Everyday
Same week, different mood
The two short labels move from anticipation to the end of the weekend.
Read caption text
- Left: the smile
- Friday
- Right: the frown
- Sunday night
Dean Norris Reaction Meme Template
The format
What does Dean Norris Reaction mean?
Also called Hank's Reaction
Give the smile one short label and the frown another. The side-by-side portraits show how quickly the mood can change.
The left photo welcomes something; the right photo has had enough of it. You can compare two related situations or show a good thing losing its appeal.
The contrast is strongest when only a small detail changes. Free Wi-Fi sounds promising; a connection with no internet earns the second face.
Origin
These are portraits, not frames from Breaking Bad.
Photographer Marco Grob made the contrasting portraits of Dean Norris, known for playing Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad. Norris shared the photographs on Twitter and Instagram on July 14, 2014. [1]
Know Your Meme documents captioned uses before the pair gained wider attention as a reaction format in 2021. The smiling and displeased expressions let the two photos carry opposite responses. [1]
How the meme spread
Norris shares the portraits
The actor posts the photographs online after they appeared in Marco Grob’s work. [1]
An early captioned version
The archive records an Instagram meme based on the pair of portraits. [1]
Opposite reactions
The two-panel format spreads through contrasting captions on Twitter and Reddit. [1]
Caption guide
Change a few words and change the whole mood.
Choose a related pair: two moments in the week, money arriving and leaving, or the promise of a service and the reality. The reader should see why one earns a smile.
The portraits fill most of each panel. Put short labels on the dark clothing below the faces, and leave the expressions uncovered.
- Left: the smile
- The welcome situation.
- Right: the frown
- The unwelcome alternative or catch.
- Keep the happy situation on the left in this version.
- Aim for one to three words per label.
- Use two related situations so the comparison feels intentional.
Dean Norris Reaction examples
Original captions to try with this template.
Everyday
Money in, money out
The comparison uses the same subject, money, moving in opposite directions.
Read caption text
- Left: the smile
- Payday
- Right: the frown
- Rent day
Travel
The connection promise
The sign offers one thing; the actual connection produces the second expression.
Read caption text
- Left: the smile
- Free Wi-Fi
- Right: the frown
- No internet
Related formats
Try another way to tell the joke.
Sources1 reference
References for this template. Example captions are original.
- Dean Norris' Reaction: Know Your Meme
Credits Marco Grob and documents Norris’s posts and later captioned versions.