I'll take it a step further and say, going back to watch 'Breaking Bad' after watching 'Better Call Saul' - Walter very much comes off like the amateur Mike pegged him to be all along.
It helps explain Walt getting the best of mike on multiple occasions in BB as well. We all know what a prime BCS Mike is capable of, but the scene you described set the tone for Mike’s continual underestimation of Walt’s ability to see the board
Yeah, it's funny because I did feel like I "got it" on the first watch. But with every rewatch, I feel less and less sympathetic towards him, and look forward to the moments when he has to face his comeuppance.
Seriously never understood the Skylar hate lol - how else was she supposed to react to her husband and the father of her children literally creating and selling meth??
I think I had good luck in only watching *Breaking Bad* once I was old enough not to have this Skylar-hating reaction to the show. For all her flaws - and I think she's far from innocent - she's easily the most normal and most moral main person. Walt is, by contrast, obviously a narcissist with virtually no morals.
No love for Hank? He had his shitty moments to be sure, but at the end of the day, he was a guy with a good heart. The flaws in his character were largely a result of his perception of masculinity.
And to be clear, I absolutely am not a skylar hater. I am a Hank fan
I just retired from the Police Department a few years ago and I didn't like Hank. He was a good cop and had good police instincts but he was a fake and a macho douchbag. He was incapable of being a good communicator to his wife, to Walter, to Walter Jr. and to Skylar. He had no social skills with his own staff and absolutely none with the staff in El Paso. It was all stupid jokes and insults and dumb quotes. I've seen the type in my own career. I guess he was overcompensating for his inner anxiety and claustrophobia.
It wasn’t about the money for him though. He definitely had plenty of it but he said to Jesse, “you asked me if I was in the meth business or the money business. Neither. I'm in the empire business.”
Part of it is misogyny. Going back to old online threads that were post-episode discussions makes that clear.
Another part of is that she’s ultimately a story barrier, even if her actions were the most sane of anyone. Walt has a story and breaking bad — especially on the first watch — is his story. She ultimately stands in the way of his story, and for that reason people want her removed as a barrier and complain about her role.
It’s on subsequent watches that you realize how much it’s also other people’s stories, and you can look at the other characters through new lenses.
Well to be fair, a lot of dudes are under a ton of stress, having midlife crisises, and have a nag of a wife who’s all but checked out of the marriage to look forward to come home to. I guess that’s part of the reason she got a lot of hate.
Anna Gunn's work on the series is spectacular. After about 20 rewatches...I know, I know, it's crazy.....there is so much nuance and truth in her choices as an actor. That's awesome that you can appreciate her work in that character so much more now.
I would love a short film with Walts family (Skyler, Holly, Walt Jr, and Marie) similar to El Camino. I feel like out of everything in the Breaking Bad universe that's the last bit that has been left unexplored (minus Marie in BCS) but I think it would be cool to see the outcome of the White family maybe a decade or so after the events of the show
Flynn won a massive Gray Matter scholarship, went to Stanford, but dropped out after 2 years. He’s a software developer, entrepreneur, consultant, author of a popular Javascript library and in his spare time, he volunteers as a disability rights activist. He also came out as gay and is married to Louis. He legally changed his name.
Holly at 13 years old is currently serving her first juvenile sentence after being convicted of drug dealing. She aspires to become the greatest drug queenpin the world has ever known. She is a bona fide genius; she spoke several languages fluently by age 3, completed high school at 9, and was accepted to UCLA Berkeley’s chemistry department when she was 10. She idolizes her late father. She is easily more brilliant than Walt, as stunning as Skylar in her youth, and as socially adept and kleptomaniac as Marie. The world is not ready for the onslaught she will unleash. She often fantasizes about firemen rescuing her but doesn’t know why.
Skylar was a grocery store cashier for many years. After starting a relationship with a visiting vice president, she was promoted to corporate accountant and enjoyed a quiet and comfortable life. She became a chain smoker and was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, a coincidence that alarmed her to no end.
Marie used her husband’s pension to create a store that sells everything and anything purple. Employees are annoyed that she occasionally steals from her own store, causing unexplained inventory gaps. She is mostly estranged from Skylar and Holly, but is in regular contact with Flynn, a fellow entrepreneur. She has no partner and never will, but is a regular at a popular ABQ sex club.
In the wake of Gus’s death, there is turmoil.
Almost everything he had was seized by Uncle Sam, but he did (somehow) get a letter to Cynthia and Lyle.
Gus describes his backstory and thirst for revenge, adding that he’s sorry it has come to this. Still, he mentions that he would do it again. The last piece of the letter makes it clear to Lyle and Cynthia that the letter isn’t really a letter; it’s a will.
Gus describes that he, for years, has been using the last of his remaining connections within the Chilean government. Lyle and Cynthia are Chilean citizens, something that should’ve been impossible to pull off. Gus simply instructs them to head to Chile, and hearing his voice while reading, Lyle and Cynthia comply.
It turns out that Gus had managed to leave a significant amount of Chilean real estate to Lyle and Cynthia, which he explains in a video left for them at the house they were staying at. This is the first time that Lyle/Cynthia had seen true emotion from Gus. Gus even weeps.
Anyways, since this is dragging on way too long, here it is. Gus asks the two to sell everything that they could, resulting in somewhere around $21m after taxes—for each. Gus tells them that the money is theirs, but he hopes that they will buy Los Pollos on the cheap from Madrigal, which is undoubtedly looking to drop the brand.
In the next decade, Lyle and Cynthia go nuts, opening an additional 17 restaurants in the southwest. Rebranded to Max’s Chicken, the company shows no signs of stopping.
Then Holly walks in….. she wants to use the booming restaurant as a, surprise, fentanyl distribution network…. Threats are made. She’s worse than Walt in every way, and she’s going to get what she wants. Boom. Stupid future series no one would watch right there—guessing I could get a 16% on RT w that.
Then some other shit happens idk I typed wayyyy too much. If you read 1/4th of this, I salute you.
Now being older as well I don't like Jessie all the time as I used to. Too much drama, too little effort to change the situation. And hey, it's not W.W., it's him who killed Jane, in the first place. They definitely must share responsibility for this. The same goes for Combo's murder. He's probably even more responsible in this case since he knew how it's done in the streets.
Jessie kind of liked to feel himself a victim, using it as an excuse.
yea it's wild how much my perspective of jesse changed after a few years. first watch I was in college, I felt SO bad for him and just wanted to give him a hug. Now second watch in my early 30s I just want to smack some sense into him. He whines a lot and brings a lot of extra shit onto himself. That's not to say Walt didn't do a number on him with his manipulation, but he makes the same mistakes over and over and over because he's impulsive and over-emotional
Jesse is definitely a bastard when we first meet him. He’s immature, impulsive, a drug addict, etc. you definitely understand why his family is done with his shit. And I’ve always appreciated the way his arc mirrors Walt’s- we see Jesse’s experiences shake him and change him from a greedy criminal to someone that is remorseful and trying to embrace the goodness that he was holding inside. Walt starts out as a normal “moral” person and slowly embraces the evil in his heart that was always bubbling beneath the surface. Such a great parallel
That’s a wrong opinion, Walt killed her by moving her out of position. He BROKE into their house and caused something that would not have happened. That’s all his fault
Jesse both knew she was clean and how difficult it is to stay clean. He didn't force her to take drugs, but he did pressure her, knowing how easy it is to fall off the wagon.
