppresses his anger, s tares a t him evenly.

WALTLife and death.EXT BUNGALOW - GARAGE/BACK YARD - AFTERNOON

37.

Chemicals, labware, supplies - - the l a s t of the carload ofstuf f Walt brought gets packed into a back corner of Dupree smessy old garage. Dupree covers t with a ta rp .DUPREEThis doesn t stay more than a day.WALTWhat, aren t we gonna cook here?DUPREENo we re not gonna cook here.This i s my house. I don t sh i twhere I eat .WALTThen where are we going to work?DUPREEYou t e l l me. This i s your deal,man. You wanna smoke t up, smoke

t up a t your house.(off Walt s look)Nah. I didn t think so. Oh well .Silence as Walt considers. Stubs a t the d i r t with his heel .

WALTWhat i f we rented a self-s torageplace? One of those l i t t l e orangegarages? Worked out of there?

DUPREENah, they re onto tha t . They gotdogs tha t sn i f f around.(grudgingly)RV That s what you want.


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WALTWhat, l ike a Winnebago?DUPREEI know a dude wants to se l l his .

He jus t goes camping with t - - buta mobile meth l ab d be the bomb.You can drive way out in th-e--boonies. Be a l l evasive.(gauging Walt 's in te res t )Forty-f ive hundred'd get you in .Off Walt, already calculat ing how to swing th i s :INT. CREDIT UNION AFTERNOON

38.

The name on the wall says Ontario Teachers Credi t Union.I t s closing t ime. We find Walt standing a t the counter,doing business with a TELLER and a BRANCH MANAGERCLOSER - - cr isp ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS get counted out .

TELLERThirty-nine, for ty . Fourthousand ten, f i f teen, sixteendol la rs and sixty-four cents.Walt s tares down a t the money, looking dis tant . Removed.The manager doesn ' t feel good about th i s a t a l l .

BRANCH MANAGERMr. White, are you sure you want todo th i s? I 'm thinking you'dqualify for a home equity loan.WALTI ve got two already.BRANCH MANAGERYou do understand you are losingnearly seven thousand dol lars ofprincipal . And tha t th i s leavesyour pension account with a zero

balance.WALTYes. I understand.

He's perfec t ly calm. The man s tares a t Walt, bewildered.


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BRANCH MANAGERI m concerned you l l want th i smoney when it comes time to re t i re .Walt shrugs and smiles, doesn t answer.EXT. PARKING LOT - AFTERNOON

39.

CLOSE O a fa t handful of CASH Dupree counts i t impressed.We re in a shopping center lo t , mostly empty. In b.g . i s thecredi t union Dupree and Walt s i t in Dupree s Daytona.

DUPREEI t s four grand. My guy wantsforty-f ive hundred.WALTYou re a drug dealer. Negotiate.

Dupree thinks about i t shoves the money in his pants.DUPREEYou re not how I remember you fromclass . I mean, l ike , not a t a l l .

Walt checks his watch.WALTI gotta go.

wait .doingDUPREEHold up. Tell meth is . Seriously.WALT(a beat)Why do you do i t?DUPREEMoney, mainly.WALT

There you have itDUPREE

why you re

Nah. Come on, man Some s t ra ightl ike you, giant s t i ck up his ass a l l a sudden a t age, what, f i f tyhe s jus t gonna break bad?


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W ~I m forty-one.DUPREEI t s weird, i s a l l . I t doesn tcompute. I f you re l ike crazyor something i f you ve gonecrazy, or depressed. I m jus tsaying. That s something I need toknow about. That affects me.

40.

Walt s tares a t Dupree a long time, considers how to answer.W ~I am . awake.DUPREE(a confused beat)What?

Walt pulls the handle, opens his passenger door.W ~ TBuy the RV We s ta r t tomorrow.

Walt gets in his old Nissan, parked beside the Daytona.Off Dupree, worriedly watching him go:CUT TO:

INT. DRESSING ROO NIGHTI t s t igh t in here. Famil iar CRUTCHES lean against the wall .Walter, J r . s i t s on a bench, struggling to pul l a s t i f f newpai r of off-brand jeans over his bare legs.

SKYLER (O.S.)How you coming in there?

