Why Is Skyler White So Hated?

[@Ablaze_Rain5]

She kicks him out the house and assumes ownership of it even though he's been working two jobs to keep a roof over her ungrateful head and he's got to start again from scratch, just like real life.

[@6oodfella]

Exactly. We all know men who have went through this.

[@racheljames7]

Good point. I dont blame her for wanting to be away from him because she found out he was a drug dealer, but in that case, I would be the one to take my baby and leave, if for no other reason, incase there was anything bad in the house.

[@rubensano4860]

She is the Karen archetype.

[@DH1984-d7d]

Because she, like so many other people in Walt's life, constantly underestimated him.

[@racheljames7]

She nagged him to breaking point.

[@6oodfella]

True.

[@bc-cu4on]

People claim that Walter's insecure masculinity is the reason why the plot happened, but who pushed him to that sorry state in the first place? The character is extremely well written to be among the highest concentrations of toxic femininity ever put to screen. Puerile, petulant, perfidious. As for skipping her scenes, I agree. I do the same with all recurring female characters when I rewatch Scrubs. Can't stand watching this sort of display anymore, even in fiction.

[@6oodfella]

It's insufferable even in fiction as you say.

[@michaeldavid6832]

I blaze through shows like this. It's always some character being self-destructively childish and hedonistic while never suffering the consequences. That's the best Hollywood has today. That's the best the real world has as well -- but there's consequences to hedonism in the real world.

[@racheljames7]

Oh absolutely. Styler imasculated him and nagged him to breaking point. I noticed that the first time I watched it, and I was a pregnant, hormonal woman.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

It's established that Walter is bitter over having sold his interest in the company that took off after he left. He is shown trying to teach chemistry to bored teens, Jesse being one of his failures. He spends the series trying to prove that he hasn't completely squandered his potential, in large part by trying to turn Jesse's life around. He snuffs out Mike for calling out his pride and ego. I can't honestly blame Skyler for Walter's insecurity, however unlikable she happens to be.

[@thfreakinacage]

I always look at it as she's meant to be hated. She's supposed to be unsupportive, and let's be real, abusive, to give Walter just one more incentive to continue to do what he's doing, not just to provide for his kids, but also to rebel against his wife and take control back in his life because he's sick of being controlled for so long.

[@6oodfella]

It could be that because his whole angle is he's sick of being taken advantage of.

[@thfreakinacage]

@6oodfella Secret genius on Vince's part. Letting the ladies know "hey if you demonstrate these toxic traits, you man will turn to crime" 😂

[@racheljames7]

​​@@6oodfella That's how i always saw it. I think she's a great character, not in the sense she's likable because she's not, but because she exposes that kind of woman for what they are. Shrill nags who drive their husbands mental. Walt wpuldnt have dont the things he did if she hadn't driven him to near insanity. My husband has a theory that she even caused the cancer with the stress she was putting him through.

[@dishonoredundead]

She is definitely meant to be hated. As evidenced by the name "Skyler". But I don't know if she's abusive. Her nagging, and his future with her, is the only thing stopping him from becoming a murdering, attempted child murdering(arsenic), meth dealer, resulting in his friends and close families being utterly destroyed. If not killed. He put his entire social circle, including his former children from the school he was meant to mentor, in mortal danger. So while I agree, she's the worst. So is Walt. In fact he's much, much worse. Just too cowardly, or complicit, to show it, until he has(in his mind)nothing to lose. Because that's how little he not only valued his family and friends. Their life meant nothing, unless he was there with them too. And at least Skylar's vision saw to it they have a happy, mundane, suburban, life. You could argue that domestication drove him to it, like I think the writers intended in the beginning, but by the end it's apparent he is his own creation. His family loved him, his students respected him and trusted him, and he stripped them all of their future's. Put his family name in shame for generations. Turned in his partner Jessie who was still just a kid, to be killed. And killed Mike, his other partner, himself. Who by the way, both could have done the same to Walt at any time, but didn't. +They were much more skilled, connected, and capable. Nor did they involve his family, like Walt saw fit to do with theirs. Walt could have left Skylar at any time. He chose not to because he was weak, and cowardly. People forget that because you learn to root for him over the course of the show. And in the beginning are lead to believe he is decent and principled. And yeah, he's industrious, brilliant, and brave, when he has nothing left to lose. But by then he's gambling with his families lives, not his own. And still too cowardly to just get a divorce, if he truly hates his wife that much. Or feels that strongly about being controlled, which he OBVIOUSLY is not by his actions throughout the show. P.S she was out of his league, and maybe she knew stuff about him we didn't. It seems the only reason they were together is because Skyler actually loved him, and wanted to protect him. And trait Walt never even hinted at that with her. It was all obligation to him. Maybe he had made poor decisions in the past that jeopardized their family. Either nut up and leave, or make it work. Walt has autonomy, if he can run a criminal syndicate, he could handle a divorce proceeding. Already had a great lawyer. Hell, he had so much secret untraceable money at that point, and so little respect for his family, he had nothing to lose. I don't believe Walt was anyone's victim. I do believe his family was. As unlikable as she was, he should have left his hot blonde wife if he felt so boxed in. Not sold all his family, friends, and business partners out. And I think at the very end of the show, even he realized what he had done. He knew an apology would mean nothing at that point so he just admitted to Skylar "it was all me because I wanted to". Not her, or his job, or his bad luck.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

