ListNook

seancbo Apr 11, 2026 +6574

Watching it a second time I was so much more on her side. Except for the birthday song lmao. That was a rough one.

6574

HappyHarryHardOn Apr 11, 2026 +4031

watching it a second time in one go is quite the experience. 1- Skylar comes off better 2- Jessie's descent into drug addiction is f****** dark. Like almost unbearably dark. That episode with the abandoned kid is a f****** rough watch

4031

Lord0fHats Apr 11, 2026 +2673

You also notice Walt's narcissism a lot more. His need to always be the smartest person in the room. To rationalize anything intelligently, even when pulling it from his ass.

2673

Dangle76 Apr 11, 2026 +1265

Idk I noticed that A LOT the first time

1265

Lord0fHats Apr 11, 2026 +800

I did not XD Breaking Bad does a really good job selling Walt's bullshit to the audience. Between the actor's charisma, the careful obscuring of some information about his background, I didn't realize fully that Walt was absolutely full of it until I wanna say S4? Whenever his second late season convo with Gretchin happens and we learn about how he broke up with her and that we've been fed a curated version of who Walt is, by Walt himself for the most part, fully. Then I rewatched the series and noticed all the innocuous little moments that become far more 'wow this guy is so full of shit' that I just kind of overlooked before.

800

tonycomputerguy Apr 11, 2026 +834

Just to butt in here, but HOW you watched it the first time round seems to make a big difference. If you waited week by week, months for each season, Walt comes off a lot different, people think about stuff, forget about stuff, in the time they wait for the next episode or season. Doing a binge watch of it is a completely different experience for a lot of people.

834

Lord0fHats Apr 11, 2026 +246

Could definitely see that. My first view was when the show was airing on AMC for its seasons. At the end I put Walter White right up there with Gul Dukat as a masterclass in tricking the audience into thinking this absolute a****** might not be such a bad guy.

246

ManifestDestinysChld Apr 11, 2026 +73

I never thought Dukat was being presented in a good light by the show itself, for me it was always more of a "get a load of THIS f****** guy" situation when he was trying to rationalize his actions.

73

ThetaReactor Apr 11, 2026 +52

The writers actually had to start adding extra moustache-twirling to Dukat because so many viewers *were* falling for his whole charming lizard-nazi shtick.

52

ManifestDestinysChld Apr 12, 2026 +37

Oh, is that why we found out like 5 seasons in that he'd taken Major Kira's mom as a comfort woman? Because I remember that one in particular being like a huge record-scratch in my mind. (Also when he started shacking up with Deep Space Nurse Ratchet.)

37

Ms_Anxiety Apr 11, 2026 +53

> Gul Dukat as a masterclass in tricking the audience into thinking this absolute a****** might not be such a bad guy. Men maybe. Dukat comes off rather quickly as a sexist creep. I can't think of a time I ever thought "Dukats not bad." There are so many early flags that suggest he is pure evil, which he is.

53

Levonorgestrelfairy1 Apr 11, 2026 +25

Its been a while but didnt he full on r*** and impregnate multiple Bajoran sex slaves? The only way he comes off as not the worst guy in the room is if hes next to Hitler.

25

Ms_Anxiety Apr 11, 2026 +8

exactly lol

8

FXOAuRora Apr 11, 2026 +44

I'm not sure how *anyone* got the impression that Dukat is "cool" or *anything* other than an absolute monster, haha. I lived with someone for almost thirty years who turned out to be a clinical *psychopath* (ugh), and I have to say Dukat may be the most accurately written character I have *ever* seen in all of media in depicting textbook psychopathy. Every tiny yet monstorous action is so ***spot on*** in the light of a classical psychopath. The little games all the time like telling Kira how much he "admires" her or wants to "learn" from her (lol), how he let's slip to Kira in the middle of the night that her mom was his *lover*, that f****** dress he had made for *Kira* but pretended he made specfically made it for Ziyal after Kira bailed on that dinner party, etc. If those are the little psychopath things, then the major aspects would be like the demand for love/worship from the *Bajorans* after being a **galactic tyrant** and not understanding why they hate him, the bizzare religious extremism he used to gain advantage like with the Cult of the Pah-Wraith (exactly like the psychopath I know IRL, he got *heavily* involved in *many* seperate religions, especially doomsday cults that may as well be the worship of the Pah Wraith). It's all just *pure* "psychopath" 101. He's not "cool", he's a monster that sold out his entire people to the *Dominion* (which almost resulted in the complete exctinction of his species). In the last episode, that f***** tried to wipe out all life in the *galaxy* by releasing the Pah Wraith as well lol.

44

Palpadean Apr 12, 2026 +11

There's a lot of comments in this thread talking about noticing more of Walts worst traits upon a second viewing and sympathise with Skyler more. Plenty of people thought Heisenberg was cool and kept quoting him, for years. The answer to your first question is that a lot of people are media illiterate, Bryan Cranston just said it in a nicer way. And as a Trekker myself its also surprised me over the years at how many people seem to genuinely like Gul Dukat as a person despite being the worst man in the universe.

11

Ms_Anxiety Apr 11, 2026 +4

yeah exactly

4

ihavetakenthebiscuit Apr 11, 2026 +72

I also think, coming in from watching Brian in MITM, you expect him to be the same loving father so you start the series on his side because he is the protagonist you have a self conscious bias due to prior roles. His descent into darkness is the perfect parallel with your perception of it, you don't quite believe his is capable of doing the things he does because you associate goodness with him. When you rewatch it, knowing what he is turning into, you see it from a whole different perspective. It's such a brilliant show for so many different reasons. I've watched it about 4 times and each time you see things from a different persons perspective. Last rewatch i was Team Gus.

72

ADs_Unibrow_23 Apr 11, 2026 +53

Just did a rewatch for the first time and it made me like Gus and Mike so much more. The only competent professionals out there.

53

KTR1988 Apr 12, 2026 +29

Walt *really does* screw up the solid business that Gus had going almost immediately and in spectacular fashion.

29

Desroth86 Apr 12, 2026 +3

It’s been a while since I watched it but doesn’t Gus kind of force Walt’s hand by threatening Jesse?

3

ihavetakenthebiscuit Apr 12, 2026 +4

Gus is also the underdog story. He wins against the Cartel, against all odds. He was much smarter than Walt, which Walt couldn't stand, he always had to be the smartest i. The roo .

4

ColonialSoldier Apr 11, 2026 +44

I watched the first season as it came out every week and gave up 3 episodes in. I was bored, hated the characters, and wasn't interested in seeing where things went. Then I had friends talking about how great the show is. Then I heard the media talk about how great it is. I just waved it all away, it was a stupid show in my mind. A few years later, I caught a full series marathon on AMC and couldn't look away. Goddamn did the story expand and become far more nuanced as it went along. Still not in my top 3 all time, but I get where others are coming from. Binge watching this series is wayyyy better

44

DMala Apr 11, 2026 +60

I do feel like Breaking Bad was spoiled for me a little. I never watched it when it was on and saw it all after it ended. I avoided any specific spoilers, but knew the general arc of the show. I think because of that, I saw Walt’s arrogant bullshit from the very first moment and was never on Team Walt for a second. I definitely didn’t get all the Skylar hate, either. Yeah, she made some terrible choices but it was very clear to me what an impossible situation she was in.

