“Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab” seems at least partially inspired by Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston’s many other cameos on other shows (or Super Bowl commercials) where they played their characters from “Breaking Bad.” These little sketches are always amusing, sure, but they do sometimes lead audiences to wonder if the actors are doing okay. It’s like in the pre-“Barry” days when the first thing we saw Bill Hader do after “SNL” were those T-Mobile commercials. It’s fun to still see him around, but we can’t help but fear the best days of his career are over.
“Always Sunny” plays around with this idea, revealing in the second half that Cranston’s only doing this business venture in Philadelphia in the first place because he lost all his money from gambling. It’s apparently why the relationship between Paul and Cranston is so strained, with Paul bossing him around and forbidding him to shake anyone’s hand.
Unfortunately for Paul, no Bryan Cranston appearance in a TV show is complete nowadays without letting the guy go full Heisenberg. When Cranston finally does shake Dennis’s hand against Paul’s wishes, it appears to activate the darker side of Cranston’s psyche. “Maybe being in the alcohol business places your head so far out in front of you that you don’t even realize that your neck is exposed,” he says to Paul, his voice lowering into an intimidating growl.
“Enough to be lopped by a public so thirsty to taste the blood of greedy celebrities… So when they come, and they will, who are they gonna come after, huh?” Throughout his speech, the repeated question of “Who is in charge?” becomes a clear reference to Walter White’s famous “Say my name” scene.
