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I Just Finished Breaking Bad Last Night, Can't Fathom The Skyler Hate (Spoilers)

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Stat Flow

He gonna cry in the car
A blast from the past.

Not sure who I hated more..

Jesse or Skylar..

Skylar on one hand is a whining, narcissistic, hypocrite, adulterer and in general a terrible wife but Jesse's baby back bitching, constant crying, and idiotic decisions all the time take the cake. Cancer was probably the best thing to happen to Walt to open his eyes.
Jesse was at least funny.
 

andycapps

Member
Like, I'm kind of at a loss here. How can anyone watch this show and think this is true? Not only does he literally say otherwise in the finale, it's pretty clear by like Season 2 that he wasn't doing it for his family

Yeah, I wonder where people get that misconception from when they've seen the whole show. I can see buying that line of thinking for a season or two, but there were multiple times for White to bail out. He did what he did because he enjoyed it and he was good at it.

I wanted to die when she sang Happy Birthday to Beneke.

What, you didn't like her Marilyn Monroe impression.
I didn't entirely get that either, honestly.

A blast from the past.

Not sure who I hated more..

Jesse or Skylar..

Skylar on one hand is a whining, narcissistic, hypocrite, adulterer and in general a terrible wife but Jesse's baby back bitching, constant crying, and idiotic decisions all the time take the cake. Cancer was probably the best thing to happen to Walt to open his eyes.

Jesse was an amazing character, bitch!
 
18j1rxlxhw541jpg.jpg


TBH, that's about what I think the thing about the backlash against Skyler is. It's not simply about doing selfish things (everyone does) or defying Walt (many do), it's these plus she's his wife. The hero worship Walt gets reminds me of the hero worship that Archie Bunker and Stephen Colbert got, and it reminds of me of how much everyone hated Lori on The Walking Dead, and how much everyone hated Molly in Fargo and sympathized with Lester.

I mean shit, Anna Gunn got death threats.

Most of the Skyler hate is misogyny, that much is plainly obvious.

People say no, it's because they found Walt's schemes interesting and exciting and she was the "buzzkill", but really... even if you consider that angle, there would be very little, or at least far less, tension without a foil like Skyler, so it doesn't make sense.

The thing that kills it for me is, like with Molly in Fargo, Molly is the hero of the show, Lester is the villain. In the show, they're engaged in a bit of cat-and-mouse, but the hate she received was palpable - like, if you truly appreciated intrigue in your story, there is no way you would hate the cat in this scenario. That they still do tells me that it has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with the "female interloper."

One "annoying wife" character that deserved the hate she got, IMO, was Lori in The Walking Dead. But it's because her decisions were actually stupid and irrational most of the time, and she was not written in any believable way, unlike Skyler, Rita and Jessica.

While I listed her as an example of a character targeted by misogynist viewers, she definitely wasn't good. Then again, I'm of the opinion that most characters weren't in that show. :p
 

DocSeuss

Member
Most of the Skyler hate is misogyny, that much is plainly obvious.

No it isn't. That's a cheap and easy complaint to make.

Skyler's problem is that she's the only character in the entire show that doesn't actually fit in the show. She doesn't make sense in a show that is inherently surrealistic, because she's a realistic person.

People compliment her for being realistic, but realistic is the wrong choice for her character to be in the show. Every other woman in the show is fine--nobody complains about them--because they fit the surrealistic attitude of the show that has a severed head on a tortoise and a pink teddybear floating in a pool and a guy who shouts THIS. IS NOT METH. and a weird old dude in a wheelchair who rings a bell and Colonel Sanders who was originally a Chilean revolutionary and twins who are introduced praying to Lady Catarina (iirc?) and so on and so forth.

The show is weird. It's dreamlike. There's a strangeness to it.

And Skyler is the person who threatens to make Walter MUNDANE. She is the person who basically wants Walter to stop destroying himself and everything around him. She's reason in a sea of crazy. And we're watching the show for the crazy. We aren't watching it for the sanity.

She'd be absolutely perfect in a show that was realistic and grounded, but that's not Breaking Bad. She doesn't fit in Breaking Bad. She's this consistently jarring character. She breaks the mood. She whines and complains (which is COMPLETELY REASONABLE for a real person to do!) and we're like "shut up, I wanna watch Walter melt a man in acid" or whatever.

This is a show with an episode about killing a Fly.

Skyler White does not fit.

