Controversial Female Character in the Breaking Bad series

One of the main female characters in the series is Skyler White, the wife of the central character Walter White. She is seen as an ordinary housewife early in the series. Actress Anna Gunn herself called her to character a ‘combination of sexism and gender role ideas.’ He has also suffered a lot for the character personally. By acting brilliantly, he has garnered more criticism than praise. He even received derogatory remarks on social media, ranging from death threats. Most viewers claim that Skyler’s character is quite intolerant regarding audience reaction. There are even several anti-Skyler public pages and groups on Facebook!

Behind the backdrop of such an adverse reaction from the audience is the insulting presentation of the character. Skyler is portrayed on screen as an annoying, troublesome wife. Her husband, Walter, gradually became involved in various illegal and seemingly immoral activities, all of which she used to hide from Skyler under various false pretenses. From drug preparation to murder, he does it for the sake of his family’s future.

The very concept of masculinity that men suffer from is seen here in a very glorious way – ‘Man provides.’ The idea that, at any rate all responsibilities must be borne by men is at the root of the story. When Walter, unwilling to give in to his ego, hides his wife against the wall he has created, Skyler becomes involved with his boss, Ted. Throughout the episode, viewers show a sympathetic attitude towards Walter.

As the distance between them increased, so did the rhythm in the separation imposed by Skyler, despite Walter’s efforts. However, after Walter Skyler’s brother-in-law took over the medical responsibility, their distance began to narrow again. Even at this stage, Skyler herself expressed her desire to be a partner in her husband’s immoral activities. In other words, Skyler is presented as irrational and selfish.

Other female characters in the series are also claimed to be ‘underrated’ by critics. In the lives of the men at the center of the heroic, courageous story, their partners are seen to cause some kind of misfortune. Jane, the girlfriend of Jesse Pinkman, another important character in the series, becomes addicted to heroin and persuades her to make the wrong decision. When Walter keeps his money, he blackmails Jane Walter and forces her to return the money. Overall, Jane’s personality is somewhat manic and irrational.

The character of Skyler’s sister Mary also represents a molded married woman, whose only bizarre aspect of the character is the habit of stealing favorite items from various shops. Throughout the series, Mary is seen behaving in an unrealistic, stupid, and childish way.

While a drama series that has been hugely successful and popular in commercial and audience response, the skillfully crafted Breaking Bad has faced many questions and criticism about the female character. Producer Vince Gilligan, however, is not upset. He rather blames the viewer’s point of view.

After much speculation about Skyler White’s character, actress Anna Gunn herself blamed the patriarchal attitude behind the character’s creation in various interviews. Anna claims to be a misogynist rather than a viewer in the context of her hatred of the song.

Audiences are divided over the derogatory representations of female characters. Some people think that it is just a well-made series at the end of the day and such a presentation of the character is necessary for the story. But according to relatively progressive viewers, the on-screen portrayal of the character is inspired by the real. It does not rule out the possibility of influencing real life. The masculine attitude of the creator has been manifested through these characters and they feel that it can also have an effect on the viewer’s point of view.

Despite everything, Breaking Bad is a very interesting and popular series. At the end of the day, after all the controversy, it will still be a work of art to the audience’s delight. No work of art is above criticism. But above all, there is no disagreement in the audience about the superiority of the breaking bad.