W ~ T E R JR.Fine.Anything but. Young Walter works a t t val ian t ly , but thedesign of th i s room i s giving him t rouble. He won t ask forhelp and his folks know i t . After a while:

SKYLER (O.S.)You want me or your Dad?

W ~ T E R JR.(gives up; annoyed)Dad.


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41.

The door opens and walt enters . Not a word s said as waltleans down and his son wraps his arms around his neck. WhileWalter, J r . holds on, his dad l i f t s him a l i t t l e and worksthe jeans up onto his thighs and waist .I t s intimate in a way t h a t s tough on a teenager, butWalter, J r . keeps his dignity . Walt handles t well , too.

WALTHow do these f i t ? You l ike these?Walter, Jr . shrugs, nods. Walt zips up his son, buttons him.INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT - MINUTES LATERWe're in a Target or somesuch. The men's department.walter , Jr . stands before a mirror, balancing on his crutchesas he appraises his new jeans. Skyler and Walt stand behindhim. Walt 's thoughts are dis tan t as he watches his son.

SKYLERDon't get 'em i f t hey re too t ight .WALTER JR.They're--pre--shrunk.SKYLERThey always say tha t , then theyshrink anyway.

As Walter, J r . considers, we hear a fa int o.s . COMMOTION.Big boypants.

JOCK (0. S.pants . I got new big boyMommmeeee . Walt snaps out of i t , turns and looks. Twenty fee t away,par t ia l ly hidden by clothing racks, are three GUYS probablyjus t out of high school. They're laughing hard, making atoken effor t to keep the i r voices low.The biggest among them, a t a l l JOCK i s gimping around,playing retard and cracking up the other two. They glanceour way - - i t s clear they re making fun of WALTER JR.

JOCKMommmeee zip up my big boy pants.Choked LAUGHTER and WHISPERS. Walter, Jr . hears. He se tshis jaw and ignores i t , his face burning.


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42.

Skyler i s l iv id . She s about to go give these guys bloodyhel l , but Walt touches a hand to her arm, stops her.WALTNo, don t .

Before she can ask why not , Walt walks off in the opposi tedirect ion He disappears down an ais le . Is he looking forthe manager? A securi ty guard? What s he doing?Skyler i s dismayed he s not standing up for the i r son.Frustrated. unt i l she notices:N W ANGLE - - the jock i s s t i l l flogging the joke as WALTenters frame behind him. Unbeknownst to everyone, Walt hasquickly looped around, stalking up behind these guys.

Oh no.my bigJOCKOh no.boy pa-- I pinched a loaf in

Wham Walt kicks the back of the jock s KNEE, dropping thebig guy painful ly to the f loor. Before the s ta r t l ed jock canget up, Walt stands full-weight on his ANKLE. Leverage.JOCKAAHH Whu - - what are you DOING?WALTWhat s the matter, Chief? Youhaving trouble walking there?Stand up. Don t be a re tard.Stand up and walk.JOCKAAAHH GET OFF ME

Walt ra i ses his foot. The jock scrambles to his feet ,towering over Walt.JOCK

I ll mess you up, manThe kid s nearly a head t a l l e r , 240. Doesn t mean jack-shi tto Walt, who gets in his face. Walt looks s l igh t ly crazy.

WALTWell, don t keep me wait ing.The jock i s already backing off . His two friends arespooked, as well - - tugging a t him to leave.


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43.

JOCKScrew you. Freakin psycho.B.M.O.C. limps off with his t a i l between his legs. Skylerand Walter, J r . stand star ing, amazed. They ve never seenanything l ike i t . Certainly not from the i r husband and dad.

SKYLERWalt Standing here, Walt feels a kind of power one brought onby an absence of fear .Off him, rea l iz ing more and more tha t he l ikes i t :

END CT THREE


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44.

