The Reason The Finale Of Breaking Bad Was So Special Had To Do With A Teenage Cancer Patient
There are no spoilers in this article. I’m not going to tell you how Breaking Bad ends because I know that so many parents who watch it do it the new school way, by sneaking episodes on DVD or through streaming services because when you want to watch a show when it airs you usually end up getting a kid back to bed after a glass of water or reading one more bedtime story. I will say that I loved the ending, if there HAD to be an ending, and I was satisfied despite the fact I am all sad today that the show is over. But what makes me even sadder is a 16-year-old named Kevin Cordasco who suffered from neuroblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer and how his friendship with the writers, actors and show creator Vince Gilligan influenced how the series finale of Breaking Bad ended. From Forbes.com:
”I think he was our number one fan ever for Breaking Bad,” Gilligan said. ”He was so smart and astute about the show.”
Gilligan arranged for Cordasco to visit the writer’s room in Los Angeles, and plans were in place to fly him to Albuquerque to film a cameo that never happened because of Cordasco’s declining health.
”I was so happy to meet him,” said writer-producer Tom Schnauz. ”He was such a smart, kid so full of life. We got to hang out in the writer’s room and joke and have a good time. Vince spent a lot more time with him than we did.”
But Cordasco’s legacy moment came in that first meeting with Gilligan in October.
”At that point he was at home and I was dreading going over there,” Gilligan recalled on the show’s Insider Podcast. ”But he was such a wonderful young guy. I learned about my own show from him.
”At one point I said, ”What would you like to see on the show?”
”I came back and reported [what he said] to the writer’s room, and it colored our perception of the show. We added something to these final eight episodes that we wouldn’t have otherwise if Kevin hadn’t mentioned that.”
During his life Kevin also became friends with actors Bryan Cranston, Bob Odenikirk, and Anna Gunn. Gilligan also asked Kevin during their first meeting if he would like to know how the series ends if he promised not to tell anyone. Kevin told Vince that he wanted to watch it just like everyone else. Sadly, he died on March 11, before the story ended.
For those of you who have seen it, you can hop on over to the link and see what the young fan suggested be added to the final episodes. For those of you still watching Breaking Bad, I suggest bookmarking it to see after you are finished. I’m sad my little Sunday night story has ended, but it just makes me even sadder that they lost their number one fan too.
(Image: Breaking Bad/Facebook)