18j1rxlxhw541jpg.jpg


TBH, that's about what I think the thing about the backlash against Skyler is. It's not simply about doing selfish things (everyone does) or defying Walt (many do), it's these plus she's his wife. The hero worship Walt gets reminds me of the hero worship that Archie Bunker and Stephen Colbert got, and it reminds of me of how much everyone hated Lori on The Walking Dead, and how much everyone hated Molly in Fargo and sympathized with Lester.

I mean shit, Anna Gunn got death threats.

Isn't it possible they're just bad/wrong characters for the things they're in? There are plenty of great women in fiction. I'm a huge fanboy of some sf novels that are majority female lead stuff, for instance. I think Dana Scully is great. There are tons of women in fiction I think are great.

People like Lori and Skyler are very noticeable outliers. There's no misogyny there.
 
Isn't it possible they're just bad/wrong characters for the things they're in? There are plenty of great women in fiction. I'm a huge fanboy of some sf novels that are majority female lead stuff, for instance. I think Dana Scully is great. There are tons of women in fiction I think are great.

People like Lori and Skyler are very noticeable outliers. There's no misogyny there.

Fair point. Molly clearly was just a bad character, no misogyny there.

(I'm being sarcastic, just thought you should know)

Also, are you suggesting that Anna Gunn got death threats because her character didn't fit in the narrative of Breaking Bad well?
 
No it isn't. That's a cheap and easy complaint to make.

Skyler's problem is that she's the only character in the entire show that doesn't actually fit in the show. She doesn't make sense in a show that is inherently surrealistic, because she's a realistic person.

People compliment her for being realistic, but realistic is the wrong choice for her character to be in the show. Every other woman in the show is fine--nobody complains about them--because they fit the surrealistic attitude of the show that has a severed head on a tortoise and a pink teddybear floating in a pool and a guy who shouts THIS. IS NOT METH. and a weird old dude in a wheelchair who rings a bell and Colonel Sanders who was originally a Chilean revolutionary and twins who are introduced praying to Lady Catarina (iirc?) and so on and so forth.

The show is weird. It's dreamlike. There's a strangeness to it.

And Skyler is the person who threatens to make Walter MUNDANE. She is the person who basically wants Walter to stop destroying himself and everything around him. She's reason in a sea of crazy. And we're watching the show for the crazy. We aren't watching it for the sanity.

She'd be absolutely perfect in a show that was realistic and grounded, but that's not Breaking Bad. She doesn't fit in Breaking Bad. She's this consistently jarring character. She breaks the mood. She whines and complains (which is COMPLETELY REASONABLE for a real person to do!) and we're like "shut up, I wanna watch Walter melt a man in acid" or whatever.

This is a show with an episode about killing a Fly.

Skyler White does not fit.



Isn't it possible they're just bad/wrong characters for the things they're in? There are plenty of great women in fiction. I'm a huge fanboy of some sf novels that are majority female lead stuff, for instance. I think Dana Scully is great. There are tons of women in fiction I think are great.

People like Lori and Skyler are very noticeable outliers. There's no misogyny there.

Except for that Skyler is a character foil designed to 1) widen the spectrum of "reality" under which the show operates and 2) keeps Walt as a character and his situations interesting. Some of the absolute BEST moments of the show involve Skyler in some way (directly or indirectly), and I think you'd be lying if you said that it was by accident.

So much of Walt's characters and motivations, even as they evolve, revolve around the people he's most close with. Hell, that's one of the things that the show continued to revolve in, the smallness of the "world" around Walt and how his actions, big and small, have an effect. They (admittedly very clumsily) took it to the extreme with the plane crash at the end of season 2 to really drive home that point. He doesn't get brought down by random feds, it's Hank. He doesn't get into the business by talking to some random kid, it was a former student. The world he lives in, the things he does is directly affected by every character, and that very much includes Skyler and HER actions and reactions to what's happening to her as well. You can't remove her and think we'll get essentially the same show.

So, knowing we can't remove her, we have to work with her in a show that is about a high school teacher cooking meth. He has a family with a wife, a son, and unborn daughter. He has a daily routine as an everyman, comes home at roughly the same time, and just as everyone else, if you act erratically people notice. His wife obviously notices. Walt has to start maneuvering around his daily routine and actions, making up work excuses, blaming his cancer, etc., and between the stress of everything going on around him and the drug business he doesn't know how to handle, he makes mistakes. Skyler doesn't go apeshit at the very first thing that doesn't add up, but rather she grows suspicious. From that suspicion she starts thinking about shit, and from that she investigates. What if she did none of these things? 1) She'd be a TRULY boring character with zero depth and 2) that'd actually be slightly sexist as we'd have a stereotypical dumb housewife who can't think for herself that her husband is in the drug trafficking business.

