Unforgettable Breaking Bad Moments That Defied Expectations

Summary

Many of

Breaking Bad

's key moments, such as Walter White blowing up Tuco's headquarters and causing a mid-air plane collision, challenge viewer believability but maintain their narrative impact.

The series almost strays into self-parody at some points, like with Walt's war against a single fly and Hank's obliviousness to a deliberate car crash.

Although

Breaking Bad

's realism is occasionally interrupted by implausible moments, its compelling story and characters still captivate audiences.

Breaking Bad is an exceptionally realistic series, however, it incorporates certain absurd moments that, if approached incorrectly, could have undermined the credibility of Vince Gilligan's masterpiece. Despite Walter White's increasingly villainous actions, his bittersweet journey resonates with audiences from all backgrounds, and even after more than a decade since its final episode, Breaking Bad has stood the test of time remarkably well. Both the plot and characters have proven to be timeless thus far, although certain episodes challenge the viewers' expectations.

The fundamental concept of a show like Breaking Bad necessitates some suspension of disbelief. For example, in real-life drug trafficking, the obsession with purer blue meth and Walter White's extraordinary intelligence would not carry as much significance, as ruthless efficiency and business acumen take precedence over chemical perfection and prestige. Nevertheless, realism was never Breaking Bad's primary focus, as it is the narrative of Walter White's downfall and its dramatic aftermath that propels the story forward, often through contrived coincidences and outlandish twists that pervade throughout the show's five seasons.

10 Walter White Blows Up Tuco’s Headquarters (Without Consequences)

9 The Cartel Turns Tortuga’s Head Into A Deadly Bomb

In the pivotal season 5 episode "Crazy Handful of Nothin'", a significant moment occurs that challenges the audience's ability to suspend disbelief. This moment marks the point where Walt fully embraces his alter ego, Heisenberg, by taking a bold step - shaving his head. Additionally, he rebels against his meth distributor, Tuco Salamanca, by ingeniously demolishing his headquarters using mercury fulminate. However, it is highly improbable for real mercury fulminate to generate such a powerful explosion. Moreover, considering the circumstances, Walt should have sustained serious injuries himself. Furthermore, it seems implausible that Walt could effortlessly continue his illicit drug operations after such a daring act, as other criminals would logically view him as the foremost target in Albuquerque, driven by both revenge and envy.

In the second season episode "Negro y Azul" of Breaking Bad, the head of Tortuga, a member of the Cartel portrayed by Danny Trejo, is decapitated and mounted on a tortoise. This grotesque creation is then detonated remotely with the intention of causing harm to the DEA colleagues of Hank Schrader, ultimately leading to casualties. Considering the ruthless actions carried out by real-life drug cartels, it is not entirely implausible to imagine such a disturbing "head bomb" as a realistic contraption. However, by this point in the series, Breaking Bad had only begun to explore the more strange and unusual aspects of the drug trafficking world. The detonation of Tortuga's head could have potentially misled viewers into expecting a consistently bizarre tone throughout the rest of the show.

8 Walter White Causes A Plane Crash

The most ambitious plot point in Breaking Bad is the catastrophic plane collision above Albuquerque, witnessed and inadvertently caused by Walter White. The collision results in the death of 167 victims due to an error by air controller Donald Margolis, who is still distraught over the death of his daughter Jane. This unique chain of events highlights the extent of Walter White's actions and challenges the viewer's believability.

Fortunately, the tragedy is built up slowly in previous Breaking Bad episodes, and Donald Margolis is introduced early enough to make the plane collision feel like a natural progression of events rather than a fantastical prediction. Breaking Bad also emphasizes the impact of the tragedy on Walter White, without drawing excessive attention to its real-life likelihood. However, if the probability is still questioned, similar plane crashes have occurred in reality.