60

Lord0fHats Apr 11, 2026 +92

The Skylar hate was always weird imo, but even when I was well tricked by Walt's narrative I was never against Skylar. No shit Skylar is freaking out. Her husbands lying to her, selling and dealing drugs, putting himself and his entire family in harms way. Skylar was always sympathetic to my eyes. Her entire situation just sucked, especially when her son is blaming her for shit that is entirely Walt's fault.

92

JohnnyTurbine Apr 11, 2026 +21

To say nothing of the fact that **he's a mass murderer**, and she only learns it out of left field.

21

bretshitmanshart Apr 11, 2026 +12

I saw a person defend the hate because she was suspicious before she knew he was selling drugs. Apparently no she is suppose to not question the disappearing and lying.

12

dreamsofaninsomniac Apr 11, 2026 +65

She was a bit overbearing, but it's understandable how she came to be that way. However, the worst "crime" a female character can ever have in media is to be slightly overbearing or annoying so a lot of people crucified her for that.

65

freakksho Apr 12, 2026 +9

Skylar is a f****** real one. She finds out her husband is cooking meth and instead of turning him in she offers to launder the f****** money. If Walt just goes to Skylar season 1 and tells her his plan, she probably would have helped him do it and it would have probably gone smooth from the start because she wasn’t a f****** idiot. 22 year old me hated Skylar, but 35 year old me loves her.

9

diddlyumpcious4 Apr 11, 2026 +35

I think for some people they are/were just watching for the “cool” stuff with drugs and crime and cartels and violence. I certainly felt that way watching it in my late teens/early 20s. Everything with Skylar was super boring in comparison and anytime she was on screen it usually meant none of the cool shit was happening (for that version of me watching, I enjoyed it much more in a more recent watch). I feel like at least some of the hate came from people like that.

35

aladdyn2 Apr 11, 2026 +21

Yes this is almost exactly how I was going to explain it. She's a buzz kill in an amazing action series. Except you start to realize as the show goes on.. Wait a minute. Am I still actually rooting for Walt.. anyone who doesn't realize that the show is basically testing how far they can go and get you to keep supporting Walt as things get worse and evil isn't going to like Skylar. I can't remember at which point I realized that Skylar was probably under reacting to what was happening to her life but as you and others said, any other watches her character comes across to me as much more nuanced and balances the mayhem that originally drew people into the show.

21

SSLByron Apr 11, 2026 +12

There are probably also a lot of viewers who hate the people in their life who don't buy into their schemes and see that same independent streak in Skylar and resent it.

12

dinosaurkiller Apr 11, 2026 +51

It’s not just that he broke up with Gretchen, he both insisted on being bought out by Gretchen and Elliot, and blames them for agreeing to it. He’s convinced himself they tricked him somehow into leaving the company. At the same time he refuses their help and later threatens to have them killed if they use any of their own money to help his family. Absolute narcissism.

51

ClockworkEngineseer Apr 11, 2026 +48

Don't forget we learn he worked at a few high level chemistry jobs after leaving Grey Matter. But he ended up as a Highschool Chemistry teacher because his ego wouldn't let him be anything but the smartest man in the room.

48

tigertimtigertim Apr 12, 2026 +11

… and he pretty much cemented that thought of himself as the series went along. He must have felt so validated the day he created the purest meth the market had ever seen. 99.1%. Ego over outcomes.

11

OldAccountIsGlitched Apr 11, 2026 +78

I don't know. I got fed up with him when he turned down that job offer early on. The dude would rather make meth than accept charity.

78

Djinnwrath Apr 11, 2026 +79

In episode 2 he has sex with Skylar in the car, and she asks "why was that so fun?" His reply: "because it was illegal" Hed wanted an excuse to break bad his whole life.

79

bionicjoey Apr 11, 2026 +20

"The secret ingredient is crime" -Super Hans

20

fluffy_warthog10 Apr 11, 2026 +46

That Grey Matter episode in S1 was the biggest red flag in the series. There were so many unexplored comments and holes in Walt's version of everything (compared to the Schwartz's). For a while I was honestly wondering if Walt had serious mental illness (DID or amnesia) and didn't completely realize it, but everything that came after made it clear that it was just his ego. The fugue state at the end of the season fit perfectly with his history, and mental health was an excellent explanation for his disappearance from Grey Matter. ...except it was all fake, and Walt was responsible for everything.

46

BobTulap Apr 11, 2026 +42

\>For a while I was honestly wondering if Walt had serious mental illness (DID or amnesia) narcissists rewrite memories in their minds to make themselves either the hero or the victim. They simply refuse to accept reality where they were the bad guy or a loser.

42

bretshitmanshart Apr 11, 2026 +17

Gale does everything short of pulling Walt's d*** out and sucking it right there in the lab but Walt can't stand working with him because he can't lord how smart he is over Gale

17

deevilvol1 Apr 11, 2026 +24

You're right. People that say the show sells Walt hard on the viewer are missing all the times the show goes out of its way to point out how arrogant Walt is. This is one of those times.

24

shadowndacorner Apr 11, 2026 +8

>Whenever his second late season convo with Gretchin happens and we learn about how he broke up with her and that we've been fed a curated version of who Walt is, by Walt himself for the most part, fully. I'm pretty sure this happened in season 2? I don't remember him talking to Gretchen after that, aside from Felina.

8

sharkattackmiami Apr 11, 2026 +14

Doesn't the first episode basically start with him turning down a friend offering to cover his treatment and him turning to drug dealing because of his own fragile ego? And then he only goes downhill from there. Idk how you can watch the show and not think he's a massive piece of shit from go

14

Beautiful_Bag6707 Apr 11, 2026 +48

Same. It starts off with him being this stepped on guy who's sick with so many burdens. He's unappreciated at his job. Abused at his other job. So much is demanded from him by his pregnant wife. He has a son with challenges, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law are so much more successful. The house, despite having a pool, feels small, cramped, and low end. Same with his car, his dress, his life. Poor Walter. I feel like that is the character showing his skewed view of the world through his eyes, because pretty quickly you see he's seething in the corner. He's the smartest guy in the room and he's being limited but all these people. The brainless kids in his classroom, the lazy boss at the car wash, his loudmouthed brother-in-law, his purple obsessed kleptomaniac sister-in-law, his demanding wife, etc. The whole show is seeing Heisenberg, the real Walter White, come out from under the facade of the meek professor. The only time I didn't like Skylar was when she started her affair to hurt Walt but didn't see the ramifications of her actions on Ted and his family. Skylar was a strong personality and you get the sense that bad things happened in her childhood otherwise her sister would not be the way she was. She was very smart (something that Walter likely liked) and supported Walter despite his ego and poor life choices. If Walt was so smart and created Grey Matter, why was he a high school teacher with a 2nd job? He could have become a professor at university. He could have done many things before he began cooking meth. Clearly he had been acting the victim for 15 years and it was Skylar who stood by him all that time.