"What's one more?" - Skyler, casually suggesting that Walter eliminate Jesse None of her theatrics compare to this moment, when she became the equivalent to a mob wife who's fine with living off blood money.

[@lloydrising257]

For me one of the worst things she did is emotionally blackmail him into getting cancer treatment, which he was 100% against doing. And then afterwards she continues to treat him with utter contempt while he's literally dying from cancer (and constantly ill from the 'treatment' she forced him into getting). PS. You can't cure cancer by blasting yourself with radiation. Radiation causes cancer. It's like trying to cure hypothermia by sitting in a fridge.

[@GrouchierThanThou]

Are you dumb? When they treat cancer with radiation they target the radiation at the tumor and avoid hitting healthy cells as much as possible. Duh.

[@PyromancerRift]

What i hate the most is EVERY show that gain traction starts to become a show for everybody and add shit romance and small talk crap to please wamen. For example NCIS was a good military/police/secret service show. The missions were clear, straight to the point, minimum drama, characters were talking about the mission 90% of the time. The past few years became a fucking soap opera. Half of the dialogues are about love afairs and drama. Half of the characters are women in a crime show. I am sick and tired about that crap.

[@michaeldavid6832]

I don't watch any movie with a f-male lead. They're all f-inist propaganda and nothing else nowadays. In the real world, we see what happens when they live like they see on TV -- family destruction... short term and long. I'm sick of seeing it. Donezo.

[@6oodfella]

Every show does it if they stay on air long enough.

[@sonykroket]

I hear ya. They turn everything into a soap at the end. "Modern audiences"........

[@Strelnikov10]

Had an argument with my girlfriend in 2013 about this when we watched it for the first time. Didn't last.

[@6oodfella]

Did she take her side?

[@Strelnikov10]

@@6oodfella She didn't see why I couldn't stand the character. They just can't see it. They can't see it in themselves, and they can't see it in others. Constant stream of excuses for why the character was the way she was.

[@jonesrbd1]

I was thinking something during this video, but then you mentioned it at the very end. Gilligan absolutely took the Skyler criticisms to heart when when writing BCS. Kim was a keeper. None of the self righteous hypocritcal sanctimony, extremely supportive, and always had his back.

[@6oodfella]

Kim is awesome. Especially when she stood up to Lalo.

[@jonesrbd1]

@6oodfella That scene was epic. And when Lalo left the apartment, you could physically see how much it took out of Kim to stand up to him like that. But she did it anyway, because she had Jimmy's back.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

At the very end of BCS Kim is with a stable, no chicanery kind of guy and is visibly miserable for it because she's a drama junkie. I ended up not liking her much better than Skyler.

[@BigBenn2014]

She’s extremely irritating, and yes, she did remind me of the annoying behaviours I’d seen in the women in my life.

[@SpareSomeChange8080]

Perfect timing, I'm just rewatching Breaking Bad right now... Skylar makes my blood boil

[@6oodfella]

She has that effect.

[@michaeldavid6832]

Same. She was a plot impediment. Even characters who block main characters aren't supposed to be plot impediments. In Better Call Saul, [SPOILER ALERT] Kim was as flawed as any male character and she stuck with Saul and he stuck with her. I can watch flawed female characters endlessly -- because there's somewhere for their characters to go. But the eternal-victim characters that Hollywood writes are cookie-cutter, bland, repetitive, and uninteresting. The minute I see an XX in any story who leaves her family because she's "not happy", I turn off that show no matter how otherwise interesting. I can't stomach watching a hedonist getting their way while destroying their family -- and getting paid doing it.