7 The Salamanca Twins Fail At Their Only Job

Cousins Marco and Leonel Salamanca, merciless twins employed as hitmen by Hector Salamanca and Don Eladio, are depicted in Breaking Bad as heartless killing machines with a track record of deadly missions. However, their detached personalities create confusion when they fail to assassinate Hank Schrader in season 3's "One Minute". Despite Hank's exceptional skills, it is illogical for Marco to delay the killing by showcasing his axe, allowing Leonel's gun to be commandeered by Hank. This action contradicts their aversion to theatricality, especially after sustaining an injury. Moreover, Leonel misses the opportunity to break his vow of silence and expose Walter White in front of Hank and the DEA at the hospital, thus forfeiting his final chance for revenge and unleashing havoc on Walt and his family.

6 Walter White Wages War On A Fly

"Fly" stands out as one of the most controversial episodes of Breaking Bad, as it centers solely on Walter White's desperate attempts to eliminate a lone fly that has infiltrated Gustavo Fring's lab. While presenting a more realistic approach compared to most other episodes, the self-contained "Fly" episode from the third season could be seen as a humorous interlude amid the main storyline. This episode showcases Walt's obsession with perfection, and the symbolic nature of the fly highlights his tragic refusal to let go. However, Walt's exaggerated and insignificant battle against a fly may verge on self-parody.

5 Hank Doesn’t Mind Walt’s Ridiculous Car Crash

Walter White experiences several close calls throughout Breaking Bad, but "Crawl Space" showcases perhaps one of the most unrealistic situations. In an effort to prevent Hank from meeting with Gustavo Fring and uncovering his secret lab, Walter intentionally crashes his car. Surprisingly, Hank fails to suspect foul play until he stumbles upon Gale Boetticher's diary, which is quite implausible given his expertise as a seasoned DEA agent fixated on bringing down Heisenberg.

4 Gus Fring Survives An Explosion (For A Moment)

Breaking Bad's fourth season finale brings Gus Fring's journey to a highly anticipated end with his death. While Walter White's ingenious plan to turn Hector Salamanca into a living bomb, following a series of sabotaged assassination attempts, is remarkable, Gus Fring's demise challenges the realism of Breaking Bad momentarily. After emerging from the aftermath of the explosion, with half of his face severely burned, Gus nonchalantly adjusts his tie before collapsing lifeless onto the ground. This stylized death scene pays homage to Gus Fring's resilience and effectively concludes his storyline, although it briefly ventures into the realm of fantasy.

3 Walt And Jesse Destroy Criminal Evidence With A Huge Magnet

In the Breaking Bad season five premiere episode "Live Free or Die," Jesse Pinkman showcases his surpassing creativity, outshining Walter White. He suggests employing a colossal magnet to annihilate all evidence of their illicit activities. Together with the assistance of Old Joe, Walt and Jesse utilize an electromagnet of industrial magnitude to wreak havoc on a laptop housed within a police evidentiary room, successfully evading detection. While seemingly feasible, the simplicity of their magnet heist appears almost implausible, and the lack of follow-up on the crime implies that the authorities quickly disregarded it.

2 Walt And Company Execute A Flawless Train Heist

The collaboration of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, Mike Ehrmantraut, Todd Alquist, and Kuby contributes to the train heist in Breaking Bad's "Dead Freight" episode being more comprehensible. However, the achievement of the train heist still relies heavily on suspending disbelief, as there are numerous variables that could easily go awry despite the team's knowledge and stroke of luck. The very act of refilling the train's tank with water after draining its methylamine load without the train driver's awareness is a far-fetched endeavor, even by Breaking Bad season five standards.

1 Heisenberg Kills The Bad Guys With A Remote-Controlled Machine Gun

In his final confrontation with Jack Welker and his group, Walter White devises one last ingenious plan. Contrary to his imminent demise, Walt embraces his grim fate and unveils a remarkable contraption—an automated machine gun. Rigged onto the trunk of a car, the weapon springs to life as soon as Walt infiltrates Welker's headquarters. While unquestionably in line with his eccentric genius, the inclusion of a remote-controlled machine gun serves as an extravagant tool to bring down Heisenberg and the ultimate antagonist in Breaking Bad. Thankfully, Walter White's poetic demise, occurring within Welker's meth lab just as the authorities finally catch up to him, manages to compensate for the rather outlandish manner of his death.