Breaking Bad : Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

As I'm looking through posts here, I'm finding a lot of people hated Jesse and thought he was a whiny little brat. I'm just not getting the Jesse hate

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I've been binging the show for the first time the past couple of weeks. Currently on S5E12. Jesse is my favorite character.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I think what you're seeing is Walt-worshipers or people who just dislike any character that is opposed to the protagonist's actions.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Or people who dislike the idea of an irrational junkie RAT with a serious case of inferiority complex. All the whiny linear moron had to do was bite the bullet, get his ass to Alaska and then start rebuilding. But being the r3tarded spaz that he is, he decided to...well...I wish he had remained in that chamber for the rest of his days tbh. I don't like that he is the only one that got away seemingly at the end. It's not that Jesse had morals because I agree with his morals, but the way he went about his business from the get-go was infuriating to say the least. One foot in, one foot out and dragging everyone around him down with him while creating the majority of the casualties and looking to project his guilt onto others. F%#* Jesse. He's not as deplorable as Skyler or Walt Jr....on second thought, he is on par and in a three way tie for most despicable characters on the show. I like his character as far as the series is concerned but only because he is so easy to dislike.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


He's not as deplorable as Skyler or Walt Jr....on second thought, he is on par and in a three way tie for most despicable characters on the show.
Walt Jr? Sure, he may have been painfully naïve even for his age, but he had arguably the best morals of any character on the show. I can't even try to rationalize calling him despicable.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Jesse was fundamentally weak. It's why he became an addict in the first place. It's easy to hate Jesse because at first, he never asserts himself. His character growth/arc is huge though. He changes the most by far during the show's run.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

It is hard to say that Jesse changes the most by far in a show that the entire premise is based on the main characters transformation from boring chemistry teacher to a murdering Drug Kingpin.

Jesse does change massively throughout the series and it would be very interesting to see how his being held captive and subsequent rescue effect him. I really enjoy the cold opening of Ozymandias because it flashes back to Jesse jumping around playing on the rocks like a kid.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


It is hard to say that Jesse changes the most by far in a show that the entire premise is based on the main characters transformation from boring chemistry teacher to a murdering Drug Kingpin.


I get what you're saying but it's not hard to assert that Jesse's arc is the most dynamic in the show. He went from being a sideshow that VG admitted to almost killing off after season one to being a deep, three-dimensional character and a true partner/foil to Walt. I suppose most of that could be directly attributed to Paul's performance, which was stupendous.


it would be very interesting to see how his being held captive and subsequent rescue effect him.


If by this you mean a cameo in another show or even a stand alone Jesse show, I think we saw pretty much everything pertinent to Jesse's condition immediately following the events at Jack's compound. The manic, crying laughter as Jesse speeds away into the darkness is disturbing and poignant. I don't know that seeing Jesse at any point after that scene would be a good thing.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I have no problem with the way the show ended and I don't think Jesse should have another spinoff or anything. Just from a place of curiosity I wonder what would have happened to him. He had been through more than anybody on the show yet made it out alive. He was saved by the same person he hated for getting him into the whole mess in the first place. He told Walt at the end so I would like to think he would have ended up having a positive life worth living...but in reality based off the way Jesse usually dealt with his problems (getting high) he likely would have fallen back into the same trap.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


He told Walt at the end so I would like to think he would have ended up having a positive life worth living...but in reality based off the way Jesse usually dealt with his problems (getting high) he likely would have fallen back into the same trap.


Exactly. I don't want to see him torture himself any further, so a realistic Jesse stand-alone or BrBa post-mortem show would not work for me at all. To me, Jesse is still just driving away from everything as fast as he can.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Jesse was always my favorite.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

He's my favorite on the show. I loved the ending when he was driving and laughing and screaming.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Overall, I liked Jesse. He made some bad decisions, but he had heart; consider how he tried to protect all the children he encountered.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


I'm just not getting the Jesse hate

I don't get the Jesse hate either. He did some terrible things (the worst of which was murdering Gale), but he seemed to be really tortured by these bad acts. I see Jesse as a victim of his own addiction more than anything else.

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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


I don't get the Jesse hate either. He did some terrible things (the worst of which was murdering Gale), but he seemed to be really tortured by these bad acts. I see Jesse as a victim of his own addiction more than anything else.


Most of it comes from people who have too much bias towards Walt.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


Most of it comes from people who have too much bias towards Walt.
I must say I find reading people's opinions about the characters to be fascinating. I think you can actually develop a psychological profile of the "types" of people who like/hate Walt, Skylar, Hank, Marie, and Jesse. They are all very very different. The results reveal a tremendous amount about the individual's own satisfaction and frustration with his/her own life.

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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I agree, it's funny how divisive the show is, I can't think of any other shows that find an audience with such differing opinions and interpretations. I think it's really interesting seeing the huge divide in people who rooted for Walt throughout the show, and the ones who hated him and couldn't wait him to get arrested/killed/die. They could conduct psychological studies on what separates the fans of bb I swear lol.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


I agree, it's funny how divisive the show is, I can't think of any other shows that find an audience with such differing opinions and interpretations. I think it's really interesting seeing the huge divide in people who rooted for Walt throughout the show, and the ones who hated him and couldn't wait him to get arrested/killed/die. They could conduct psychological studies on what separates the fans of bb I swear lol.



Really? Because this phenomenon is not rare by any means.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I never implied it's unheard of for a shows fan base to be divided, but I don't know of any shows that have fans quite as split as breaking bad, and about so many things not just their opinion on Walt, IMO. I can think of other examples such as the sopranos and Mad Men where audiences were either rooting for or against the protagonist, but not to the extremes of breaking bad's fans.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

The writers developed so many stories and scenes that divide the audience right down the middle as much as possible.

