History Memes / BreakingBad

* "He can't keep getting away with it!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Screamed by Jesse after he realizes he's been played by Walter far too many times. When the clip is used, it's in referral to the poster being tricked or in reaction to the actions of a person or artist known well as a TrollingCreator.[[/labelnote]]

Despite being a dark and serious program, ''Series/BreakingBad'' and its spin-offs ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' and ''Film/ElCamino'' have inspired their fair share of comedic goodness. '''There will be spoilers below.'''

* Did you know that [X] was improvised?[[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers)]]Due to the well-documented amount of WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants, SerendipityWritesThePlot, and ThrowItIn on both shows, fans started claiming absolutely everything on the show actually happened in real life or was improvised, such as Jeremiah Bitsui supposedly jumping in an acid vat, Jesse Plemons murdering a child who happened to be nearby, or Michael Mando actually shooting himself in the head. It's almost always followed by a declaration of how dedicated the cast and crew were to making a good show.[[/labelnote]]
* Howard and Lalo's cameos in ''Breaking Bad''[[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers)]] In the ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' episode "[[Recap/BetterCallSaulS6E8PointAndShoot Point and Shoot]]", Lalo Salamanca and Howard Hamlin's bodies are buried in the ground of the superlab's construction site by Mike. This means that all this time, Walt and Jesse have been unknowingly cooking crystal meth over the corpses of these two major characters for two entire seasons of ''Series/BreakingBad''. As such, fans gleefully began to point out the FridgeHorror in various scenes where the superlab appears in the original show, particularly when [[Recap/BreakingBadS3E8ISeeYou Jesse is goofing around when waiting for Walter]]. The entirety of "[[Recap/BreakingBadS3E10Fly Fly]]" also tends to be spoofed, with many fans pretending that the titular housefly is either Howard or Lalo reincarnated, as them haunting Walt and Jesse during the episode's events.[[/labelnote]]
* "Is he stupid?" [[labelnote:Explanation]] A meme where people jokingly complain about a plot detail by questioning a character's action or decision ending up with bad consequences in the form of "Why did(n't) [Character] do [action]? Is he/she stupid?" The phrase is often used for trivial actions or things the characters have no control over, making the poster appear either oblivious or intentionally, ridiculously petty (in a similar vein to the "Unbravo Vince" meme). It's notable that while this format technically started with a May 2022 meme on r/okbuddychicanery (A ''Breaking Bad'' meme subreddit), this format was reappropriated by r/[=BatmanArkham=], then spread on others subreddits, before making a comeback on r/okbuddychicanery in early 2023.[[/labelnote]]

* [[ActorAllusion Jesse]] has a ''Film/{{Need for Speed}}''. [[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]“Felina” has Jesse driving off at high speed in a car at the end, to a new life. One of Aaron Paul’s roles after the show is a part in the ''Need for Speed'' movie, and fans have joked that the entire show is a prequel to the film.[[/labelnote]]

* "Jimmy moment!" [[labelnote:Explanation]] After all the context of Better Call Saul, which had the writers saying people will never look at Breaking Bad the same way again, the response to when there’s a peek of kindness, depression or fear beneath the Saul mask. Even an [[https://uproxx.com/tv/jimmy-mcgill-moments-breaking-bad-saul-goodman/ article]] on it. [[/labelnote]]

* ''Breaking Bad'' if [[ForWantOfANail X never happened]][[labelnote:explanation]] A clip of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovqM72em1dA the opening of the]] "[[Series/PawnStars Barely Legal Pawn]]" sketch that Creator/BryanCranston and Creator/AaronPaul did with Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus pretending like it's Walt and Jesse in a radically altered timeline, caused by something silly like "if Walt went go-karting with Jesse" or "if Hank pissed instead of shitting".[[/labelnote]]
* "it is pride month walter. you know what that means"[[note]][[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20230601_083139.jpg From this fanmade comic]] in which Gus reminds Walt that it's Pride Month using the above line, to which Walt gets confused about the implication, asking what it means. [[NothingIsFunnier Gus doesn't explain]], only [[SmugSmiler smirks smugly]]. The comic's bizarre nature has led to multiple redraws of other series, such as [[https://twitter.com/ThatFlareon/status/1664857555644870656 this one]] based on ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' or [[https://www.tumblr.com/agrimmora/719249489886609408?source=share this one]] of the ''Anime/{{Kirby|RightBackAtYa}}'' anime.[[/note]]
* Breaking Bad Trans Flag[[labelnote:Explanation]]Jokingly stating that the transgender pride flag is based on the show, with the blue symbolizing the blue meth, the white for Walter White, and the pink for Jesse Pinkman.[[/labelnote]]

