Years after the landmark TV show Breaking Bad ended, viewers are still talking about the most intense and intriguing scenes of the series. Breaking Bad introduced the world to a compelling story about one man’s moral degradation over time, winning countless awards for its ingenious writing and harsh tone. The story of Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) decision to become a meth cook after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis might sound bizarre at first, but it turned out to be one of the most psychologically complex TV shows of a generation.
Several shocking Breaking Bad character deaths are still among the most talked about moments of the series. The writers perfectly executed these inevitable demises in ways that capture what they mean for the surviving characters’ arcs. Other brilliant scenes that enthralled viewers include the ones where certain characters, particularly Walt, demonstrate how ruthless they can be. However, nothing happens as expected or adheres to writing clichés in Breaking Bad, which is why people are still talking about the show years later.
Viewers are endlessly fascinated by Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) amicable approach to being a “criminal” defense lawyer and his sardonic sense of humor. Maybe it wasn’t quite yet apparent what he would be in his first scene in the series — here he is seemingly an upbeat but committed attorney discussing with Walt how to best protect his “nephew” Badger (Matt Jones). However, when Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul) threaten Saul, and he quickly offers to work with them, it becomes clear that Saul will turn the show on its head.
Saul becoming Walt’s true criminal attorney is intriguing because of how Saul spins the situation to his advantage. Years later, it is still an engaging experience to watch this and try to work out Saul’s train of thought. The scene also includes a subtle call back to a joke from an earlier episode with Walt and Jesse wearing their same ridiculous ski masks, conveying some sense of the dangerous absurdity of it all. The meaning of their confrontation is reinforced later when Saul turns up at the high school to tell Walter he wants in.
Mike (Jonathan Banks) is similar to Saul in that his attitude about a life of crime surprises viewers. Working as Gus Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) hitman, Mike is typically calm and understanding. He tries to offer Walt kindly if harsh advice about how to survive the drug world, even if he is usually ignored. Mike has at least one child because he has a granddaughter, who he occasionally takes for a day out. True to his composed character, Mike meets death with resolve. Walt is still scrambling to cobble together an excuse, but Mike accepts the facts.
The confrontation leading up to Mike’s death is another interesting one in the story of Walt’s fall from grace because of how it demonstrates the stark contrast between their characters. Mike was content working for Gus, but Walt consistently found himself at odds with the boss. The distinction between how Mike carries himself in this line of work and how Walt does provides another tangent for discussion in the ethical debates of Breaking Bad.
Walt’s breakdown after discovering that Skyler (Anna Gunn) has given away his money has, perhaps ironically, become one of the most famous scenes in his arc. His increasing instability is illustrated not by him killing someone, as it is in many other scenes of the series, but by his reaction to losing control over the situation. “Crawl Space” is one of the most disturbing episodes of Breaking Bad due to Gus threatening to have Walt’s family killed and the morbid scene of Walt in the crawl space of his house.
Walt thrives on being in control, being the one that other people are afraid of — when he loses this power, he is at his worst. Cranston and Gunn are both exceptional in this scene, with Skyler’s terror only heightening Walt’s disturbing behavior. Skyler goes to answer the phone as Marie (Betsy Brandt) calls to say that Hank’s (Dean Norris) life has been threatened, with Walt’s deranged laughter echoing in the background before the scene cuts back to him, making it a hauntingly brilliant scene with several cinematography and sound decisions to discuss.
The train heist demonstrates a new level of Heisenberg’s strategic skills. Walt and Jesse are not just coming up with new formulas but planning elaborate operations to steal a surplus of the materials they will need for their drug empire. Their business is expanding as they can hire additional hands, including Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons) and his crew.
The heist itself is worthy of re-watching and dissecting in the way many heist scenes are. It is intense, and the characters are all laser-focused, even as they run out of time, the train starts moving again, and Todd must jump to the ground. However, in true Breaking Bad form, the already nerve-racking sequence is shattered by another shocking event. The crew realizes that a young boy called Drew (Samuel Webb) has witnessed their crime, and Todd shoots him without hesitation. Jesse is horrified in another moment that illustrates the moral downfall of the show’s entire cast.
