Why does Hank Schrader always wear orange? Why does his wife Marie always wear the opposite color, purple? Is there a deeper meaning to Walter White's 'tighty-whitey' underwear?
Breaking Bad is full to overflowing with color symbolism. What does it mean? We have the feeling that Jesse's bold red shirt and Skyler's pastel blue sweater are trying to tell us something, but what? What am I missing by not understanding the colors?
You're missing a lot. In fact, you may be missing the entire meaning of the show.
Understanding the rich color associations in Breaking Bad not only brings deeper enjoyment, it delivers excitement. Most commentators on Breaking Bad look at Hank's rock collection in Season Four as a plot thread that went nowhere. But if you understand Breaking Bad's hierarchy of colors, you will discover in Hank's minerals an epiphany--an explosion of knowledge that will transform everything you understand about Walter White, Heisenberg, and the Breaking Bad Universe.
I wrote Breaking Blue for fans of Breaking Bad who are not afraid to dig deep, to work hard so they can unearth treasures that bring profound meaning to one of the most creative and audacious productions ever mounted for the small screen. I spent 1200 hours last year and into January of this year researching and discovering and reducing to paper the rich meanings associated with every color on the Breaking Bad palette.
You will find no recaps in Breaking Blue. No discussions of actors' hair styles or the dresses they wore on the red carpet. Breaking Blue is a hard-hitting, relentless, sometimes difficult and obsessive drive to reveal the hidden and deeper meanings of the series.
The introduction to the book sets the stage:
Marie is wearing black.
Your eyes grow big and you lean in closer to the television screen. Marie never wears black. Something’s up. Something important is about to happen. You pause the action, do an online search. “Aha!” You jab at the computer screen: “Black means violence.”
Your online source lists the numerous times Hank or a bad guy wears black, always with pistols or rifles or submachine guns drawn and ready. The fan site congratulates itself for recognizing good guys wear black too, but only when something nasty is going to happen.
You have goose bumps now, thrilled at the prospect of Marie Schrader wreaking havoc, pulling out a sidearm to show the bad guys who’s boss. Giddy, you jab the PLAY button on the remote.
Marie walks into the building, finds the person she wants, they sit down and talk. There are no guns. No yelling. No drama. They just talk.
“What?” you say, upset. “But the fan site says black means violence! Where is Marie’s gun? What’s going on here?” Mystified, confused, you stare at the screen and watch as two people have an orderly discussion.
You know Breaking Bad uses color symbolism and you were hoping to extract more meaning from the scene. You were right to suspect that Marie’s black blouse and slacks were significant. They are. In fact, they're crucial to the scene. Breaking Blue will help you figure it out as no other guide can.
Breaking Blue is a ‘post-graduate course in Breaking Bad’. Never content with easy answers or the lowest common denominator, Breaking Blue does not insult the intelligence of Breaking Bad fans, but entices all viewers to consider every nuance of meaning so that they can appreciate the full depth and breadth of the series.
Reading Breaking Blue is like putting on stereoscopic glasses: All of a sudden hidden meanings jump out at you, and a once exciting television show becomes a veritable roller coaster ride.
This is the only book you will find that makes sense of hundreds of disparate elements of the show: The core colors (blue, orange, yellow, green, and of course Marie's purple), all of them tied to central themes: Corruption, innocence, randomness, meaning, self-deception, Karma, and dozens of other central ideas.
Containing over two dozen breathtaking illustrations by famed artist Martin Woutisseth, Breaking Blue is a treasure in itself.
No other guide makes sense of Hank's mineral collection. In fact, most commentators dismiss this critical Season Four touchstone, labeling it a dramatic misfire. Breaking Blue will show you that Hank's obsession with rocks is central to the plot, and explains the motivations of both Hank and his nemesis, Heisenberg. With Breaking Blue in hand, you will understand every nuance and amazing twist in one of the finest dramas of the 21st century.
Breaking Blue contains every word of my introduction to the series, Breaking White. But that’s just the beginning. Touching on every episode in the show’s five seasons, Breaking Blue delivers groundbreaking, at times controversial analysis of every major color and theme, providing fans with ideas to ponder for months and years to come.
Join the quest! I invite you to open the pages of Breaking Blue. You will discover a depth to Breaking Bad that you never knew existed.
Breaking Blue, Paperback EditionBreaking Blue, Kindle ebook Edition