48

where_in_the_world89 Apr 11, 2026 +7

I noticed all of this stuff the first time. I don't know man, kind of seems like a lot of people who watched it the first time were edgy teenage boys. I was never like that and I was an adult so that probably helped to see it for what it is. It was shocking to find out how people were acting like Walter was a good guy, and Skyler like some kind of crazy b****

7

Redeem123 Apr 11, 2026 +27

It's so wild to me that there's so many people in this thread that didn't. It's like the whole point of his entire character.

27

burnalicious111 Apr 11, 2026 +32

I think we've seen plenty of evidence that at least many Americans are very bad at spotting toxic narcissism

32

thestereo300 Apr 11, 2026 +5

Yeah me too. He could have quit and taken care of his family many times... he was just doing it out of pridefulness.

5

airchinapilot Apr 11, 2026 +9

really depends upon the viewer's age and maturity IMO.

9

BothansInDisguise Apr 11, 2026 +58

When you see him in BCS outside of the safe space of his own show, you see the unadulterated a****** that he is/always was

58

gamespite Apr 11, 2026 +31

That conversation in the “waiting room” between Jimmy and Walt utterly diminishes Walt. The framing and focus of the camera is so subtle, but it just mercilessly deflates him and his pathetic little ego. Incredible moment in a series filled with them.

31

Katharinemaddison Apr 11, 2026 +21

The two shows are a fascinating contrast. BB is about discovering just how twisted and petty a man is under the hapless guise at the start. BCS is about discovering that Jimmy was, fundamentally a good man and wondering if he’ll be able to hold on to that.

21

Genji4Lyfe Apr 12, 2026 +7

There’s another side to it too, which is that although Jimmy has some good qualities, he also is drawn to doing things that are shady — and he often doesn’t understand why they might hurt the people around him. Those two sides are always in balance, and the show does a good job of showing how you can ultimately hurt others even when you “mean well”. The fact that Chuck knows this, and is ultimately right about it, despite being unlikable in other ways, is heartbreaking.

7

rohrschleuder Apr 11, 2026 +12

Tbf Walt’s narcissism was front & center from the beginning. Walt was never a team player or selfless person, with the exception of his kid and family, sometimes

12

PunyParker826 Apr 11, 2026 +32

I get that they were largely formulating the show as they went, and if Walter "gets out," we have no show. But the writers give him several points to make a (more or less) clean break from Meth, and almost every time, he's pulled back by his ego.

32

NoExcuse4OceanRudnes Apr 11, 2026 +15

They did that because that's the point they were making. If they weren't making him a shitty a****** who could do something else but chose this they wouldn't have given him a choice.

15

G-Geef Apr 11, 2026 +33

I watched for the first time recently and couldn't finish because of how profoundly unsympathetic walt was. Just the worst f****** person and I didn't want to sit through two more seasons of him destroying the lives of everyone around him through his hubris

33

Sherringdom Apr 11, 2026 +15

It’s interesting on a rewatch, maybe it’s because we know where he’s going, but he just seems to be that person from the very start. All of the ego, selfishness, pride is all there. I remember thinking I was watching much more of a transformation of character when I first watched.

15

UrbanAnathema Apr 11, 2026 +8

The cancer diagnosis is a really effective tool in getting the audience to sympathize with Walt. But the show also goes out of its way to let you know exactly who Walter is from the very beginning. The genius of Breaking Bad is that with Walter White you think you are watching a decent person transform into a terrible one—and at some point you realize that Walter has always been a terrible person. The genius of Better Call Saul is it does the reverse. You think you are watching a decent person transform into the amoral person the audience already knows in Saul Goodman and slowly you realize that in actuality—Saul is a pretty decent human being. Both characters are cautionary tales of the dark sides of intelligence. Both characters are dealt raw hands and are led astray by their arrogance and self-entitlement. They both believe in a fundamental unfairness of their lot and are smarter than their circumstances. Walter’s descent into criminality is self-actualizing where Saul’s descent is a surrender. It’s why both shows (and BCS in particular for me) are so incredible.

8

ogrezilla Apr 11, 2026 +7

once you see how things go, rewatching him turn down the money from Gretchen and Elliot is basically unforgivable imo.

7

condormcninja Apr 11, 2026 +86

El Camino as a film is kind of just fine but I’m glad it exists because without it Jesse’s journey is one of the bleaker sagas I can think of in television with no light at the end of the tunnel at all. He went through the f****** ringer

86

doomeater54 Apr 11, 2026 +27

It feels like every time I rewatch El Camino it gets a little better and I do feel like getting to see Jessie actually get a happy ending plays a part in that.

27

Jiktten Apr 11, 2026 +268

Jesse is honestly one of the most heart-breaking characters on TV IMO. Sure he's a f***-up but he's *constantly* looking for approval from Walter and all he gets is abuse. It's like watching an annoying puppy get kicked over and over and over again and eventually just stay down. :(

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[deleted] Apr 11, 2026 +174

[deleted]

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Upbeat_Tension_8077 Apr 11, 2026 +52

I'll also add an additional example with the episode where he's hiding in the home of the drug addicted couple to get money stolen from Skinny Pete, & he's trying to bond with their young kid as a way to escape without incident, showing his street smarts (& also his humanity since he actually felt bad for his circumstances) Not to forget, I think he warned Walt against meeting in isolated locations since he mentioned the possibility of being killed and disposed of (before the Tuco incident with No-Doze happened)

52

alehansolo21 Apr 11, 2026 +56

Another one, and one I’d argue is huge, is that it was Jesse’s idea to get involved with Saul Goodman, which I think might be one of the best decisions they made in the long run

56

francoruinedbukowski Apr 11, 2026 +34

I remember my MD friend said that Jessie has undiagnosed executive dysfunction, probably ADHD, the meth levels him out just like prescription adderall or vivynase does for ADHD patients

34

Warm_Ad_7944 Apr 11, 2026 +36

Yeah he’s the classic example of a kid who had so much promise but because he didn’t apply himself people thought he was dumb. Like sometimes he made impulsive choices but his intelligence shines through alot

36

TheTresStateArea Apr 11, 2026 +161

When Walt lets Jane die, that was when I knew there would be no coming back for Walt. That was firmly villain territory.

