How Australian Prisoners Used 'Breaking Bad' in Real Life

Such is Breaking Bad’s popularity; it often bleeds its way into real life situations. That’s what some bemused prison guards in Australia found out, as they came across hundreds of broken televisions due to the inmates copying Walter White’s ‘science moves’.

Walter White weighing up some tough decisions in Breaking Bad

Spoilers.

Last year, our favourite chemistry teacher-cum-meth manufacturer escaped some plastic ties in the episode ‘Buyout’. He used frayed wires to get himself out of a life–or-death (money-or-no money) situation. Prison inmates are using it to light their cigarettes.

Seeing as lighters and matches are banned in prisons – for obvious reasons – and smoking isn’t allowed in cells, the prisoners had to get inventive a la Bryan Cranston’s Mr. White in the AMC drama, which is currently hald way through the second half of season five.

Officials say 425 television sets had to be replaced while 131 were repaired, adding that their rental system – allowing inmates to grab a set for $2-a-week is being reviewed. And this isn’t the first time Breaking Bad has wormed its way into the consciousness of reality. DEA consultants recently told the show’s makers that blue meth was showing up on the streets, similar to the stuff Walt and Jesse came up with when they stopped using Sudo.

There's the iconic yellow smoke, but where are the bullit holes?

Asked if he thought he and his cast have ever thought about replicating Breaking Bad’s not-to-be-tried-at-home stunts, George Mastras – the director behind the best episode of Breaking Bad ever – Dead Freight – said: “Yeah, kind of. You always feel a little like "uh-oh." Sometimes you get these situations where we will feel a little guilty about that." (THR)

He added: “We have DEA chemistry consultants. The DEA guys love Breaking Bad and they're very helpful to us. They were showing me pictures of blue meth. It was probably people just putting food coloring, but you worry sometimes. But there's nothing we come up with that people aren't figuring out on their own. There are plenty of minds being put to bad use out there.”