The Reservoir Dogs Easter Egg You Didn't Notice In Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is every TV enthusiast's dream come true. Not only was the series a compelling character study about how a fairly average man can sow all kinds of chaos and harm throughout the world, but it feels as though every scene is packed with meaning. If you take the time (or frequent a bunch of Breaking Bad message boards online), then you can see just how interwoven the series became with Easter eggs and symbolism, such as a moment that hints at how Walter White (Bryan Cranston) will eventually take on the moniker of "Heisenberg."

One thing you realize when you really study Breaking Bad is that the people who created this show clearly had an affinity for pop culture at large. This can be seen in the numerous references to the 1971 film The French Connection, such as Walter's signature porkpie hat as well as Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) referencing the film's protagonist, Popeye Doyle, when talking about the mysterious Heisenberg.

However, not every cinematic reference is as transparent as that. For anyone who's a fan of Quentin Tarantino's filmography, there's a very important moment you should've picked up on. But if you didn't, then allow us to shed some light. 

One of the most intense scenes in all of Breaking Bad occurs when Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) confronts Walt, believing he's the one who poisoned his girlfriend's young son Brock — and he ends up being right about that. Walt tries to smooth-talk his way out of it to get Jesse against Gus (Giancarlo Esposito), but not before Jesse gets extremely close to pulling the trigger, going so far as to get Walt on the floor while the gun's pointed at his head. If you thought the scene looked familiar, you weren't alone. 

The YouTube channel Lost Theater actually put the clip alongside one from Reservoir Dogs where Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) has Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) on the floor with a gun pointed at him. Both are heated moments where, as the audience, you genuinely don't know who's going to make it out alive because the characters are so unhinged. It's a neat callback, but the connections don't necessarily end there. 

It's worth pointing out in this scenario that the names involved include the same colors. You have Jesse Pinkman and Walter White along with Mr. Pink and Mr. White. The only difference is that the roles are reversed. In Breaking Bad, Pinkman has White in a vulnerable position while in Reservoir Dogs, White has Pink in a corner. If you really want to take this connection to its logical conclusion, then just think about who ends up living and dying in both properties...

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Breaking Bad would eventually reference Reservoir Dogs seeing as how important colors are to both.