161

Upbeat_Tension_8077 Apr 11, 2026 +67

Even before that, I got a serious red flag from him when he tried to r*** Skylar in the kitchen

67

ShutUpTodd Apr 11, 2026 +32

I don’t remember the event sequences (obviously letting Jane die is monstrous, but there’s a cold practicality), but when he makes his son drink at the pool party. That “I’m happy when you’re unhappy” energy struck a personal chord.

32

Im_fairly_tired Apr 11, 2026 +39

I spent two years living in the Ozarks talking to people in their homes. That abandoned kid episode is gut wrenching. I’ve seen that scenario a handful of times. I felt like I’d seen that kid. The set design for the parents’ house is so incredibly accurate that it gave me vivid flashbacks. The set designer deserved an Emmy for that episode and I know they had to study, and probably visit, some dark places to recreate that look and feel. I’m glad they showed some of that reality though. Meth is so so so destructive, and the innocent kids who get infected through tweaker parents and second-hand exposure are the most tragic victims.

39

TheCoker12 Apr 11, 2026 +108

I rewatched the show with the lens of Jessie’s life just slowly getting destroyed and it haunts me

108

fapfap_ahh Apr 11, 2026 +93

This is why El Camino was so awesome. Jesse makes it out of that life and he deserves it!

93

Apolloshot Apr 11, 2026 +49

So much this. I had such a greater appreciation for why El Camino needed to exist after my second watch though (and even more so after Better Call Saul). To the point that when Aaron Paul and Vince Gilligan have been asked about wether they’d ever come back to Jesse’s story and both basically said that would mean something bad happened to Jesse after El Camino so probably not, my reaction was like “Yes! Please just let Jesse have a peaceful rest of his life.” Maybe a cameo in another show just offhandedly showing he’s off having a peaceful life haha.

49

fapfap_ahh Apr 11, 2026 +30

I think it was Gilligan's wife who convinced him Jesse deserved a happy ending with all that he had gone through. El Camino wasn't even a concept at that point and Breaking Bad was still wrapping up.

30

Apolloshot Apr 11, 2026 +19

God bless her haha, because lord knows Jesse did deserve it.

19

co_pdubs Apr 11, 2026 +5

I had to stop, I couldn't make it thru.

5

pancak3d Apr 11, 2026 +25

It's weird that this is such a common experience -- you feel so much worse for Jesse (and really everyone in Walt's orbit) watching it a second time.

25

myassholealt Apr 11, 2026 +9

It is. I know Walt is the protagonist so we are told the story in a way that makes us sympathetic to Walt's perspective the entire time, and thus inclined to be more against anyone that challenges him, but at the same time there are moments where he is objectively in the wrong and other characters are being harmed in ways they didn't ask for or deserve, because of him. And it's odd to see how many people miss it. To not even once, through the whole show, be able to view a scenario from Skyler or Jessie's perspective and see they are not the bad guy for their conflict with Walt is surprising.

9

fnbannedbymods Apr 11, 2026 +17

Just like Trainspotting - folks saying it glamorized drugs did not see this episode.

17

OlSnickerdoodle Apr 11, 2026 +8

I was watching with my parents, it was my second time and their first, and when that episode finished, my parents were silent for a few minutes and then my mom just went "I don't think I want to watch this show anymore." That was it for them.

8

WeeeeBaby_Seamus Apr 11, 2026 +20

I've rewatched it many times and always, always skip over that part. There's cringe and there's...that.

20

timesuck897 Apr 11, 2026 +149

The first time, you start rooting for Walter, as he’s the main character. Skyler is being a nag. For the second viewing, you know the ending.

149

seancbo Apr 11, 2026 +79

Seeing Walt and Jesse's relationship over time is insanely tragic the second time around, knowing how much worse things are going to get for Jesse especially.

79

Mst3Kgf Apr 11, 2026 +29

You're especially afraid of when Todd will enter the picture.

29

Ilikegreenpens Apr 11, 2026 +13

Todd is still one of my most hated tv villains

13

DisposableSaviour Apr 11, 2026 +22

When Todd killed the kid without a second thought, that made Todd f****** scary; he was just kind of a doofus guy that was with a biker gang, and then ***BANG***. M*********** was cold as f***.

22

pitaenigma Apr 12, 2026 +21

Jesse Plemons has a way of being really friendly and open-seeming while having shark eyes. Just dead glassy lenses where other people have eyes. He doesn't use it in all his roles (he plays a genuine nice and dumb guy in Fargo who's just really good at ignoring reality), but it's all over Breaking Bad.

21

shrik Apr 12, 2026 +4

He's so good at this in Bugonia! The circumstances are a little... different, but he draws on those same skills really well.

4

PuppetPal_Clem Apr 11, 2026 +33

I keep seeing this take all over this thread and being honest it comes off as you the viewer grew up in between watching it the first and second times. because I cannot for the life of me see siding with walt even on the first watch through without a massive dose of immature chauvinism being your lens.. don't even have to know the ending to know he's the bad guy in their relationship.

33

marmosetohmarmoset Apr 11, 2026 +78

I hated Walt from the beginning the first time around, but to be fair I had just broken up with my long time boyfriend who had turned out to be a pathological liar so my tolerance for lying men was at an all time low. 14-ish years later and I’m doing a rewatch. I was curious if I’d feel differently now given the breakup is no longer fresh. I was trying to watch with an open mind, trying to see this slow transformation from family man you root for to monster that everyone talks about. But no… he’s an a****** from the very first episode. Maybe I feel like that because I’m now a wife and mother myself. Maybe you have to be 20- something boy to root for Walt.

78

AttonJRand Apr 11, 2026 +31

He's clearly intended to be an a****** from the very first episode. Its very weird the amount of people who seem to want to paint him in a good light, as a good dude who went down a bad path and then redeemed himself. But its total nonsense. And the flashbacks and explanation of his old relationships makes this so damn unambiguous too, I'm always stunned by how invested people get in their initial assumptions, or how personally they take a character they like having bad qualities.

31

mybustlinghedgerow Apr 11, 2026 +10

I started hating Walt VERY early. I think it started when he screwed over that really nice janitor to avoid getting caught for stealing from the school lab. Him sexually assaulting Skyler sealed the deal for me.

10

izzy-springbolt Apr 11, 2026 +43

See, this is what confounds me. Even the first watch through I was horrified by Walter's abuse and treatment of Skyler, and was constantly feeling bad for her. I don't know how anyone could have missed it.

43

G-Geef Apr 11, 2026 +20

Man I couldn't root for him by the end of the first season, he's such a terrible person and it comes through so quickly.

20

25sittinon25cents Apr 11, 2026 +126

Yeah, a Lotta listnookors were straight dicks whenever anyone would defend her for years after the show was over

126

RyanB_ Apr 11, 2026 +61

Ngl, I always figured the general demographics of Listnook (especially back in the day) had a lot of overlap with Walter’s “type”. Obviously super male-dominated, but more specifically, lots of STEM types who place a lot of value on conventional intelligence and very much consider themselves the smartest in most any room, while also having a lot of insecurity over not being universally recognized and respected as such.

