The following contains spoilers for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16, Episode 5, "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab," which is now streaming on Hulu.
Over the course of its extensive 16 Seasons, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has featured a plethora of celebrity cameos and exciting guest stars. From Judy Geer to P. Diddy, the series has run the gambit of celebrity stars. Yet, Season 16, Episode 5, "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab," inarguably brings in the biggest stars from Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. And It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia promptly chose to ignore that fact until the very end of the episode.
While both Paul and Cranston had careers before Breaking Bad, it's the show that made them international sensations. Cranston was also very well known for playing Hal on the hit sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. The roles of Hal and Walter White could not be more different, yet Cranston embodied both perfectly. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia chooses to focus mostly on his role as Hal. Yet, at the end of the episode, it delivers a Heisenberg moment worthy of Breaking Bad and Walter White.
Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's Dynamic on It's Always Sunny Is Strange
In Breaking Bad, the dynamic between Cranston's character and Paul's is that Walter is in charge, and Jesse is nothing more than a pawn. Walt is constantly putting Jesse down and slowly becomes more and more controlling. Walter, as Heisenberg, is even more demanding and cold. It's Always Sunny flips this entire dynamic on its head, making Cranston submissive to Paul. In the episode, the two celebrities are attending the opening of an alcohol brand they are sponsoring. Paul tells Cranston what to do, where to go and even what to say. This is an odd thing for fans of the two actors to see.
At one point, Mac tells Cranston that Dennis has forbidden him from talking, and Cranston remarks that he has the same rule imposed on him. Cranston can't even shake hands, despite desperately wanting to, because Paul doesn't like him to. This all comes to a head when the Gang corner Cranston and Paul on a plane. Cranston explodes with anger and becomes absolutely sinister. He pushes off the oppression that Paul has imposed and makes everyone think that he has only been pretending to be meek, letting Paul seem like the alpha and take any heat that the two may have. While Cranston plays this outburst off like he's acting, it's hard to shake the sinister vibe that he leaves behind in the scene.
Creating a Heisenberg Moment Is a Perfect Way to Reference Breaking Bad
The Gang seems completely oblivious to Cranston's role as Walter White; in fact, they only know him from Malcolm in the Middle. They also think Aaron Paul is an adult Frankie Muniz, calling him Mr. Malcolm frequently throughout the episode. This makes the Gang that much more impressed by Cranston's dramatic performance. While ignoring the pair's most famous roles is funny, slipping in a moment of Walter White is the perfect way to subtly reference Breaking Bad without hitting the audience over the head with obvious jokes and Easter eggs.
It's unclear why Cranston and Paul decided to make an appearance together in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but their presence is a welcome one. The pair make excellent victims for the Gang and their antics. Giving Cranston an authentic Heisenberg moment within the final minutes of the episode make it all worthwhile for fans of both series.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia airs on Wednesday on FX and Thursday on Hulu.