* “I no longer want to call Saul”. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A frequent joke about how the show made turning into funny lawyer man Saul Goodman a tragedy, and fans were dreading the day when Jimmy would become him.[[/labelnote]]

[[folder:Memes from ''El Camino'']]

[[/folder]]

* Walt screaming from inside a car.[[labelnote:Explanation (Season 5 spoilers)]]In [[Recap/BreakingBadS5E13Tohajiilee "To'hajiilee"]], Walt sees Jack's gang coming to slaughter everyone despite his calling off of Jesse's assassination. Kept in the car, he starts screaming Hank's name, a still of which became repurposed as a meme to describe a number of different silly situations, like children being left in a hot car during the summer or Walt attempting to yell at Hank that he got Walt's [=McDonald's=] order wrong.[[/labelnote]]

* "My name is Skyler White, '''yo'''. My husband is Walter White, '''yo'''?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]In ''[[Recap/BreakingBadS1E2TheCatsInTheBag The Cat's In The Bag]]'', Skyler confronts Jesse thinking that Walt is associating with him to buy weed. Her [[SpeakingLikeTotallyTeen incredibly awkward attempts to follow Jesse's speaking mannerisms]] and Jesse's prolonged OhCrap expression thinking that his methmaking operation got busted has led to the scene getting a ton of edits, usually portaying Skyler as a [[MemeticBadass master rap battler]] and adding loud, bassy explosions after each one of her lines.[[/labelnote]]

** "What did Vince mean by this?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A variant of the "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-did-he-mean-by-this what did he mean by this?]]", usually used ironically trying to find some supposed subtext for a random out-of-context screenshots or show clips. Sometimes "Vince" is replaced with a random character or actor from either show.[[/labelnote]]

* "Is he stupid?" [[labelnote:Explanation]] A meme where people jokingly complain about a plot detail by questioning a character's action or decision ending up with bad consequences in the form of "Why did [Character] did [X]? Is he/she stupid?" This meme format is often used for trivial actions or actions that characters have no control over, making the meme poster appear to be intentionally ridiculously petty (in a similar vein to the "Unbravo Vince" meme). It's notable that while this format started with a May 2022 meme on r/okbuddychicanery (A ''Breaking Bad'' meme subreddit), this meme format was reappropriated by r/[=BatmanArkham=], then spread on others subreddits, before making a comeback on r/okbuddychicanery in early 2023.[[/labelnote]]

** Jimmy's rant.[[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]''[[Recap/BetterCallSaulS5E7JMM JMM]]'' has Jimmy [[RageBreakingPoint launch into an angry tirade at Howard]] after being offered a job again. Jimmy's over-the-top anger and Howard's [[SilentTreatment nonchalance]] in the scene have been repurposed for memes about trying to explain something to someone who refuses to listen, or ignoring someone who's [[{{Troll}} very obviously trying to get a rise out of someone else]].[[/labelnote]]

%%** Jimmy's reflection face. [[labelnote:Explanation]] The same episode as the above also has a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fba5cc48_9f03_45c3_b0b8_904ca67dee93.jpeg memorable shot]] when Jimmy is sneaking a glance at Fred's family after the trial where Jimmy is ''supposed'' to look [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything literally two-faced]] in a sinister manner, but the angle of the mirror just makes him look ComicallyCrossEyed instead. [[/labelnote]]

* Many people have parodied Walt's appearance in [[http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/season_1_amc_poster.jpg the "Change the Equation" season 1 poster]] (the one where he has no pants and white underwear), sometimes crossing it over with other shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Adventure|Time}} [[http://37.media.tumblr.com/1035816d1ef51cce57f01f9c6fdd9887/tumblr_n3cw4mEqIP1t7b5qro1_1280.png Time]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers Bob's]] [[http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMDgw/z/FyIAAOSwo8hTnB5t/$_35.JPG Burgers]]'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The|Smurfs}} [[http://www.empireonline.com/images/image_index/upfiles/buffer/7C8EC7AE3E4842ABA60CDAD9137C6D14.jpg Smurfs]]'', and even ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinky and|TheBrain}} [[https://external-preview.redd.it/ZhDjiaCPXERMrpAwnUfRdzYxC4N5y-E0tqod4Jj_Wi8.jpg?auto=webp&s=5184340dbb6aad0cef1cad2c87038504dc4a8892 the Brain]]''.

