10 Cringe-Worthy Breaking Bad Moments That We Almost Can't Watch

Although it's only grown in popularity since it aired, there are few who would argue that "Breaking Bad" is one of the greatest television shows of its era. "Breaking Bad" (and its spin-off, "Better Call Saul") ushered in a new standard for TV drama, telling the story of a high school chemistry teacher named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who, after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, partners with former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to cook crystal meth in secret from his family, including pregnant wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), teenage son Walter Jr. (R.J. Mitte), and DEA agent brother-in-law Hank Schrader (Dean Norris). 

While it may have redefined serialized drama for many TV shows after it, there's one aspect of "Breaking Bad" that doesn't get nearly enough credit: its comedy. Despite containing some real chilling moments of violence and Shakespearean tragedy, "Breaking Bad" recruited many comedic actors to its cast (including Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr) and featured some memorably funny moments... as well as some seriously cringy ones.

Yep, amid the heart-racing suspense and genuine humor, "Breaking Bad" also had moments that made us want to crawl out of our skin. The 10 scenes listed below are somewhat funny, and often important to the story, but they also share the ability to make you watch through your hands every time you're binging the show.

We like to collectively believe that Walter White did a great job of hiding his meth business for two seasons, but he nearly got figured out by his wife, Skyler, in the second episode of the show. Perhaps this is where the unwarranted vitriolic backlash against Skyler White began, when in the episode "Cat's in the Bag...," she suspects Walter of having bought marijuana from Jesse Pinkman after the former student calls Walter's landline, and Walt lies to save face from what's actually going on.

Nevertheless, Skyler takes it upon herself to confront Jesse at his home, nearly catching him trying to dispose of Emilio's (John Koyama) dead body. The most cringe-inducing line, albeit very funny, is when Skyler introduces herself to Jesse by saying, "My name is Skyler White, yo. My husband is Walter White, yo." It's even more cringe-inducing (complimentary) when Skyler feeds Jesse the information that Walter's brother-in-law, Hank, is in the DEA. 

Ultimately, Skyler's ignorance as to what Walt and Jesse's relationship is really all about is only partly what makes this scene so cringeworthy. Credit to writer Vince Gilligan for perfectly capturing the awkwardness of a middle-aged woman trying to communicate with someone way out of her wheelhouse. Anna Gunn's committed performance sells Skyler's inability to relate to Jesse, and reeks of '80s "Say No to Drugs" energy. 

Though the latter part of "Breaking Bad" Season 2 is often remembered for introducing some of its most essential cast additions, like Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), it's also a major turning point for the show when Walter's cancer goes into remission, ostensibly making all his work as Heisenberg for naught. That doesn't stop Walter's transformation, as evidenced by one incredibly awkward scene in Episode 10, "Over," that takes place in Walter's backyard during a remission party with his friends and family.

Walt's rule-breaking slowly reveals itself as he pours young Walt Jr. some tequila, as a little secret between him, his son, and Hank. However, the fun and games quickly devolve as Walt insists that Jr. keep drinking, despite Hank's attempts to get him to slow down. Jr. ends up getting sick and throwing up in their pool, and as Hank tries to take the bottle of liquor away from Walt, the secret drug kingpin stands up to his brother-in-law, a confrontation that has a lot more weight for the audience knowing what Walt's really involved in.

Ultimately, the outburst from Walt does more harm than good, as it alienates Skyler from him, thrusting her into the comforting arms of her boss, Ted Beneke (Christopher Cousins). Moreso, it's just really hard to watch Walt be such a blatantly terrible father to his son, who, at this point in the series, still idolizes him. 

When you think of the most cringe-inducing moments in "Breaking Bad," odds are one scene will be mentioned by most fans. But don't be fooled: It's not the unrelenting hatred of Anna Gunn's character that makes this moment so hard to watch, but the performance itself, which is just so good at making you feel like you're watching something you shouldn't be. Skyler's affair with her boss, Ted, in Season 3 is one of the boldest twists on "Breaking Bad," and the groundwork for it is laid in the prior season.

The scene in Season 2, Episode 11 builds off Skyler's bonding with Ted after Walt's remission party incident, now growing to flirtatious levels. Celebrating Ted's birthday in the office, Skyler regales her boss with a seductive rendition of "Happy Birthday" a la Marilyn Monroe, emulating the iconic actress' performance of the song to President John F. Kennedy amid their alleged affair.