61

Monstertelly Apr 11, 2026 +61

Were? I still have conversations with people where I defend Skyler as being one of the good guys in the series and I’m almost always met with “nah she was a b****”.

61

eldenpotato Apr 12, 2026 +15

They’re in this very thread too lol

15

0zzm0s1s Apr 11, 2026 +9

Tons of people on Facebook groups do the same thing. I try to point out that she was trying to survive the monster that Walter White turned into and the hellscape he dragged her and his kids into, and that everything would have worked out much better if he had just swallowed his damn pride and took the job at Grey Matter for the health insurance. Nope, “she was a b**** and should have worshipped the ground Walter walked on because he was just providing for his family.”

9

Wild-Display-765 Apr 11, 2026 +42

It’s now referred to as The Skylar White Syndrome. It’s when people are discussing other series with women they see as holding their men back, no matter how despicable the man is.

42

SalukiKnightX Apr 11, 2026 +7

I was mostly on her side from day one (kinda helped not watching it live but as binge). I saw Walter as a buffoonish character whose intelligence was thwarted by his pride and selfishness, it’s partly why at first I saw him as this comedic character who couldn’t get out of his own way and not as this bad ass. Even Jesse, I saw him as a wayward man who given his estrangement from his family lost his way and instead of Walter setting him straight made him go deeper down a path he (along with Walter) weren’t supposed to go down. This goes to Skyler, the one who after feeling like her husband’s random disappearances was like he’s having an affair, has an affair of her own and is vilified for the rest of the show’s run. Has an infant and an impaired soon to graduate high school son but has to worry about whatever her husband’s doing that’s not going to chemo. His murdering, drug selling, deception of doing everything for the family despite barely being there with them. Yet, she’s the villain for getting in the way of his criminal enterprise so he could be present for their children.

7

targetcowboy Apr 11, 2026 +28

I watched the show again a few years ago and it’s amazing how bad Walt comes across on the second viewing. He’s far more pathetic and arrogant. He’s smart obviously, but not nearly as intelligent as he thinks he is. He creates a lot of his problems and messes up constantly. He let his pride and ego get in the way of what’s best for his family. I was never a Skylar hater like some people but I understood her more as an older adult and with new eyes. I think her biggest sin was taking Walt for granted early on, but that’s not a horrible thing. She obviously loved him and his cancer diagnosis hit her hard.

28

ringobob Apr 11, 2026 +8

The show intentionally sets her up as emotionally unavailable to Walt, and so far as it goes, it's not like that's not real, in the show. It's just that once you know who Walt really is, you start to see that Walt probably kept her at arms length prior to the start of the show. He was so focused on himself and being the victim that he was probably the architect of her distance from him that we see at the beginning.

8

DontDropTheSoap4 Apr 11, 2026 +53

The thing is Skylar is almost never wrong and basically 100% justified for her actions the entire time. But that doesn’t change the fact she’s annoying when on screen lol.

53

MythicalCaseTheory Apr 11, 2026 +45

I just have this feeling that during my cancer treatment my wife isn't going to be giving me shit for smoking pot (even at that time frame) *and* going to my dealer's house to tell him to stop selling to me. Which causes her to come across as a naggy, control freak extremely early, and you almost don't blame Walt for rebelling. At least, I think that's why my opinion of her doesn't change much throughout the show.

45

MarvelsGrantMan136 Apr 11, 2026 +1791

Cranston on who the better TV wife was, Lois or Skyler: >“Well, strictly from a character standpoint… Lois,” replied Cranston, prompting Frankie Muniz to echo the general viewer sentiment towards Skyler: “I wanted to kill Skyler… Your life would have been so much easier! You were such a bad guy, you could’ve just gotten rid of her. All she did was complain!” >That’s when Cranston interjected to offer a more nuanced take on Skyler and criticise the real-life hate and death threats that Gunn received. >“She got a lot of blowback from that. Well, first of all, Anna Gunn is a superb actor,” said Cranston, who then pointed out how absurd the hate was. “Her husband leaves without any explanation. She’s pregnant. He’s making crystal methamphetamine. People have died… and she’s the b*tch?!”

1791

Straightwad Apr 11, 2026 +940

I fully agree with him. I never understood the Skylar hate. Her situation was incredibly messed up and she was just a suburban woman from a pretty quiet and boring life thrown into the criminal underworld by her husband while also having her regular life to deal with. Also agree her performance was fantastic, I rewatched breaking bad recently and I kept thinking she actually has a lot of range and ability to play a character like Skylar who has a lot of layers. I think some people don’t realize Walt’s the bad guy in breaking bad.

940

AccurateJerboa Apr 11, 2026 +508

Walt also raped her.

508

Mechromancer3X Apr 11, 2026 +273

Yeah people really seem to just brush over that as if it was normal or something😬

273

Gootangus Apr 11, 2026 +190

Because tragically even today we treat r*** in the context of a marriage (I’m not going to call it marital r*** because r*** is simply r***) as okay. It’s domestic terrorism and abuse. Edit: disabling notifications I don’t wanna argue about r***, I wasn’t being literal about terrorism. But also he was literally blowing up buildings, raping his wife and running a drug empire lmao

190

Hyfrith Apr 11, 2026 +48

Don't make the mistake of thinking that terrorism is anything designed to cause fear, or enable coercive control in a home is "domestic" terrorism. By definition all terrorism, domestic (ie, from within your own country) or not, must have a political agenda to it. Domestic abuse is abuse, but definitely not terrorism.

48

DarthMaren Apr 11, 2026 +20

Wait really? When did that happen

20

AccurateJerboa Apr 11, 2026 +124

Season 2, when they're in the kitchen. She said no at least 5 times and eventually he physically hurts her. Both Cranston and gilligan have referred to it as a r*** scene

124

zberry7 Apr 12, 2026 +26

He also rapes her in season 5. They cut most of the scene out cause it was dark so they cut after Walt gets into bed with a terrified Skylar and he starts kissing on her. Well idk google the extended scene if you like but in the original show it’s only implied, in the full scene it’s much more in your face

26

DarthMaren Apr 11, 2026 +38

Oh 😟 ya f*** Walter White

38

MatQueefer Apr 12, 2026 +6

In the *first episode*! How anyone watched the rest of the show thinking he started off as a nice guy is beyond me.

6

Cheap-Technician-482 Apr 11, 2026 +128

I don't get this at all. Are there actually people who think Skylar White was a worse person than Heisenberg? I know there were a lot of people who didn't like having their cool, druglord story interrupted by nagging, no matter how justified it was. The character was intentionally made unpleasant for Walt, which made her unpleasant for viewers, too. Walt was a bad person. He was fun to watch. She was a normal person. She was not fun to watch. It isn't that deep.

