wild wild rice
Member
I never finished the show, but I do remember disliking how she had the affair. Never got the hype for the show.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
I Just Finished Breaking Bad Last Night, Can't Fathom The Skyler Hate (Spoilers)
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
- Status
Wind Chime
Banned
My first post on Gaf and I get to say FUCK SKYLER?!
So good .
Fuck Skyler indeed. I don't remember the details,it's been a while since I watched BB but GOD DAMIN IT SON I remember my feelings towards her and her actions.
Fucking hell just nagging and whining and complaining and making Walt miserable.
Fuck that shit.
So good .
Fuck Skyler indeed. I don't remember the details,it's been a while since I watched BB but GOD DAMIN IT SON I remember my feelings towards her and her actions.
Fucking hell just nagging and whining and complaining and making Walt miserable.
Fuck that shit.
The only reason to ever root against her, is because you as the viewer are rooting for Walt the whole time. You want to see him get away with things that he shouldn't. You also know that if he stays ahead of the curve it will minimize the repercussions on his family.
Skyler is justified in everything that she does. It's just that she gets in the way. Honestly, I feel like a lot of the hate for her comes directly from misogyny. Same thing with Marie. In fact I think sometimes that they wrote Marie as a clepto to try and alleviate they hate of of Skyler. Because it was getting in the way of how people were starting to view Skyler.
Walt was a monster, so I can't blame her. She basically gets suck down to the level of Walt, and it's all because she is trying to minimize the damage that he is causing. So first she get's in bed with him with the laundering business. Then she tries to live for herself.
Skyler is justified in everything that she does. It's just that she gets in the way. Honestly, I feel like a lot of the hate for her comes directly from misogyny. Same thing with Marie. In fact I think sometimes that they wrote Marie as a clepto to try and alleviate they hate of of Skyler. Because it was getting in the way of how people were starting to view Skyler.
Walt was a monster, so I can't blame her. She basically gets suck down to the level of Walt, and it's all because she is trying to minimize the damage that he is causing. So first she get's in bed with him with the laundering business. Then she tries to live for herself.
Look, I agree that negligence in a relationship isn't acceptable, but instead of cheating, the right thing to do is to end it, not to cheat. There's no excuse for cheating.
Also, Ted is weak. He's dumber than Walter White. He's accomplished less. One of the major themes of the show IS accomplishment; though WW makes his way in the shadows, he's immensely successful and that success "counts", so to speak. For Skyler to turn to a guy like that, then to bail him out, it again goes to undermine her character.
wild wild rice
Member
Camilla Soprano the goat evil enabling wife.
Jesus, I swear it's like some people didn't even watch the show.
I've always said that the fact that so many people liked Walter White and hated Skyler is proof of how well written and acted the show was. Really, Walter White is a horrible piece of shit who did everything he did for himself, because he liked doing it (how did that one poster above miss him actually saying that in the final season?). He ruined his families lives, killed countless people, had countless people killed, ruined people's lives by getting them addicted to the drugs he made, and yet.. He was a great character and a lot of people loved him on the show.
And Skyler was the one trying to get him to stop making drugs, be a dad, be a good husband, etc but many people hate her. Bryan Cranston remarked of his influence by what Gandolfini did as Tony Soprano, and it's definitely the same case here. A really, really shitty person that the audience grows to like. And lots of people hated Carmella on the Sopranos despite many similarities between her and Skyler.
And Skyler was the one trying to get him to stop making drugs, be a dad, be a good husband, etc but many people hate her. Bryan Cranston remarked of his influence by what Gandolfini did as Tony Soprano, and it's definitely the same case here. A really, really shitty person that the audience grows to like. And lots of people hated Carmella on the Sopranos despite many similarities between her and Skyler.
Bedameister
Member
Yeah I also liked her in the end. She was a little annoying in the beginning of the show but after what happened and how she reacted to it I really felt sympathy for her.
This is why people hate Skyler.
Because they totally misunderstood Walt's character and see him as some savior. You missed the entire point of the show, including some of the things Walt himself said once he realized his mistakes.
He poisoned a child, for fuck's sake.
