MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld (right) enlightens Jerry Zucker (left) during a Science & Entertainment Exchange Salon at the Zucker’s home.
There is a moment in the deservedly lauded Breaking Bad when Walt must convince Gus that he and Jesse are indispensable, dramatically asserting “Without us you have nothing.” It is a scene of great suspense and emotion. But not only that, it is a fine example of where good science is used to the narrator’s advantage.
The high-level scientific dialogue sees Walt tout his superior chemical knowledge of protic vs aprotic catalytic hydrogenation and stereospecific reactions yielding enantiomerically pure products. “The dialogue had to be perfect in order to be powerful instead of laughable, and Bryan Cranston’s magnificent delivery was convincing,” explains the show’s scientific advisor, Dr Donna Nelson.
“To a scientist, seeing incorrect science in movies or on TV is like fingernails on a blackboard,” asserts Dr Nelson, who worked on all five series of the hit AMC show. “At best, it breaks one’s focus on the scene and plot. At worst, it spoils the entire show.”