What's even more cringy about the scene, aside from the scene itself, is that it's a prelude to Skyler's discovery that Ted has been evading taxes by underreporting the company's revenue, a crime that will follow him well into Seasons 3 and 4 as his affair with his employee intensifies. Still, this is a cringeworthy enough moment to effectively fuel many years of fans' abject hatred of Skyler White.

Walter White is no stranger to causing massive grief across all seasons of "Breaking Bad," but the chain of events leading to a mid-air collision between two airplanes over Albuquerque at the end of Season 2 truly stands out. As Walt pieces together in the first episode of Season 3, "No Más," the air traffic controller responsible for the tragedy is Donald Margolis (John de Lancie), the father of Jesse's girlfriend, Jane (Krysten Ritter), whom Walt allowed to die of a drug overdose in Season 2's penultimate episode, "Phoenix."

Though he's the only one aware of his own role in the domino chain leading to this plane crash, Walter is encouraged to speak to an auditorium full of grieving students at the high school, following several speeches of teachers and students opening up about the trauma they've experienced. Walt, ever the egomaniac, uses his speaking time to downplay the tragedy, comparing it to other plane crashes throughout history and ending it with a more optimistic outlook than anyone in the room needs at that time.

Obviously, this is an awkward speech to watch, even without the context that Walt is trying to absolve himself of guilt — but knowing all the subtext behind it just makes it so much more brutal. He can't even fake his way through a speech to just empathize with people experiencing loss, which is the true sign that by this point in the show, Heisenberg was in control. 

The relationship between Marie (Betsy Brandt) and Hank is genuinely sweet, in spite of its inevitably tragic ending. Toward the end of Season 3, Hank has experienced a huge tragedy in being nearly paralyzed by the cousins, but Marie still finds a way to get him to... er, perk up. In the episode "Half Measures," Hank refuses to leave the hospital and insists he needs more time to recover, while hospital bills pile up. 

Leave it to Marie to find the right way to get Hank to agree to go. She makes a deal with him that if she can get him "excited," then that's proof his paralysis has worn off enough and he's free to leave. Hank is initially confident she won't be able to do it, but it only takes a cheeky Marie a couple of seconds to convince him otherwise. It's far from one of the sexiest scenes in TV, but its intimacy and awkwardness make for one of the funniest, albeit slightly cringe-inducing, moments in the season. 

What makes it all worth it is the hard cut to Hank being wheeled out of the hospital with a sour look on his face, while Marie walks behind, smiling devilishly. It's not as sad a scene as Skyler's servicing of Walt in the very first episode of "Breaking Bad," but it's not the type of scene you'd want to watch with your parents in the room, to say the least. 

Marie's bad girl streak isn't just limited to giving her husband a "helping hand" at the hospital. In the finale of Season 1, it's revealed that Marie is a closeted kleptomaniac, having given a tiara to Skyler at her baby shower, only for Skyler to return it and be detained after it's discovered the tiara had been stolen. It's a thievery that mainly serves to drive a wedge between Skyler and her sister, as well as showcase just how seriously (or, in some cases, not seriously) the extended family takes breaking the law, in contrast to Walter White's descent into the criminal underworld.

Marie's shoplifting spree goes dormant from Season 2 onward until it comes back in Season 4, resulting in one of the most awkward scenes on the entire show. Being given the cold shoulder by Hank during his recovery from his shooting, Marie starts going to open houses and stealing from the homes, as seen in the episode aptly titled "Open House." Unfortunately, she's recognized and confronted by the same real estate agent from a previous sale.

Props to Marie for going full Karen on this agent, going as far as to insult her appearance before having her bag ripped open, revealing an expensive picture frame from the family that lives in the house. We don't know what's harder to watch: this confrontation, or Marie getting equally as vindictive toward Walt during the fifth season.

Poor, poor Gale Boetticher (David Costabile). When he's introduced in Season 3's "Sunset," he seems like the perfect partner for Walter White's meth manufacturing, given his extensive expertise in chemistry and affable relationship with Gus Fring. However, Walt has an affinity for Jesse that, against Fring's desires, results in Boetticher being ousted. Unfortunately for Walt, Gale's continued existence poses a threat to him, and at the end of Season 3, Jesse is goaded into killing Gale as a way of forcing Fring to rely on Walt and Jesse to cook meth for him.