Well, while it didn't really go anywhere thematically, plotwise it was eventually used. Because she got caught stealing from the open houses, that other cop was clued in to the fact that Hank wasn't in the greatest mental state during his recovery, and gave him the Gale homicide case to get his mind off things, which eventually leads Hank to Walt.
Yeah. And even when she conflicted with Tony, even when she was unfaithful, she never got the hate Skyler did, because she never gets in the way of the "fun".
Woody Invincible
Banned
She fucked Ted.
these don't add up.
most of the people that weren't criminals were the worst people in the show and either boring or annoying. including hank and walter jr. jane got
fan favorite jesse hooked on heroin
Mass_Pincup
Banned
I don't understand why you're equating disliking Skylar with like/roooting for Walt, you can still dislike both. Walt is quite clearly the biggest asshole in the show, killing countless people either by his bare hands or ordered but I can still say that I dislike Skylar has a character, not nearly has I disliked Walt, not for reason of the same caliber but I still did.
Vince Gilligan was asked about this by Vulture. Here's his response.
http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/vince-gilligan-on-breaking-bad.html
http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/vince-gilligan-on-breaking-bad.html
meltingparappa
Member
Remember in Iron Man 3 when Gweynth Paltrow wanted Iron Man to stop being Iron Man, and generally act as an impediment to what you wanted to see in the story?
It's kind of like that, except drawn out over dozens of hours where the writers sometimes didn't have an idea of what to do with her.
It's kind of like that, except drawn out over dozens of hours where the writers sometimes didn't have an idea of what to do with her.
Captain Pants
Killed by a goddamned Dredgeling
Ouch. One and done.
Version 3.0
Member
There's too much either/or when this topic comes up. Hating Skyler doesn't mean condoning Walt. She's a bossy know-it-all, to everyone, all the time. That's even her evemtual reaction to Walt's criminal business: "I know how to do it right".
The fact that Walt is a monster doesn't make Skyler a saint. She's not likeable.
The fact that Walt is a monster doesn't make Skyler a saint. She's not likeable.
Explain how anything Walter did was indeed good in the first place
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
she fucked ted, end of story
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Some men hate women.
Internet has lots of those men who hate women.
They are also a vocal minority.
Internet has lots of those men who hate women.
They are also a vocal minority.
I don't mean good in the morally good usage of the term.
"It's not enough" is akin to being blind to the reason Walt started doing what he did.
Nobody gets a pass in the shoe, they are all bad people. Don't mistake disliking Skyler for condoning the character Walter's actions.
Rockandrollclown
lookwhatyou'vedone
Been awhile since I watched, but hadn't she already thrown Walter out when this happened? Maybe I remembering incorrectly but I recall Skylar trying to end things with Walter, but he more or less muscled his way back into the house. Not that her cheating changes anything.
Yeah I've seen the Skyler is a bitch comments, which are totally out of line. Her busband all of a sudden dramatically changes his behavior, coming home at ungodly late hours. Refusing to tell her what he's doing. And when he makes up his lies, she knows it. He thinks he's telling good lies, but he's not, and she knows it. She has every right to be suspicious of him, and she's RIGHT about it. He's off killing people and making drugs, and her behavior towards him makes her the bitch. Right.
People give her a lot of shit for "cheating" on him with Ted. At the time, IIRC, she figured him out to be a drug dealer and handed him divorce papers. He wouldn't sign. Skyler had pretty much kicked him out of the house and he was living in that apartment, but he decided to sneak back into the house and start living there again. While they weren't legally divorced, he was still a legal owner of the house, they were romantically over at that point. She is allowed to pursue other people.
That being said, she's not a "fun" character and isn't involved with more of the "fun" storylines
. While I think the character is fine, her not being a favorite makes complete sense to me. I don't hate her role or her scenes, but I don't think I was actually excited to see Skyler scenes until the whole season 5/6 fight with her, Walt and Walt Jr, ending with Walt kidnapping the baby.
edit: Aureon said what took me a couple paragraphs in one sentence lol. The family stuff isn't as exciting as the drug stuff.
People give her a lot of shit for "cheating" on him with Ted. At the time, IIRC, she figured him out to be a drug dealer and handed him divorce papers. He wouldn't sign. Skyler had pretty much kicked him out of the house and he was living in that apartment, but he decided to sneak back into the house and start living there again. While they weren't legally divorced, he was still a legal owner of the house, they were romantically over at that point. She is allowed to pursue other people.