I agree with your notion that there's an element of the supernatural in the show, but that doesn't mean there's no place for reality. The show is nowhere near as unrealistic as you say it is, and would actually make the show COMICALLY unrealistic is if Skyler didn't suspect of push back against Walt's insanity. Well written conflict is what elevates a show from good to great, and this show had that in spades. To argue you want a Skyler that "isn't a buzzkill" (in so many words) is to argue you genuinely want a worse show.
 
Without Skylar, the show would be incredibly uninteresting. Skylar is our constant reminder of the life that Walt should or would otherwise be leading. She's absolutely a grounding force in a sea of surreal and horrible shit and that is exactly what the show needed.

She should be putting the brakes on Walt's "fun". Because what decent human being wouldn't?
 

Beefy

Member
Fair point. Molly clearly was just a bad character, no misogyny there.

(I'm being sarcastic, just thought you should know)

Also, are you suggesting that Anna Gunn got death threats because her character didn't fit in the narrative of Breaking Bad well?

Of course in some cases it was because of misogyny. But it wasn't the only reason why she was disliked. People have different opinions on everything. I didn't crazy hate Skylar like some I just didn't like the actual actress. I have no problem with Lori.
 

Pepboy

Member
Some people who write about television have even started to call this "The Skyler White Effect," although it obviously goes back much further than her. It's meant to describe when a female character is shown to make totally rational judgments about the male lead's behavior and is hated for it.

Doesn't she have a mental breakdown and walks into a pool fully clothed? Or was her character faking that?

For what it's worth, the first episodes of Breaking Bad set her up to be a villain. The power in their relationship is so completely lopsided in her favor, Walter comes off as if he's the victim of emotional abuse. In fact, in the first episode there are actual scenes of Skyler using sex as a manipulation tactic to get what she wants (she begins to masturbate him while insisting he mows several times). He's so beaten down it seems this has been going on for years, so it sets up the later power reversal as Skyler's "just desserts".

edit: Of course, Walter also turns out to be quite a selfish asshole. It makes sense for why both characters are somewhat reviled -- they're both selfish people -- it also makes them very relatable and I think contributed to the success of the show.
 
Doesn't she have a mental breakdown and walks into a pool fully clothed? Or was her character faking that?

For what it's worth, the first episodes of Breaking Bad set her up to be a villain. The power in their relationship is so completely lopsided in her favor, Walter comes off as if he's the victim of emotional abuse. In fact, in the first episode there are actual scenes of Skyler using sex as a manipulation tactic to get what she wants (she begins to masturbate him while insisting he mows several times). He's so beaten down it seems this has been going on for years, so it sets up the later power reversal as Skyler's "just desserts".

That's a pretty crazy take on it you have there. I'm not doubting he was second in command, but you make her sound like an abusive partner. I think you're looking too deep into that and not exactly what the writers intended to be honest. Emotional abuse? That's marriage dude.
 
Of course in some cases it was because of misogyny. But it wasn't the only reason why she was disliked. People have different opinions on everything. I didn't crazy hate Skylar like some I just didn't like the actual actress. I have no problem with Lori.

If the descriptor doesn't apply to you, then you can disregard it. But the very real situation is that Anna Gunn uniquely got death threats for her role in Breaking Bad. Now, I wouldn't say that she's the best character in the show, but I would say that when it comes to that, I'm not willing to entertain the idea that there isn't a very large sect of BB fans who hate her for very specific reasons.
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
The hero worship Walt gets reminds me of the hero worship that Archie Bunker and Stephen Colbert got,
You lost me here. Don't people like Stephen Colbert because he's a funny satirist?

I mean shit, Anna Gunn got death threats.
Yup that is completely crazy.

While I listed her as an example of a character targeted by misogynist viewers, she definitely wasn't good. Then again, I'm of the opinion that most characters weren't in that show. :p
Haven't watched Fargo so I can't comment, but this is true, lol. Most TWD characters were definitely not good, though IMO Lori was definitely one of the worst and most inconsistently written.

No it isn't. That's a cheap and easy complaint to make.
Cheap and easy? I've elaborated why, and you completely failed to address anything I said.