* A Chicago Sunroof.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The act of defecating through an open sunroof, preferably when there are not children sitting the in back seat. Jimmy owes Chuck a favor for getting him out of criminal charges relating to doing this.[[/labelnote]]
* Squat Cobblers [[labelnote:explanation]]Jimmy's brought in by Mike because Daniel Wormald, a drug dealer Mike has been helping out, has gotten himself into trouble with the cops, who have found out about the hiding place where Daniel stashes his drugs and cash. To cover Daniel's end, Jimmy spins to the cops a bogus tale about Daniel stashing non-existent videos of himself sitting in pie while crying.[[/labelnote]]
** "It's when a man sits in pie! He sits in a pie! And he... he wiggles around. Maybe it's like Hellman's Mayonnaise. It has a different name west of the Rockies. I don't know. But, uh, technically, he does a crybaby squat, so there's tears, which makes it more specialized. Not all pie sitters cry. But I'm gonna tell you something: This guy? He's a regular Julianne Moore once he gets ‭the waterworks cranked up."

** Jimmy's reflection face. [[labelnote:Explanation]] The same episode as the above also has a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fba5cc48_9f03_45c3_b0b8_904ca67dee93.jpeg memorable shot]] when Jimmy is sneaking a glance at Fred's family after the trial where Jimmy is ''supposed'' to look [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything literally two-faced]] in a sinister manner, but the angle of the mirror just makes him look ComicallyCrossEyed instead. [[/labelnote]]

* "I need to see your balls."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A misheard line from a scene where Hector walks into Los Pollos Hermanos and tells an employee, "I need to see your boss." Due to Hector's aforementioned thick Mexican accent, "boss" can be misheard as "balls."[[/labelnote]]

* The bald cap.[[labelnote:explanation]]When Walt reappears in a flashback, many viewers noticed that Bryan Cranston was wearing a [[SpecialEffectsFailure very obvious bald cap]]. It's excused by the fact that Cranston was in a Broadway play, so he couldn't shave because of the role, and had Cranston actually shaved his head, then everyone would've known something was up.[[/labelnote]]
* Pepperoni pizza.[[labelnote:explanation]]When Jesse threatens to kill Todd out in the desert, Todd manages to dissuade him from doing so by offering him...pizza. His favorite pizza, to be exact, which is pepperoni. Todd's dissonance towards the whole thing, contrasted by Jesse's filthy appearance, emotionally drained, and overall depressing appearance makes it all the more memetic for [[NarmCharm how out of place it is, yet managing to remain a powerful moment of acting]].[[/labelnote]]
* Fat Todd.[[labelnote:explanation]]People noticed that Jesse Plemons had gained some weight since the finale of ''Breaking Bad'', thus giving us another example of BellisariosMaxim.[[/labelnote]]

** "I said 'Fuck you!' And your eyebrows!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Walt's reaction to Bogdan telling him to wipe down cars at the car wash.[[/labelnote]]
** "I've got your restraining order right here!" *grabs crotch* "Restrain this!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Walt's reaction to Skyler threatening to get him a restraining order after the pizza throw scene.[[/labelnote]]
** "You got one part of that wrong. This... [[WhamLine is not meth]]." [[labelnote:Explanation]]When Walt confronts Tuco in his new Heisenberg persona, Tuco more or less calls Walt an idiot for walking into his office with more meth after Tuco had beaten Jesse earlier. Walt quickly proves him wrong by picking up one of the supposed rocks of meth (actually mercury fulminate) and throwing it down, which causes a large explosion.[[/labelnote]]
** "Stay out of my territory." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Walt says this to two unassuming meth cooks outside of a parking lot. He manages to intimidate them. It became even more popular thanks to a [[ActorAllusion similar scene]] in ''WesternAnimation/IsleOfDogs''.[[/labelnote]]
** '''"I am ''not'' in danger, Skyler. I ''am'' the danger!''' A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. '''I am the one who knocks'''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Walt's rebuking Skyler's plea for him to get to the police, and simultaneously insisting that he has everything under control and that he will not be the one gunned down while opening the front door, but the one who knocks on it.[[/labelnote]]

** "If that's true... if you don't know who I am... then maybe your best course would be to ''tread lightly''." [[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]Walt's threat to Hank when the latter confronts Walt over being Heisenberg.[[/labelnote]]

** "We're done when ''I say'' we're done." [[labelnote:explanation]]Walt threatens Saul this way when the latter attempts to terminate their partnership as things start going off the rails in Season 5.[[/labelnote]]
* "You are not the guy. You're not capable of being the guy. I had a guy, but now I don't. You are not the guy." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Mike's rant at Jesse in ''[[Recap/BreakingBadS4E5Shotgun Shotgun]]'' after Jesse annoys him during their pickup runs.[[/labelnote]]

