I'm so so late to the party on this show, but I finally decided to dedicate a month to watching Breaking Bad and I binged watch like 4 episodes at a time on some nights and finished it within a month. 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.
Walter White becomes one of the most evil characters I've encountered in modern television and obviously as the title of the show implies I think that's mostly by design. He's not only selfish, which in all honestly is a trait that's easy to empathize with, but lies and deceives every single family member and friend around with him and ultimately leads to them to a damnation in some regard. He has the antithesis of a midas touch, and every single person in the show would be better off had they never met him. Towards the end of the show it becomes obvious that he cares more about the pride he gets from being the best meth maker than even the money he receives from doing it. Ultimately, I think it's his sense of entitlement that irks me the most. He's never willing to be second fiddle to anyone in any matter even when it means living himself and his family vulnerable. He makes the most maniacal and cold-blooded killers seem rational by comparison.
I've also read a couple articles about their being a white supremacist angle, which I had at one time thought was ridiculous. But the more you watch it and really think about the plot lines and who Walter surrounds himself with it starts to make sense. A white guy devoid of any street savyness or criminal experience taking over a Hispanic dominated drug industry utilizing his superior education, chemistry expertise, and white to skin to pound them into submission. And then he has no problem aligning himself with a white supremacist drug/prison gang to do his dirty work at one point. Even his tutor Jesse gets driven down to Mexico and has to clean up the biggest Mexican meth plant in the industry due to their negligence and uncouth nature. It's ridiculous, but it's fine I guess.
Anyway, onto Skyler, who I must admit I did not like one bit in the first two seasons. I think there are three key reasons people don't like her. The first being her infidelity, the second being that she gives up on Walt in the end, but I believe the biggest is that she acts as a foil to Walter's frenzied pursuit for infamy.
Skyler's infidelity isn't a constant or ongoing thing and it was only brought on by Walter's habitual lying and negligence. Walter constantly betrays her trust and leaves his family for long periods of time as he deludes himself that he's doing what he's doing for their benefit. You can tell she does love him as she tries to rekindle and reconcile their broken household time and time again even after she finds out that he's a fucking drug kingpin. If anything people that hate Skyler are basically victim blaming, as she's involved in such an abusive relationship with seemingly one of the most dangerous men in the world and is to severe her family from him without severe physical and mental backlash.
Secondly, Skyler only gives Walt up after she realizes that there's no out or possible outcome where she, her family, and Walt could coexist. Throughout the series Skyler saves Walt from making idiotic decisions. She informs on him on how to utilize his money, come up with his fairly good lies, and live an overall incognito lifestyle. However, Walt's obsession with infamy ruined all of Skyler's mostly brilliant schemes in the end. She's pretty much the perfect crime queen, and had he listened to her and given up his ascension to be a crime lord once he had sufficient funds his life would have better off. Maybe she should have turned him from the start, but I can't fathom any scenario where there should be more disdain for her than Walter White in any regard...
Walter White becomes one of the most evil characters I've encountered in modern television and obviously as the title of the show implies I think that's mostly by design. He's not only selfish, which in all honestly is a trait that's easy to empathize with, but lies and deceives every single family member and friend around with him and ultimately leads to them to a damnation in some regard. He has the antithesis of a midas touch, and every single person in the show would be better off had they never met him. Towards the end of the show it becomes obvious that he cares more about the pride he gets from being the best meth maker than even the money he receives from doing it. Ultimately, I think it's his sense of entitlement that irks me the most. He's never willing to be second fiddle to anyone in any matter even when it means living himself and his family vulnerable. He makes the most maniacal and cold-blooded killers seem rational by comparison.
I've also read a couple articles about their being a white supremacist angle, which I had at one time thought was ridiculous. But the more you watch it and really think about the plot lines and who Walter surrounds himself with it starts to make sense. A white guy devoid of any street savyness or criminal experience taking over a Hispanic dominated drug industry utilizing his superior education, chemistry expertise, and white to skin to pound them into submission. And then he has no problem aligning himself with a white supremacist drug/prison gang to do his dirty work at one point. Even his tutor Jesse gets driven down to Mexico and has to clean up the biggest Mexican meth plant in the industry due to their negligence and uncouth nature. It's ridiculous, but it's fine I guess.
Anyway, onto Skyler, who I must admit I did not like one bit in the first two seasons. I think there are three key reasons people don't like her. The first being her infidelity, the second being that she gives up on Walt in the end, but I believe the biggest is that she acts as a foil to Walter's frenzied pursuit for infamy.
Skyler's infidelity isn't a constant or ongoing thing and it was only brought on by Walter's habitual lying and negligence. Walter constantly betrays her trust and leaves his family for long periods of time as he deludes himself that he's doing what he's doing for their benefit. You can tell she does love him as she tries to rekindle and reconcile their broken household time and time again even after she finds out that he's a fucking drug kingpin. If anything people that hate Skyler are basically victim blaming, as she's involved in such an abusive relationship with seemingly one of the most dangerous men in the world and is to severe her family from him without severe physical and mental backlash.
Secondly, Skyler only gives Walt up after she realizes that there's no out or possible outcome where she, her family, and Walt could coexist. Throughout the series Skyler saves Walt from making idiotic decisions. She informs on him on how to utilize his money, come up with his fairly good lies, and live an overall incognito lifestyle. However, Walt's obsession with infamy ruined all of Skyler's mostly brilliant schemes in the end. She's pretty much the perfect crime queen, and had he listened to her and given up his ascension to be a crime lord once he had sufficient funds his life would have better off. Maybe she should have turned him from the start, but I can't fathom any scenario where there should be more disdain for her than Walter White in any regard...