Skyler's problem is that she's the only character in the entire show that doesn't actually fit in the show. She doesn't make sense in a show that is inherently surrealistic, because she's a realistic person.

People compliment her for being realistic, but realistic is the wrong choice for her character to be in the show. Every other woman in the show is fine--nobody complains about them--because they fit the surrealistic attitude of the show [snip]
She'd be absolutely perfect in a show that was realistic and grounded, but that's not Breaking Bad. She doesn't fit in Breaking Bad.
What on Earth are you babbling about? Breaking Bad is not "surrealistic". It has some "weird" moments across the whole series, sure, most TV shows have those, but overall it's very a grounded show, far more grounded than average. It's certainly not fucking Twin Peaks.

Like, seriously, WTF. What a bizarre line of argumentation.
 
You lost me here. Don't people like Stephen Colbert because he's a funny satirist?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/colbert-study-conservativ_n_191899.html

Haven't watched Fargo so I can't comment, but this is true, lol. Most TWD characters were definitely not good, though IMO Lori was definitely one of the worst and most inconsistently written.

I'd almost say Andrea as being the worst in the show, because she's one of the best in the comics
 

ThisGuy

Member
Ran to another man who was also living that illegal life.

Had he been a decent man I wouldn't have looked down on her.

But aside from that, I just didn't like the direction her character took. This scared female who....is scared. They should have done more with her.

Anyways, walts the man. Watched Jessie's girl choke to death. Loved it.
 

Beefy

Member
If the descriptor doesn't apply to you, then you can disregard it. But the very real situation is that Anna Gunn uniquely got death threats for her role in Breaking Bad. Now, I wouldn't say that she's the best character in the show, but I would say that when it comes to that, I'm not willing to entertain the idea that there isn't a very large sect of BB fans who hate her for very specific reasons.

People get crazy with stuff they like. I think it is alot of it is "you're being mean to Walt, so we hate you" crap.
 
People get crazy with stuff they like. I think it is alot of it is "you're being mean to Walt, so we hate you" crap.

Do you honestly, truly think that every character who gave Walt shit, or gave Rick shit, or gave Lester shit, is reviled as much as much as Skyler, Lori, or Molly?

Ran to another man who was also living that illegal life.

Had he been a decent man I wouldn't have looked down on her.

But aside from that, I just didn't like the direction her character took. This scared female who....is scared. They should have done more with her.

Anyways, walts the man. Watched Jessie's girl choke to death. Loved it.

A woman cheating on her husband (after learning that he is a dangerous drug peddler) is abhorrent. A man killing another person is cool. Like I said, hero worship
 

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
The people who hate Skyler are the people who cheer on Walt. They see Breaking Bad as a show about a badass chemistry teacher getting awesome shit done. They see Walt as the protagonist to cheer for. People are so used to sympathizing and rooting for the main character that when a show like Breaking Bad comes along that has a main character as fucked up as Walt that they'll cheer for him anyway.

The fact of the matter is that Walt is a jackass. He'd rather fuel people's drug addictions and ruin lives rather than accept help from anybody. He might have slightly better morals than some of the cartel folks he goes up against but that doesn't make him a good person or worthy of cheering on.

So for the people who are cheering on Walt, Skyler is an obstacle. Instead of accepting a wife character who might act (somewhat) realistically about learning her husband is a fucking druglord, these people would rather she become the Bonnie to his Clyde.
 

Pepboy

Member
That's a pretty crazy take on it you have there. I'm not doubting he was second in command, but you make her sound like an abusive partner. I think you're looking too deep into that and not exactly what the writers intended to be honest. Emotional abuse? That's marriage dude.

The fact that you view their marriage as a healthy one (as opposed to a marriage of equals) is somewhat concerning. She certainly demonstrates some emotionally abusive behaviors, but we don't get enough screen time before Walt's metamorphosis to say definitively.

Just look at this list of emotional abuse symptoms, though I'm sure there are more definitive lists. http://liveboldandbloom.com/11/relationships/signs-of-emotional-abuse

Specifically
5. They try to control you and treat you like a child.