* "I fucked Ted." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Skyler has an affair with Ted and tells Walt this as an attempt to get Walt out of the house.[[/labelnote]]

* '''Jesse:''' [Insert sentence], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitch]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Jesse has a tendency to say "yo" and "bitch" frequently, especially in the earlier seasons.[[/labelnote]]
** With "[[ChewingTheScenery YEAH, BITCH! MAGNETS!]]" seemingly [[IncrediblyLamePun gliding over all]].
** Yo, gatorade me bitch! [[labelnote:Explanation]]Jesse complaining about needing assistants in the meth lab to do the grunt work for him and Walt.[[/labelnote]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yYJBzf1VQ "They're not rocks, they're minerals."]] [[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]While bedridden from several gunshot wounds, Hank gained a hobby collecting minerals. Marie refers to them as rocks, which annoys Hank every time.[[/labelnote]]
** Jesus Christ, Marie.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Hank's aforementioned annoyed response to Marie's ignorance of the difference between rocks and minerals.[[/labelnote]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_480483&feature=iv&src_vid=r1yYJBzf1VQ&v=RU1UOp6dkbo "I've got dipping sticks."]]
* Peter Schuler's OneSceneWonder appearance in "Madrigal", in particular, his last meal of tater tots and "Franch" dipping sauce, accompanied by his BSOD demeanor, has earned quite a bit of love from the internet.
* "Tight, tight, tight! Yeah!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Tuco's reaction to Walt's blue meth has become instantly burned into people's mind whenever the word "tight" is mentioned or when someone snorts a substance.[[/labelnote]]

* [[FunWithSubtitles [MUFFLED RAP MUSIC PLAYING IN THE DISTANCE] ]]

* Don't make Mike beatcha 'till yer legs don't work.[[labelnote:explanation]]Mike threatens to break Saul's legs to coerce him into giving up Jesse[[/labelnote]]
* "Cow house?" [[labelnote:Explanation]]On Walt and Jesse's first cook, Jesse yells to Walt that he's found a barn, but doesn't know what it's called, and refers to it as a "cow house". Walt's reaction is priceless.[[/labelnote]]

* "Have an A1 day!"[[labelnote:explanation]]The slogan of the car wash where Walt once worked, and which he and Skyler later purchase to launder his drug money[[/labelnote]]
* Walt throwing a pizza on the roof. Or, "Roof Pizza"!

* "Huell, you happy?" "Reasonably." "What would make you unhappy?" "This little motherfucker not doing what he's told." [[labelnote:Explanation]]Huell and Kuby's conversation about if Huell is or isn't happy with Ted at the moment. In particular, Huell's deadpan "Reasonably".[[/labelnote]]

* Huell is still sitting around waiting.[[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]Hank tricks Huell into hiding in a safehouse under false pretense; as Hank dies shortly afterwards, Huell is presumably still afraid for his life and waiting for his return.[[/labelnote]]
* Badger and Skinny Pete's ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' FanFic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJZjMGd2b0M conversation]].

* Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace.[[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]Mike's dying words.[[/labelnote]]

* "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Skyler's BigShutUp to Marie.[[/labelnote]]

* "Blood, Meth, and Tears"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The final episode is named "Felina", which can be divided into chemical symbols Fe (Iron) Li (Lithium) Na (Sodium). Iron, Lithium and Sodium are key ingredients in the respective substances.[[/labelnote]]

** 20003 [[UnitConfusion km/h]] of methé [[labelnote:Explanation]] One of "Mr Gusto"'s lines, representing his request for Walter to cook him many pounds of meth. Alternatively, "448 kbps of metheŕ", what Walart White also describes as his "amount" of product.[[/labelnote]]
** "Jesee whre is the cocainer" "In my nose mr whiter" [[labelnote:Explanation]]One of the more recognizable and often-quoted lines from the video.[[/labelnote]]

* "I heard you watch ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. What's really bizarre is the fact you get no bitches."[[labelnote:explanation]] Another Cameo meme, this time of Hank lambasting the viewer for watching ''Jojo''.[[/labelnote]]