128

SpaceZombieZed Apr 11, 2026 +133

Anna Gunn said she was getting death threats so…

133

Subject-Town Apr 11, 2026 +40

We really aren’t a rational species.

40

HopelessCineromantic Apr 11, 2026 +40

A large swath of audiences are primed to see the protagonist of a story as a hero/morally good character in most situations. At worst, they'll acknowledge them as morally ambiguous or perhaps an anti-hero. Even then, they tend to see characters that challenge, impede, or frustrate the protagonist as bad, without really looking at the context. I knew people who thought that the cops who didn't like Vic Mackey on The Shield were villains because Vic was doing the right thing when he took bribes, dealt drugs, and murdered.

40

AlsoIHaveAGroupon Apr 11, 2026 +27

There was an old Seinfeld stand-up bit about watching nature documentaries. When the documentary is about an antelope, and a lion is chasing it, it's "get away, antelope! Use your speed!" But when the documentary is about a lion, and it's chasing an antelope, it's "get that antelope! Corner it so it can't use its speed!"

27

russianrug Apr 11, 2026 +36

I think it’s a combo of toxic male pride that many men are socialized with and misogyny. I think some people think he had no choice but to sell drugs to cover his cancer treatment, since accepting his rich friends money would’ve meant giving up his masculinity, and so Skyler was obviously just being a b****. To all my dudes out there, there’s nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it.

36

BeastlySavage Apr 11, 2026 +26

I once read a quote that viewers dont apply morality to characters they are either "entertaining" or "annoying". Which is why people can love evil characters like the joker but hater morally "correct" characters like skylar. People are watching breaking bad to see Walter cook meth and generally be insane and Skyler often "gets in the way" of that. Beyond the obvious sexism people often hate Skylar because she predictable and goes against what people are excited to see happen. Even though she amazingly written and performed spectacularly.

26

fadetoblack1004 Apr 11, 2026 +24

It's even worse than that. He was offered legal avenues to financial security and said no because of his pride. I know it's just a TV show, but Walter was an a******, through and through.

24

p4rty_sl0th Apr 11, 2026 +13

I think people hated Skylar because she was the normal person and not in the "action" stuff that we love to see in these shows. Anyone with kids watching the show did not hate her lol

13

FX114 Apr 11, 2026 +216

Damn, Frankie Muniz L.

216

zombiesingularity Apr 11, 2026 +69

He tells Bryan Cranston after that he agrees with him "when you put it that way".

69

dj4y_94 Apr 11, 2026 +142

To be fair he did say "you were a bad guy and it would have made life easier". I don't think it would have made Walt's life easier but it would have been the ultimate move to show his descent from mild mannered teacher to criminal mastermind.

142

Apolloshot Apr 11, 2026 +47

Also that’s such a Malcom answer I almost thought he was being semi in-character for a moment.

47

New_Cockroach_505 Apr 11, 2026 +187

Not really? He’s clearly joking in the interview because he loves Cranston and wanted his character to “win” and agrees with Cranston when he starts really getting into the question.

187

dexy133 Apr 11, 2026 +111

People seem to not realize this was from a hot wing eating 1v1 interview on First We Feast (Hot Ones) Youtube channel. It was not a serious interview, they were just having fun.

111

soul-taker Apr 11, 2026 +54

It's kinda crazy how a solid ~50% of pop culture news articles I see are basically just sites typing what celebs said on a spicy chicken wing eating YouTube channel.

54

JoeLunchpail Apr 11, 2026 +10

I don't know why, but this comment gave me more pause than some of the criminal war news has. What the f*** are we doing.

10

Jaybojones Apr 11, 2026 +1163

Why won’t B**** wife let Walt cook a crumb of Meth.

1163

Hot-Bid-4493 Apr 11, 2026 +361

The funnier part of this is b**** wife *did* let Walt cook way more than a crumb of meth. Ultimately, Skylar stayed with Walt and supported him professionally until they had made generational wealth, then asked him to stop so they could just be a family again.

361

Tallocaust Apr 11, 2026 +83

Why doesn't Walt, the larger of the two, simply eat the smaller spouse?

83

smedsterwho Apr 11, 2026 +27

Here's what you gonna do

27

mrnicegy26 Apr 11, 2026 +914

One of the biggest issues of Breaking Bad getting so mainstream popular is that there is an unironic large segment of people who say Walt as this badass sigma hero and everyone who opposed him as villian.

914

Jiktten Apr 11, 2026 +282

I remember when it aired that badass picture of Walter as Heisenberg with the quote "I am the one who knocks" was *everywhere*, posters, t-shirts, badges, all of it. Imagine my surprise when I finally got around to watching it and got to the scene when he actually says that line, in a panicked rage and sounding like he's on the verge of tears as he tries to convince his wife that he's totally definitely in control, when it is blatantly obvious that he is absolutely not. It's a brilliantly written and acted scene, incredibly powerful, but not *at all* what the merchandise implies.

282

Reutermo Apr 11, 2026 +28

The show Bojack horseman had an entire season on how hard it is to write flawed, antagonistic and sometimes vile main characters in fiction because a not insignificant amount of people will always read them as morally good because they are the main character. And that was a decade ago, it is way way worse today.

28

ramblingEvilShroom Apr 11, 2026 +107

Plus there’s the fact that Jesse was the one who knocked on Gale’s door with a gun, Walt just told him to do it. He’s literally not the one who knocks

107

MrPlowThatsTheName Apr 11, 2026 +44

Same with Michael Douglas’s “greed is good” speech in Wall Street, in which he is very clearly the villain. Boomers and every finance bro ever since has made it their mantra if not entire identity.

44

robs104 Apr 11, 2026 +29

Same thing with cops having punisher skulls and c***. Completely missing the point of the character.

29

Samurai_Meisters Apr 11, 2026 +27

It's like the Mad Men "I don't think about you at all" meme. I finally watched Mad Men, and Don literally spends that entire episode obsessing over the guy and sabotaging his career, because he felt threatened by him.

27

YesicaChastain Apr 11, 2026 +11

It’s very Fight Club or Wolf Of Wall Street

11

topicality Apr 11, 2026 +245

This was a thing even when it was airing. The OG viewers weren't some high art intellectuals, they thought this shit too

245

LongtimeLurkersacc Apr 11, 2026 +65

I had a buddy who would die on the hill poisoning Brock was essential and doesn’t make Walt a bad guy to him he’s just doing what he had to do to survive, while also calling Jesse a dirty rat who deserved to become indentured

65

xavPa-64 Apr 11, 2026 +38

That lily of the valley reveal at the end was such great storytelling though lol

38

Mst3Kgf Apr 11, 2026 +11

This despite the show making it very clear that Walt's situation is largely of his own making.

11

Generic_user_person Apr 11, 2026 +49

Anthony Starr (Home lander) talks about how a decent portion of fans he interacts with genuinely don't seem to grasp that he's the bad guy. It's disturbing tbh.

