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Breaking Bad (2008-2013) takes fans into the world of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high-school chemistry teacher whose life turns upside down when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Throwing caution to the wind, he begins making meth out of his RV to earn money for his family. But things go south as he and his former student, Jesse Pinkman, get embroiled in a world of crime and immorality.
Created by Vince Gilligan, the crime drama is a sweeping tale of a character grappling with the consequences of his own actions. The show uses Walter's surroundings, his psyche, and the mise-en-scene as living, breathing entities that deepen the character's lore.
So from motifs like oranges and pink teddy bears to aliases with a backstory, there are several things fans might have missed amid the tense pace of the show.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer. Spoilers ahead.
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Motifs, aliases, and other Easter eggs in Breaking Bad that fans might not have noticed
1) The use of oranges in the show
Like any well-written crime drama, Breaking Bad uses props and set pieces to foreshadow important events. The show uses ripe oranges to signal something bad. The fruits roll off the table onto Ted Beneke's back at one point. Again, in season 5 episode 9 (Blood Money), Walter's neighbor drops her grocery bag when she sees him, and oranges fall out.
This is a clever nod to The Godfather, and several crime dramas, including Dexter and The Sopranos. The orange is a symbol of the harbinger of evil and violence. It is also used in Better Call Saul as a bait and switch, diving into meta-dramatization of the motif.
2) The one-eyed pink teddy bear
Similarly, a pink teddy bear motif appears in different places throughout Breaking Bad. It is introduced as part of the debris from the Wayfarer 515 plane crash, one eye gouged out, and its body partially burnt. As the show progresses, pink becomes a representation of the goodness Walter loses. It also foreshadows grotesque consequences for Gus Fringe.
Gus walks out of the damaged nursing home with one eye missing and burnt on one side, representing one of Walter's worst deeds. The motif continues to appear several times, with four episodes showing the teddy bear being sealed as evidence. The scenes are in black and white, while the teddy bear appears in color, reminiscent of the girl in the red coat in Schindler's List.
It further appears as a decal on Jane's bedroom wall, for sale at the supermarket, and lying abandoned outside the motel, continuously reminding fans of Walter's descent away from his humanity.
3) The title of the series finale and its significance
Season 5 episode 16 (Felina), aka the series finale of Breaking Bad, focuses on Walter's unraveling finally reaching a tragic, but fitting conclusion. The name is in the soundtrack El Paso by Marty Robbins and plays at the beginning of the episode, foreshadowing the death of the main character.
The song is about how he loved a woman named Felina so much that he killed another man who flirted with her, left town to escape his crime, and came back just to die in her arms. This directly alludes to Walter's journey, and how his love for meth became his undoing in the end, where he dies in its metaphorical arms, staring at the lab equipment.
Fe, Li, and Na are also iron, lithium, and sodium in the periodic table, referring to blood, meth, and tears, the crux of the show. Finally, it is an anagram of "finale".
4) The Breaking Bad logo on building surfaces
The two diagonally aligned squares representing chemical elements Bromine (Br) and Barium (Ba) on the periodic table make up the show's logo. In several instances throughout, the squares can be seen on floors, murals, and other surfaces. It creatively reiterates what the show is all about.
The two diagonal squares can be seen on the floor of the hospital in season 4 episode 12 (End Times) and the mural on Walter's apartment wall. Whether intentional or coincidental, it makes the premise richer and more fun.
5) Walter's pants from the pilot
One of the most convoluted Easter eggs in Breaking Bad is the return of Walter's chinos from the pilot. In the show's most iconic cold open, fans can see a disoriented Walter stumble into a desert in his underwear, shirt, and a gas mask, after his pants came loose. Things have exploded in the backdrop, suggesting something has gone very wrong.
In season 5 episode 14 (Ozymandias), Walter is rolling a money barrel through the same desert. His car is out of gas, and he is stranded and desperate, similar to the pilot. While fans already began seeing the parallels, the chino pants from the pilot make an appearance, lying on the ground as Walter walks by.
6) Walter White's alias
From the beginning, Walter's empire was a glass castle. It was bound to come crashing down, given how entangled he got in the web of lies, deceit, and violence. So when his secrets are outed, and it is discovered that Walter and Heisenberg are the same person, he goes under cover with the alias Lambert.
The surname is a callback to his wife Skyler's maiden name, and a way for fans to know that the mild-mannered chemistry teacher is still part of the person he has become. It is a quick Easter egg in Breaking Bad, so fans might have missed it, given the intensity of season 5's storyline.
7) Other pop culture crime movie references
The parallels to the crime action movie Scarface (1983) are evident in Breaking Bad's premise. A character goes from being a nobody to someone high on power, ambition, and the greed for money, changing into an evil version of themselves. Walter's rise and fall from power is similar to Tony Montana's, right down to the ending where both drug lords find themselves cornered by their enemies.
Walter uses a machine gun to take down his enemies before he bleeds out to death, just like Tony. While the semantics are different, the crux remains the same. The show even references the movie when Walter and Flynn watch the scene earlier in season 5 of Breaking Bad.
Watch Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul, on Netflix.
