Breaking Bad almost robbed us of one of its greatest moments with its original Walter Jr. story plans. From the show’s opening episodes, Walter Jr. ranks among the key drivers of the overarching narrative. He may be more of a side character, but his relationship with Bryan Cranston’s Walter White is a key factor determining Walter’s motivations in several situations and how he handles the dire consequences of his criminal actions.
Throughout Breaking Bad‘s runtime, RJ Mitte does an incredible job of capturing Walter Jr.’s emotional response to the developments in his family and the changes in his father’s behavior. He perfectly shows how the character remains naive almost till the end of the series and despises his mother for hating his father despite knowing nothing about what happened between them. However, one major story beat from Walter Jr.’s narrative would have unfolded differently if Vince Gilligan had stuck to his initial plan for the young Breaking Bad character.
Vince Gilligan Briefly Considered Killing Off Walter Jr. In Breaking Bad
The Show’s Other Writers Prevented Him From Doing So
Breaking Bad is often touted as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. However, it would not have been half as brilliant if its creators had materialized some of their early story plans. As reports confirm (via Team Coco), Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan had pitched Walter Jr.’s death. He wanted him to be “killed by this nasty guy that Walt is somehow in business with.” Although he had not figured out all the story beats surrounding the development and had also not finalized who the killer would be, he pitched the story idea to his team.
…Aaron Paul’s Jesse was also supposed to die in one of the opening seasons of Breaking Bad.
Unsurprisingly, his writers thought it was a terrible idea and believed he “had lost my mind.” Given how writers often kill off a main character in a show’s initial seasons to instill an emotional response in viewers and hook them to the overarching story, it is understandable what Gilligan was trying to achieve. Perhaps, for a similar reason, Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman was also supposed to die in one of Breaking Bad‘s opening seasons. Fortunately, none of these creative decisions made it to the final draft because Walter Jr.’s death would have led to the deletion of one important scene.
Walter Jr. Learning The Truth About Walter Led To One Of Breaking Bad’s Best Scenes
Walter Jr.’s Early Death Would Have Led To No Such Developments
Almost throughout Breaking Bad‘s runtime, Walter Jr. antagonizes his mother and supports his father without knowing anything about the truth. However, the world finally comes crashing down on him when he sees a violent altercation between his parents and is forced to restrain his father to protect his mother. When he finally realizes what his father is capable of, Walter Jr. processes five seasons’ worth of developments and connects the dots to understand what has been happening.
This leads to one of the most iconic moments from the long-running series, where Walter Jr. sides with his mother for once, while Walter White suddenly realizes that he has completely lost his family. In a desperate attempt to have something for himself, he flees the house with his newborn baby. It all ends with Walter Jr. telling his father to “just die” in one of Breaking Bad‘s final arcs, highlighting how Walter White’s actions have cost him everything. If Walter Jr. had been killed off early on in the series, Walter White’s downfall would have been far less impactful and emotionally resonant.
