In one of Breaking Bad‘s greatest episodes, a minor character spoke an unexpected and improvised line that added huge value to the episode’s dramatic tone. Breaking Bad marked a milestone in television history by completely changing the way audiences consume TV shows. The series quickly became one of the best TV shows of all time and managed to maintain an increasing quality throughout its five seasons, delivering incredible episodes that will always be remembered. Among these installments, however, is one of the most relevant that hides some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts.
Breaking Bad season 5, episode 14, “Ozymandias,” is arguably Breaking Bad‘s best episode. Not only do fans love it, but the episode has IMDb’s highest ranking for a TV episode, which is a ground-breaking achievement. Everything in it is great; both the writing by Moira Walley-Beckett and the direction by Rian Johnson live up to the dramatic importance of that stage in Walter White’s story, and, regarding Breaking Bad‘s cast, every actor is at the top of their game. However, one actor outside the main cast was especially important for the episode, uttering a significant line that was shockingly not in the script.
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Holly’s Only Line Is Said During Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias” (& It Was Unscripted)
Holly, Walter and Skyler’s baby girl, is particularly important in “Ozymandias.” As both Bryan Cranston and Vince Gilligan told The Ringer in a 2018 interview, a particular scene featuring Walter and Holly was leveled up by an improvised line perfectly executed by the infant. Even though Holly is born in season 2, episode 12, Breaking Bad‘s timeline is contained over two years, so throughout the remainder of the show, she is just a baby and does not have an active role in the narrative. In “Ozymandias,” however, Holly (Moira Bryg MacDonald) says her very first line in the show, which turned out to be crucial.
Almost at the end of the episode’s last quarter, Walt is changing Holly’s diaper in a public restroom. The previous scene, one of Breaking Bad‘s saddest moments, involves Walt trying to convince his family to run away after Hank’s death, having a dramatic confrontation with them, running away on his own, and taking the baby with him. Once Walt finishes changing his daughter, baby Holly says “Mama” repeatedly, which is a great piece of acting, except that it wasn’t, as it was MacDonald actually asking for her mom.
Holly Calling For Her Mother Makes Walter White’s Ending Much More Tragic
The relevance of Holly’s improvised line is given by both the fortuitous nature of the dialogue, considering how difficult it is to film scenes with babies, and the value it adds to the scene. Keeping in mind that this moment is meant to highlight Walt’s final decision to leave his family out of his affairs, Holly’s “mama” line serves as an organic and realistic rejection of him that makes the situation more dramatic, finally triggering Walt’s decision. Luckily, the opportunity was brilliantly taken by Bryan Cranston, which led to this scene being both realistic and heartbreaking in such an important episode near Breaking Bad’s finale.
Sources: IMDb, The Ringer
Breaking Bad
- Release Date
- January 20, 2008
- Cast
- Dean Norris , Bob Odenkirk , Aaron Paul , RJ Mitte , Anna Gunn , Giancarlo Esposito , Betsy Brandt , Bryan Cranston , Jonathan Banks
- Seasons
- 5
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
