When Gilligan visited Cordasco, he asked him what he would like to see on the show. Cordasco knew he wanted more of Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz, the characters who played a prominent role in Breaking Bad season 1. Long before the events of the series' first season, Elliott (Adam Godley) and Walt, who were best friends during their time at the California Institute of Technology, founded a scientific research company called Gray Matter Technologies. At the time, Walt was dating Gretchen (Jessica Hecht), but he eventually left her and sold his shares of Gray Matter to Elliott.
Two decades later, Gretchen and Elliott are exceedingly wealthy, and Walt is struggling to pay his medical bills after being diagnosed with cancer. When the Schwartzes offer to pay for his cancer treatment, Walt refuses and instead starts cooking meth.
Cordasco sympathized with Walt's situation, and asked that Gretchen and Elliott come back into the Breaking Bad fold. Gilligan obliged — Gretchen and Elliott do appear again in season 5, encountering Walt one more time.
"I came back and reported [what he said] to the writer's room, and it colored our perception of the show," the showrunner said on the Breaking Bad Insider podcast. "We added something to these final eight episodes that we wouldn't have otherwise if Kevin hadn't mentioned that."
Gilligan also offered Cordasco the chance to know how the show ended before anyone else. But the teenager refused, telling Gilligan he'd be watching it. Sadly, Cordasco never got to see the ending of Breaking Bad, dying prior to the season 5 premiere.
In the end, Cordasco's insight and recommendations not only impressed Gilligan, who said he learned more about his own show from him, but also left an indelible mark on one of the best television series ever.