ACT FOUR

EXT. OW PASTURE AFTERNOONBlack and white cows graze in f .g . We d r i f t off them andfocus on a stand of WOODS in the distance.EXT. WOODS AFTERNOONFamiliar to us from the Teaser, the old WINNEBAGOoff a d i r t road. Dupree s Daytona i s here, too.the middle of nowhere. There s nobody around for

i s parkedWe re inmiles.The Winnie s screen dooraround. Breathes deep.impatiently taps against

opens. Walt stepsHe s got a plas t ichis leg. Waiting.out , looksCOAT HANGER he

with a fa int CRUNCH of leaves, Dupree appears. He s clompingtoward us, carrying binoculars.DUPREENothing but cows. Got some bigcow-house way over that way, l iketwo miles. But I don t see nobody.WALT

Cow-house?DUPREE(shrug)Where they l ive . The cows.Whatever, man. Shit yeah, l e t scook here.

Dupree walks off , attends to something in his car . Walthangs his coat hanger on the RV s awning. He unclips hist i e , s l ides t in his breas t pocket. He unbuttons his shortsleeve dress sh i r t , hangs t on the hanger.Dupree wanders back in t ime to see Walt climb out of hisTROUSERS and hang them up. Dupree stops dead in his t racks.

DUPREEWhat. Are you doing?WALTThese are my good clothes. I can tgo home smell ing l ike a meth lab.

Dupree shakes his head, weirded-out . Walt, str ipped down tohis UNDERPANTS climbs in to the Winnebago.


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45.

WALTc'mon, I ve only got t ll s ix .He disappears ins ide. Dupree considers, then reaches in hisjacket pocket for a MINI-CAMCORDER (the one we rememberfrom the Teaser) . Grinning, he follows Walt in to the RV.

CUT TO:

BLACK SCREENwith a DING, up comes a l ive VIDEO IMAGE of Walt, his back tous. He wears a lab apron, rubber gloves and safety glasses .His resp i ra tor i s propped on his forehead. We are:INT. WINNEBAGO - AFTERNOONAnd we're watching Dupree's CAMCORDER POV of Walt a t work.Walt i s crushing scads of sinus p i l l s in a mortar and pestle .This place i s packed t igh t with lab equipment and supplies .We hear Dupree SNICKERING o. s . He ZOOMS IN on Walt 'sunderpants, which show through the back of his apron.

DUPREE (O.S.)This i s a good look for you.You're maybe only the world'ssecond-biggest homo.WALTShut up and give me a hand here.

Walt glances back a t us, notices the camcorder. Sh i t Hereaches s t ra ight in to lens , tuss l ing for i t . I t goes BLACK.WALT (0. S.Gimme tha t goddamned - -

The screen goes to STATIC. BAM - - as we bring up MUSIC:INT. WINNEBAGO - AFTERNOON - MONTAGEEdited to the BEAT of some very hip, dr iving SONG, we seevarious ANGLES and JUMP-CUTS of Walt cooking meth, ass is tedby Dupree. Hours are compressed in to seconds here.For those of us who grew up watching The A-Team, th i s i stha t scene they 'd always do where the A-Team builds a tank ora j e t plane out of spare par ts . Same feel ing, same energyexcept here, our guys are making highly i l l ega l drugs.


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Without turning th i s into a how-to video, we watch as:- - Powdered sinus table ts get soaked in a solvent, separatedout as a paste and a l iquid, then reduced down over heat .- - Veterinary iodine i s transformed in to hydriodic acid.- - The s t r iker s t r ips of dozens of matchbooks get scraped offwith a razor blade, forming a pi le of red phosphorus.- - Red phosphorus i s combined with hydriodic acid and mixedwith the pseudoephedrine culled from the sinus pi l l s .

The whole mess gets cooked into freebase meth o i l .Salt , muriatic acid, and bi t s of aluminum foi l are mixedin a gas can. I t gets connected to a length of garden hose.hydrogen chloride gas bubbles through the hose and downinto a big bucket fu l l of freebase. White methamphetaminehydrochloride crys ta ls f loa t to the top and get skimmed off .