[@racheljames7]

The actress who plays her takes a fantastic part. She nails the character.

[@racheljames7]

I think the whole plot happened BECAUSE of Skylar. I think her nagging and pressure caused Walt's cancer. He wouldn't have sold out his half of Gray Matter if he didn't have to pay to keep her (i bet, off script, she made him do it) and he wouldn't have went bad in order to prove something to himself if it hadn't been for her imasculiniting him and nagging him to death.

[@6oodfella]

Good way to look at it. I could see her pressuring him to take the $5000 from GM.

[@azh698]

An interesting idea, but it's implied that he met her after he sold out. When he sold out Grey Matter, he had just split up with Gretchen, one of the partners.

[@trastewere]

I couldn't even do 2nd rewatch of Breaking Bad because of Skyler. I have the same issue with Sopranos and Tony's family. Carmela, Meadow, A.J. when he is in puberty, I can't stand any of them. On the other hand I watched Better Call Saul for like 8times because non of the characters there make me mad. Kim Wexler is the best written female character ever in my eyes.

[@6oodfella]

She's definitely up there.

[@PunksterOS]

You've NO right in saying ANY of this, you need to be holding the _Talking Pillow™_ first and I'm not seeing one!

[@6oodfella]

God, I forgot, my bad.

[@kwakester]

You can understand someone and still not like them. Not mutually exclusive.

[@jerrythekazzyy]

Literally thought this was some UK politician I’ve never heard about due to being an American.

[@motorhead4870]

I found Jesse very annoying in the last few seasons as well

[@6oodfella]

He was whiny at times.

[@FritzDritz]

She was written to be hated, that's why. She's antagonistic to the plot. She's belittling, dismissive and starts every other sentence with 'I need you to...' Walt becoming a monster doesn't suddenly make her a likeable person

[@dishonoredundead]

She's Skylar, White, yo. Walt becoming a monster might not make her likable, but it does kind of prove her point. And she is objectively the only person in that relationship who is actually trying, or even wants to be there. When I first watched it I hated her too. You're meant to, like you said. And you're meant to feel bad for Walt too. But by the end, and upon reflection, I feel bad for his family. She wanted a life with her family, doting husband, her sister, and a pool. Walt wanted whatever the hell that was.. money, meth, death, and revenge against his peers. Even the good ones. They both went for what they wanted. You cannot fault Skylar for being pushy with Walt, while Walt is literally pushing meth. If he wanted out he could have just left, he had no problem literally killing people, he had the ability to leave and spare his family this nightmare. Walt chose this, he has autonomy, he can't claim to be victim. I think it's amazing how the show subverts expectation and by the end you're rooting for an evil mastermind, but all these years later it's clear to me he this bad guy. Not an antihero, but a straight up villain. Just one who is so good at it, he kinda wins in the end. And that's why, when he returns to Skylar post being discovered, he doesn't try to blame her, or his job, or the stress of his medical issues, he just outright admits "it was me". And he's right, it was him. All of it. Including his marriage, where he destroyed that poor, albeit annoying, woman's life.

[@ElBromoHojo]

She's not a character; she's a plot devise.

[@some1online2]

She reminds us all of someone in our own lives a little too much.

[@6oodfella]

I think this is true.

[@henryDzieciontko]

The script writer has been right through it all with a few women knows their ways.

[@BradJames83]

I tend to disagree. I hated her when I watched Breaking Bad for the first time, but I think Skyler becomes so cold because she got so sick of Walter's constant lies. Remember that he totally disappears with Tuco when he answers the phone that he claimed was the medication timer and did so for two days, then the entire weekend that he cooks a big batch. So I see it as Skyler hurting Walt with honesty and I think she might have been supportive if she had known from the start. After all, she got the car wash up and running as a much more believable investment. To be fair, I would have screeched at Marie if she was around me for too long, too! Walter's pride is a major issue. Even after he stormed out of Gray Matter Technologies, he was still a leading chemistry academic that was part of a team that contributed to a Nobel Prize and a specialist in his field at CalTech. He could have worked as a professor, then head of a chemistry department at any number of major universities, published papers, attended talks, did bits for TV science shows, written books and conducted further, fully funded, research. From all of that, Walter could have at least had assets north of $1,000,000 by the time he fell ill; but he let bitterness consume him and ended teaching in a high school. But I think we can all agree that the biggest frustration was Walt and Gale not going to Gus with the perfect coffee: "Los Cafe Hermanos!"