Breaking Bad is primarily about Walt becoming the malevolent drug lord Heisenberg. In a secondary sense, it is about the back and forth between him and Jesse over how far they are each willing to go and how far they will push the other one. The audience might have initially thought Jesse would be the one to corrupt Walt. However, Jesse is revealed to have a stronger moral code of the two. Jesse just wants the money to live in a nice place and go on spending sprees; Walt is the one with true ambitions of power.
While they are often driven to protect each other, Walt drags Jesse further and further down a dark path. Jesse killing Gale (David Costabile) to protect himself and Walt is a key event in this storyline, one that Paul nails. Jesse is not a cold-blooded killer in this scene, but is terrified. As fans continue to dissect Walt and Jesse’s relationship, they will always come back to this moment.
The famous “Say my name” scene includes possibly the second most iconic quote from Breaking Bad and shows Heisenberg at the height of his power — and he is enjoying it. Walt is a true drug lord now, cutting in new dealers and making all the calls. He can wave the infamy of his perfect meth and the murder of Gus in the faces of anyone who would question him. Declan (Louis Ferrara) knows who Walt is and Walt loves it.
“Say my name” is infinitely more quotable than “I am the one who knocks,” which is one reason people keep revisiting this scene. However, it represents a significant moment in the Breaking Bad saga because of how it vividly illustrates Walt’s enjoyment of his hard-earned status in the drug world. What makes it more interesting is that Walt kills Mike and tries to justify his actions later in the same episode. Walt is inconsistent in his feelings about his actions, but “Say my name” is an intriguing moment in time when he is completely sure of his villainous self.
Gus is just as suave and professional when he kills Don Eladio Vuente (Steven Bauer) and most of the rest of the cartel with a well-timed drink in celebration. People are still morbidly fascinated by this scene because it demonstrates how dangerous Gus is, and the subversive nature of his understated tactics. They might have genuinely believed that Gus was willing to make peace with the cartel, provided there would be no more trouble.
However, as Gus sees it, letting things go is bad for business. He is certainly looking for any way to rid himself of Walt throughout Breaking Bad season 4 but must ensure production can continue without him. Eliminating the cartel was almost laughably easy for him. The method was not pretty, but it was straightforward and effective: poison a bottle of tequila, drink from it to deflect suspicion, induce vomiting before the poison takes effect, and watch everyone else die.
The scene where Walt finally admits the truth of his motivations is incredibly satisfying because the audience has known it all along. Cancer and providing for his family might have been his inciting incident, but it has long been clear that he finds purpose and adventure in the drug world. The quietly emotional scene where Walt provides Skyler with a way out is exactly the context this confirmation needs.
They are both heartbroken when Walt tells Skyler where the police can find Hank and Steve’s (Steven Michael Quezada) bodies. It seems like they are gearing up for another fight about how Walter “did it for the family” — but he surprises Skyler by saying something else. After everything that has happened and everything he has done, a deflated confession is the best conclusion to Walter’s arc. It might also leave people wondering when Walt knew this truth about himself.
The growing tensions and increasingly drastic threats between Gus and Walt lead to the inevitable conclusion that one must kill the other. It is a battle of wits as much as force, of who can be the better criminal mastermind. For a brief moment in time, it looked as though Gus genuinely wanted to be friends with Walt, who he saw as a newcomer to the industry with boundless potential. However, Walt’s rise to power would only be Gus’ downfall.
The circumstances surrounding Gus’ death mirror those of Tuco’s (Raymond Cruz) years earlier, where, after a failed first attempt at murdering him, Walt and Jesse only have so much time before Gus retaliates. The makeup alone in Gus’ death scene is still worth talking about. Gus realizes that he has been beaten only moments before the bomb goes off and manages to walk out of the room and adjust his tie one last time before collapsing. What Gus is thinking at any given moment in Breaking Bad warrants hours of debate, but especially at this moment.