49

nimsu Apr 11, 2026 +78

See American Psycho and Fight Club for other examples

78

9thWd Apr 11, 2026 +24

Rorschach

24

TeekTheReddit Apr 11, 2026 +21

I get admiring Rorschach's persistence and iron clad adherence to his personal philosophy, but a lot of people definitely seem to have overlooked that, at the end of the day, he's a smelly hobo with untreated mental issues.

21

SpiritJuice Apr 11, 2026 +22

Snyder's adaptation of Watchmen did not help because he made everyone look cool and badass instead of the overzealous, grandiose vigilantes they actually were.

22

asianwaste Apr 11, 2026 +16

The best example is The Shield. The audience starts out thinking Mackey's a rogue cop who skirts the line to get the job done. Then you start seeing some of the awful shit he does and try to compromise it in your mind. Eventually you forget that he's an absolute monster. Then... near the last moment, they just straight up lay out all of the cards on the table and are immediately reminded how much of a terrible person he is. They literally list everything. You even begin to feel guilty for ever cheering him on as a protagonist. It was some excellent narrative engineering.

16

Mst3Kgf Apr 11, 2026 +13

That scene in the penultimate episode where he uses his immunity deal to confess everything is a real wakeup call to the audience, because it just goes on and on and you realize, "Good lord, this man has done so many awful things." But then, this should have been obvious from the start since the first episode ends with him LITERALLY SHOOTING ANOTHER COP IN THE FACE.

13

asianwaste Apr 11, 2026 +5

Around that time, I was starting to get tired of the Shield and was ready for it to end. Then that scene hit and then the next ones... and then the ones after that. It went from fatigue to arguably one of TV's greatest finales in my book.

5

Mst3Kgf Apr 11, 2026 +5

Vic's fate alone would have cemented it as great, but Shane's fate on top of that makes it one of the greatest yet most brutal TV endings ever. "Family meeting."

5

IttyBittyOhSoPretty Apr 11, 2026 +38

See every mob movie ever.

38

quatroquatro0 Apr 11, 2026 +4

Did people do that to tony soprano too? How is it not clear tony is almost always the bad guy who instigates.

4

Delicious_Series3869 Apr 11, 2026 +6

Probably, yeah. But to the credit to The Sopranos writers, they did the best at highlighting issues in a way that the audience couldn't ignore. Not just "mob boss" issues, but real world ones. Anxiety, depression, childhood traumas, existentialism, the monotony of life, etc.

6

StillAll Apr 11, 2026 +11

I loved fight club as a young man. Saw it at 18 and so much of it felt like it spoke to me. Then 15 years later I show it to my daughter. My god! It has so many important neuances that were completely lost on me as a young man! My daughter loved it though....

11

pobodys-nerfect5 Apr 11, 2026 +20

I recently rewatched it and I honestly couldn’t believe that I hated that woman at one point in time. I would yell at the tv screen while sitting next to my gf

20

TenZetsuRenHatsu Apr 11, 2026 +16

I hated her at 15. Rewatching as a 25 year old man, I gained a much better understand of Skylar and supported her over Walt much earlier than I expected in the show. What's sad is when men older than I was at the time (15) who truly went along with Walt's shit. For example there's people who are so braindead they were cheering the phone call when Walt called Skylar a b**** at the end of S5...when it clearly hurt him to say and he didn't mean it. After all Walt did by the end of S5 and they still cheered that moment. Completely insane.

16

ascagnel____ Apr 11, 2026 +23

Same story with Scarface. He wasn't a badass, he was a coke-head addict in love with his sister.

23

Apolloshot Apr 11, 2026 +16

In my opinion that’s because Gilligan and his writing team did a good job of making sure that most of the time Walt wasn’t the baddest of bad guys on the show — there was always somebody worse, or rather let’s say someone that could be *perceived* as worse. So you could show Walt doing something awful, and then still begrudgingly root for him because the other guys were literal neo-Nazi’s. That’s why it was so good when Walt would do something so evil that you, as a viewer, would go “wait, maybe he’s actually *worse* than the fing Nazi’s?”

16

DrogoOmega Apr 11, 2026 +285

Correct. I never understood the hatred people spewed at her. She was incredibly valid in her reaction.

285

SwordfishOk504 Apr 11, 2026 +138

It's easy to understand when it was coming mostly from young guys who saw her as their mom.

138

OuterSpaceBootyHole Apr 11, 2026 +43

Yeah exactly. Listnook loves to think of itself as some high intellectual vanguard but literally all the replies are saying they were 15 when they watched and were mad at women.

43

SwordfishOk504 Apr 11, 2026 +16

>"It's, uh, it's not that hard, Mom. It says 'Crunch' on the box."

16

Rainaco Apr 11, 2026 +49

For me it’s that I want to watch scenes with drugs and gangs and drug deals. I don’t want to watch scenes about a bored housewife. That’s not Skylar’s fault though

49

RavenOfNod Apr 11, 2026 +19

Yeah. I think a lot of the flack was just that her storyline often took away from the larger story that was happening. I know the intent was to broaden the story and show how Walter's actions were impacting his family, but I didn't didn't care to watch a car wash storyline, or frankly, much about about Frank and his wife.

19

Electronic_Film_2837 Apr 11, 2026 +17

Because the show is interesting because of the insane meth empire not her

17

StingKing456 Apr 11, 2026 +160

I gotta be honest, I watched the show shortly after it finished and I had avoided spoilers for the most part but I kept hearing how awful Skyler was and was prepared to totally hate the character and...she's very sympathetic and a good character? She makes some big mistakes (as good characters do) and is far from a perfect person but everyone screaming and crying about how awful she was really surprised me. Her husband became a drug lord lmao. She's doing ok comparatively

160

cmere-2-me Apr 11, 2026 +83

It's the classic nagging wife trope. There's a reason that it is such a stereotype. She's a woman whose husband has checked out. Her son has special needs, they barely have enough money to scrape by and she has a surprise baby in her 40s. She is carrying the mental load in that family. People obviously sympathise with Walt early on with the cancer diagnosis but Skyler deserves some sympathy too. It's hard to be all likable and fun when you are the only thing keeping it all together.

83

Sweaty-taxman Apr 11, 2026 +48

I think the show is more from Walt’s pov so it’s easy to side with the main character

48

POPTARTBURNR Apr 11, 2026 +27

Skylar stopped the fun. A pregnant upset housewife is relatable to a lot of people, and honestly a drag to watch on screen regardless of how reasonable or realistic it is. People tune in to watch the boys making meth more than they do to watch a dudes shitty marriage problems. I didn't have a huge issue with the character myself, and the hate she gets as an actor is unjustified, but I understand why people hated the character.

27

Vingle Apr 11, 2026 +12

Skylar is annoying to watch before she finally gets involved with the meth. People hate annoying characters over evil ones, every time.

