There Was Yet Another ‘Breaking Bad’ Reference On ‘The Walking Dead’

The Walking Dead has sprinkled references to fellow AMC series Breaking Bad throughout its nine-season run, from Glenn driving a red Dodge Challenger (the same car as Walter White) to Merle Dixon’s stash containing Blue Sky. This past Sunday’s episode, “Omega,” adds another one to the list. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn how Alpha (Oscar winner Samantha Morton) went from a caring mother to Lydia to the leader of the human-zombie plague Whisperers. In one scene, she calms her daughter with a lullaby, “Lydia the Tattooed Lady,” a song that should sound familiar to sharp-eared Breaking Bad viewers.

“Lydia,” which was originally recorded by Groucho Marx for the Marx Brothers movie At the Circus, is the ringtone that Todd picked for meth supplier Lydia Rodarte-Quale; it plays right before Walt informs Lydia that he poisoned her.

The lyrics go to:

Oh Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia

Lydia, the Tattooed Lady

She has eyes that folks adore so

And a torso even more so

“Lydia the Tattooed Lady” has appeared in multiple movies and shows (outside of the aforementioned At the Circus), including The Fisher King and The Kids in the Hall, but considering the history between The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, it was probably an intentional nod to Walt, Todd, and Lydia. Also, as the Hollywood Reporter notes, “Breaking Bad charted a meek chemistry teacher’s transformation into a ruthless criminal overlord; “Omega” similarly follows a frightened mother who evolves into the stone-cold killer known as Alpha.” (Both shows are getting movies, too.) The song is also incessantly catchy, to an annoying degree, so maybe keep it away from Daryl.