The Unscripted Line that Leveled Up Breaking Bad's 'Ozymandias'

Breaking Bad: A Groundbreaking Series

Breaking Bad marked a milestone in television history by completely changing the way audiences consume TV shows. The series quickly became one of the best TV shows of all time and managed to maintain an increasing quality throughout its five seasons, delivering incredible episodes that will always be remembered.

Bryan Cranston as Walter White with Holly on Breaking Bad

Among these installments, however, is one of the most relevant that hides some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts.

Bryan Cranston as Walter White during his final moments in Breaking Bad

The Best Episode: 'Ozymandias'

Breaking Bad season 5, episode 14, 'Ozymandias,' is arguably Breaking Bad's best episode. Not only do fans love it, but the episode has IMDb's highest ranking for a TV episode, which is a ground-breaking achievement.

Everything in it is great; both the writing by Moira Walley-Beckett and the direction by Rian Johnson live up to the dramatic importance of that stage in Walter White's story, and, regarding Breaking Bad's cast, every actor is at the top of their game.

However, one actor outside the main cast was especially important for the episode, uttering a significant line that was shockingly not in the script.

The Significance of Holly's Improvised Line

Holly, Walter and Skyler's baby girl, is particularly important in “Ozymandias.” As both Bryan Cranston and Vince Gilligan told The Ringer in a 2018 interview, a particular scene featuring Walter and Holly was leveled up by an improvised line perfectly executed by the infant.

Almost at the end of the episode's last quarter, Walt is changing Holly's diaper in a public restroom. Once Walt finishes changing his daughter, baby Holly says 'Mama' repeatedly, which is a great piece of acting, except that it wasn't, as it was MacDonald actually asking for her mom.

The relevance of Holly's improvised line is given by both the fortuitous nature of the dialogue, considering how difficult it is to film scenes with babies, and the value it adds to the scene. Keeping in mind that this moment is meant to highlight Walt's final decision to leave his family out of his affairs, Holly's 'mama' line serves as an organic and realistic rejection of him that makes the situation more dramatic, finally triggering Walt's decision.