6. They correct or chastise you for your behavior.

7. You feel like you need permission to make decisions or go out somewhere.

8. They try to control the finances and how you spend money.

9. They belittle and trivialize you, your accomplishments, or your hopes and dreams.

We see all of these in the first episode, much less the first season. Here's the screenplay: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Breaking_Bad-Pilot.PDF

5 = Mowing, Mastercard
6 = Mastercard
7 = Mowing, Mastercard
8 = Mowing, Mastercard
9 = Mowing (he wants to look at the images of the Mars lander and she dismisses it)

There are signs of 10 and 11, as well. I'm no breaking bad expert but I recall other similar scenes in later episodes of the first season as well.

edit: But PS, thanks for trivializing my opinion as a "crazy" take on it.
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Oh wow now we have someone seriously saying that Skyler is the emotionally abusive one in the relationship.

Oh that, haha. I didn't know it was that common though, yikes.

I just thought she was irritating, even from the beginning. Now that I think about it, it could have been her appearance. She's got a very strong jaw line that I find unsettling in a woman.
Me too.

That jaw of hers...eh
*jaw drops*

pun intended, but, yeah, wow you guys >_<
 

Skeyser

Member
What on Earth are you babbling about? Breaking Bad is not "surrealistic". It has some "weird" moments across the whole series, sure, most TV shows have those, but overall it's very a grounded show, far more grounded than average. It's certainly not fucking Twin Peaks.

Like, seriously, WTF. What a bizarre line of argumentation.

The show isn't grounded at all lol
 

Cipherr

Member
I disliked Skylar for the same reason I disliked Kavanaugh from The Shield:

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Im sure there were many people who disagreed with me and liked Kavanaugh where I didn't. But those discussions never went on for as long, nor became as all encompassing or as far reaching because noone on either side of those opinions were making wild assumptions about the other opinion holders politics.

What made the Skylar topic so strange on GAF is that not liking her character led a truck ton of posters literally calling you misogynistic for not sharing their opinion on a fictional tv character. Such nonsensical conclusions drawn from nothing is going to light the fire under the discussion immediately.

The truth is, Walt in Breaking Bad and Mackey in The Shield were both terrible characters. People didn't like Kavanaugh and Skylar because the writers positioned those characters as obstacles often standing in the protagonists way. No one had a problem with being on Mackey nor Walts 'side' while watching the show because they understand its entertainment and not real life. If these were real people, and we were watching a documentary of some sick fucking cop murdering people, or some bald guy infesting the inner city with Meth it would NOT be merely entertainment and those positions would greatly differ.

People made wild accusations against folks that didn't like Skylar, then in a desperate attempt to justify their stupidity, tried to tie these fake, made for TV stories and liken them to real life in order to gain the high ground in the discussion. The truth is, whether someone 'liked' this character or that character in a show is such a non issue. Its really not deserving of the amount of discussion it has picked up over the years TBH. There's a million shows with a million characters someone somewhere doesn't like.
 

Pepboy

Member
Oh wow now we have someone seriously saying that Skyler is the emotionally abusive one in the relationship.

In the beginning portrayal of the relationship, yes I think she could easily be. "Nagging" is indeed a sign of emotional abuse -- that's not how respectful adults talk to each other, as it is treating one partner as a child. Not to mention the other symptoms she displays (addressed in more detail above). In the beginning of the relationship, I don't see Walter chastising her or trying to financially control her (like she does to Walt).

However, perhaps he did these things in the past, and was trying not to stress his pregnant wife out. His quiet and meek behavior could be seen as contemplation of his 40th birthday rather than necessarily as a sign of abuse. We don't really get to see enough to be sure.

edit: However, we do know from flashbacks he was not always this meek or quiet. He seemed quite ambitious in some of the earlier flashbacks, but again it's a little unclear whether he changed due to age, emotional abuse, or other factors.
 

hokahey

Member
It's simple. Many people tend to root for the main character on a show. Especially if they developed empathy for them early on. Skyler became an antagonist in the story. Most people's reaction to an antagonist is dislike. Obviously the show blurred the lines and even reversed some roles as the story developed. I can see it not being as clear to someone that binged the show.
 
The fact that you view their marriage as a healthy one (as opposed to a marriage of equals) is somewhat concerning. She certainly demonstrates some emotionally abusive behaviors, but we don't get enough screen time before Walt's metamorphosis to say definitively.

Just look at this list of emotional abuse symptoms, though I'm sure there are more definitive lists. http://liveboldandbloom.com/11/relationships/signs-of-emotional-abuse

Specifically


We see all of these in the first episode, much less the first season. Here's the screenplay: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Breaking_Bad-Pilot.PDF

5 = Mowing, Mastercard
6 = Mastercard
7 = Mowing, Mastercard
8 = Mowing, Mastercard
9 = Mowing (he wants to look at the images of the Mars lander and she dismisses it)

There are signs of 10 and 11, as well. I'm no breaking bad expert but I recall other similar scenes in later episodes of the first season as well.

edit: But PS, thanks for trivializing my opinion as a "crazy" take on it.

