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Over a decade after its premiere in 2008, Breaking Bad is still influencing great art, and that goes for iconic television from all over the world. Years before Netflix unveiled its sci-fi time traveling saga Dark, the German drama’s iconic theme song was used in one of the most gripping episodes in Breaking Bad history.
The song in question is Apparat’s “Goodbye.” Drifting instrumentals blend with ominous pounding, whispers, and intentional string work to create a song that’s as unnerving and mysterious as this Netflix original. Told over multiple timelines, Dark follows a teenage boy (Louis Hoffmann) whose world is ruined after he learns the real reason why his father killed himself. Both gorgeous and irredeemably creepy, Dark is one of the most well thought out time travel shows in existence while also being a masterful character study.
But long before Apparat’s haunting melody introduced the world to Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese twisted universe, it was used to highlight one of the most gut-wrenching moments in Breaking Bad’s history. “Goodbye” appears in Season 4, Episode 13’s “Face Off.” Written and directed by Vince Gilligan, this episode is primarily known for one thing: the death of Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).
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No one in Breaking Bad was more of a clear rival to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) than the Chicken Man. Gus wasn’t just as smart and manipulative as Walt; he was also more careful and well-connected. Throughout most of Season 4 Gus lured Walt’s impulsive assistant Jesse (Aaron Paul) over to his side in a bid to get Heisenberg to cooperate. Naturally that didn’t sit well with the ego-obsessed Walt, who was sure that Gus was trying to kill him. Walt’s silent war with Gus led him to commit his most heinous crime, poisoning a child just to get to Jesse.
Walt finally did win his war against Gus. Banking on his rival’s need for revenge, Walt set up a remote bomb on former cartel bigwig Hector Salamanca’s (Mark Margolis) wheelchair. His plan worked without a hitch, leaving us all with the shocking image of the half dead Gus Fring primly adjusting his tie.
Gus’ final walk from the parking lot to the old folks’ home where he took his last breathe was scored by Apparat’s “Goodbye.” The opening throbbing of the song intentionally overlaps with the background noise in the scene, seamlessly transitioning what should be a boring lot into something far more threatening. Framed by Breaking Bad‘s New Mexico backdrops, the song’s guitar work takes on a more Western feel, transforming into a melody fit for a cowboy’s final face off. In many ways, that’s exactly what it is.
“Goodbye” is a perfect bit of creepy music that’s the perfect end for one of the most mysterious figures to terrorize television. It’s oddly fitting that one of the greatest villains of Breaking Bad would die to the same song that would introduce one of modern television’s most underrated gems.