* "Look at me, Hector."/Buff Gus[[labelnote:explanation]] A video of Brazilian muscle man Fabio Franca Araujo(who can at a glance be easily mistaken for Creator/GiancarloEsposito) ripping his shirt open and flexing his pecs. This video is often used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiarvndKeIQ in conjunction with the scene where Gus tries to make Hector Salamanca look at him or other interactions between them]], to make it seem like Hector is looking away because he'd otherwise be intimidated or [[HoYay aroused]].[[/labelnote]]

* [[http://imgur.com/hbkaf "Josh Pankman isn't a murderer. He was driven to it by his best friend Wotter Wight. This man shaved his head and now people think he is bald. A beard confirms his masculinity."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]This is from a bizarre comment on a ''Breaking Bad'' fan video on Website/YouTube by a user named Gitfacehal.[[/labelnote]]

[[foldercontrol]]

* "it is pride month walter. you know what that means"[[note]][[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20230601_083139.jpg From this fanmade comic]] in which Gus reminds Walt that it's Pride Month using the above line, to which Walt gets confused about the implication, asking what it means. [[NothingIsFunnier Gus doesn't explain]], only [[SmugSmiler smirk smugly]]. The comic's bizarre nature has led to multiple redraws of other series, such as [[https://twitter.com/ThatFlareon/status/1664857555644870656 this one]] based on ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' or [[https://www.tumblr.com/agrimmora/719249489886609408?source=share this one]] of the ''Anime/{{Kirby|RightBackAtYa}}'' anime.[[/note]]

* "We are not the same."[[labelnote:Explanation]]An image of Gus with subtitles explaining how the original poster and someone else in particular are NotSoSimilar has proven to be quite exploitable, to say the very least.[[/labelnote]]

** [[https://youtu.be/WzhW20hLp6M?t=105 "Augh!" *Forklift noises*]][[labelnote:Explanation]]The rant got mixed into a catchy StupidStatementDanceMix, with Gus yelling and a forklift picking up a barrel being the "instruments" that follow the remixed rant.[[/labelnote]]

* [[FunWithSubtitles [MUFFLED RAP MUSIC PLAYING IN THE DISTANCE]]]

** Jesse, we need to cook.[[labelnote:explanation]]A catch-all quote poking fun at how often Walt is practically ''begging'' Jesse to cook with him or otherwise ordering Jesse around. This one gets a lot HarsherInHindsight when the laters seasons start exploring how Walt is [[ManipulativeBastard completely emotionally manipulating Jesse]] and how Jesse starts to finally fight back in Season 5a.[[/labelnote]]

** Jesse, we need to cook.[[labelnote:explanation]]A catch-all quote poking fun at how often Walt is practically ''begging'' Jesse to cook with him or otherwise ordering Jesse around. This one gets a lot HarsherInHindsight when the laters seasons start exploring how Walt is [[ManipulativeBastard completely emotionally manipulating Jesse]] and how Jesse starts to finally fight back in Season 5a.

* Saul's Billboard[[labelnote:Explanation]]The advertising style of Saul Goodman follows a trend that many lawyers before him have been doing: [[https://bmr.unm.edu/2018/01/17/better-not-call-a-curated-tour-of-albuquerques-attorney-billboards/ purchasing all kinds of spaces and plastering their faces onto it, next to their slogans and numbers]]. After the popularity of ''Breaking Bad'' and the arrival of a spin-off featuring him, [[{{Defictionalization}} many lawyers have come to mimic the garish style]] and rhyming scheme for recognition. While Saul didn't ''invent'' the idea of advertising himself on billboards and bus benches, he certainly popularized it, leading to many cases where it becomes hard to tell whether people are intentionally referencing the Criminal Lawyer or not.[[/labelnote]]

* "[[FunetikAksent Waltuh]]. Put your dick away, Waltuh. I'm not having sex with you right now, Waltuh.":[[labelnote:Explanation]]Taken from a [[https://twitter.com/BreakingBadIrny/status/1538899479394279424 Twitter video]], which has been reposted on [=YouTube=] and [=TikTok=] with different variants, such as "[[HoYay Get your dick out, Waltuh]]" superimposed over a screenshot of the scene where Mike frisks Walt in season 5, with the angle making it look like Mike is about to have sex with him. [[/labelnote]]
* "~[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myt9ybv0IaU Ahh]]~! [[TheImmodestOrgasm AAHHH! OOOH, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD]]!"[[labelnote:explanation]] An outtake of Creator/BryanCranston in character as Walt during the the scene where he reinserts his I.V. back into his arm, making some [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything questionable moaning sounds and exclamations]]. Cue the fleet of incoming jokes about Walt and Skyler's sex life or about Walt having sex with Mike(see above) using this sound bite.[[/labelnote]]