I didn't say it was healthy, I just thought your take on what I considered to be a light hearted scene as crazy. As is your insistence on her being the abusive force in the relationship. She may be overbearing, family orientated, but Walt's situation at the start of the show is of his making, he blames Skylar for his mistakes and shortcomings because he is a closet narcissist, beneath the layers of hard working father/teacher. She treats him the way he has conditioned her to treat him.
 

Kenstar

Member
Why did that dude get banned on the first page? Are terrible opinions about fictional characters now bannable? Didn't even call her a gendered slur so I'm struggling to see what was so outrageous

Also what's this about Walt raping Skyler? Like was she sleeping or something because you'd think I'd remember that
 

Muffdraul

Member
Right off the bat, in the first episode, she's a hen-pecker. Started off on the wrong foot, never get a chance to make another first impression, etc. In terms of the story/plot, I more or less sympathize with her, very much so. Eventually she followed Walt down the dark path, but he really, really didn't leave her much choice. For her, it never really stopped being about her trying to protect the kids. Or at least never got far from there.

I honestly think the real problem is Anna Gunn. She's a little too good at portraying 'cold' and 'shrill.' The personality she gave the character was never warm. She was grating.
 

Beefy

Member
Do you honestly, truly think that every character who gave Walt shit, or gave Rick shit, or gave Lester shit, is reviled as much as much as Skyler, Lori, or Molly?

I know nothing about Molly so can't comment. I also didn't say anything about any other characters. What I do think is there was a lot of people that disliked Lori and Skyler just because they didn't just accept the lead character being a ass. Misogynists got involved because both were females and made things worse. The Misogynists and the crazy fans then tried to one up each other by being more and more abusive. Social media doesn't help it just gives them a platform, so every one tries to be the best (best as in the biggest abusive, threatening idiot).
 

Skeyser

Member
Why did that dude get banned on the first page? Are terrible opinions about fictional characters now bannable? Didn't even call her a gendered slur so I'm struggling to see what was so outrageous

Lmao poor guy, it was his first and only post on GAF too.
 
Right off the bat, in the first episode, she's a hen-pecker. Started off on the wrong foot, never get a chance to make another first impression, etc. In terms of the story/plot, I more or less sympathize with her, very much so. Eventually she followed Walt down the dark path, but he really, really didn't leave her much choice. For her, it never really stopped being about her trying to protect the kids. Or at least never got far from there.

I honestly think the real problem is Anna Gunn. She's a little too good at portraying 'cold' and 'shrill.' Her personality was not warm. She was grating.

you're smoking POT?

are you insanE

to be fair I'm not sure the school logistics of drug testing for teachers or whatever so it could be a valid concern considering their lack of financial security
 

Pepboy

Member
I didn't say it was healthy, I just thought your take on what I considered to be a light hearted scene as crazy.

I mean you said it was "just marriage" so I thought you meant it was a healthy one... but I guess we might agree that most marriages in the US are unhealthy, like Walt and Skylers'.

As is your insistence on her being the abusive force in the relationship. She may be overbearing, family orientated, but Walt's situation at the start of the show is of his making, he blames Skylar for his mistakes and shortcomings because he is a closet narcissist, beneath the layers of hard working father/teacher. She treats him the way he has conditioned her to treat him.

I think we could probably find common ground that later on, Walt becomes the abuser in the relationship -- if I recall correctly, he even engages in what seemed like sexual assault. However, at the start of the relationship, I don't remember him blaming Skylar for his mistakes and shortcomings. Indeed, when he thinks he is about to be caught in the first episode -- indeed the first time we hear any mention of Skyler -- his recorded message is:

UNDERPANTS MAN
My name is Walter Hartwell White.
I live at 308 Belmont Avenue, Ontario, California 91764. I am of sound mind. To all law enforcement entities, this is not an admission of guilt. I'm speaking now to my family.(swallows hard) Skyler .•• you are ••• the love of my life. I hope you know that. Walter Junior. You're my big man. I should have told you things, both of you. I should have said things. But I love you both so much. And our unborn child. And I just want you to know that these .•• things you're going to learn about me in the coming days. These things. I just want you to know that •.• no matter what it may look like •.• I had all three of you in my heart. "

So in his chance to really let loose on Skyler, he just gives them well wishes and expresses love for them both. However, I haven't seen the first season in a while, so perhaps you can show me early scenes where he demonstrates that he blames Skyler for his shortcomings, at least not until much later when he's undergone some change.

