"He's my partner. And if he doesn't go, I don't go."
That really sums it up. At the core, Walter and Jesse are bound almost irrevocably and permanently. And this show really makes you feel sorry for Jesse, the way he ends up in the blue shit as a metaphor for the way the universe seems to love to open up and just dump crap all over the kid.
"Abusive teaching" - I like that. Very apt! Walt really does adopt a blustery, bullying teaching method with Jesse, but it's telling how codependent and into each other's heads they are that when Walt has half a chance to get rid of Gale, he replaces him with Jesse.
And Jesse groks the cook. He groks it so well that when Gus has to begin his chess endgame with the cartel, his prize cook, Jesse, can come in at 96%.
That's the ultimate vindication for this uneducated loser of a kid whose sole redeeming qualities are his big heart and a long-latent drive to improve himself.
1) What is your favourite Walt/Jesse scene of the first half of S2?
Not having re-watched this one yet, I'm harder-put to recall it. But I think if I had to place it, I'd say the blowfish moment. Walter is really good at boosting Jesse's ego ("moment of the rest of your life" talk!) when he needs it to serve some greater objective.
2) Is it appropriate to say Walt/Jesse have a father/son bond considering how abusive this relationship is?
They do have one. Jesse almost never seems to truly take initiative, even when it seems like he does. He always asks "Mr. White" to cook with him, never to cook on his own. And even when Jesse knows he needs to start executing people to boost his reputation, he can't do it and needs Walter to puff his ego up.
In doing so, he becomes an extension of Walter's will without really realizing it, and in the most profound way when Walt orders Gale's execution, and Jesse robotically follows those orders.
In doing so, he becomes an extension of Walter's will without really realizing it, and in the most profound way when Walt orders Gale's execution, and Jesse robotically follows those orders. YESSSSSSSSS. This is such an eloquent explanation of what happens in that scene and the scenes leading up to it.
I agree with waltz. That is such a chillingly accurate description of Jesse shooting Gale. Along with robotic, it seemed like a Pavlovian response to Walt's months of careful conditioning. Walt's "do it, Jesse, do it!" even sounds like he's talking to a well-trained dog. Man, I can't wait to recap part 2 of S3.
"Abusive teaching" - I like that. Very apt! Walt really does adopt a blustery, bullying teaching method with Jesse,
I think a lot of Walt's breaking bad is driven by Walt's bitterness and desire for revenge on all the people who Walt blames for his lousy life. So just as Walt wants to say 'fuck you' to the likes of Elliot, Gretchen, Eyebrows, I'm sure Walt also wants to punish every lazy delinquent teenager who wasted Walt's career and genius. Walt can't say what he really wants to say to the kids in his chemistry class, but he has no such restrictions with Jesse. He can just insult him mercilessly and make him the whipping boy for all his frustrations. But there are moments where I think Walt genuinely enjoys teaching Jesse and Jesse loves learning from Walt. The blowfish moment manages to be both very cute and very corrupt.
That really sums it up. At the core, Walter and Jesse are bound almost irrevocably and permanently. And this show really makes you feel sorry for Jesse, the way he ends up in the blue shit as a metaphor for the way the universe seems to love to open up and just dump crap all over the kid.
"Abusive teaching" - I like that. Very apt! Walt really does adopt a blustery, bullying teaching method with Jesse, but it's telling how codependent and into each other's heads they are that when Walt has half a chance to get rid of Gale, he replaces him with Jesse.
And Jesse groks the cook. He groks it so well that when Gus has to begin his chess endgame with the cartel, his prize cook, Jesse, can come in at 96%.
That's the ultimate vindication for this uneducated loser of a kid whose sole redeeming qualities are his big heart and a long-latent drive to improve himself.
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Not having re-watched this one yet, I'm harder-put to recall it. But I think if I had to place it, I'd say the blowfish moment. Walter is really good at boosting Jesse's ego ("moment of the rest of your life" talk!) when he needs it to serve some greater objective.
2) Is it appropriate to say Walt/Jesse have a father/son bond considering how abusive this relationship is?
They do have one. Jesse almost never seems to truly take initiative, even when it seems like he does. He always asks "Mr. White" to cook with him, never to cook on his own. And even when Jesse knows he needs to start executing people to boost his reputation, he can't do it and needs Walter to puff his ego up.
In doing so, he becomes an extension of Walter's will without really realizing it, and in the most profound way when Walt orders Gale's execution, and Jesse robotically follows those orders.
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I think a lot of Walt's breaking bad is driven by Walt's bitterness and desire for revenge on all the people who Walt blames for his lousy life. So just as Walt wants to say 'fuck you' to the likes of Elliot, Gretchen, Eyebrows, I'm sure Walt also wants to punish every lazy delinquent teenager who wasted Walt's career and genius. Walt can't say what he really wants to say to the kids in his chemistry class, but he has no such restrictions with Jesse. He can just insult him mercilessly and make him the whipping boy for all his frustrations. But there are moments where I think Walt genuinely enjoys teaching Jesse and Jesse loves learning from Walt. The blowfish moment manages to be both very cute and very corrupt.
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