Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinordi
Much of the Skylar hate is rooted in sexism. "If only that nagging wife would get out of the way of this awesome guy, she's the problem."
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I'm not sure if it can be classified as 'sexism'. I think it's more a conditioning of audiences to identify with male/masculine characters and perceive the events and situations of a story through their eyes. Laura Mulvey calls it the "male gaze" (although most of her work revolves around female physical imagery), and the theory not only makes a lot of sense but applies perfectly to fans' opinions on characters like Skylar.
It certainly is that aspect of "If only that nagging wife would get out of the way of this awesome guy", but I think it's more that we like to identify with Walt's badassery and want to reflect a bit of ourselves onto his character. The guy has confidence, intelligence, is a provider, and has the balls to get things done. Apart from the mild sociopathy he has a lot of the traits most people desire, and Skylar is the only character with the sway to impede Walt's progress. We don't like seeing, essentially, ourselves held back like that, and develop resentment for the character.
Gunn's article has me re-evaluating my opinion of her interpretation of her own character somewhat (omitting the affair in making her argument), but to attack her as a bad actress simply because you don't like her on-screen character is completely misguided.