Postmodern 'Breaking Bad' Memes Are Getting Weird

Breaking Bad was the television show that defined an era of entertainment. It was dark and funny simultaneously, and it also gave us lots of characters that either loved or loved making memes about. It was (and still is) one of the most talked-about shows ever, both online and in person, and we’ve come up with some memes and hot takes to discuss with internet strangers. The Breaking Bad legacy was always going to have a huge part in our sense of humor, so now that it’s over, we’ve still got some related content coming forth. The problem is, the sort of stuff that’s appearing lately is rather disturbing.

Better Call Saul was never going to be quite as good as Breaking Bad. Sure, Saul’s sense of humor and terrible morals are fun to watch, but not as fun as a high school teacher who just decides one day that he’s going to cook meth. And sure, we’ve got some memes from it anyway. But when one of the most memorable memes happens to be a "copypasta and terrible video edit of a man testifying in court with the words "he defecated through a sunroof,"":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chicanery-copypasta that’s not exactly living up to the legacy Breaking Bad memes left behind.

Even “We are not the same” has been butchered to a point where it’s no longer an overdramatic and ironic meme like the Breaking Bad ones before it. Now, that format’s essentially worn itself out to where it’s succeeded from all mention of the show itself and turned kind of uncomfortable. It’s evolved into somewhat cringeworthy content that would fit much better with bad picture of the Joker in the background. But hey, at least it was fun while it lasted, before it turned into…whatever this is.

It’s pretty apparent that the modern Breaking Bad meme is losing some of its edge that we were once used to. But we needed something to bring back some love towards the series and its spinoffs. Something funnier than bad jokes about Gus Fring making his reappearance in The Boys just because of Giancarlo Esposito’s role. Unfortunately, we’ve failed yet again, because the community has somehow created the dumbest meme of all. We no longer have gifs of Walter White collapsing to the ground while sobbing or jokes about science made by Jesse Pinkman. What do we have now? Kim Wexler’s feet.

The meme about Kim Wexler’s feet is a sign that we all need to take a step back from the computer. Kim Wexler is played by an actual human named Rhea Seehorn, who probably woke up one fateful day in 2020 (and again in 2021, then again in 2022, when people kept bringing the trend back up) feeling the truest form of fear a human being can imagine when she discovered the internet was thirsting over her feet and making some grotesque memes. Apparently, someone went through the entire series and counted the number of times Kim Wexler was shown barefoot, then kept checking out her feet. And soon, everyone else started to do the same.

This meme is proof we as a species have somehow messed up in the long line of evolution, and we probably should just turn back. In the modern era, it feels like we’re being punished for understanding Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul enough to see what each of these memes mean and regret ever watching television. If there’s anything that won’t successfully revive a franchise’s reputation, it’s pictures of Kim Wexler’s feet. And the fact that this is the one meme from the series that keeps coming up again and again and is met with massive popularity is even more disturbing. Hopefully, we’ll find some good ways to honor these shows soon, but until then, I recommend you don’t download any mysterious files labeled “Kim Wexler’s feet” and maybe just go outside for a little while.