Throughout a l l th i s , Walt i s working with the utmost gravi tyand attention to detai l - - as i f he were a sc ien t i s t on theManhattan Project . As the cook progresses, we get l i t t l ehints tha t Dupree i s taking t more seriously, too.Seeing the way Walt works, seeing tha t he rea l ly knows hisstuff , Dupree acts more respectful . He even s ta r t s wearinghis safety gear. Clearly, he s learning from walt .EXT WINNEBAGO AFTERNOONThe l i t t l e RV s i t s hidden in the woods. Toxic-looking YELLOWSMOKE wafts through a vent in the roof. I t curls up in to thet rees , f i l t e r ing through shafts of red afternoon sunset.End MUSIC End MONTAGEINT. WINNEBAGO EVENINGI t s gett ing dark outside. The cook i s done. Walt s i t s inhis apron, t i red . He rubs a t the red l ine around his facel e f t by his respirator , t rying to make t go away.They ve made about a poundDupree carefully dips intol i f t ing out a t iny sample.paper, swirling t around.

of fa t , snowy white crystals .the i r product with a razor blade,He taps t onto a sheet of yellowHis eyes are wide.


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He's a whole new Dupree now. Subdued. Awed. I t ' s as i fhe 's seen the Holy Grail .DUPREEThis i s th is i s glass grade.

You got Jesus, you got crystalsin here a quarter-inch long.Longer. This i s pure glass .(turns to himYou're you're Michelangelo.You're a goddamned ar t i s t . This i sar t . Mr. White . He's run out of superlat ives. He's actual ly tear ing Ye.walt i s surprised by his emotion.

W LTI t ' s just basic chemistry.(off his aweBut thank you, Marion. I 'm gladi t ' s acceptable.DUPREEAcceptable? Every j ibbhead fromhere to Timbuktu's gonna want ataste I t ' s gonna be l ike , "Sir ,would you care to replace yourSchwinn bicycle with th i s brand-newFerrari?" Shit(dips some more)Dude, I gotta t ry some of th is .

Uncomfortable with that idea, Walt in tercedes.W LTNo. We se l l i t , we don' t smoke i t .DUPREESince when?(Walt puts t awayMan, you been watching too much

Miami Vice.W LT

(checks his watch)So, how do we proceed?DUPREEYou cook more tomorrow. Meantime,I know jus t the guy to t a lk to .


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INT. KRAZY-8 S HOUSE - MORNINGBrand-new giant screen TV. Otherwise, th i s place looks l ikea cross between a f ra t house and a crack house. KRAZY-8a young, hard-looking Mexican, s i t s on a sofa dotted withc igare t te burns. He's playing NBA basketball on his PS2.The front door stands openreinforced steel , i s shut.wanders up onto the porch,

DUPREE

- - but the screen door, a l lVisible through i t , Dupreecups his eyes and peers in .Yo, Kraze How you doin ' , my man?

heavy

Krazy-8 glances over f la t ly , returns his a t tent ion to hisvideo game. Dupree twists the doorknob. Locked.DUPREECan I come in?

A beat or two as Krazy-8 keeps playing. Final ly , he reachesover, grabs a garage door cl icker . He BUZZES Dupree in.Dupree bops in to the l iving room, a l l smiles. He's act ingl ike he and th i s guy are t ight - - which they are not. Dupreetakes a seat , watches the video game.

DUPREEI got th is game. The Laker Girlsa l l have t i t t i e s l ike pine cones.Yo, I ll show you a t r i ck move.You h i t the x-button simultaneouswith the

KRAZY-8- - Shut your mouth and show me yourmoney.DUPREEI a i n t buying, ese. I 'm se l l ing.

Dupree tosses a t iny BAGGIE on the coffee table . I t s at ina one-sixteenth of an ounce of meth. One hi t .DUPREETell me tha t a i n t the f inestscante you ever la id eyes on.

Krazy-8 glances a t the baggie, keeps playing. Glances a t itagain. Pauses his game and picks it up. Studies it closely.


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DUPREEHuh? See? Crystal so big, lookl ike somebody broke a window.Look l ike you'd cut your nose off .Try i t .

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Krazy takes a whiff of the open baggie, considers. He scoopsa tas te in to his pinkie na i l and snorts t up his nost r i l .DUPREEBOO-YAH See? What I say?

