So, I’m watching Breaking Bad again and I’m at season 5 episode 3. I guess this is a small little analysis of the scene where Skyler breaks down at the car wash. It’s by far one of my favorite moments in the show because I think it’s so funny but also so subtle to the story. Maybe I read too much into stuff but here’s my analysis.
I’m gonna start with the prior scene because I think it offers great context for the car wash scene. This is the scene where Walter and Jesse have just finished cooking and are sitting together on the couch talking about Andrea (I believe her name is, I don’t pay attention to their little romantic side story). Walter gives Jesse a little word of relationship advice and says, “Secrets create barriers between people. I’m speaking from experience believe me”. This is obviously alluding to his now extremely strained relationship with Skyler and how keeping his cringe-ass ‘Heisenberg’ personality a secret got them to where they are. I’m sorry I hate when he puts that dumbass on and puts on his little bad guy persona, it icks me out so bad.
But I digress. The following scene is the car wash scene. It starts off with Marie being the annoying ass, whiny bitch she is complaining about the guy washing her car windows. She moves on from scolding the worker behind glass to casually talking about good life news and asking if she has anything planned for Walter’s birthday which also doubles as his cancer diagnosis day. Skyler, shaken by the question and Marie’s constant blabber about the whole thing, walks over to her purse and grabs a cigarette. Of course, Ms. BlabberMouth has something to say about this and begins endlessly berating and questioning Skyler about smoking. It truly feels like this family is just entirely full of narcs because why the fuck are you whining over a cigarette. Skyler cuts Marie’s rant short by telling her to shut up. When I first watched this scene I bust out laughing because of Marie’s utter shock at speaking to her like that. This is what someone has needed to say to her for the entirety of the series, and I’m so glad it was Sklyer. When Marie doesn’t listen the first time, Skyler goes on to repeat the phrase until the bitch finally shuts up and begins to break down crying.
I feel like they very realistically portray how sisters fight. I mean I don’t have a sister but I have many cousins and when we were younger we might as well have all been siblings. I just felt like 1. how it was such an authentic portrayal of the way siblings can just irk the fuck out of you and 2. how they can also be the ones to break you/ force you in the headspace for a catharsis. Maybe even a well-needed catharsis. Which I do think Skyler needed that moment and she needed to let out this month’s worth of emotional build-up from the stress of Walter’s secret and her fears surrounding it. Marie just happened to be the person that all of the pent up emotions were misdirected to. If anyone it would be a sibling or someone you’re very close to in that way, right? Because this type of secret-keeping takes a toll on those very close relationships and when your partner is constantly gaslighting you, you can’t talk to them and you sure as hell can’t confide in your inner circle, or else the secret is out. With no outlet, she shuts down and has an emotional outburst in the comfort of her sister. While the situation is uncomfortable, she has this breakdown in front of Marie because that is her sister and her support system and someone she CAN breakdown in front of. Even if she can’t say what’s wrong, Marie’s presence offers her a space to still feel these emotions and get them out.
Flashing back to the earlier scene with Walter and Jesse when Walt says, “Secrets create barriers between people,” I think this is Skyler’s way of beginning to break down that barrier between her and Marie. While this barrier is nearly indestructible now between her and Walt, there’s this barrier with Marie that she can access and break down if she so chooses.
But I’m trying to keep this post short, so I think that’ll be the abrupt end to my analysis until I can better learn to write out my thoughts in a way that is understandable to people other than me. As always, it’s been a pleasure, Boypuppy.
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