[@6oodfella]

Yes, that coffee could have made in millions in Gus's franchise.

[@Raygun9000]

But out of the gate she's controlling. Are you assuming he's lying constantly before the series? If you have a special needs dependant you may find it hard to hold down a high prestige job. Then, when it's not such a big issue, he's painted himself into a corner. It seems believable.

[@cozmickid80]

Holy shit, mate, you hit the nail on the head with this. Spot on! I never knew why I had such a strong distaste for her but outlined it perfectly. Good stuff and glad you're back to making videos!

[@6oodfella]

Thank you. Glad you agree.

[@mkooij]

Youre the first one to name the things correctly! Im amazed no other person had been able to voice it

[@ganjiblobflankis6581]

Skyler from Breaking Bad: I'm the most hated character. Hannah from Dark: Hold my beer. I don't hate Skyler so much any more, but Happy Birthday still causes physical pain and should be against the Geneva Convention.

[@6oodfella]

That part I always skip to prevent a cringe attack.

[@twentyrothmans7308]

She is the reason for the fast forward button.

[@jaydamalley3398]

I have the complete series now on Blu-ray, and the first season of BCS. Was about to start watching it. Thanks for the heads-up. ;) And now that you mentioned it, that sort of skipping certain scenes with specific characters I always do with the Frodo and Sam scenes in RotK. Except the Mordor bits. Extremely grating scenes; the acting probably. The only film I do that with.

[@NostraFnDamus]

Contrast Skyler White with Carmela Soprano. One well written, nuanced, conflicted character, and one arrogant shrew.

[@racheljames7]

Carmela is fantastic. She's loyal, dutiful, cooks up a storm and she's hilarious.

[@6oodfella]

Carmela could be annoying at times but at least she knew what Tony was doing and accepted it.

[@razzledazzle15]

She’s an unlikable character, but a GREAT one, for all the reasons you described. She’s a source of conflict and very realistically written.

[@6oodfella]

If they meant for her to be disliked then they did their job well.

[@hindenberg507]

she unattractive and miserable.

[@WorthlessWinner]

The problem is that the writers think she's a morally good person when she is not. Hated characters usually result from the writer thinking someone is a "good person" when they're not. She's not that bad a person BUT the writer thinks she's GOOD, which leads to bad writing.

[@awnaur0no919]

She not so bad of a person ONLY IN COMPARISON TO most of tha other psycho drug dealer degenerate criminals in tha gilliganverse lol; if she was a real person, she'd be tha one of tha worst individuals you've met throughout your whole life

[@6oodfella]

Interesting take.

[@michaeldavid6832]

The biggest villain of all time has to be Jenny in Forest Gump. I was boggled that any writer could be sympathetic with such a hedonistic PO-S. She friend-zones a guy for life then dodders off into the world to get railed by randos until later throwing Forest a pity f***. Then leaves and raises his kid amid her dysfunction. She comes back when she's played out and desperate only for Forest to have the privilege to watch the love of his life die in front of him. We don't even know if that kid is really his. Odds would be zero in real life. The same with Bridges of Madison County (wife is seen as virtuous for not leaving her family when she cheats with Chad). These stories have been around for a long time and they disgusted me when I saw them. When I saw how the females reactes so positively to those stories as a young man, it was a clear red pill moment. Soap operas were the first shows that clued me in. I noticed the pattern as a young boy: constant chaos and emotional trauma caused by those who are supposed to be the protagonists. There's something seriously wrong in the wiring of XX brains. They lack principles. #notall.

[@motorhead4870]

I watched it all once and loved it, I thought I’d watch it again a few years later and got a few episodes in and couldn’t be bothered with it

[@ncr1strecon528]

2025. Year of The 6oodfella.

[@6oodfella]

Let's hope so.

[@deusdex1186]

I would have had more respect for her if she'd refused to going along with any of it and just told everything to to the DEA.

[@6oodfella]

Yes, instead of getting to enjoy the money while condemning him for making it.

[@drstrangelove09]

can't stand Skyler!

[@SusanBlakely-pd6mp]

The actress playing Skyler had some awful plastic surgery before the third season, and looked distractingly weird, disturbingly so, which forever pulled me out of the story. Would love to hear your extended view on Carmella Soprano; I think the writing of Skyler is much, ahem, 'influenced' by her. Carmella steals Tony's money for her side gig, has an affair, is a drama bunny and and a resource vampire, and still a morality queen, despite all.

