The first episode of Breaking Bad, titled "Pilot," introduces viewers to Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Walter’s life seems mundane and challenging: he's working two jobs—teaching at school and working at a car wash—to support his family, which includes his pregnant wife Skyler and their teenage son Walter Jr., who has cerebral palsy.
On his 50th birthday, Walter receives devastating news: he’s diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Faced with the reality of his limited time and his family’s financial struggles, Walter is desperate to secure his family’s future. While accompanying his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, a DEA agent, on a drug bust, Walter sees his former student Jesse Pinkman fleeing the scene. Realizing the potential of making quick money through drug manufacturing, Walter approaches Jesse and proposes that they partner to cook and sell methamphetamine.
Walter uses his chemistry expertise to produce a highly pure form of meth, quickly gaining attention in the drug market. To finance this new operation, Walter steals equipment from his school and purchases an RV to use as a mobile meth lab. The episode ends with a tense encounter between Walter, Jesse, and two drug dealers, which escalates when Walter uses his scientific knowledge to defend himself.
The pilot sets up the key themes of the series, including Walter’s transformation and his descent into the criminal world. It establishes the dramatic tension between his moral conflict and his desire to provide for his family.