The idea that she "treats him the way he has conditioned her to treat him" is even more concerning. A (potential) victim of emotional abuse does not "deserve" to be treated that way, for any reason. Just as Skyler does not deserve the treatment she receives from Walt later on (though it can be emotionally satisfying to an audience to see a fictional abuser like Skyler get a taste of their own medicine).
 

Pepboy

Member
I honestly think the real problem is Anna Gunn. She's a little too good at portraying 'cold' and 'shrill.' The personality she gave the character was never warm. She was grating.

I think she gave an amazing performance. In the first script, there's a line:

"Skyler's cute in a way most guys wouldn't have noticed back in high school. But not soft-cute. Not in the eyes."

That I think really captures the character that Anna Gunn gave. If there's an issue it's in script or direction -- I think she was set up to be an emotionally abusive partner in a relationship, and it resonated a little too deeply for many households.
 
I didn't HATE her, but I did find her totally unsympathetic - even more so that Walter. At least his misguided/evil pursuit was his and he owned it. She was just going along. She could've/should've left at a million different points, instead she sold herself out.

But the end of the series I just wanted the kids to make it out okay and couldn't give less of a shit about what happened to her.
 
I mean you said it was "just marriage" so I thought you meant it was a healthy one... but I guess we might agree that most marriages in the US are unhealthy, like Walt and Skylers'.



I think we could probably find common ground that later on, Walt becomes the abuser in the relationship -- if I recall correctly, he even engages in what seemed like sexual assault. However, at the start of the relationship, I don't remember him blaming Skylar for his mistakes and shortcomings. Indeed, when he thinks he is about to be caught in the first episode -- indeed the first time we hear any mention of Skyler -- his recorded message is:



So in his chance to really let loose on Skyler, he just gives them well wishes and expresses love for them both. However, I haven't seen the first season in a while, so perhaps you can show me early scenes where he demonstrates that he blames Skyler for his shortcomings, at least not until much later when he's undergone some change.

The idea that she "treats him the way he has conditioned her to treat him" is even more concerning. A (potential) victim of emotional abuse does not "deserve" to be treated that way, for any reason. Just as Skyler does not deserve the treatment she receives from Walt later on (though it can be emotionally satisfying to an audience to see a fictional abuser like Skyler get a taste of their own medicine).

I'm not going to cut up your post in quotes as I'm on mobile and can't be bothered :p

I'm not saying you're wrong, it just isn't what I took away. I can't recall anywhere in the first series where he brings it up, but it was a general tone and feeling I got from Walt that he blamed Gretchin, Elliot and Skylar for his position in life, everyone but himself. He's a stubborn person, but for all his faults I think he put all of his emotional issues behind him when he had a child, a disabled child at that. In order for that to happen he had to lose all of his drive and arrogance, it was an all or nothing choice he subconsciously made. I think Skylar gradually became the boss of the relationship in that vacuum.

He wouldn't have brought any of that up in that video because he was only just reawakening at that part of the show.

I'm probably talking complete bollocks though, as I'm trying to write and think off the top of my head without refreshing my memory as I'm desperate to play a game whilst my baby is asleep haha.
 

Pepboy

Member
I'm not going to cut up your post in quotes as I'm on mobile and can't be bothered :p

I'm not saying you're wrong, it just isn't what I took away. I can't recall anywhere in the first series where he brings it up, but it was a general tone and feeling I got from Walt that he blamed Gretchin, Elliot and Skylar for his position in life, everyone but himself. He's a stubborn person, but for all his faults I think he put all of his emotional issues behind him when he had a child, a disabled child at that. In order for that to happen he had to lose all of his drive and arrogance, it was an all or nothing choice he subconsciously made. I think Skylar gradually became the boss of the relationship in that vacuum.

He wouldn't have brought any of that up in that video because he was only just reawakening at that part of the show.

I'm probably talking complete bollocks though, as I'm trying to write and think off the top of my head without refreshing my memory as I'm desperate to play a game whilst my baby is asleep haha.

No worries, I enjoyed discussing with you. Get off NeoGAF and play some games! I'm doing the same with the gym -- can't let too much of our limited free time get eaten up too much by this stuff. :)
 

Foggy

Member
I gave up completely on Skylar when she walked into the pool at the dinner party. Just the worst when it comes to that character and the worst of the show's ham-fisted characterizations.