[@hindenberg507]

breaking bad was back in 2008 when woke was peaking, it might have looked normal female behaviour back then.

[@fragginz1980]

Holy shit, another 6oodfella video, what a great start to the year! Cheers, based Irishman!

[@DrKrapulax]

I'm not well-versed in British culture enough to know if calling a Scotsman Irish is a running joke, a subtle diss, or some hardcore insult :)

[@6oodfella]

Thank you. I'm Scottish but it's an easy mistake to make.

[@Raygun9000]

​@@DrKrapulax depends on the Irishman! 😉

[@JacksonDiddles]

An Irishman is just a Scot that has run away from his wife and is in hiding.

[@fragginz1980]

@@6oodfella I'm pretty sure you're Irish, what with that thick Irish accent and all..

[@christianbell8347]

Damn cool it with the spoliers fam, now the whole affair thing is totally RUINED for me!! Let me guess, it's with Fred, right?

[@WreckItRolfe]

12:40 The whole series is supposed to take place within a year 😆

[@aboylegolcom]

Next do Carol from The Walking Dead.

[@ExodusF1nale]

Or Carl. . . He's the one that killed that show for me. I hated every stupid thing that kid did. Then in season 4 I think it was there was an entire episode that had nobody BUT Carl in it, wondering around by himself. The entire time I was just shouting at my screen "please kill him off". Then the episode ended with him eating a gallon sized tin of chocolate pudding and I never watched a single episode after that.

[@6oodfella]

I've never watched it unfortunately.

[@4_am]

I like the actress! But the character is up there with Geoffrey from got haha

[@themagnus2919]

Veggie bacon.

[@Lirin]

I didn’t like her the first time I watched it, but I date hate her. She should have appreciated how hard Walt was working to make them set. And the worst was she acted like he was a monster when he tried to initiate intimacy when they were being flirty. I’m not a dude, so my opinion isn’t really relevant to this, but my dad she annoying how nagging she is when we watched it.😅

[@chrisrus1965]

That's what makes her interesting! Do you like Jeff Bridges? Check out The Old Man series. I think it's up your alley.

[@6oodfella]

I've not seen it. I'll look it up.

[@some1online2]

To be honest I think Skylar is actually a really good character in Breaking Bad, shes annoying as hell but that kind of makes the show more interesting.

[@claytonveno3710]

Nah man she makes the show worse. Why do you think she wasn't in Better Call Saul?

[@thorium3737]

I like Skyler because you can enjoy the villain in pro wrestling. Yeah, she is everything you said, but that's why she is a good character. She makes you feel something, granted nothing good, but not many characters can do that- for good or ill

[@6oodfella]

That's true. There's many characters in shows that you barely notice enough to hate or like.

[@BallJuiceOfZeus]

You should watch mr inbetween. Its better than breaking bad

[@6oodfella]

I'll look it up.

[@michaeldavid6832]

Second it. It was one of the best shows I watched last year -- though it was out awhile back. It has a proper ending as well.

[@bojackbojackbojack]

Never expected THIS video. You know, I watched "Deadwood" for the first time just a few years ago, and the actress who played Skyler White distracted me so much that I viscerally hated the fact she was cast in that show - And she was cast in that show BEFORE "Breaking Bad" was even a show. That's how much I hated the character of Skyler White.

[@6oodfella]

I watched the first episode of Deadwood but I just couldn't get through it. I think it was because I was eating at the time.

[@bojackbojackbojack]

@@6oodfella - Just a reminder - Wild Bill is NOT the star of the show and he goes away pretty quickly eventually in season 1.

[@tedbell4416]

👍🏻

[@JoeCool90]

Never liked her, and beyond the basic, “shes supposed to be disliked”. It felt to me that she basically was badly written, and the network pushed the writers to give her more screen time as they needed to pass the Beckdel test or whatever, you know, the quota because otherwise too many men on the show.

[@6oodfella]

That's possible. It is a man's show though so she's the worst character to put in it.

[@candycommander]

Might be that time she cheated on Walt. Just a guess. 🤔

[@MexieMex]

Yea, but apart from that do you like her?

[@manwithhair88]

Definitely agree with you. I quit watching the show, first time around because of how infuriating she was. Plus I really found his son super annoying as well.

[@tom186i]

Annoying frustrating character, yes. Well written, well acted character, yes

[@MekoVan]

I've never seen the Breaking Bad show. Not really the genre for me. Maybe one day.