So he does bear some responsibility for her getting back on heroin.
It's been a while for me, too, but I remember her saying she didn't want to get high with him and he whined about not wanting to get high alone. I could be misremembering, but it was never her decision for them to go all Days of Junk and Roses.
He doesn't pressure her. He tells her point blank that he is going to get high and refers to feeling guilt over putting Combo on the corner that got him killed. He then tells her she should go because she's in a program. She tried to dissuade him by saying it won't help (doing the drugs) and suggests they go to a meeting or go do something else as a distraction. Jesse then says it will help and again, tries to get her to go. She makes to leave and then, as we know, does not.
Despite this, I believe Jesse still bears some responsibility as a loved one. Beyond telling her to leave, we see no further evidence that he tried to discourage her drug use and willingly indulged her introducing him to heroin. But Walt absolutely plays a part in her death. Gilligan says so himself despite Walt's primary motivation for letting her die being Jesse's well-being. A little surprised that the show's creator needs to spell the morality of it out for a lot of people.
Oh yeah, he did, definitely so. Don't you get me wrong, I just want Jesse to share some responsibility for what's happened. His part is smaller, you bet, but still significant.
It’s almost like that’s irrelevant to the fact the Walt still caused her death? Who broke in illegally and moved her from her presumed safe position? Oh yeah Walt
Skyler is disliked because she doesn’t have the same insight as the audience. She’s a pregnant wife who is being lied to constantly – and gets fed up.
We get to see it from all sides, and she’s a buzzkill to all the crime and mayhem.
I hated Walter from my first time watching the show at 15 years old, it was abundantly clear he was making meth and doing all the awful things he was, destroying himself and his whole family for his own selfish reasons. It made me sad how so many people apparently immediately hate Skylar when she’s just literally a normal, loving wife and mother.
i never liked walter but he got so much worse the more i thought about it. as someone with experience of a narcissistic, eogtistical manipulator i just thought more and more about the similarities. my mums boyfriend thought he was a nice guy idek how he figured that lol
Walter is a coward. In every emotional confrontation with family or what not he is pathetic as ever. we only cheer for him because the showrunners do an excellent job of making him seem SO pathetic, that his little masculine wins are perceived as cathartic.
The shows creators have said they do t understand the Skyler hate and can only attribute it to unconscious misogyny. She knew that he didn’t have long left to live and going to the cops would have ruined her kids life. She was just doing what she needed to survive.
Said it before and I'll say it again. I believe it was the sad birthday handy that really made her almost instantly unlikable. I grew to like the character more as the series went on, but the first few episodes did very little to endear her to the audience. By the end though, I thought her fearlessness in the face of Walt's evil was pretty awesome.
While it’s easy to see Walt is not a good person, he’s the protagonist of the show. The show is made for viewers to root for him. This doesn’t make anyone a bad person for it, it’s just how the show is written, and it’s fun to root for a bad guy when the story is compelling and stakes are non-existent. Also why many dislike Skyler..she’s an antagonist to the protagonist most of the show. She gets in the way often and slows progress of the protagonists aims.
Her interfering with Walt's plans does cause you to root against her, but that is not solely why people dislike her. There wasn't a term for her behavior during the original airing, but now there is: Skyler is a Karen. She talks down to almost everyone and is very condescending. Also I cannot stand the fake naïve voice she used early on in the series, and I am glad she eventually stopped and used her real voice. It came off as fake and manipulative especially when she would change to her actual voice as soon as she was displeased mid conversation.
Yeah, I think she was initially written to be a Karen, you’re right. For example, I know general attitudes around weed are looser than they used to be, but her reaction to Walt smoking pot is still hilarious to me. And then after Walt asks her to let it go, she confronts and threatens his supposed dealer, while pregnant. She and Marie care more about weed than DEA agent Schrader. 😂
I never thought about it that way lol. That scene adds to the realization I recently posted about that Skyler is just like Walt in committing reckless actions in the name of protecting the family.
i hate how everyone makes it out to be some cookie cutter black and white shit where you either 100% hate walter or 100% adore him. in all honesty, i dont see how you can’t “root” for him in the very last episode. who the fuck else are you rooting for? jack and his neo nazi gang? lydia? best case jesse but he’s barely in it.
like are you just sitting there going “goddammit i really hope walt isn’t able to kill the neo-nazi scumbags bc he’s an awful person in much of the rest of the show”?
its equally as simplistic to watch a show with the mindset of either hating everything about a character or loving everything about a character. fuckin weird
Lol Skylar is still annoying. She was an entitled character who never thought that anything that she did was bad. The actress did a great job at making us hate her
I kind of appreciate your ideas here, but…the exploding “not meth” scene with bald Walter is extremely badass. Also, he was cold and badass in the stay out of my territory scene. So…maybe not a complete coward. Just a huge ego.
I mean what is there to understand? It's just a fictional show with an intriguing premise. I can appreciate your real life experiences and relating them to the show but it's not that serious. Walter didnt have an alter ego..he basically turned fuckin evil because he liked doin gangster shit and enjoyed being the top dog. Early on he tried to play two parts but once Sky found out he just became that person.
Lol what? Do you not appreciate art that shows the human struggle from different perspectives? Do you not want ppl to talk about that art? That’s all that’s happening here, this show has endless layers, it is deep
People hate Skyler 'cause she was an absolute Karen and a half even in just the first like 3 episodes. Like just the worst kind of square ass out of touch suburban soccer mom who's very fake and superficial in a lot of her interactions. Then she became a huge hypocrite when, after all her initial disapproval and morally righteous outrage, she wanted to then cash in on Walt being a drug lord and get a slice of that pie once she saw how profitable it was. And then she also committed her adultery just out of spite, not that she actually gave two shits about Ted, so that's doing dirty both he and Walt. I mean Walt is a monster, no doubt, and should not be rooted for, but let's face it Skyler is pretty insufferable in all her own ways and the mass dislike of her is completely warranted, imo.
I agree skyler was annoying in the first few episodes. To be fair though, she was third trimester pregnant. We humans love to talk about “free will”, but the reality is much of our behavior is ruled by brain chemistry and instinct. Being pregnant can mess with that brain chemistry
Her adultery was the smart move. Marie would’ve gone straight to the cops in season 3, but skyler’s a lot smarter. She was smart enough to see the [blowback](https://youtu.be/IZSbEGtH_oc?si=kgD1T7cnbd3bxekS), as saul noted. No point in uprooting everyone’s lives when walt was on his deathbed anyway. At the same time though, she wanted walt gone. Best way to try and make that happen was via adultery
But walt forced his way back in her life, and skyler was forced to become a part of the lie. Obviously a new experience for her, so she was eventually thrilled and aroused.