12

thesame98 Apr 11, 2026 +108

Is it just me that never hated Skyler? Like I can see that maybe you dont find her scenes are exciting as those involved in the drug empire, but the first time I watched it, it was pretty justified why she was bitchy.

108

breakupbydefault Apr 11, 2026 +30

Same. I had always thought while her husband was deep in the criminal crystal meth underworld, she's one of the few that is still anchored to the normal world. Given the situation that she was thrown into, I'd say she's making a lot of logical decisions that makes the best of the situation in terms of keeping her family safe, whether it's from the king pins or cops.

30

Nervous_Insect5976 Apr 11, 2026 +21

Yeah, she was 40 and pregnant with a dying husband and a special needs son and barely any money coming in. Husband is gone and she has to work while pregnant. Gee, she isn’t a ray of sunshine. Bitches getting in the way of making meth, the audacity!

21

Salarian_American Apr 11, 2026 +128

Yeah that's how shows about criminals doing criminal things work. The audience identifies with the protagonist. They could be a horrible person, and we root for them because that's who the camera is pointed at.

128

firesticks Apr 11, 2026 +145

The hate for Skyler was beyond simple protagonist protection however. It revealed an extreme level of misogyny and lack of nuance among many viewers, who couldn’t reconcile that Walt was in fact an anti-hero and a shitty person.

145

hyperforms9988 Apr 11, 2026 +32

There's a shift that happens in the show. I think most people will agree that when the show first starts, boy is she overbearing, controlling to a degree, does not let a single thing go, but there's a point where it's justified and you can't really make excuses for Walt anymore. When Walt finally starts to come loose a little bit and says "Right now, what I need, is for you to climb down out of my ass. Can you do that? Will you do that for me honey? Will you please, just once, get off my ass? You know I'd appreciate it. I really would," it's hard not to agree with the overall sentiment... maybe not exactly at that point in the show as that shift has probably already happened by that point, but absolutely towards the beginning of the show and the history and overall vibe of the relationship that you get, that's probably what most people feel. Like dude, YES, tell her! It's a bit f****** late for that, but you do feel that with earlier lines in the show like Walt feeling like he never really gets to make his own decisions as a general life statement when they discuss whether or not he wants to go through with treatment. I think the hard pill to swallow here is that while she's absolutely in the right not far into the show, as a viewer however, she's essentially the one trying to ruin all the fun that you're having watching Walt and his exploits... so yes she is the b**** in that way. And even when she inserts herself into the "business", Walt wants to get his son a sports car. Nope. PT Cruiser. Walt wants laser tag. Nope. Car wash. Walt wants to tell the family X story about how he got his money. Nope. Here's what you're going to say, here's the script, blah blah blah. We're right back into the same overall issue the relationship itself had. Maybe not to that extreme, but it is the same overall vibe. To the viewer that wants fun, yes she **is** the b**** ruining everybody's fun... but she's justified in being that way because that's her husband and she's got a family to take care of. It's a matter of perspective I think.

32

GirlisNo1 Apr 11, 2026 +79

Skylar S1: I’m upset cause my husband keeps lying to me Audience: YOU F****** B****

79

Mst3Kgf Apr 11, 2026 +29

"My husband is a murderous drug lord and endangering our children." "WE LOVE OUR DRUG LORD STOP BEING A KILLJOY B****!!!"

29

GreninjaStrike Apr 11, 2026 +9

But has he considered the birthday scene?

9

WillNeighbor Apr 11, 2026 +58

I can't lie, first time I watched BB i stopped at like S3 because I couldn't stand Skyler. I finally spun it again last year, and I think I hated Walt more. Her acting/casting was incredible

58

Stoddyman Apr 11, 2026 +42

Skyler was the only one in the show that actually reacted in a realistic way. Even how she covers it up at first and goes along with it

42

DowntownAd9720 Apr 11, 2026 +20

Upon rewatch, she actually gives Walt way more grace than a lot of spouses would in her exact same situation (and way more than he deserved)

20

Stoddyman Apr 11, 2026 +11

I cant even imagine the horror of finding out someone I loved most in this world doing stuff Walt did

11

ADifferentMachine Apr 11, 2026 +25

Half this thread is people picking sides. No they both suck. Skylar sucks. Walt sucks. They're both awful people. Yes, Walt is worse. But that doesnt make what Skylar does right, and it certainly doesnt make her likeable. You dont have to choose to like Skylar just because Walt is a piece of shit too.

25

HolyBidetServitor Apr 11, 2026 +16

Because out of anyone, she had to get ham-wrangled by that no good, dirty, rotten, handsome *Ted Beneke* 😡 homie walt just trying to make his nutt

16

staedtler2018 Apr 11, 2026 +13

To me this kind of argument misses the point. **Breaking Bad** is television, not reality. People don't judge characters not on how their actions would play out in reality. They judge them based on the logic and entertainment value of the story that they belong in. Personally I think Skyler just wasn't well-conceived as a character. She doesn't have much chemistry with Walt. They have very little in common. Their marriage is presented as boring. It has to be, since Walt needs an unsatisfying life to have a motivation. The show just doesn't give her that much to do. Sure, the way she reacts to Walt is realistic and appropriate in reality... but in a show, it's boring and lame. In general Walt's life pre-diagnosis is a bit nonsensical.

13

Rxasaurus Apr 11, 2026 +6

I kept hitting the upvote but it only counted as one.

6

Zecellomaster Apr 11, 2026 +37

I don’t understand this infantilization of Skylar White because she has glaring character flaws as well though. She smoked while pregnant and in the same room as the newborn, endangered her family by giving away the money to her criminal boss without telling Walt, and, most critically, helped him continue to be a drug lord by laundering his money. It seems like people are forgetting the scene where the divorce lawyer tells her exactly what to do (divorce him and report him to police) and she refuses. Not to side with Walter or call him a good person at all, but Skyler made several poor decisions in key moments on the show, and while that doesn’t make her evil, it really doesn’t make her good or free from criticism.

37

GenWTecumseh Apr 11, 2026 +15

I think the big problem is that Breaking Bad tries to convince their viewers that Skyler is blameless and it just isn’t persuasively done. It’s likely why people like Kim in Better Call Saul a lot more than Skyler. We aren’t constantly lied to that Kim is just a victim of Jimmy’s nefarious activities.

15

IndyLohan Apr 11, 2026 +4

naw, she may have been sympathetic at one point, but she does some fucked up shit to. And at one point becomes complicit in everything Walt is doing. His sins aren't hers, but they are both tainted as the story unravels. Only blameless characters are walt Jr. and Hank and his wife. Everyone else is fucked up.

4

Bryan Cranston praises ‘Breaking Bad’ co-star Anna Gunn while defending Skyler White: “Her husband leaves without any explanation. She’s pregnant. He’s making crystal meth. People have died…and she’s the b*tch?”

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