That being said, she's not a "fun" character and isn't involved with more of the "fun" storylines
imo
edit: Aureon said what took me a couple paragraphs in one sentence lol. The family stuff isn't as exciting as the drug stuff.
My own personal theory is that, in a lot of cases, I just put it in the same category of complaints as "women aren't funny." That is, for some reason certain people just perceive women in a more negative light no matter what they do. They don't have to be woman-hating MRA types, but they still (maybe somewhat subconsciously) are more harsh towards women acting a certain way than when men do the exact same thing (or even worse), much like some people are kinda racist without even realizing it themselves, even if they feel no desire to join the KKK & lynch black people or anything and generally treat black people ok.
So there's a group of people who will sometimes irrationally hate female characters who get in the way "strong" male characters like Walter White, no matter how horrible human beings the men are and how logical & sensible the women are.
At least that's probably a part of it.
So there's a group of people who will sometimes irrationally hate female characters who get in the way "strong" male characters like Walter White, no matter how horrible human beings the men are and how logical & sensible the women are.
At least that's probably a part of it.
Think you missed the point of the show.
I disliked Skylar for much of the series because I thought her character was poorly developed, often poorly written and commonly used as a maneuverable plot device when convenient.
Basically I get what they were going for but I thought the execution was flawed and it is probably partly why people struggle to sympathize with her. Yeah Misogyny is another reason, but I think that is becoming a convenient cop out to shut down any criticism and doesnt tell the whole story.
Coffee Dog
Banned
Skylar is an amusing character, in that she deserves sympathy once she gets involved in Walt's operation, but she was a pretty terribly written caricature of a nagging housewife in season 1. She's overbearing, untrustworthy, and basically has no respect for Walt's autonomy in an attempt to justify Walt's initial lies and ensuing slide into criminality in the first place. I think that Vince's misogyny argument would hold slightly more weight if the writing team didn't try so hard to make the viewer dislike her initially.
By contrast, Kim in Better Call Saul (who I'm fairly sure will sooner or later turn against and confront the protagonist) is much more well done, and I don't think that the inevitable backlash against her will be nearly as severe.
By contrast, Kim in Better Call Saul (who I'm fairly sure will sooner or later turn against and confront the protagonist) is much more well done, and I don't think that the inevitable backlash against her will be nearly as severe.
I really think you could make a case that she's in a domestically abusive relationship and that she legitimately tried to end things with Walt at multiple points, but he's stalks and manipulates those around him to make it extremely hard for her to live without him. She gets more criminally immoral as the show gets on, but I also chalk that up to Walt's almost supernatural influence on her others. He possesses an ability to turn everyone and everything around to shit.
Why do people jump to the terms nagging or whining when a woman expresses dissatisfaction with a horrible husband, and he was by all means a horrible husband right from the start.
Why do people jump to the terms nagging or whining when a woman expresses dissatisfaction with a horrible husband, and he was by all means a horrible husband right from the start.
SliceSabre
Banned
I think this is a huge part of it. She was never in on any of the 'fun' or amusing things that happened in the show. Anytime she showed up she was kind of a wet blanket if you liked Walt not that there was anything wrong with that.
There's definitely some misogyny involved with the Skyler White hate online, but you really can't see how some of her character's actions make her hard to sympathize with?
Look at it this way- wouldn't you say that most people sympathize with Jesse, and dislike how WW did him through the show? It's because, despite being a drug addict and criminal, Jesse shows his good side more often than not. Skyler doesn't. Over the whole run of the show, she's at-best just there and at her worst (the Ted stuff) pretty rotten.
Of all female characters in BB, Andrea was the most positive, and Skyler the least. I think the writers should have had more good moments for female characters in the show. It's a male-driven show to a large extent.
I think people feel Skylar is "shrill." It's a total psychout because Jesse and Saul freak out about Walt just as much but because they're guys it doesn't make men as uncomfortable.
And Marie's spoon thing is just as dumb as Hank's rock thing at the end of it.
I think everyone can agree, Kristen Ritter's character wasn't "annoying."