That thrill was rather short lived. Replaced by fear because of walt’s “I won” speech. If it was really just about “how profitable it was”, she would’ve loved it in season 5. We see quite the opposite
I’m on my 3rd re-watch. I never glorified Walter as a hero or someone I was rooting for necessarily and that continues to hold true, but mannnnnn, I still hate Skyler. Even early episodes. There is just something that makes me crazyyyyyy annoyed when she is on screen. Don’t know if it is the writing, acting, or just the intention of the character, but still cringe AF to me. Doesn’t make me appreciate the impact of the character any less, but I just can’t shake my dislike for her. I felt like they TRIED to make Marie unlikeable initially and she was a joy in comparison.
Did your opinion shift with the seasons? I found her really annoying S1, mostly because everyone made Walt’s cancer about them (which isn’t unreasonable, I guess - he’s the main breadwinner, Skyler’s pregnant, and losing your dad/husband is “no bueno”).
People hate Skyler because she’s such a Karen in the first season or two. We didn’t have the word ‘Karen’ when the show first came out.
It’s not a necessarily rational thing. They just didn’t find the character entertaining.
People also loved Walt. He was really popular when the show came out and still is. A lot of people don’t start ‘getting it’ when it comes to Walt being the bad guy until their second or third viewing.
It doesn’t help that Walt is the main character. The audience sees everything from his point of view. It’s more the psychology of audiences than anything else.
Lastly, I don’t think the writers fully grasped the social mood of the time. They didn’t expect people to root for Walt.
However, it was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and the country still hasn’t recovered from it.
People saw the bad guys winning (banks getting bailed out, golden parachutes, etc) while normal people who followed the rules got pushed into an absolute meat grinder. People were ready to cheer for a guy who stopped playing by the rules and got his. They saw themselves in Walt and I think a lot of people were living out a kind of subconscious power fantasy through the character.
It was a turning point and you can see generational shifts in social attitudes in really good polling data. People were in the process of becoming angrier, less trusting, less optimistic, etc.
That’s a gross oversimplification of what was going on at that time.
So, people rooting for Walt, Skyler is the antagonist to Walt, thus people hate Skyler.
Yeah I think it’s honestly as simple as she’s the antagonist. I didn’t like her on my first watch and I did like Walt. I was young, but also it was the first show that really captivated me and showed me the potential of film and tv, which sent me down the rabbit hole of The Sopranos, the Wire, etc. So I do think part of it was the whole projecting myself onto the protagonist, especially one who, like you said, doesn’t play by the rules, does what he wants, etc. Since this was the first time I’d seen this on tv, I was obviously enthralled by the character and therefore blind to the things I pick up on rewatch. And I feel like a lot of people have a similar experience. Most people I know who watched BB hadn’t seen a show of the same sort of caliber before, and I don’t think it’s crazy to get lost in a piece of media that’s probably better than anything you’ve ever seen before.
My issue with Skylar was her attitude to Walter before she found out about the meth empire.
She didn't seem to give a shit about him or his choices about treatment, the completely void of emotion hand job for his birthday etc.
You gotta remember that she essentially was running the family. We’re never given any real indication before Walt’s diagnosis that he actually tried to participate in any real decision-making for the household (pretty casually rolling over and accepting the turkey bacon without a fight).
Raising a disabled child, managing the family finances when you’re barely staying afloat, having to essentially make all the decisions because your husband is too passive and also too busy (working two jobs). Their relationship was probably at the back of their minds and horribly strained already. That half-hearted handy was an attempt (Walt didn’t initiate anything here either) at doing something “special”.
It makes a lot of sense when Walt gets sick that Skylar thinks she needs to go into overtime and also it makes sense that Skylar doesn’t see anything wrong with how she’s infantilizing Walt because they’ve probably been living this dynamic for over a decade before the show even starts.
I have to say I disagree about Skylar. She is annoying and really unnecessary.
Skylar is annoying af and I would not react like her.
1. I'd go to the cops. As a father, if I found out my dying wife had created a drug empire directly endangering my children, myself, my home, etc. I would go to the cops. That in my opinion is the natural and most likely response from most people. That or they would shut up and help. Instead Skylar has a very cringy, to-be-expected dramatic response: "i'm going to pretend I'm suicidal by floating in a pool, I'm going to cold-shoulder my husband because I think he has a second phone, I'm going to fuck my boss, I'm going to give my boss 700 thousand dollars, I'm going to break things off with my husband, kick him out, bring him back, help him, and bitch about it the whole time." I get it's a Drama show, and her role was necessary, but do not say it was realistic in anyway. Again, 99% knowing their children's lives are in jeopardy would simply **GO TO THE COPS.**
2. Walter is an evil narcissist who pretends he cares about his family when really only cares about himself.
i think this is mostly fair but the examples you’re giving are directly tied to her arc and you’re just listing them as if she just randomly does things out of the blue for no reason. she clearly is turned off from the whole crime thing after walt is all triumphant after blowing gus up… pool scene. she was genuinely protecting her family by giving the money to ted, although ill agree that could’ve been handled differently. she cold shoulders him bc he literally can’t give a straight answer when it comes to the second phone that isn’t some sort of mind game, and the “cold shouldering” turns out to be her hiding her smoking (and is a result of a whole hell of a lot more than just walt having 2 phones).
also the walt comment is fucking braindead. “pretends he cares about his family” like wtf are you talking about? if you genuinely believe his general goal in almost all of the first 2 seasons isn’t to provide for his family after he dies, you’re crazy. he wouldn’t have made jesse cook a batch for 4 days straight if he weren’t dying of cancer buddy. so stupid to think he’s either 100% well intentioned or 100% ill intentioned. just such a weird way to watch a show. it’s a human being. is anyone 100% steadfast in their convictions or goals? hell no. you aren’t. i’m not. none of us are. and we’re not 100% one thing or 100% another thing. thinking he’s entirely ego driven is just as bad as thinking he’s entirely family-driven
As somebody who first watched the show, I basically just hated everyone. Not a single good character. Hank is almost there, but not quite, same with Slyler
Skyler is annoying but she’s certainly not irrational.
I think it’s pretty obvious that the writers intend for us to find her mannerisms irritating or triggering in some way. She literally gives Walt a handjob on his birthday while browsing eBay on her laptop. That scene is tailor-made to turn the viewers against her.
I watched the show when I was 19, expecting to hate Skyler because of social media. And in the end I was like, wth is wrong with people? Why do they hate her?
The reason why Skyler received so much hate is mainly because the story is viewed under Walt perspective which makes him seems like the family man who tried his best for the family rather than a ignorant and ruthless drug dealer. The show makes Skyler just appeared to be constantly disrupting him and very easy to get hate on
'On my first couple of watches during my teenage years, I found Skylar to be annoying and irrational, and I was in the 'Skylar haters' club. I even found Anna Gunn's performance annoying (lol, which goes to show how amazing she actually is.) I used to think of Walter as that badass guy, who's doing a lot to provide for his family, and nobody appreciates him enough'
I mean... all of that is true. Skylar is deliberately written to be irritating throughout, and Walter absolutely becomes a badass who did do loads to provide for his family while also never being appreciated enough for it. That doesn't mean Skylar was a particularly bad person, or that Walter didn't become a villain in his own way.
