Breaking Bad

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

Anna Gunn writes a NY Times article on the hatred that Skyler has received.



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/op...ter-issue.html

I despised Skylar because she cheated on Walt. Now that that has kind of faded, I don't mind her as much. People look at Walt now and see someone who is truly evil and no longer have sympathy for him, but going back to seasons 2 and 3, he was still a very sympathetic character and Skylar's affair with Ted was just terrible. Beyond that though, I don't find her to be a particularly interesting character. When compared to people like Walt, Jesse, Gus, Mike, Hank, etc., she is just boring and tends to take away screen time from these more compelling characters. In contract, Game of Thrones has several interesting female characters that I really like, so I don't think it is fair to call someone's negative feelings towards her sexist.

Edit: Also, after reading the article, I find it kind of suspect that Anna Gunn completely omits her character's affair. Also kind of dubious to suggest that male characters don't inspire the same kind of vitriol. I don't think there has ever been a character in TV history that I have hated as much as Joffrey Baratheon.

[Methanolic]

Originally Posted by Ark2

Edit: Also, after reading the article, I find it kind of suspect that Anna Gunn completely omits her character's affair.

^ No kidding! I read the article, kinda ridiculous that she paints the Skylar haters with the same broad brush and states the hate is because Skylar has a "backbone of steel". gimmie a break.

Anna Gunn: "But I finally realized that most people’s hatred of Skyler had little to do with me and a lot to do with their own perception of women and wives. Because Skyler didn’t conform to a comfortable ideal of the archetypical female, she had become a kind of Rorschach test for society, a measure of our attitudes toward gender."

[ranchlandsselling]

Brutal Sykler write up.

Totally omits the affair as others have said. She's annying as heck. I actually have been plowing through seasons 1 and 2 in between and she was actually fine in season 1 and slowly getting worse in season 2.

Also she's gotting progressvily less attractive as the seasons have gone on. I don't find her attractive regardless but she's put on weight, dresses horribly, banged Ted, all her scenes are nagging and complaining. She's not disliked because she's represents a strong back boned woman she's disliked because in a 45 minute show the only screen time she gets is nagging. It represents everything that I dislike about my wife and none of the positives. NAG NAG NAG. There's no good shown about her because the show's not about her. I'm sure maybe when it's just her and Walt Jr. out for a stroll and hang out mother and daughter she's perfectly fine. Thankfully that's not part of the show.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I think she's speaking to the sheer venom of the comments, not the number of people who dislike her character. When people are stating that she(Anna, not skylar) needs to die, that's just ridiculous. It's a tv show folks, lets all calm down.

[Methanolic]

^ Agreed, She made it clear that there are weirdos out there that can't seem to separate the character from the actor. Apparently the young actor Jack Gleeson (Joffery Baratheon) suffers the same kind of hatred in real life, although I imagine his situation is far worse than Anna's.


Where she failed was claiming the reason for the hate was that Skylar is a strong willed woman instead of acknowledging Skylar's bad traits, the real reason for the hatred, such as her infidelity and relentless naggery. The fact that She chose to not point out these characteristics makes her comments that the hate is gender based just dumb.

maybe She doesn't watch the show?

[FlamesAddiction]

The whole idea that there is substantial gender bias is idiotic. I didn't like Mike either. Nor am I really digging 'emo' Jesse these days. I must hate men now I guess.

I actually don't mind Skylar as much as some. She is a bit of a buzzkill and I don't find her side stories interesting enough that I look forward to her scenes, but I don't hate the character. In a weird way, I kind of like Marie because I find her prudeness at least comical. Jane was wicked though IMO and in the context of the story, he was right for letting her die. Not just to save himself, but to also help Jesse.

[Methanolic]

I don't mind Skylar that much either at this point. Her confrontation with Lydia showed a different and likeable side as She was allying with Walt and the business. She did really get under my skin however during the period where She kicked Walt out of the house, found her to be somewhat unreasonable at times.

And yeah, the subtle humor when it comes to Marie is great. All the purple really makes me chuckle, I think her toaster in the kitchen is even purple.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Methanolic

All the purple really makes me chuckle, I think her toaster in the kitchen is even purple.

