Discussion questions:
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Question of the week:
What movies are you anticipating in 2023?
Question of the week is the same as last time since 2023 has barely started.
Marie was at least interesting and very supportive imo, Skyler was annoying 24/7. Agree, season 3 was an experience first time watching, I also love Hank the whole time from start except that one time with Jesse, in one second he’s the biggest clown around and in other he’s badass who takes on cartel members unarmed. Jesse def got right ending, his family was awful to him whole time for no reason even after he got off drugs, one of the best parts was when he brought the house back lol.
Skyler was literally the only reasonable person in the show lmao I feel like we needed her to have the show feel real. She was also abused and gaslit to hell and back and had a wedge drove between her and Jr. by Walt because she was reasonably worried about a new Charger. And yknow he implied that he had the capacity to kill her in the “I am the danger” scene. She didn’t deserve any of this but after she came around she did but everything she could to help… until season 5 but goddamn I’m not blaming her. Marie isn’t like a bad person, I just know too many people like her. And all the fucking purple Jesus christ we get it we know you think you’re royalty. I’m pretty sure her coffee maker is purple
Even before that, she was always looking just after herself, was angry that Walt didn’t tell about every single detail in his life even before drugs, while he was always supportive, then she smokes and drinks while pregnant and then smokes right next to baby in room after birth. Walt should have maybe told earlier, but as soon as she finds out she is literally furious about it and removed about it 24/7 even though she gets the part of it, doesn’t let him in his own home with kids even though he was always supportive of them, then you know what happens next and then after all that she comes looking for him because she needs money, WTF…
“I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was… alive.”
Odd to point out a flaw, albeit she admittedly has, as the prime issue you have with her character, when Walt did it 10 billion times worse.
I don’t remember her drinking. Her champagne glass at Elliot’s party had like half a lime in it and no bubbles. But yeah can’t say anything about the smokes. Awful habit poisoning herself and her child. Poisoning children is bad.
If a partner of 20 years as predictable and safe as pre-diagnosis Walt started smoking weed, disappearing with estranged students on your DEA brother’s shit list after being given 6 months to live, you’d probably want to know where they are at all times, especially after rejecting Gretchen and Elliot’s dream offer. Not to mention the Fugue state, the cell phone (which that alone is a divorce most of the time lmao), almost getting his son that has cerebral palsy blackout drunk WITH STRAIGHT CHEAPASS DARK TEQUILA IN A PLASTIC BOTTLE, attempting to rape his wife, and sexually harass a coworker. The accumulation of lies, insults to her intelligence with constant denial and contradictions, his worsening behavior, and his manipulative use of financial and emotional leverage of her children left her trapped. She couldn’t just out him immediately with no exit strategy either. Assests would be seized, exorbitant legal fees would brankrupt her, she had no income at that point, she could potentially end up in trouble herself, she’d lose her husband, her best friend and sister would most likely be at the very least distant, her kids would disdain Walt, and see him for the last time he was alive behind bars not even knowing him respectively. Homie was NOT okay.
It was a combination of treating her like an idiot, betraying her trust, and lying to literally everyone they know why he’s not dead yet. Gretchen and Elliot are famous. If they ever decided enough was enough and tell people about the lie, they’d definitely out him as to not be implicated. Best part about the reveal is that she proves Walt wrong and it’s a surprise to the audience as well. She figured it out on her own without any hints, any footage of her rummaging through anything nothing. Plus, sticking to principles of no drug money isn’t gonna keep your family housed, fed, and bathed. She needed the money to make sure Beneke’s dumbass didn’t take them all down with him in an IRS audit that tapped all their phones. Aren’t you rewatching the show? She’s honestly one of the most competent cast members and it’s crazy to me how so many people have so much vitriol for this poor woman in an abusive relationship.