Wind Chime
Banned
Today, 12:59 PM, Post #52
Oh man, this has got to be a record
And Marie's spoon thing is just as dumb as Hank's rock thing at the end of it.
I think everyone can agree, Kristen Ritter's character wasn't "annoying."
Wind Chime
Banned
Today, 12:59 PM, Post #52
Oh man, this has got to be a record
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
she "kicked' him out however he then realized he has just as much right to live there much like her. This was not a domestic issue it was a , my husband makes meth, however in his mind at first it was "im making meth to make money for my family when i die so they dont struggle". When he gets back in the house things are fine for a little while then she cheats on Walt
Walter White was a peice of shit.
I will say that female characters who spoil the 'fun' seem to come under a lot of fire from certain types. Another female character that got put on the hate train was Margaret from Boardwalk Empire. I remember some of the ott hate towards her in the gaf threads.
Also again another female character who had an affair at some point. Which was seen as one of the most evil acts imaginable. Despite Nucky fucking prositiutes regularly.
stuminus3
Member
Ah, you're talking about something different though. None of the characters in Breaking Bad are particularly likeable. It's like that by design, the allure of the show. Which is why the specific backlash against Skylar is an indication of, I hate to say it, something a bit more toxic.
teruterubozu
Member
Wind Chime
Banned
Today, 12:59 PM, Post #52
Oh man, this has got to be a record
Total Posts: 1 (0.02 posts per day)
LegendofJoe
Member
Carmella and Skylar arw very similar as characters. That said I really liked Carmella and I always found Skylar to be off putting and annoying. I think it was because of the personality portrayal by their respective actresses.
benicillin
Banned
Marie was a better Skyler. I just didn't think the character was ever really given a chance, she sort of had the unfortunate position of being the "straight, normal" person to everyone else who felt larger than life at times.
DarkJediKnight
Member
Exactly. Remember when Mike and Jesse are trying to convince Walt to stop the production and they all call it quits after making good money.
Walt's answer: "Nothing stops this train".
It's all Ego. It's his way or the highway.
Azwethinkweiz
Member
I binge watched the show over about a month, and by the end I literally hated every single character on the show
except for Mike, of course.
There could be something to that. I loved Carmella.
I never called him a hero or a saint. I know full well that Walt is, in fact, evil. But he did what he did for his family.
Darth Pinche
Member
This 100%! She did her best to keep her family safe with a clearly dishonest and increasingly dangerous husband.
because she wasn't as well written as all of the other characters in the show and most of her scenes weren't as exciting as the others which can lead to a dislike when she has a huge focus in the show. i think everyone that's watched the show sees walts influence but that doesn't make her character anymore enjoyable and it definitely doesn't mean a person is misogynistic.
She is unlikable.
Like seriously unlikable.
She speaks to everyone, even from episode 1, like they're dog shit, even her own family.
We sorta sympathize with her at the start because her sister is an actual monster, I mean did you hear some of the things Marie says to Skyler in front of other people?
Or how she casually insults her and acts confused when Skyler get's upset? Holy shit, I felt for Skyler and so did everyone else.
But then Marie get's pushed into the background and Skyler continues to talk down to everyone, all the time, just because.
Sure she wasn't evil, but as a character I just couldn't stand her.
I mean technically the same people who paint Walt as evil should also classify Mike as an evil character due to the things he's done, yet I'd rather be around them any day of the week than Skyler.
If she were a real person she'd be universally avoided and considered awful.
Like seriously unlikable.
She speaks to everyone, even from episode 1, like they're dog shit, even her own family.
We sorta sympathize with her at the start because her sister is an actual monster, I mean did you hear some of the things Marie says to Skyler in front of other people?
Or how she casually insults her and acts confused when Skyler get's upset? Holy shit, I felt for Skyler and so did everyone else.
But then Marie get's pushed into the background and Skyler continues to talk down to everyone, all the time, just because.
Sure she wasn't evil, but as a character I just couldn't stand her.
I mean technically the same people who paint Walt as evil should also classify Mike as an evil character due to the things he's done, yet I'd rather be around them any day of the week than Skyler.
If she were a real person she'd be universally avoided and considered awful.
- Status