It's not long after that the DEA gets involved in investigating Gale's death, with Hank diving deep into the man who may or may not be his white whale. For Walt, the real Heisenberg, having his brother-in-law be so close to the truth is cringe-inducing enough, but not more so than the karaoke video Hank shows him and Walter Jr., mocking the poor chemist that Walt is responsible for having murdered. 

Props to Costabile, who perfectly sells the idea that this video was not meant to be seen by anyone other than himself, nailing the cringy rendition of "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling while dancing in front of a green screen. Question: What's cringier, the video itself (included as a Season 4 DVD extra), or Walt trying to play it cool while reacting to it, as Hank and Walter Jr. laugh?

Some of the cringiest moments in "Breaking Bad" are when Walter White simply can't let things go. As a narcissist to end all narcissists, Walt frequently does things that compromise his own safety as a secretive drug kingpin, which is especially apparent in Season 4's "Shotgun." The episode prior, "Bullet Points," contains one of the tensest moments in "Breaking Bad," when Hank shows Walt the evidence he's piled up on Gale, including a reference in his notes to a "W.W.," jokingly implying it could be Walt. 

Drunk on wine in the next episode, Hank reveals to Walt and Skyler that he's given up on investigating Gale, satisfied with believing him to be Heisenberg — but of course, Walt can't let the poor guy get all the credit for his empire. Walt drunkenly suggests to Hank that all of his work wasn't his; it was clearly copied, citing his own experience as a chemistry teacher. The implication that Hank's white whale is still out there is enough to get Walt's brother-in-law to reopen the investigation into Gus Fring, which continues to throw Walt's own life into jeopardy. Why Walt decides to tell Hank this, other than his own ego and pride, we'll never truly know.

Jesse and Skyler don't have too many run-ins following their scene together in Season 1, save for one uncomfortable scene in the fifth and final season of "Breaking Bad." The sixth episode, "Buyout," takes place directly after the high-stakes train heist that sees Walt, Jesse, and Mike stealing gallons of methylamine from a train. This results in the tragic death of a young bystander, Drew Sharp (Sam Webb), who is gunned down by Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons). The victory continues to be for naught as Mike leaves their operation due to the DEA closing in on him and his family.

Jesse visits Walt's house to convince him that, rather than keep meth production going, they should sell the methylamine for a total of $300 million. Walt explains to Jesse that he's not trying to run a business but build an empire, but their meeting is cut short by Skyler's arrival home. The uncomfortable dinner that ensues is one of the most awkward scenes in all of "Breaking Bad."

Though Jesse's presence at a dinner between Walt and Skyler at this point in their relationship is tense enough as it is, the fact that Skyler reveals to Jesse that she's been having an affair makes it even worse. Thank God for Aaron Paul's performance as Jesse, who saves the scene with incredibly funny lines, complimenting Skyler's cooking and ranting about the false advertising on microwave food packages.

Few "Breaking Bad" actors can send chills up your spine quite the way Jesse Plemons is able to with his portrayal of sociopath Todd Alquist. Todd is a business associate of Walt, Jesse, and Mike's in Season 5 who connects Walt with his uncle, a neo-Nazi named Jack (Michael Bowen). Eventually, Jack and his gang take over Walt's role in producing meth for Lydia (Laura Fraser), keeping Jesse as a hostage while Walt relocates to New Hampshire.

It's creepy enough to see Todd do anything, but it's especially gross to see any of his interactions with Lydia, given that it becomes evident he has an infatuation with her. Though it's clearly an unrequited crush, it becomes most obvious in Season 5, Episode 13, when Lydia visits Todd's meth lab at Jack's compound and observes the quality of his product, which is below the standard of what Walt and Jesse were producing. Todd is clearly crossing boundaries in this scene, sitting uncomfortably close to Lydia as he promises to get better at cooking for her.

Thankfully, Lydia quickly excuses herself, leaving Todd to pine after her lipstick stain on the tea mug he's given her. Knowing Todd is such a ruthless sociopath who shows no guilt over shooting a boy in cold blood, the idea of him experiencing any warm or fuzzy emotions doesn't just make us cringe; it makes us want to heave a little, too.