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Ever wonder how a show that starts with a struggling high school teacher boiling meth in his RV ends up becoming an undeniable cultural juggernaut?Breaking Badhad all the elements for an overnight disaster—nobody really expected it to last. Yet, it defied the odds and shaped the television landscape, turning from an underdog to an iconic classic.
However, while the show skillfully deconstructed the idea of morality, it also mirrored something a lot darker about society’s prejudices—specifically, how we view women. As Bryan Cranston, who played the morally bankrupt Walter White, himself admitted, the reactions to one of the show’s most important female characters left him scratching his head.
For those who didn’t follow the show,Breaking Badgave us a front-row seat to a man’s descent into villainy. Walter White, once a meek and mild chemistry teacher, became a ruthless drug kingpin, wreaking havoc on everyone around him—including his own family. Yet, it wasn’t just his transformation that shocked audiences; it was the characters who surrounded him, especially his wife, Skyler White.
Bryan Cranston: HowBreaking Badexposed our bias against strong women
In a candid reflection on the show’s impact,Bryan Cranstonrecounted how many viewers despised Skyler(Anna Gunn),the character who questioned her husband’s increasingly dangerous behavior.“I had people tell me, ‘Oh, Skyler, I hate that character!’”Cranston said, adding (Esquire):
I found that fascinating, so I would ask, why? ‘Oh, she’s getting in the way! She’s questioning you! She’s preventing you from doing your thing!’
Yet, in the eyes of many, Skyler’s very human desire to protect her children and seek the truth became the issue. When faced with the truth, these same viewers often had an“Oh, s*it. Yeah”moment—an uncomfortable realization that perhaps they were too quick to condemn her.
As Cranston reflected, the dynamic between Walt and Skyler wasn’t just about power struggles between husband and wife—it was about the role of women in a story that celebrates a man’s transformation.
Cranston further added:
It was fascinating how the show worked on people.
Skyler’s rejection wasn’t merely because of her actions, but because she wasn’t playing into the role expected of her. Instead of sitting quietly and accepting her fate, she fought back. And that, for some, was too much to handle.
Bryan Cranston on Skyler’s backlash: Why did defending Walt expose our bias?
Bryan Cranston himself seemed equally perplexed by the vitriol directed at Skyler, noting how many fans of the show—people who adored Walter White—found her actions intolerable. In the same interview, he said:
Oh, she’s preventing me from creating this disastrous, evil drug that fuels addiction and brings down local society? And you’re mad at her for that? And because she wants the truth from her husband and she’s concerned about protecting her children?
And that, for some, was too much. When they saw her push back against Walt’s actions, it was like hitting a sore spot. Their immediate defense of Walter became a mirror of society’s discomfort with women taking a stand.
In many ways,Breaking Badholds up a mirror to us, showing how ingrained misogyny is, even in the most unlikely places. It’s a show that dared to show a morally bankrupt protagonist, but it also quietly pointed out the hypocrisy that often underlies the way we view women in power—whether that power is exercised by a woman questioning her husband’s questionable decisions or by a woman seeking autonomy in a world that constantly tells her to step aside.
As Cranston himself reflected, the whole dynamic between Walt and Skyler wasn’t just about their personal battles but about how the audience, too, was complicit in the way they viewed women:
People wouldn’t let go, and found every possible reason to justify his decisions.
But the reaction from some fans went far beyond mere disapproval. In fact,Anna Gunnreceived analarming number of death threatsduring her time on the show, something she opened up about in later interviews.
Toriyama’s original Avatar- Akira Toriyama and Breaking Bad Legend Bryan Cranston Had a Connection That Will Surprise Many Dragon Ball Fans
So, next time you watch a TV show and feel compelled to judge a character like Skyler, maybe ask yourself why you’re so quick to side with the man in the story. Maybe, just maybe, we need to take a deeper look at our own inherent biases, and recognize that challenging someone like Walter White doesn’t make her a villain!
Breaking Badis currently available to watch on Netflix.
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
