Breaking Bad’s 10 Most Awkward Moments

When TV fans think of shows that make them cringe regularly during viewings, then comedies like The Office, Peep Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm are bound to come up. But Breaking Bad, arguably the greatest series in the history of television, had its share of awkward moments. Having cut his teeth in TV comedy, Bryan Cranston was up to the task of reveling in the cringiness.

For all the explosive action scenes, intermarital arguments, and tense drug deals, there are plenty of scenes in Breaking Bad that are just plain uncomfortable. These moments make fans want to look away every time.

10 Walt Pretends To Cry In Hank’s Office

When Walt, Jesse, and Mike become concerned that Hank is onto them, Walt concocts a plan to use Hank’s discomfort around men expressing their emotions to his advantage.

He goes into Hank’s office, pretends to start crying about his failing marriage, and an uncomfortable Hank quickly excuses himself to get them some coffee, giving Walt a chance to bug the room.

9 Jesse Meets Jane’s Dad

When Jane wakes up in Jesse’s bed to the sound of her father banging on her own door, she quickly gets dressed and sneaks out the back to then sneak into her own apartment and let him in. She makes it very clear to Jesse that she doesn’t want her dad to know they’re together.

Jesse takes this as a personal insult and while Jane is talking to her dad at the door, he decides to emerge from his own front door and meet him. It’s painful to watch.

8 Walt Asks Brock About His Poisoning

Walt manages to convince Jesse that he didn’t have any part in the poisoning of Brock (until Jesse figures it out for himself, that is), so he’s comfortable introducing Walt to Brock when he comes over one night.

Walt sits down next to the kid and makes small talk with him. He even asks him about his stay in hospital. Knowing what viewers know — and what Brock doesn’t — this is excruciating.

7 Jesse’s Friend’s Wife Kicks Him Out Of Their Apartment

When Jesse’s mom takes his aunt’s house back from him, he tries to find a place to stay. Paul, the bassist from his old band TwaüghtHammër, initially says he can stay for a few nights.

However, when Paul’s wife gets home and they privately confer in the other room, he comes back and tells Jesse he can’t stay because his parents are visiting. But it’s much more likely that his wife just didn’t want a deadbeat staying in their apartment.

6 Walt’s Rambling Speech About The Plane Crash

Following the plane crash over Albuquerque, the school where Walt works holds an assembly to allow the kids to express their feelings about the incident. A handful of teachers give speeches and Walt is invited up. He agrees to speak, and although he starts off okay by telling the kids to “look on the bright side,” it ends up being a huge mistake.

He rambles on with pointless drivel until he’s listing air disasters with more casualties and essentially saying that the crash above Albuquerque wasn’t that bad.

5 A Real Estate Agent Catches Marie Stealing

While Hank is recovering from his run-in with the Cousins, he gives Marie the cold shoulder. This drives her back to her old kleptomaniac ways. She goes to open houses, makes up names for herself and stories about her life, and steals people’s things.

One day, a real estate agent catches her. She calls her out in front of a bunch of prospective buyers and wrestles her for her purse full of stolen items.

4 Walt Forces His Son To Keep Drinking Tequila

When Walt finds out his cancer is in remission, having feared the worst after seeing a large white spot on his X-ray, he doesn’t react with joy. Rather, he reacts with anger. At a party in his backyard to celebrate the recent news, Skyler hails Gretchen and Elliott as Walt’s saviors, which only makes him angrier.

When Walt sees how much Walt Jr. looks up to Hank while they’re drinking tequila, Walt decides to pour his son a drink. Then, he pours him another, and another. Hank tells him he’s had enough, but Walt snaps at Hank and keeps forcing drinks on his son until he throws up in the pool.

3 Jesse Has Dinner With The Whites

The most awkward dinner party in TV history took place in Michael Scott’s condo, but a close second occurred in the White household. Knowing that Skyler doesn’t like Jesse, Walt invites him over for dinner just to spite her.

Jesse is the only one trying to defuse the tension during the dinner, futilely complimenting the food and trying to bring up conversation topics to two people who see him as a human bargaining chip.

2 Walt Tries To Kiss Carmen

After Skyler’s affair with Ted and the plane crash, Walt finds himself in a terrible place, mentally. Carmen, the assistant principal at the school, notices this and invites him into her office to talk about it.

Drunk on his own power and blinded by his desire to get back at Skyler, he leans in to kiss Carmen and she promptly recoils in horror.

1 Skyler Sings “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” To Ted

During a birthday party for Ted Beneke at the office, Skyler is requested to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” a rendition of the “Happy Birthday” song first performed for John F. Kennedy by Marilyn Monroe.

So, Skyler gazes into Ted’s eyes and seductively sings the song — with a slight alteration, “Happy Birthday, Mr. President…of Beneke Fabricators” — in front of all her co-workers.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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