Welp what did she expected to hear after doing all that, he had cancer and was dying and decided to give his family money, saved them multiple times and all he got was his wife cheating and not giving a shit, besides he ‘‘broke bad’’ by that point. She could have accepted divorce after he signed at last, but she immediately went back to him for money to buy her carwash and shit. Elliot literally profited from Walt’s work and became millionaire, then decided to ‘‘pity’’ on him by giving him money, makes sense he would refuse. Before cancer everything was good and she still complained and though only about herself. He was good to children even after her bullshit and was probably drunk himself on party when he gave Jr to drink and apologized after(here where I live is pretty often for parents/grandparents to allow kids to drink one cup if they ask, not get drunk ofc, but drink a little). If she really needed it that much, she could have been like Escobar’s wife and support him if she doesn’t want to turn him in and wants money. He didn’t smoke, at that point she didn’t knew about it and wanted to control him 24/7 by asking him where is he going in walks, controlling his phones non-stop and ranting about it, complaining when he’s late even a few minutes etc. She was also a bad parent as we know by doing that to baby and not letting kids see their dad even before divorce who was good to them and Jr demanded it. And I say this as someone who has divorced parents and awful father, she is literally female version of him and I can tell when someone is terrible or good parent.
Of course he’s drug lord and criminal and her being like that doesn’t excuse it nor anything or anyone else since no one is actually good, and that’s the point of everything, but just because almost everyone is a criminal doesn’t mean that her actions and especially behavior towards children is totally normal and not controlling, selfish, awful and on top of that annoying 24/7.
Okay so the purpose of the money was to ensure a future for his family after his death originally. Paying Ted prevents an IRS audit and the phones of one of the best bookkeepers the company had who just so happens to be married to the largest producer of methamphetamine in the world from being bugged for god knows how long (keep in mind the show takes place a little over 2 years with the vast majority taking place during a little over 1 year). Seems like a necessary investment in theory, but too bad Ted sucks.
From consequences resulting from his actions as a meth cook. Is it bad he saved them? Of course not. Would it have been better if he went to Grey Matter? Yes
I’mma keep it real with you chief, I really don’t think a woman forced in an abusive relationship with an aspiring kingpin who raped her is something to get pressed at and harp on as this supposedly villainous deed. It was less of a betrayal of trust and wedding vows and more of a “fuck you” to Walt who started this destructive spiral their relationship.
It must have been a while since last rewatch because even Saul told them to start laundering. However Saul wanted them to buy crap completely out of character Jesse with the nail salon that used to be his first practice and Walt the laser tag owned by that absolute goober Daniel just to help out former associates. The Car Wash was literally the perfect option for them in theory, however they ran into trouble because Walt blew up a fucking car owned by a douchey stock broker who took his parking space his last day who promptly sued the owner and his former boss. The only mistake I see Skyler potentially making here is not using a proxy to negotiate the sale as to recieve a better price and not result to sabotage and the impersonation of government officials in order to strong-arm Bodgan’s price.
OK so the purpose of me bringing up Walt’s refusal of the Grey Matter offer wasn’t to say it was out of character or that they were being so generous and you turned away an offer of a lifetime bestowed upon you by the grace of the bourgeoisie, it was to say he chose his pride and meth over guaranteed, risk-free material improvements for his family. It’s made clear it’s his pride because at first he’s leaning more towards highly considering this lucrative job offer. It would put him as head of R&D of projects revolving around his Nobel Prize contribution. You would think if Walt truly cared about them stealing his work and making billions off of it as much as he says he does, he would reject the offer then and there. However, the rejection comes at the emphasis of their world class Healthcare leading him to discover that they knew about his diagnosis. He wasn’t appalled about the ruthless nature of the capitalist system robbing the world of further development and implementation of sciences and technologies spearheaded by a friend/former associate turned greedy traitor á la Tesla (which don’t get me wrong Elliot is). He’s pissed that the billionaire he sees as in his rightful place is offering him what he feels he should be doing to others, while trying to sweeten the pot by being the one who saved his life after stealing his. Remember he doesn’t look up what his technology is used for weekly, he looks up Grey Matter’s stock price and market share.