Krazy squints his eyes, rubs his nose. Jesus - - rocket fuelKRAZY-BThat 's al r ight .(eyeing him)So, what? You back in business?DUPREEHell , yeah I 'm back with avengeance Nigga got ta make al iving And with your cousin goneaway and a l l (changes gears)And l i s t en homes, about that . I trea l ly broke me up about Emilio.Dude i s l ike my brother.(mournful)He okay? You t a lk to him?KRAZY-BYeah, I ta lked to him. He sayswhen the feds came, you were outs t i ck in t in some neighbor lady.DUPREE(shrugs; smiles)Hey you know. I got lucky twice.KRAZY-BYeah? I dunno, man. Emilio ?

(dark)He thinks maybe you dimed on him.Dupree's expression clouds over, surprised and offended.

DUPREEThat i s bul lshi t . That i sbul lshi t , Krazy-B I should kickhis punk ass for even thinkingtha t . Next t ime you ta lk toEmilio, you t e l l him for me.


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walt glances a t his RESPIRATOR. I t s lying way a t theother end of the RV. Walt gingerly s izes up the cousins.Emilio reaches over, wig-wags Walt s earlobe with the muzzleof his shiny 9mm. Cold and menacing as hel l .

EMILIOStep to i t , snitch.Walt makes up his mind - - it s owtop off the red phosphorus bot t le .quiet breath and HOLDS i t .

or never He unscrews theHe takes a long, deep,

He dumps the bot t le onto the hot pla te . I t hi t s the flamewith a sizzl ing WHOOF and smokes up. Walt ducks and RUNS.EXT. WINNEBAGO - CONTINUOUSWalt makes t outside jus t ahead of the cousins. He slamsthe door in thei r faces, leans his back against t hard.BOOM BOOM They re kicking the sh i t out of t from theinside, t rying desperately to get out. We hear them COUGHINGnow. GASPING. The flimsy RV door won t hold up long.Suddenly - - BLAM -BLAM -BLAM BULLET HOLES puncture thedoor, zinging jus t above Walt s head. S t i l l Walt standsfas t , f l inching and ducking lower. BLAM -BLAM -BLAM -BLAMThe f i r ing stops. The CHOKING SOUNDS get louder, moretor tured. Horrifying. Tiny th in curls of RED SMOKE waft outthrough the bul le t holes.We hear a heavy THUMP. Then ANOTHER. Two bodies hi t t ing thefloor . Silence now. Walt shuts his eyes, breathing hard.Walt recovers, stumbles over and checks on Dupree, who ss t i l l breathing. Walt unties him. Thank God they re bothal ive. Just as walt gets Dupree loose .

He smells SMOKE. He turns , sees t r is ing th ick and darkfrom behind the Winnebago. He runs to see.N W ANGLE - BEHIND THE RVKrazy-B s CIGARETTE has s ta r ted a BRUSH FIRE. I t s ten fee tacross. Walt t r i es to stomp t out , but tha t a i n t working.He yanks off his heavy labout the flames with tha t .up in to the sky - - watchesEveryone within f ive miles

apron, desperately t r i e s to beatNo dice. In a panic, Walt s taresthe SMOKE t r a i l high overhead.can see i t .


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LOW ANGLE DUPREELies dr i f t ing in and out of consciousness. Walt - - in hisunderpants, black shoes and socks - - runs to him. Walt yanksa RESPIRATOR onto Dupree s face, then drags him out of frame.ANGLE THE RVThe flames of the brush f i re are l icking the back bumper.The engine ROARS al ive the exhaust pipe belching blue smoke.The f i re i s blocking the d i r t road now.lurches forward and takes off overland.from the awning - - a t ree branch knocks

The WinnebagoWalt s clothes swingloose his TROUSERS.EXT. OW PASTURE DAY (REPEATED FOOTAGE)Pastoral . Quiet. OW SHIT bakes in the sun, then getsRUN OVER with a SPLAT. We re ful l -c i rc le back to the Teaser.The Winnebago galumphs across the landscape, scat tering cows.INT. WINNEBAGO DAY (REPEATED FOOTAGE)Walt drives in his underpants and his gas mask, his knuckleswhite on the wheel. Unconscious Dupree slumps beside him.Behind, the dead cousins s l ide to and fro amidst the sloshingruins of the meth lab. Their CASH f lu t t e rs in the breeze.Walt hypervent i la tes . His mask FOGS UP. BAM He crashes,violent ly JERKING FORWARD into lens. The frame goes BLACK.

