Breaking Bad Fans Poke Fun At Background Mystery Woman Painting In Season 5
Longtime fans of "Breaking Bad" will know that showrunner Vince Gilligan has one of the sharpest eyes for detail in all of television, meticulously planting little details throughout the show that symbolize themes, concepts, and character traits – the most famous being the fact that each character's wardrobe is color-coded to their personality. The series' constant use of symbolism in "Breaking Bad" has led fans to search the background of nearly every scene — looking for hints or clues that relate back to the story at large.
Unfortunately, not every background detail in "Breaking Bad" appears to have meaning, especially not the painting of a "mystery woman" in Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) home — which fans on Reddit had a good laugh about while debating who this picture is supposed to represent. "AI generated white female Bob Marley," suggested one user. "Walt when he had a fulfilling career and a full head of hair, offered u/ViewtifulGene. "He had quite the lion's mane in his prime." U/MastermindUtopia, meanwhile, hilariously remarked that it was Pam from "The Office."
Other suggestions throughout the thread ranged from Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) of "The Walking Dead" to Jesus Christ himself, and it's clear that most fans found the painting a great source of amusement –- even though it's obviously just a somewhat blurred portrait of Skyler White (Anna Gunn).
It's obvious why fans were asking questions about this photo
Some fans pointed out that the painting was likely just a portrait of Skyler White when she was younger, something that seems obvious in hindsight since we've already seen flashbacks of Skyler with brownish hair at an earlier age.
Hilariously, although this painting might not have any purpose outside of being a background decoration, it is featured most prominently at the beginning of the Season 5 episode "Ozymandias" in a scene that oozes with symbolism and foreshadowing. The moment in question shows an older Skyler talking on the phone beside her kitchen knives, wrapping up a box that contains a ceramic crying clown. The kitchen knives reappear later at a crucial moment in the episode, and some fans online believe the weeping clown mirrors Walter White's open-mouthed cries of grief a few minutes after it appears.
As such, it should come as no surprise that fans on Reddit would want to examine every minute detail in the background of this scene –- though, in this case, maybe the painting is just a painting and doesn't represent anything more than that.