I hate to compare it to the best, but looking at her and Edie Falco's performance as Carmella Soprano shows the cavernous gulf between the two.

In Skylar's defense, Kavanaugh was a total shitlord

LOVE Kavanaugh. Or rather loved to hate him. It was a stroke of genius to have one of the most stridently virtuous characters also be the most mentally and emotionally unstable.
 

Jay-Hova

Banned
I really enjoyed Skyler's role in the show.
I never saw her as the obstacle in the way of "the good stuff" as most people did because when I watch or read something i'm looking at the whole picture, it also helps that I like her as a character and thought Walt was completely and utterly abhorrent.
I left his side completely by the Grey Matter crap, and by the first episode of season 5 I was physically disgusted by him, like I had a legitimate physical reaction of disgust and sometime seven pulled away from the screen when he showed up, I was just livid.
But he's still my second favorite character because all of that emotion is apart of how great he's written and it enhanced my enjoyment of the show.
1)Hank
2)Walt
3)Skyler
Those are my character rankings.
I think people just don't care enough to view the show intelligently to actually work out her character as anything more than "bitch" or Walt as anything more than "badass" going all the way back to episode 1 even when there's more subtext their than emasculating bitch wife won't give her perfect husband a handjob.
And this isn't even me saying Skyler is perfect and did nothing wrong.
 

Devil

Member
Yeah, the problem is that people (including me) were hating Skylar already when it yet wasn't as clear as later on that Walt is not interested in his family anymore at all. Looking back, Skylar was right almost all of the time and did what was natural, stuff anybody else would do in that situation (yes, there are exceptions). Still kind of annoying because she stands in the way of the protagonist's progression, no matter in which direction this might be.

Well, "problem" is probably the wrong word though, because I think nothing should have been changed about her, her role is a necessity and very important to the story.
 

Jay-Hova

Banned
Yeah, the problem is that people (including me) were hating Skylar already when it yet wasn't as clear as later on that Walt is not interested in his family anymore at all. Looking back, Skylar was right almost all of the time and did what was natural, stuff anybody else would do in that situation (yes, there are exceptions). Still kind of annoying because she stands in the way of the protagonist's progression, no matter in which direction this might be.

Well, "problem" is probably the wrong word though, because I think nothing should have been changed about her, her role is a necessity and very important to the story.
I knew it in episode one when Jesse asked him why he was doing this and he said something like "i'm awake".
And it should have been clear by Grey Matter.
And even without that he's just such a bitch in general.
 

MilkBeard

Member
Anyway, I definitely agree it's one of the greatest shows of all time, but I when I first started watching it I had multiple friends warn about how awful Skyler is and how awesome Walter White is comparison and I just don't get that at all.

Honestly didn't know this was a thing. It might have to do with how Walter is our main character, our antihero, and people seem to handwave his terrible actions, while other characters like Skylar are not getting the same treatment.

Honestly, Skylar's actions are very reasonable in my opinion. She's not terrible, in fact, she was forced to deal with the shitty mess that W.W. got her into. Perhaps people hate her because she was seemed to be the goody-goody christian stereotype before everything happened.

Honestly I think it is great character progression. I have hated and loved many characters in the story simultaneously. Skylar is no different from Walter in this respect.

Skyler's problem is that she's the only character in the entire show that doesn't actually fit in the show. She doesn't make sense in a show that is inherently surrealistic, because she's a realistic person.

I don't agree with this at all. I don't think Breaking Bad is supposed to be surreal. I think you should look at what surreal means:

having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic:

Breaking bad is not really surreal. It is a realistic situation that has arisen from a man desperately trying to deal with his struggle with cancer. The fact that there is one episode that has a cartoonish style is not a reason to say Breaking Bad is a surrealistic show.
 

ThisGuy

Member
A woman cheating on her husband (after learning that he is a dangerous drug peddler) is abhorrent. A man killing another person is cool. Like I said, hero worship
Where did I say it disgust me, or I hated skylar? Or are you just being hypebolic to prove a point that doesn't apply to me. Ignoring the fact I didn't like that she ran to another criminal? It just didnt make sense to me. Lol, get outta here.

And yeah, Walt killing people was cool. I liked it. It was his thing. Slowly turning into the bad guy. It was a well written character. Skylar wasn't written as well.
 
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