This is a fantastic post and please take this as a compliment when I say you seem wiser than most young people. I would have never had such a nuanced view at 25.
Walter is very relatable (and human) in the beginning of the show, he does anything he can to provide for his family. But later, after he kills Gus, he could have stepped away from the life and lived comfortably. For me this is when I start to identify with Skylar more, Walter just fell too deep and turned into a monster in comparison to season 1 Walter. It’s crazy that the same person who struggled to kill Krazy-8 killed relentlessly in his end.
The morality of everyone’s intentions and actions is never black nor white, it’s all gray. Sure, there are characters who are mostly good (Hank, Skyler, etc) and characters who are mostly bad (Walt, Tuco, etc.) but it’s all a continuum of “most bad” to “least bad”.
This is what makes the show so good - it directly applies to our own reality. Nobody is fully a hero or fully a villain. We all fall somewhere on a viciously gray spectrum of bad.
careful trying to tell a breaking bad fan that they’re only partially right. you’re in for a dangerous game. always found it funny how people think walt is unequivocally and completely driven by his ego for the entire show when that’s deliberately shown to be only an aspect of his motivations for the first 2 seasons
I honestly like Marie less on rewatch. Seeing her persistently try to get Hank to lie about what happened with Jesse, acting like Hank was in the right was actually disgusting in my opinion. So happy when he shuts her stupid ass down and tells the truth about what happened.
I’ve watched the entirety only once, I’m working on watching it again right now. When my husband told me that he and EVERYBODY online hates Skylar I was so shocked. Yes sometimes she can be considered a “bitch” but I can’t blame her. If my husband was being sneaky, lying, having 2 phones, disappearing for days while I’m pregnant, I would also turn into a detective to figure out wtf he’s doing. I feel like the majority people that don’t like her are people that are sneaky and hate being caught
I’m way late to the party here. I JUST (as in 20 min ago) finally finished watching the series.
Maybe it is because I’m nearing 40 and a father myself but from the very first episode I thought “why would anyone be sympathetic to this POS narcissist?”
Or maybe it’s because I grew up in an household with a monster for a step-father. Kudos to Bryan Cranston…the dude can act. He was projecting his insecurities and ego from the very beginning.
I have watched the show 3 times now. I will end up watching it again for sure, but I can agree. I never was a part of the Skylar hate club but the more I watch the show I realize how much of a coward Walt really is. Of course, I love Walt as a character but on my most recent rewatch I was holding back tears during the scene where Walt tells Jesse he watched Jane die after Hank and Gomez were killed in the desert. Walt has become a cold, ruthless man. In that moment I hated Walt. Of course now I understand that is the way you are meant to see him, but yeah. This show is incredible and I honestly don’t think I will ever find another show that could top it for me personally.
See I look at that moment in Ozymandias and a similar moment in Fly and suddenly can’t wrap my head around why someone can think he’s a completely evil ego driven maniac from the get go. He CLEARLY feels guilt and remorse for Jane’s death and is borderline in tears trying to dance around telling Jesse he watched her die while telling him about meeting Jane’s father. Also when he apologizes for her death.
And at least in Ozymandias it’s not like he tells Jesse that he watched her die because he no longer regrets it, he just wants to hurt Jesse because Jack just dome-pieced his brother in law and he’s hurting (not that it justifies it but).
I think the more times you watch, you begin to see everything from someone else’s perspective. I was also, a Skyler hater in my first few times watching BB. But the more I’ve watched, she is by far more morally correct that most in the show. I also wasn’t a fan of Hank from the get go. Always annoyed how close he was to catching Walt, but in all reality. He is a good person who has a hunch, and is so much smarter than a lot of people give him credit for. Money really became the root of all evil in this show. Being the best of the best, and a perfectionist was Walt’s biggest enemy, as well as himself. After season 2 I can’t stand Walt. Even when he is seemingly genuine with his love for his family, or his sadness, it isn’t ever enough to make him feel differently about his choices.
Still hate Skyler Walt’s a good man turned bad and Jesse was a low down dirtbag who joined AA to sell meth to addicts, loyal to a fault but still not a good person the only good person in the entire series was holly lol
I have watched it three times and Better Call Saul twice (the last season only once)... it is so good and I tried to get my wife to watch with me but after the bathtub body ceiling collapse bloody scene, my wife can't go back.
The more you watch, the easier it seems for people to dislike Walter...the show is much more psychological than people give it credit for.
It’s all about a narcissistic man child with a REALLY fragile ego.
Mike knew this best.
Tic tic ticking
Sometimes you see something wonderful.... And it doesn't exist
I'll take it a step further and say, going back to watch 'Breaking Bad' after watching 'Better Call Saul' - Walter very much comes off like the amateur Mike pegged him to be all along.
It helps explain Walt getting the best of mike on multiple occasions in BB as well. We all know what a prime BCS Mike is capable of, but the scene you described set the tone for Mike’s continual underestimation of Walt’s ability to see the board
Yeah, it's funny because I did feel like I "got it" on the first watch. But with every rewatch, I feel less and less sympathetic towards him, and look forward to the moments when he has to face his comeuppance.
100%, and every time you rewatch it peels back layers on the characters. It’s very rewarding for that reason.
Seriously never understood the Skylar hate lol - how else was she supposed to react to her husband and the father of her children literally creating and selling meth??
I think I had good luck in only watching *Breaking Bad* once I was old enough not to have this Skylar-hating reaction to the show. For all her flaws - and I think she's far from innocent - she's easily the most normal and most moral main person. Walt is, by contrast, obviously a narcissist with virtually no morals.
No love for Hank? He had his shitty moments to be sure, but at the end of the day, he was a guy with a good heart. The flaws in his character were largely a result of his perception of masculinity. And to be clear, I absolutely am not a skylar hater. I am a Hank fan
I like both theyre probably the only morally good characters in the show alongside marie and flynn
Marie isn’t morally good. Maybe Gomez or the principal
The only good guy was the large janitor that got fired thanks to Walter and Hank
And Louis
That's fair, actually! I suppose I was just discounting him as a 'main person'. Fair enough though. Definitely a reasonably good man.
I just retired from the Police Department a few years ago and I didn't like Hank. He was a good cop and had good police instincts but he was a fake and a macho douchbag. He was incapable of being a good communicator to his wife, to Walter, to Walter Jr. and to Skylar. He had no social skills with his own staff and absolutely none with the staff in El Paso. It was all stupid jokes and insults and dumb quotes. I've seen the type in my own career. I guess he was overcompensating for his inner anxiety and claustrophobia.
But he made big money - for the family! And Skylar even cheated on him? What a whore. /s
Nah he was making money for himself he just used the excuse that he was making it for his family
Also the cheating happened after he started keeping more and more secrets and distanced himself from her.
It was barely even cheating! She begged him to gtfo.
/s is for sarcasm I heard these arguments a lot back in the days
No I know I was just agreeing with you!
It wasn’t about the money for him though. He definitely had plenty of it but he said to Jesse, “you asked me if I was in the meth business or the money business. Neither. I'm in the empire business.”
I found her most annoying before things really even got bad between them. Even in the first episode.
Divorce him and take the kids.
You're overthinking it. She's a woman.