By around season 3 the purple started to irritate me to no end. There was a purple bag of coffee beans. That was my tipping point.

[Methanolic]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

By around season 3 the purple started to irritate me to no end. There was a purple bag of coffee beans. That was my tipping point.

Ha Ha!!!

[Yamer]

Another brilliant episode. I knew Jesse was going to figure that out. I'm now pretty sure that Jesse isn't going to flipped by Hank, he's going to try and kill Walt. I'm guessing it won't be successful...

[Arbitor]

I think Todd's group is going to get caught and he'll confess about Walt. Whether they get caught by the DEA or the Czechs remains to be seen.

I don't see Jesse hurting Walt directly, but maybe indirectly by inadvertently killing Skylar.

[nik-]

Amazing episode. The video monologue, the desert scene, the ending. All pretty great.

[Mike F]

[jammies]

That confession of Walt's was brilliant. So was the whole episode. I keep thinking they can't ramp it up any higher, then they prove me wrong.

[JeanLucPicard]

Jesse go ape ####. Jesse mad.

[calgarywinning]

I thought Saul Goodman was going to being going to Belize. The clock was winding down and I was biting that it might be goodbye.

Did anyone else notice that the lawyer's name is a synonym to It'S All Good Man..

I am going to bet that Jesse will have to die, which I prefer to him flipping on Walt. There relationship is obviously completely destroyed which is sad. They made a great duo.

A++ episode. Liked the recounting of the train theft as well.

[djsFlames]

These writers and Vince continue to amaze me.

Every week I've tried countless predictions in my head for what's happening next, only to be foiled and simultaneously amazed. Strangely, I was close for the first half of this episode, but the second half just blew it all out of the water. Watching Hank and Marie's faces just watching that confession was priceless. To me it was a confession of Walt truly breaking bad, as he has likely forever fractured whatever relationship their family had, for the sake of forcing Hank to back off. The subtle humor sprinkled in here and there (the restaurant). The recollection of the robbery, which most shows never seem to do (always on to the next thing) it gives us a broader perspective on the people surrounding the current meth business and brings light to Heisenberg's legendary status amongst them now.

And the build up to Jesse finally...FINALLY putting all the puzzle pieces together. So, so much build up to this moment. You just knew he had a bigger part to play when it was all said and done. He's seemingly been looking forever for something to blame for all his misery and misfortune. Cause he knows that most of his actions have been out of care for others, yet they've all come to be hurt in some way. He's suspected Walt many times, but never been able to really Know that Walt was truly the one that screwed him, so he could never really let it out on him. So he's only had himself to blame, hence all the depression. But now that's all changed, and now we're seeing the strength of all his bottled emotions come out. Just amazing how it all built up to that moment with the cigarette box. And because Walt jerked him around for so long, funny enough it'll be his long time partner to be the one to change everything for him. I say this because I think that if he doesn't do something drastic at the house, Jesse's probably going to run into Walt Jr. face to face, and open a whole new can of worms for Walt.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

If you think that Jesse will hurt a member of Walt's family in the same way that Walt hurt Brock I think he'd target Holly over Walt Jr. Not sure why, perhaps because of how defenceless a baby truly is.

Secondly, do you think Hank might parallel Mike? Cop that broke bad, you don't know why, but lives by a struck code of ethics/honour. Perhaps Mine was in the same position Hank is in now, then was forced to work for Fring because of his family.

Lasy, I never realized Hank didn't know Walt Piaf for his medical bills.

[FlamesAddiction]

The only issue I had was Jesse figuring out the cigarette thing so quickly. It just doesn't seem that likely to me that he would put it together right away, if at all. He thought they found the ricin cigarette in the Roomba.

The thing Jesse doesn't understand and has no perspective on, is that if he stayed in servitude to Fring, it would have been only a matter of time until he was made expendable. Walt's ruse probably saved Jesse in the long run.

[fredr123]

Who watches Walt Jr. and Holly during the day? Kind of bugs me they only show up once in a while. Seems like Walter and Skyler spend a lot of time at the car wash. Walt doesn't want either of them going over to the Hank and Marie's so where are they when Jesse busts into the house dousing the place with gasoline?