The Color Palette of Breaking Bad

To even the viewer who applies no abstract thought to Breaking Bad, one thing is still obvious in the show: the heavy emphasis on color.  Even to the non viewer this is prevalent, if anyone has seen the promos for each season, Walt and Jesse’s hazmat suits are always different colors.  However, the show plays with colors far more than this, and I believe is often dismissed and just perceived as part of the shows great cinematography.

Walter WHITE and Jesse PINKman are our two main characters, so what does white and pink mean to each of these characters?  Well, devoted fans do have their theories.  When first coming across Jesse as a character, a lot of red was prevalent around his character.  We would wear a lot of red, had a red car, and a red cell phone, and most importantly aside from color; Jesse thought of himself as a criminal.  Red = crime.

Walter is a good man at the beginning of our series, eventually this is not so much the case.  BUT this is our protagonist, we see the story through mostly his eyes, so we always are rooting for him.  White = goodness.   Red and White together make pink; Jesse is the original bridge and medium between Walter and his criminal world.

Other color relations are not as pronounced while watching the show.  Wardrobe is second to naming in these regards.  One of the many is the progression of the colors Walt is seen in.  First season, he is often wearing green, correlated with money.  The reason Walt decided to cook meth, was to gain money for his family.  Though in the second season, he is caught wearing pink, again halfway between goodness and criminality.  This is when Walter was at an unstable and confused about where to go.  Third season, however, as our protagonist is further into his criminal mindset, and starts wearing a lot of blue, which is the hue of his famous meth.  So originally, Walt wearing green represents his mindset for being a criminal, originally money, but soon he starts wearing blue.  This is when Walt ‘breaks bad’ and is in it for more than the money.

Keep tuned and watch for these beautifully layered hints!

Thanks!