Kevin Cordasco, a 16-year-old cancer patient who was a huge fan of "Breaking Bad," was offered a chance to hear the show's ended by creator Vince Gilligan, but turned it down, expecting to live long enough to see it through to the end.
Sadly, Cordasco passed away, but he did inspire Gilligan to massively change up the final eight episodes, the first of which was dedicated to him, The Wrap reports.
Near the end of Cordasco's six-month battle with neuroblastoma, Gilligan and the cast went to visit the teen, whom they dubbed the show's "No. 1 fan."
"He told me that first day I spent with him, visiting him, he told me what he liked about the show and I said, 'Is there something you feel is missing from the show?'" Gilligan said on the latest "Breaking Bad Insider" podcast. "He said, 'You know what, I want to know more about Gretchen and Elliott. I want to know more about Walt's backstory with them. I want to know what happened.'"
As it turns out, Gilligan incorporated Cordasco's idea into the storyline, and in the penultimate episode, "Granite State," a broken and snowbound Walter White witnessed the biggest blow to his pride and ego yet: his former co-founders of the company Grey Matter, who went on to be successful billionaires while he ended up a broke high school science teacher-turned brilliant methamphetamine cook, completely discounted all of his involvement in their business.
Sort of like spreading the rumor that Steve Jobs had nothing to do with Apple, or at least in Walter White's mind.
Fans remain in the dark about what exactly Gretchen and Elliott concocted that made them such a big success, and Gilligan stayed vague on the subject.
"I can't promise you you will ever get your complete knowledge of that situation to your total satisfaction, but the very fact that Kevin mentioned Gretchen and Elliott led us - the writers and I - to reintroduce them, reincorporate them into the story," he said.
Gretchen and Elliott's final denouncement of Walt works as a "catalyst," according to the show creator, and now the criminal mastermind is ready to get caught, but not before his final big hurrah.
"Walt seems to change his mind there," added Peter Gould, who wrote and directed the episode. "He's all ready to get caught, and then he sees the video..."
