Before the RV rolled through the desert, before the pink teddy bear floated in the pool, and before “I am the one who knocks” became a cultural catchphrase, Breaking Bad was just a risky pitch about a high school chemistry teacher turning to a life of crime.

The episode, directed by the show’s creator Vince Gilligan, introduced the world to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). It ended with Walter telling his stunned wife, Skyler, “I am awake.”

Did you watch the Breaking Bad pilot when it originally aired? Or did you discover it years later? Let me know in the comments below.

In the TV industry, this is known as a “graveyard slot.” It’s the time when most casual viewers are going to bed or preparing for the work week. The strategy was simple: Mad Men aired at 10:00 PM on Thursdays, so AMC copied the plan. They were building a brand for “prestige dramas you had to seek out,” not mass-appeal hits. On that chilly Sunday night, viewers who tuned in were greeted by a cold open unlike anything on television: a pair of khaki pants flying through the air, a man in his underwear driving an RV at high speed, and a video camera recording a desperate confession.

Furthermore, the network was furious about the pilot’s content. Executives demanded that Vince Gilligan make Walter White less “unlikable.” They specifically hated the scene where Walt watches a woman choke to death on her own vomit and does nothing. Gilligan refused to cut it, and the fight almost derailed the show before it began.