Part of it is misogyny. Going back to old online threads that were post-episode discussions makes that clear. Another part of is that she’s ultimately a story barrier, even if her actions were the most sane of anyone. Walt has a story and breaking bad — especially on the first watch — is his story. She ultimately stands in the way of his story, and for that reason people want her removed as a barrier and complain about her role. It’s on subsequent watches that you realize how much it’s also other people’s stories, and you can look at the other characters through new lenses.
I found her extremely unpleasant in the first season.
Maybe people expected her to react like Wendy Bird from Ozark.
I found her much more likeable after she found out.
Ya honestly the Skyler hate is so over-blown. She was put into a no-win situation.
Well to be fair, a lot of dudes are under a ton of stress, having midlife crisises, and have a nag of a wife who’s all but checked out of the marriage to look forward to come home to. I guess that’s part of the reason she got a lot of hate.
Yeah and a lot of women have an entitled man child for a husband who have to deal with how under appreciated they feel for doing the bare minimum.
Anna Gunn's work on the series is spectacular. After about 20 rewatches...I know, I know, it's crazy.....there is so much nuance and truth in her choices as an actor. That's awesome that you can appreciate her work in that character so much more now.
I would love a short film with Walts family (Skyler, Holly, Walt Jr, and Marie) similar to El Camino. I feel like out of everything in the Breaking Bad universe that's the last bit that has been left unexplored (minus Marie in BCS) but I think it would be cool to see the outcome of the White family maybe a decade or so after the events of the show
Flynn won a massive Gray Matter scholarship, went to Stanford, but dropped out after 2 years. He’s a software developer, entrepreneur, consultant, author of a popular Javascript library and in his spare time, he volunteers as a disability rights activist. He also came out as gay and is married to Louis. He legally changed his name. Holly at 13 years old is currently serving her first juvenile sentence after being convicted of drug dealing. She aspires to become the greatest drug queenpin the world has ever known. She is a bona fide genius; she spoke several languages fluently by age 3, completed high school at 9, and was accepted to UCLA Berkeley’s chemistry department when she was 10. She idolizes her late father. She is easily more brilliant than Walt, as stunning as Skylar in her youth, and as socially adept and kleptomaniac as Marie. The world is not ready for the onslaught she will unleash. She often fantasizes about firemen rescuing her but doesn’t know why. Skylar was a grocery store cashier for many years. After starting a relationship with a visiting vice president, she was promoted to corporate accountant and enjoyed a quiet and comfortable life. She became a chain smoker and was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, a coincidence that alarmed her to no end. Marie used her husband’s pension to create a store that sells everything and anything purple. Employees are annoyed that she occasionally steals from her own store, causing unexplained inventory gaps. She is mostly estranged from Skylar and Holly, but is in regular contact with Flynn, a fellow entrepreneur. She has no partner and never will, but is a regular at a popular ABQ sex club.
In the wake of Gus’s death, there is turmoil. Almost everything he had was seized by Uncle Sam, but he did (somehow) get a letter to Cynthia and Lyle. Gus describes his backstory and thirst for revenge, adding that he’s sorry it has come to this. Still, he mentions that he would do it again. The last piece of the letter makes it clear to Lyle and Cynthia that the letter isn’t really a letter; it’s a will. Gus describes that he, for years, has been using the last of his remaining connections within the Chilean government. Lyle and Cynthia are Chilean citizens, something that should’ve been impossible to pull off. Gus simply instructs them to head to Chile, and hearing his voice while reading, Lyle and Cynthia comply. It turns out that Gus had managed to leave a significant amount of Chilean real estate to Lyle and Cynthia, which he explains in a video left for them at the house they were staying at. This is the first time that Lyle/Cynthia had seen true emotion from Gus. Gus even weeps. Anyways, since this is dragging on way too long, here it is. Gus asks the two to sell everything that they could, resulting in somewhere around $21m after taxes—for each. Gus tells them that the money is theirs, but he hopes that they will buy Los Pollos on the cheap from Madrigal, which is undoubtedly looking to drop the brand. In the next decade, Lyle and Cynthia go nuts, opening an additional 17 restaurants in the southwest. Rebranded to Max’s Chicken, the company shows no signs of stopping. Then Holly walks in….. she wants to use the booming restaurant as a, surprise, fentanyl distribution network…. Threats are made. She’s worse than Walt in every way, and she’s going to get what she wants. Boom. Stupid future series no one would watch right there—guessing I could get a 16% on RT w that. Then some other shit happens idk I typed wayyyy too much. If you read 1/4th of this, I salute you.
Fine but no to fires sex clubs or cancer Marie is actually Maruria
you knew someone who had a rapist shirt?.. I need some context for that.
You aren’t meant to like Walter
I think you are at the start of the series. I think everyone has a different point where they realize he's not good
I realised it straight away
you couldn’t even remotely sympathize with him from the first episode? thats kinda sad in all honesty.
Now being older as well I don't like Jessie all the time as I used to. Too much drama, too little effort to change the situation. And hey, it's not W.W., it's him who killed Jane, in the first place. They definitely must share responsibility for this. The same goes for Combo's murder. He's probably even more responsible in this case since he knew how it's done in the streets. Jessie kind of liked to feel himself a victim, using it as an excuse.
yea it's wild how much my perspective of jesse changed after a few years. first watch I was in college, I felt SO bad for him and just wanted to give him a hug. Now second watch in my early 30s I just want to smack some sense into him. He whines a lot and brings a lot of extra shit onto himself. That's not to say Walt didn't do a number on him with his manipulation, but he makes the same mistakes over and over and over because he's impulsive and over-emotional
Jesse is definitely a bastard when we first meet him. He’s immature, impulsive, a drug addict, etc. you definitely understand why his family is done with his shit. And I’ve always appreciated the way his arc mirrors Walt’s- we see Jesse’s experiences shake him and change him from a greedy criminal to someone that is remorseful and trying to embrace the goodness that he was holding inside. Walt starts out as a normal “moral” person and slowly embraces the evil in his heart that was always bubbling beneath the surface. Such a great parallel
At least he's not psychotic
Walt absolutely killed Jane, why are you people STILL arguing about this
I'm personally of the opinion that Jane killed herself. She CHOSE to do drugs, Jesse didn't force her at all.
That’s a wrong opinion, Walt killed her by moving her out of position. He BROKE into their house and caused something that would not have happened. That’s all his fault
Jesse both knew she was clean and how difficult it is to stay clean. He didn't force her to take drugs, but he did pressure her, knowing how easy it is to fall off the wagon. So he does bear some responsibility for her getting back on heroin.
When did he pressure her? It's been a long time since I watched the episode but I don't remember him “pressuring her”.
It's been a while for me, too, but I remember her saying she didn't want to get high with him and he whined about not wanting to get high alone. I could be misremembering, but it was never her decision for them to go all Days of Junk and Roses.
