Twelve years is long enough to forget the name of your first love, but not quite enough to erase "Ozymandias" from memory — that very episode of Breaking Bad after which viewers collectively wiped their sweaty palms and checked if their jaws were still in place. Dean Norris, who portrayed Hank Schrader, has finally explained why this episode is not just iconic but a benchmark in television history.
Like a Novel on the Shelf
In a recent interview with TV Insider, Norris admitted that the series, which concluded in 2013, lives on even more vividly than it did during its original run.
"Every year, new people experience the whole series… So I think it’s great that it lives on in the ether, just in the cultural zeitgeist" Norris says of Breaking Bad‘s ongoing popularity. "And it continues to have that kind of impact. I think it’s more known now than it was when it first came out."
A special surge in popularity occurred during the pandemic: closed homes, panic, and suddenly millions of viewers who finally caught up with Walter White. Norris also shared that he is recognised on the streets by 13-15-year-olds, some of whom were born just before or after Breaking Bad's finale.
"Ozymandias" Is Forever
— The only episode in IMDb history with a 10/10 rating. — The iconic scene with Walt and Skyler’s phone conversation. — The moment when Hank... well, you know.
The show has experienced several waves of popularity: the release of Better Call Saul, the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and the quarantine boom. But "Ozymandias" remains that diamond that never loses its shine. As Norris said, it’s now a classic, one you can revisit time and time again – like rereading a great novel. Yet, few novels make you sweat with such intensity.