Yeah I don’t think they give their disabled kids 3 or 4 double shots of a 40-50% alcohol a lot of adults have a tough time keeping down at a back to back pace. Let’s don’t try to justify bad things by pointing to something not as severe with hardly equal outcomes.
That’s what the car wash, Ted’ payments, and the gambling cover story were for.
Pretty sure he rolled joint when he was deciding what to do with Krazy 8. Honestly don’t blame the guy. The issue wasn’t weed bad. It was the DEA brother.
Yes the baby smoking is bad I understand. I’m not too sure if we can compare a shitty parent who tried to drive wedges between a loving parent and their kids to Skyler preventing her kids from being around a man living a double life of a murdering drug lord who has both the DEA and Cartel after him. He’s a bad influence on the kids and an actual threat to all of their lives. You can say she backpedals by helping him but honestly she didn’t have much of a choice after the revelation that the meth money was the only thing keeping them out of the red with how insistent Walt was being with keeping his family together with paperclips and string.
I feel like you have to reduce all of morality until it evaporates to argue she’s just as bad as Walt I’m not quite too sure how you still have that opinion
Yup, the original plan was to leave money for Jr and baby, yes he could have go to Elliot and accepted the money, yes it could have been better if he accepted, but still Elliot profited from Walt’s work and became a millionaire later pitying on him by offering money, makes sense he would refuse and didn’t refuse right off the bat because ofc what would he say about money for treatment when he started paying? Everyone thought Elliot is sending money the whole time. Saul suggested laser guns but she wanted that carwash so bad. Yes it was bad that he gave Jr to drink, but he himself was also drunk and I’m just saying that here is normal for adults to give kids a cup if they ask, i.e beer or wine. She should have just made up her mind, if she wants divorce, he signed papers later, but right after she went to him to ask for money, either divorce and turn him in, divorce but leave him, or go on with it if you don’t want to turn him in, she should have just made her mind. Yes she was bad parent and he was good with kids the whole time, she didn’t give them to see him, was blaming him even for stuff he didn’t do, was removed because of him existing even while he was just fixing fridge and floor to the point that Jr started to hate her. When he got cancer, she was worrying only about what she’s supposed to do, how she could tell anyone etc and didn’t tell until he told everybody, later she was worrying what will be with her, then when he brought pot, she was furious about weed(before she knew about drugs), never mind that Walt has cancer, or that marijuana for medical reasons is gaining in acceptance. Never mind that Walt supports their whole family while she’s mainly in charge of complaining. To her, the illegality of pot is enough reason for her to chastise her husband, who supports her. Then her sister Marie, she does literally nothing to help her while it’s obvious that she has emotional problems, raving once again that no one is thinking about her feelings. Marie should apologize to her because she was upset by Marie’s emotional problems, bruh. She judges everyone she knows. Then she wants total control over Walt’s meth business and asks him every detail while taking money and giving it to fucking Ted indirectly putting them in danger when Walt choose the option from Saul to escape with new identities. Then she puts kids in Hank’s home, a DEA AGENT for which whole cartel knows and is after him, they were much safer in Walt’s house. It’s another way for her to be punitive and controlling and put out because she’s lost total control over her husband. In the end, Skyler tells Walt that if he agrees to sending the kids to live elsewhere, that she’ll stay and be whatever he wants her to be. Walt accepts this but did he ask her to be a complete removed who drinks all the time and smokes around him? That’s what she’s been doing. She’s literally just controlling manipulator put in crime world who doesn’t even know if she wants to turn her husband in, take his money, participate in crime, barely cares about her kids but of course her feelings are first etc.
She isn’t a drug lord, but Walt, Jesse, Gus, Mike etc being who they are doesn’t make her a saint, especially while she was like that even before and especially to kids.