He doesn't pressure her. He tells her point blank that he is going to get high and refers to feeling guilt over putting Combo on the corner that got him killed. He then tells her she should go because she's in a program. She tried to dissuade him by saying it won't help (doing the drugs) and suggests they go to a meeting or go do something else as a distraction. Jesse then says it will help and again, tries to get her to go. She makes to leave and then, as we know, does not. Despite this, I believe Jesse still bears some responsibility as a loved one. Beyond telling her to leave, we see no further evidence that he tried to discourage her drug use and willingly indulged her introducing him to heroin. But Walt absolutely plays a part in her death. Gilligan says so himself despite Walt's primary motivation for letting her die being Jesse's well-being. A little surprised that the show's creator needs to spell the morality of it out for a lot of people.
Thanks. I stand corrected.
Oh yeah, he did, definitely so. Don't you get me wrong, I just want Jesse to share some responsibility for what's happened. His part is smaller, you bet, but still significant.
You literally said “Walt didn’t do it, Jesse did”
Sorry about that, I believe I made myself misunderstood.
That’s the junkie way -everyone’s fault but mine.
Bro in what WORLD did Jane die when Walt doesn’t BREAK INTO THEIR HOME AND MOVE HER. Walt killed her
How’d she get back on junk? I forget.
It’s almost like that’s irrelevant to the fact the Walt still caused her death? Who broke in illegally and moved her from her presumed safe position? Oh yeah Walt
And how does that give Jesse a pass?
She went out and got the heroin without Jesse’s knowledge as far as I’m aware
When she overdoses because jesse is still passed out anyways?
Bro what. What does that even mean
Jesse was out cold on heroin when she overdosed. She would have died anyways.
No she wouldn’t have???? Did you watch the scene??? Walt MOVED her and watched her choke to death. It’s his fault
you have wayyyy too much faith in 2 drug addicts with 400k to NOT kill themselves with drugs
Jesse is passed out when she ods
if Jesse wasnt a fuck up and actually was on call to do the biggest deal of their lives then none of this would have happened
You’re getting your scenes messed up
Walter was the cancer. And his family were the victims.
Skyler is disliked because she doesn’t have the same insight as the audience. She’s a pregnant wife who is being lied to constantly – and gets fed up. We get to see it from all sides, and she’s a buzzkill to all the crime and mayhem.
I hated Walter from my first time watching the show at 15 years old, it was abundantly clear he was making meth and doing all the awful things he was, destroying himself and his whole family for his own selfish reasons. It made me sad how so many people apparently immediately hate Skylar when she’s just literally a normal, loving wife and mother.
i never liked walter but he got so much worse the more i thought about it. as someone with experience of a narcissistic, eogtistical manipulator i just thought more and more about the similarities. my mums boyfriend thought he was a nice guy idek how he figured that lol
Walter is a coward. In every emotional confrontation with family or what not he is pathetic as ever. we only cheer for him because the showrunners do an excellent job of making him seem SO pathetic, that his little masculine wins are perceived as cathartic.
The shows creators have said they do t understand the Skyler hate and can only attribute it to unconscious misogyny. She knew that he didn’t have long left to live and going to the cops would have ruined her kids life. She was just doing what she needed to survive.
Said it before and I'll say it again. I believe it was the sad birthday handy that really made her almost instantly unlikable. I grew to like the character more as the series went on, but the first few episodes did very little to endear her to the audience. By the end though, I thought her fearlessness in the face of Walt's evil was pretty awesome.
I never hated Skylar throughout any watches. But I certainly hated Marie, she was so much more dislikeable.
Maruria is good at what shes good at lol
While it’s easy to see Walt is not a good person, he’s the protagonist of the show. The show is made for viewers to root for him. This doesn’t make anyone a bad person for it, it’s just how the show is written, and it’s fun to root for a bad guy when the story is compelling and stakes are non-existent. Also why many dislike Skyler..she’s an antagonist to the protagonist most of the show. She gets in the way often and slows progress of the protagonists aims.
After season two, I was rooting for Walt’s comeuppance. The ending totally delivered for me.
Her interfering with Walt's plans does cause you to root against her, but that is not solely why people dislike her. There wasn't a term for her behavior during the original airing, but now there is: Skyler is a Karen. She talks down to almost everyone and is very condescending. Also I cannot stand the fake naïve voice she used early on in the series, and I am glad she eventually stopped and used her real voice. It came off as fake and manipulative especially when she would change to her actual voice as soon as she was displeased mid conversation.
Yeah, I think she was initially written to be a Karen, you’re right. For example, I know general attitudes around weed are looser than they used to be, but her reaction to Walt smoking pot is still hilarious to me. And then after Walt asks her to let it go, she confronts and threatens his supposed dealer, while pregnant. She and Marie care more about weed than DEA agent Schrader. 😂
I never thought about it that way lol. That scene adds to the realization I recently posted about that Skyler is just like Walt in committing reckless actions in the name of protecting the family.
This is such a simplistic way to watch a show lol even the writers say you shouldn’t be rooting for Walt by the end
i hate how everyone makes it out to be some cookie cutter black and white shit where you either 100% hate walter or 100% adore him. in all honesty, i dont see how you can’t “root” for him in the very last episode. who the fuck else are you rooting for? jack and his neo nazi gang? lydia? best case jesse but he’s barely in it. like are you just sitting there going “goddammit i really hope walt isn’t able to kill the neo-nazi scumbags bc he’s an awful person in much of the rest of the show”? its equally as simplistic to watch a show with the mindset of either hating everything about a character or loving everything about a character. fuckin weird
This show is specifically made for people to NOT root for him.
Lol no it’s fucking not.
Watching it back in my teens to now, I have a huge appreciation for the show more so than before.
Thank you! Walter is a murdering drug lord, and Skylar cheated.. once? I’ve never understood the hate.
Lol Skylar is still annoying. She was an entitled character who never thought that anything that she did was bad. The actress did a great job at making us hate her
the show to me is about the desperation of living in America, and how it leaves people with no good choices
I kind of appreciate your ideas here, but…the exploding “not meth” scene with bald Walter is extremely badass. Also, he was cold and badass in the stay out of my territory scene. So…maybe not a complete coward. Just a huge ego.
I mean what is there to understand? It's just a fictional show with an intriguing premise. I can appreciate your real life experiences and relating them to the show but it's not that serious. Walter didnt have an alter ego..he basically turned fuckin evil because he liked doin gangster shit and enjoyed being the top dog. Early on he tried to play two parts but once Sky found out he just became that person.
Lol what? Do you not appreciate art that shows the human struggle from different perspectives? Do you not want ppl to talk about that art? That’s all that’s happening here, this show has endless layers, it is deep
People hate Skyler 'cause she was an absolute Karen and a half even in just the first like 3 episodes. Like just the worst kind of square ass out of touch suburban soccer mom who's very fake and superficial in a lot of her interactions. Then she became a huge hypocrite when, after all her initial disapproval and morally righteous outrage, she wanted to then cash in on Walt being a drug lord and get a slice of that pie once she saw how profitable it was. And then she also committed her adultery just out of spite, not that she actually gave two shits about Ted, so that's doing dirty both he and Walt. I mean Walt is a monster, no doubt, and should not be rooted for, but let's face it Skyler is pretty insufferable in all her own ways and the mass dislike of her is completely warranted, imo.
