I Don't Like Skyler White Either

So I'm enjoying the current season of "Breaking Bad," and you can expect a review post in a few weeks, after it wraps up. However, I'd like to take a minute to comment on the ongoing debate over Skyler White, played by Anna Gunn, who has been a controversial figure for the last few seasons. For those of you who are unfamiliar with "Breaking Bad," Skyler is the wife of the show's central anti-hero figure, Walter White, who was kept in the dark about her husband's activities until the third season. Her finding out about his meth cooking operations resulted in a contentious separation, an ill-considered affair, a shaky reconciliation, and Skyler becoming more and more complicit in Walt's crimes. She's also the link, by way of her sister Marie (Betsy Brandt), to DEA Agent Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), Marie's husband and one of the show's major antagonists.

A certain segment of the fandom does not like Skyler, and is very vocal about it, often disparaging her and occasionally using some unfortunate misogynist language to do it. These fans have been rightly called out for their bad behavior by other "Breaking Bad" fans, and there have been ongoing discussions over whether being unsympathetic to Skyler might be indicative of a deeper problem with women in general, or if fans might be too overzealous in defending the character of Walter White, who has gone from mild-mannered chemistry teacher to cold-blooded drug kingpin and killer over the course of five seasons. The debate has intensified this year as the balance of power between Walt and Skyler has shifted dramatically, favoring Walt, and Skyler has pretty much become a hostage in her own home, terrified of her husband.

I know which side of this debate I'm supposed to be on, but here's the thing - I don't like Skyler White either. I'm sympathetic to her problems, and I certainly haven't been rooting for Walt for a long time. However, from the beginning I've found Skyler abrasive, dismissive, sanctimonious, and boring. She has a difficult personality, and the show hasn't often shown her good side. I'm pretty sure that's by design. Skyler was supposed to be a major source of aggravation for Walt in the early seasons, and then an antagonist for the duration of the separation storyline. It wasn't until last year, when Skyler was firmly on Walt's side at last, that we got to see her being smart and resourceful on a regular basis. And it's only been very recently, as Walt has gotten more and more corrupt, that Skyler has been shown in a better light by comparison.

There have been some great pieces discussing Skyler as a common type of female character in anti-hero dramas, who are set up to be vilified because they're always stuck being the killjoy and the spoilsport. Skyler's been moved away from that role, but I think the damage was already done. It's no wonder that some viewers have had trouble letting go of the image of Skyler as the clueless, busybody housewife, because that's what "Breaking Bad" introduced her as, what the show needed her to be originally. For most of the series, she hasn't been a very well-written character. She's still the least fleshed out member of the main cast compared to Jesse (Aaron Paul), Mike (Jonathan Banks), and even Hank. She doesn't get to be funny, like Marie or the twitchy newbie, Lydia (Laura Fraser). We rarely even get to see her being maternal to her kids.

And I feel bad about saying this, but I don't find Anna Gunn to be a particularly strong actress. She's had some great moments, but she always comes off as very stiff and bland to me. The blow-up between Walt and Skyler in "Fifty-One," for instance, was a good, intense sequence and the kind of material that I wish we got more of. I couldn't help comparing it to the "Whitecaps" episode of "The Sopranos" that I saw recently, where Tony and Carmela Soprano's marriage combusts in really spectacular fashion. The Sopranos' fight is much better than the Whites' not only because of the level of the performances, but because portrayal of Walt and Skyler's marriage in "Breaking Bad" doesn't have anything close to the same depth or nuance of Carmela and Tony's in "The Sopranos." It's one of the show's weak points that it has often neglected what should be one of its most important relationships.

Maybe this will change in these last few episodes. "Breaking Bad" has always been an extremely male-centric series, and the show has invested way more time and attention in Walt's partnership with Jesse, but as the danger moves closer to home, Skyler might come to the forefront. It has been a very good season for her so far, and I'm curious where the show is going with her current storyline. I don't like Skyler White, but that doesn't mean I'm not invested in what's going to happen to her or that I don't enjoy what she adds to the show. After all, I don't much like Walter White either.
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