Just How Realistic Breaking Bad's Meth Cooking Is? Ex-DEA Agent Weighs In
One of the most memorable aspects of Breaking Bad was the focus on Walter's (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse's (Aaron Paul) meth cooking.
Being a brilliant chemist Walter was able to formulate a form of chemically pure methamphetamine (aka crystal meth). However, it seems his supposed genius wasn't very genuine after all.
As real-life ex-DEA agent Craig Chretien gave his verdict on how accurate the pair's meth cooking really was.
Walter's and Jesse's meth cooking changes and grows rapidly throughout the show.
What starts out from season one as Walter cooking comically in his underpants from a remote caravan becomes part of an international criminal drug operation over time.
Making meth on a considerably larger scale while using the most sophisticated machinery and equipment; provided by the methodical but terrifying Gustavo Fring.
These cooking montages may remain ever entertaining throughout the show. However, according to expert Craig Chretien, it was often far from accurate.
In a previous interview with Vanity Fair, Craig Chretien, ex-special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of 26 years, discussed scenes from TV and films depicting forms of drug trafficking.
Considering his long experience in the field, he is undoubtedly someone who definitely knows what they are talking about.
While discussing Breaking Bad, Chretien noted that in the earlier depictions of Walter's and Jesse's meth-cooking scenes from season 1, much of what is shown seems not only impractical but unlikely.
For example, he states that with the chemicals often used for cooking meth, you would likely need gloves and to be less exposed to your bare skin. As a trained chemist, he would expect Walter to know this and therefore finds his lack of safety concerns unrealistic.
Chretien's second comment towards the scene is about the general hazardousness of the meth cooking itself. From the items and processes depicted, the ex-special agent wondered how such things would be mixed and measured.
Assumably from within such a small and confined space with little necessary equipment. However, he admits that what is depicted in the scene as the supposed end product does look pretty good.
We presume this to mean that what Breaking Bad represents as quality crystal meth, is actually what prime cooked meth should look like. We'll just take his word on that.
Breaking Bad may not have been the most accurate in demonstrating meth cooking, at least at the beginning of the series.
However, that doesn't make us love the show any less. At the very least, the cooking scenes were always very entertaining. And Walter and Jesse will always remain the world's best meth cooks to us.