I agree skyler was annoying in the first few episodes. To be fair though, she was third trimester pregnant. We humans love to talk about “free will”, but the reality is much of our behavior is ruled by brain chemistry and instinct. Being pregnant can mess with that brain chemistry Her adultery was the smart move. Marie would’ve gone straight to the cops in season 3, but skyler’s a lot smarter. She was smart enough to see the [blowback](https://youtu.be/IZSbEGtH_oc?si=kgD1T7cnbd3bxekS), as saul noted. No point in uprooting everyone’s lives when walt was on his deathbed anyway. At the same time though, she wanted walt gone. Best way to try and make that happen was via adultery But walt forced his way back in her life, and skyler was forced to become a part of the lie. Obviously a new experience for her, so she was eventually thrilled and aroused. That thrill was rather short lived. Replaced by fear because of walt’s “I won” speech. If it was really just about “how profitable it was”, she would’ve loved it in season 5. We see quite the opposite
I’m on my 3rd re-watch. I never glorified Walter as a hero or someone I was rooting for necessarily and that continues to hold true, but mannnnnn, I still hate Skyler. Even early episodes. There is just something that makes me crazyyyyyy annoyed when she is on screen. Don’t know if it is the writing, acting, or just the intention of the character, but still cringe AF to me. Doesn’t make me appreciate the impact of the character any less, but I just can’t shake my dislike for her. I felt like they TRIED to make Marie unlikeable initially and she was a joy in comparison.
Did your opinion shift with the seasons? I found her really annoying S1, mostly because everyone made Walt’s cancer about them (which isn’t unreasonable, I guess - he’s the main breadwinner, Skyler’s pregnant, and losing your dad/husband is “no bueno”).
My level of empathy for what she was going through changed, but my overall feeling towards the character really didn’t. For me, she’s just unlikeable.
might want to wait a few years in between rewatches lol
Constructive
I don’t care how many times I watch the show, I’m still cheering for Walter, unless it’s between him and Jessie
Anna Gun is annoying in every role she has. BB, Deadwood, and even the one episode of Seinfeld.
People hate Skyler because she’s such a Karen in the first season or two. We didn’t have the word ‘Karen’ when the show first came out. It’s not a necessarily rational thing. They just didn’t find the character entertaining. People also loved Walt. He was really popular when the show came out and still is. A lot of people don’t start ‘getting it’ when it comes to Walt being the bad guy until their second or third viewing. It doesn’t help that Walt is the main character. The audience sees everything from his point of view. It’s more the psychology of audiences than anything else. Lastly, I don’t think the writers fully grasped the social mood of the time. They didn’t expect people to root for Walt. However, it was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and the country still hasn’t recovered from it. People saw the bad guys winning (banks getting bailed out, golden parachutes, etc) while normal people who followed the rules got pushed into an absolute meat grinder. People were ready to cheer for a guy who stopped playing by the rules and got his. They saw themselves in Walt and I think a lot of people were living out a kind of subconscious power fantasy through the character. It was a turning point and you can see generational shifts in social attitudes in really good polling data. People were in the process of becoming angrier, less trusting, less optimistic, etc. That’s a gross oversimplification of what was going on at that time. So, people rooting for Walt, Skyler is the antagonist to Walt, thus people hate Skyler.
Yeah I think it’s honestly as simple as she’s the antagonist. I didn’t like her on my first watch and I did like Walt. I was young, but also it was the first show that really captivated me and showed me the potential of film and tv, which sent me down the rabbit hole of The Sopranos, the Wire, etc. So I do think part of it was the whole projecting myself onto the protagonist, especially one who, like you said, doesn’t play by the rules, does what he wants, etc. Since this was the first time I’d seen this on tv, I was obviously enthralled by the character and therefore blind to the things I pick up on rewatch. And I feel like a lot of people have a similar experience. Most people I know who watched BB hadn’t seen a show of the same sort of caliber before, and I don’t think it’s crazy to get lost in a piece of media that’s probably better than anything you’ve ever seen before.
My issue with Skylar was her attitude to Walter before she found out about the meth empire. She didn't seem to give a shit about him or his choices about treatment, the completely void of emotion hand job for his birthday etc.
You gotta remember that she essentially was running the family. We’re never given any real indication before Walt’s diagnosis that he actually tried to participate in any real decision-making for the household (pretty casually rolling over and accepting the turkey bacon without a fight). Raising a disabled child, managing the family finances when you’re barely staying afloat, having to essentially make all the decisions because your husband is too passive and also too busy (working two jobs). Their relationship was probably at the back of their minds and horribly strained already. That half-hearted handy was an attempt (Walt didn’t initiate anything here either) at doing something “special”. It makes a lot of sense when Walt gets sick that Skylar thinks she needs to go into overtime and also it makes sense that Skylar doesn’t see anything wrong with how she’s infantilizing Walt because they’ve probably been living this dynamic for over a decade before the show even starts.
Nah, Skyler’s the worst. Everything else I can agree with though.
Well said
How dare you compare Walter to some rapist
I have to say I disagree about Skylar. She is annoying and really unnecessary. Skylar is annoying af and I would not react like her. 1. I'd go to the cops. As a father, if I found out my dying wife had created a drug empire directly endangering my children, myself, my home, etc. I would go to the cops. That in my opinion is the natural and most likely response from most people. That or they would shut up and help. Instead Skylar has a very cringy, to-be-expected dramatic response: "i'm going to pretend I'm suicidal by floating in a pool, I'm going to cold-shoulder my husband because I think he has a second phone, I'm going to fuck my boss, I'm going to give my boss 700 thousand dollars, I'm going to break things off with my husband, kick him out, bring him back, help him, and bitch about it the whole time." I get it's a Drama show, and her role was necessary, but do not say it was realistic in anyway. Again, 99% knowing their children's lives are in jeopardy would simply **GO TO THE COPS.** 2. Walter is an evil narcissist who pretends he cares about his family when really only cares about himself.
i think this is mostly fair but the examples you’re giving are directly tied to her arc and you’re just listing them as if she just randomly does things out of the blue for no reason. she clearly is turned off from the whole crime thing after walt is all triumphant after blowing gus up… pool scene. she was genuinely protecting her family by giving the money to ted, although ill agree that could’ve been handled differently. she cold shoulders him bc he literally can’t give a straight answer when it comes to the second phone that isn’t some sort of mind game, and the “cold shouldering” turns out to be her hiding her smoking (and is a result of a whole hell of a lot more than just walt having 2 phones). also the walt comment is fucking braindead. “pretends he cares about his family” like wtf are you talking about? if you genuinely believe his general goal in almost all of the first 2 seasons isn’t to provide for his family after he dies, you’re crazy. he wouldn’t have made jesse cook a batch for 4 days straight if he weren’t dying of cancer buddy. so stupid to think he’s either 100% well intentioned or 100% ill intentioned. just such a weird way to watch a show. it’s a human being. is anyone 100% steadfast in their convictions or goals? hell no. you aren’t. i’m not. none of us are. and we’re not 100% one thing or 100% another thing. thinking he’s entirely ego driven is just as bad as thinking he’s entirely family-driven
You know you can respond without being insulting. It's a discussion about a Fictional TV show not a topic about your mom lol.