CUT TO:EXT. OW PASTURE DAY MINUTES LATERWe s ta r t on BLACK, then PULL OUT of the barrel of Walt s gun.We find ourselves where the Teaser l e f t off - - Walt i s aimingpas t us, standing in his sh i r t and t i e and underpants.SIRENS are wail ing. We see RED LIGHTS f lashing jus t over topof the weeds. They re racing our way.Walt has second thoughts. What the hel l i s he doing? He snot going to shoot anybody. The feroci ty leaks out of him.Despair se t t l es in in i t s place.Sirens - - BLARING.mouth, winces hard. Fuck i t . He st icks the muzzle in hisHe YANKS THE TRIGGER.


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Nothing. The sa fe ty s on. Walt fumbles with i t , t rying tof igure t out . This takes him jus t long enough tha t The s i rens are revealed to be FIRE ENGINES Not thecops. Two big pumper t rucks curve past us, following a d i r troad through the pasture we didn t see unt i l now

They roar on by, none of the firemen taking the sl ightestnotice of Walt. They re heading for Krazy-8 s brush f i re amile away. We can see the crooked column of SMOKE from here.The SIRENS and the ROAR fade away. Gradually, the pasturegrows s i len t again. Walt s tares s tupidly, the pis to ldangling a t his s ide. He l e t s t drop to the di r t .He stands blinking, t ry ing to f igure out what the hel l jus thappened. Pure, dumb luck. Beginner s luck.As he stands here, the door to the RV opens behind him.Dupree stumbles out , pulls off his gas mask. Half his facei s swollen l ike a balloon, but h e l l recover.Dupree wanders over, stands next to Walt. Dazed s i lence .

DUPREEWhat happened ?(nods toward the RVW-What d you do?

Walt i s weirdly matter-of-fact .W ~Red phosphorus, when heat i sapplied . oxidizes and yieldscarbonyl chlor ide. Phosgene gas.One good whiff of t

He shrugs, t r a i l s off . Folds a t the waist and THROWS UPDupree stands s tar ing a t nothing in par t icular . Walt r i ses ,wipes his mouth. He picks up his W ~ L T and CAMCORDER.

W ~Gotta. Gotta clean th i s up.Gotta bury .

He slowly wanders back to the Winnebago. Dupree follows him.Off our two new partners , who have only barely survived thei rf i r s t week together DISSOLVE TO:


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INT. WHITE HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHTLate. Lights are off . Skyler and Walter, J r . have gone tobed. Walt stands a t the kitchen sink, washing Krazy-8's cashn Dawn dishwashing l iquid. Washing off the toxic chemicals.He gives an involuntary shudder. He squeezes shut his eyes,which are tearing up. Tonight 's a night he s never going toforget - - whether he l ives two years or two hundred.INT. WHITE HOUSE - GARAGE - NIGHTBLACK FRAME A DING then a door opens - - revealing we'reinside the c lothes dryer, looking out. Dry twenty dol larb i l l s f lu t t e r around. Weary Walt reaches n and grabs themby the f i s t fu l .Walt quickly counts the money. Eight thousand and change.Walt jams t in a shoebox, snaps a rubber band around i t .Remembering something, he reaches in his pocket ' And pul l s out the t iny camcorder TAPE.remember, s the confession to his family.destroy the tape. He thinks about i t , thenshoebox fu l l of cash.

On i t , we l lHe doesn ' tdrops t in to the

walt stands t ip toes on a chair , tucks the box way up n thegarage ra f t e rs . Looking haunted, l ike he l l warmed over, heclimbs down and exi ts , turns off the l ight . DARKNESSINT. WHITE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHTSkyler l i es in bed, alone and awake. We're on her as we hearthe door open. Quiet footsteps. Clothes come off .Walt gingerly climbs into bed, not wanting to wake his wife.He l i es motionless, s tar ing up a t the cei l ing. A tor rent ofthoughts rush through his head. Final ly:

SKYLERWhere were you?Walt doesn ' t answer. Skyler turns his way, s tares a t him.

SKYLERWalt, I don' t know what i s going onwith you la te ly - -WUTNothing. I 'm f ine.


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Screenplay Breaking Bad Pilot

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