In 2016, the oddly convincing theory that Breaking Bad (2008-2013) is a prequel to The Walking Dead (2010-present) started circulating the internet. Some interesting observations led to the belief that Breaking Bad was directly connected to The Walking Dead. While it seems impossible for Walter's meth-peddling power trip to have anything to do with The Walking Dead's apocalyptic, end-of-the-world concept, there have been some persuasive arguments to support the theory.
First off, we should address the clearest indication of some correspondence between AMC's hit shows. In The Walking Dead, specifically the second episode of season two, when T-Dog (IronE Singleton) was infected, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) came to the rescue with a veritable pharmacy of drugs from his bike bag. Some of its contents comprised his brother Merle's drug stash.
He discovers some blue crystals at the bottom, tucked away from plain sight, which have a striking resemblance to "Blue Sky," which was the street name coined for the notoriously potent and 99.1% chemically pure crystal methamphetamine manufactured by Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
Fans have based the theory that Walter White was inadvertently responsible for the undead epidemic on the presence of his blue meth within The Walking Dead. For the uninitiated, meth can be clear or opaque but is always a shade of white. Blue meth is non-existent and was created specifically for Vince Gilligan's series, therefore the reasonable conclusion would be that the universes are connected.
To add more credence to this claim, The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 12 sheds some light on how Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) obtained his narcotics. According to his brother Daryl, his dealer was "A janky little white guy. A tweaker (junkie)," who once pulled a gun on him and said, "I'm gonna kill you, b*tch." To Breaking Bad fans, that would be a physical profile that perfectly matches Jesse, who is notorious for his use of the aforementioned curse word.
Besides that glaringly obvious connection, other interconnecting theories have surfaced. For instance, the red 2009 Dodge Challenger with black racing stripes that Walter buys for his son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte) and subsequently blows up appears in a handful of The Walking Dead installments. Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) famously took it for a ride, and interestingly, Glenn was the name of the salesman that Walter returns the car to in Breaking Bad, though we never see his face, so it would be a reach to assume that he is the same person.
Netflix addressed the theory in an official YouTube video, wherein they explain the speculation that Walter's blue meth caused the zombie pandemic. However, alongside other small details that overlap between Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, they also mention Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). He is a Chilean-American major narcotics distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses as a front for a vast drug operation.
Gus is the main antagonist of Breaking Bad and the employer of Walter and Jesse. He and Walter fight like cats and dogs throughout the series, which could mean that Walter's production of blue meth would be less controlled and possibly tainted the more that he and Gus fought.
Netflix cleverly points out that Gus ended his run on Breaking Bad by literally "walking dead" after an explosion leaves him without half of his face, yet he still walks out of the hospital room before dropping dead. The theory further supports the idea that before Gus' demise, he faces his mortal enemy, Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), with the first batch of unstable blue meth. When the bomb explodes, he becomes the first "zombie," also known as The Walking Dead's Patient Zero.
Still, with that being said, this theory requires viewers to invent their own motives, moments and opinions that never appear within the series to make it plausible. Regardless, these are impressive connections, even if they do have some holes in them. For example, Gus' refusal to work with "junkies" and his cold, calculating personality that makes him so successful and ruthless suggest he would never risk taking drugs and upsetting his steadfast conscience.
Bearing this theory in mind, AMC could set up a Breaking Bad and Walking Dead crossover in the future. Or it could be hopeful fans desperately peddling their theories due to a fond love for both shows. Either way, the connection is undoubtedly uncanny.
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