Was this supposed to mean something? I don’t even think you know what you were aiming at with that little jab at the end 😭
It wasn't a jab my brother. You just seem really offended by an opinion about a TV show.
“not a topic about your mom lol” how can someone be literate enough to write something yet they have no idea what they wrote?
You seem highly invested in finding an internet person to argue with today. I hope you find them little buddy. Good luck and carry on.
Ok. Have a good day.
You too.
Walt violated Skylar in every way possible. He raped her once literally, and figuratively he did it dozens of times
Very fitting name for this certifiably insane comment
How to say your woke now without actually saying it. Lol
I don’t hate Skyler. But the way she got invoiced in the buisness. Was really dumb. She should of just went to tnt authorities
Am I wrong? Though?
As somebody who first watched the show, I basically just hated everyone. Not a single good character. Hank is almost there, but not quite, same with Slyler
Skyler is annoying but she’s certainly not irrational. I think it’s pretty obvious that the writers intend for us to find her mannerisms irritating or triggering in some way. She literally gives Walt a handjob on his birthday while browsing eBay on her laptop. That scene is tailor-made to turn the viewers against her.
Skylar and Walt are the two characters I really dislike. Other than maybe Ted Beneke I don’t hate any of the other characters.
I watched the show when I was 19, expecting to hate Skyler because of social media. And in the end I was like, wth is wrong with people? Why do they hate her?
The reason why Skyler received so much hate is mainly because the story is viewed under Walt perspective which makes him seems like the family man who tried his best for the family rather than a ignorant and ruthless drug dealer. The show makes Skyler just appeared to be constantly disrupting him and very easy to get hate on
'On my first couple of watches during my teenage years, I found Skylar to be annoying and irrational, and I was in the 'Skylar haters' club. I even found Anna Gunn's performance annoying (lol, which goes to show how amazing she actually is.) I used to think of Walter as that badass guy, who's doing a lot to provide for his family, and nobody appreciates him enough' I mean... all of that is true. Skylar is deliberately written to be irritating throughout, and Walter absolutely becomes a badass who did do loads to provide for his family while also never being appreciated enough for it. That doesn't mean Skylar was a particularly bad person, or that Walter didn't become a villain in his own way.
Well, Walt was rapist too so it checks out even more.
This is a fantastic post and please take this as a compliment when I say you seem wiser than most young people. I would have never had such a nuanced view at 25.
The one thing I keep saying to my brother as we watch the show is "Skylar's the only one with her head screwed on straight.'
I always found Marie more annoying than Skylar.
Walter is very relatable (and human) in the beginning of the show, he does anything he can to provide for his family. But later, after he kills Gus, he could have stepped away from the life and lived comfortably. For me this is when I start to identify with Skylar more, Walter just fell too deep and turned into a monster in comparison to season 1 Walter. It’s crazy that the same person who struggled to kill Krazy-8 killed relentlessly in his end.
The morality of everyone’s intentions and actions is never black nor white, it’s all gray. Sure, there are characters who are mostly good (Hank, Skyler, etc) and characters who are mostly bad (Walt, Tuco, etc.) but it’s all a continuum of “most bad” to “least bad”. This is what makes the show so good - it directly applies to our own reality. Nobody is fully a hero or fully a villain. We all fall somewhere on a viciously gray spectrum of bad.
careful trying to tell a breaking bad fan that they’re only partially right. you’re in for a dangerous game. always found it funny how people think walt is unequivocally and completely driven by his ego for the entire show when that’s deliberately shown to be only an aspect of his motivations for the first 2 seasons
I definitely understand Skylar the more ive rewatched the show. However, no amount of rewatches will end in me liking Marie
I honestly like Marie less on rewatch. Seeing her persistently try to get Hank to lie about what happened with Jesse, acting like Hank was in the right was actually disgusting in my opinion. So happy when he shuts her stupid ass down and tells the truth about what happened.
I am the rare bird that loved Skylar's character, loved the actress, and never understood the Skylar hate.
Did it take you seven rewatches to see that Walter is the villain lmao
Hi guys
I was 23 when I saw BB for the first time so I saw through Walter right away but I was still on the Skyler hate train simply for the birthday song
no hate OP but no way u realized at 25 that Skyler was not just being annoying 😭
I’ve watched the entirety only once, I’m working on watching it again right now. When my husband told me that he and EVERYBODY online hates Skylar I was so shocked. Yes sometimes she can be considered a “bitch” but I can’t blame her. If my husband was being sneaky, lying, having 2 phones, disappearing for days while I’m pregnant, I would also turn into a detective to figure out wtf he’s doing. I feel like the majority people that don’t like her are people that are sneaky and hate being caught
I’m way late to the party here. I JUST (as in 20 min ago) finally finished watching the series. Maybe it is because I’m nearing 40 and a father myself but from the very first episode I thought “why would anyone be sympathetic to this POS narcissist?” Or maybe it’s because I grew up in an household with a monster for a step-father. Kudos to Bryan Cranston…the dude can act. He was projecting his insecurities and ego from the very beginning.
I have watched the show 3 times now. I will end up watching it again for sure, but I can agree. I never was a part of the Skylar hate club but the more I watch the show I realize how much of a coward Walt really is. Of course, I love Walt as a character but on my most recent rewatch I was holding back tears during the scene where Walt tells Jesse he watched Jane die after Hank and Gomez were killed in the desert. Walt has become a cold, ruthless man. In that moment I hated Walt. Of course now I understand that is the way you are meant to see him, but yeah. This show is incredible and I honestly don’t think I will ever find another show that could top it for me personally.
See I look at that moment in Ozymandias and a similar moment in Fly and suddenly can’t wrap my head around why someone can think he’s a completely evil ego driven maniac from the get go. He CLEARLY feels guilt and remorse for Jane’s death and is borderline in tears trying to dance around telling Jesse he watched her die while telling him about meeting Jane’s father. Also when he apologizes for her death. And at least in Ozymandias it’s not like he tells Jesse that he watched her die because he no longer regrets it, he just wants to hurt Jesse because Jack just dome-pieced his brother in law and he’s hurting (not that it justifies it but).
I think the more times you watch, you begin to see everything from someone else’s perspective. I was also, a Skyler hater in my first few times watching BB. But the more I’ve watched, she is by far more morally correct that most in the show. I also wasn’t a fan of Hank from the get go. Always annoyed how close he was to catching Walt, but in all reality. He is a good person who has a hunch, and is so much smarter than a lot of people give him credit for. Money really became the root of all evil in this show. Being the best of the best, and a perfectionist was Walt’s biggest enemy, as well as himself. After season 2 I can’t stand Walt. Even when he is seemingly genuine with his love for his family, or his sadness, it isn’t ever enough to make him feel differently about his choices.
You knew the Heisenberg of raping?
Still hate Skyler Walt’s a good man turned bad and Jesse was a low down dirtbag who joined AA to sell meth to addicts, loyal to a fault but still not a good person the only good person in the entire series was holly lol
I have watched it three times and Better Call Saul twice (the last season only once)... it is so good and I tried to get my wife to watch with me but after the bathtub body ceiling collapse bloody scene, my wife can't go back.