Perfect example is Jane's death. They could have had Walt smother her with a pillow...but that would clearly leave Walt defenders in the minority. So they could have had him walk in after she rolled over on her own and choked to death...but no, that would place no fault on Walt. So what do they do?...just ride the fence right down the middle to split the fan base...we'll have Walt brush up against her, she rolls over and he "allows" her to die...and the fans still debate if he murdered her or not...just what the writers wanted.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Yes, Jane's death was one of those dilemmas where you have to decide whether to judge a person (Walt) by his actions or his intentions. Clearly, he didn't go there with the intention of killing Jane. And yet, his actions speak otherwise.

There's a wonderful old movie that addresses the same problem: A Place in the Sun in which the main character (a blinding gorgeous Montgomery Clift) is in a row boat with a former girlfriend that he wants dead (long story, but she's pregnant and he wants to marry Elizabeth Taylor instead). The old girlfriend can't swim and he plans to capsize the boat, "allowing" her to drown. At the last minute, he chickens out, but the boat tips over anyway and she drowns--- as he originally wanted her to.

How do we judge him, by his actions or intentions?
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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Can't really judge either one, with respect to guilt, on original intentions. Expect in your story, it depends on whether or not the blind man was capable of saving her, without risking his own life. If he was, and allowed her to die, he'd be as guilty as Walt.

However, if he let her die, expect he would get off by saying he felt he couldn't save her, for fear of being pulled under. Walt had no such excuse.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

LOL, I meant that Montgomery Clift was so gorgeous, it blinded the viewer to look at him. No, the character wasn't blind at all. He was just an ambitious young man who got a poor girl (Shelley Winters) pregnant and then fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor and wanted to marry her.

The interesting thing is that A Place in the Sun(1951) was a remake of an earlier film from 1931. Both movies were based on the Theodore Dreiser novel An American Tragedy. But the two films are very different in the treatment of main character. In the 1951 movie he is sympathetic and in the 1931 movie he isn't. The facts, however, of the crime remain the same.

It's the same with Walt. If you are sympathetic to Walt's plight and you see Jane as a villain, it seems totally reasonable for him to allow her to die without culpability. If you are not sympathetic to him, however, his actions take on a different meaning and are clearly akin to murder. Earlier in the episode, they show him very mindfully putting baby Holly to sleep on her side, so she will not choke if she vomits. So his intentions putting baby Holly to bed are very clear. She is innocent and doesn't deserve to choke to death. Later on in the episode, Walt is able to demonstrate his intentions with regard to Jane and he does not take action to prevent her from choking to death.

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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

That's what I get for reading too fast...you wrote it clearly...did seem odd a blind guy would plan to kill someone by tipping a boat over.

Yeah, for Walt, if you really put yourself in his shoes, it was a real dilemna that you could see him wrestling with as she choked. He had plenty of time to go over his pros and cons list with Crazy 8. But only a few seconds for Jane.

The writers really balanced the pros and cons, making it a difficult decision. Jane's "I will burn you to the ground" threat likely tipped the scale. Even after giving them the money, he saw she'd still be a loose canon.

Many people seem to take extreme stances with these charactors...very polarizing. But think if you focus on understanding the characters POV, would end up alot closer to that fence they balanced on...at least in the first half of the series, before breaking too bad.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

The show is a great example of the slippery slope that exists when you go off the path. The only rule Walt seemed to set was that his family was off limits. That included Hank and Marie. Remember when Saul indirectly suggests that Walt neutralize Hank the same way Walt eliminated Mike. Walt is appalled about that and threatens Saul for suggesting it.

The writers really created complex characters and it really lends itself to rewatching. I think this show is the closest we get to seeing how people really and truly get sucked into a life of crime.

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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

That is really interesting!!! Sometimes I surprise myself with the degree of dislike I have for Skylar!! She is the only character on the show I felt this way about. For me, I could find something redeeming about all the other characters-but NOT Skylar! 😉

Haha, we on occasion play a silly game where we have to take a drink every time I make a disparaging remark about Skylar-needless to say, BB viewing nights have gotten more fun....

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I love Jesse too. I don't understand why the Walt lovers dislike Jesse, because ultimately, Walt loved Jesse too.

Jesse killed Gale because Walt told him he had to-to save Walt. What choice did he have?!

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?


Walt loved Jesse too.
Yes, Walt loved Jesse like the son he never had (oh, wait....).

And I regarded Gale's death as collateral damage. They were in a war with Gus. Gale, being allied with Gus, was a victim. I did feel terrible for him, because he was not a bad person.

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Never say never...

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Jesse was a little bitch who should have been put down by Walt in season 1.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I liked him in pretty much every season except season 4, where he joined Team Gus and started licking Mike's ass. That aside I found him an interesting character, he was easily manipulated and ran on emotion rather than logic.

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Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I love Jesse as a character and Aaron Paul is pretty hot so..

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Jesse had his problems and these I believe came from his feelings of not being a part of anything. We see that in season 4 when he has people over his house partying non stop. He's lonely and he'll take company from wherever he can get it. We see in the early seasons that his brother jake is the favoured son and he feels like he could never be good enough for his parents. Jesse loved Jane and her death really put him in a bad place that I don't think he could recover from.

I believe the writers made it so we as an audience could favour Walt over Jesse in the early parts before liking them both equally. At the back end of season 4 and start of season 5 Jesse shines as the most righteous character in the whole series and for me becomes somewhat of a hero when contrasted to walt's greed and ruthlessness. This leads the audience to then favour Jesse over Walter before Walters final act levels them once again.

You can't hate Jesse. Yes he was annoying at times but he had a big heart which he was still able to show even in the toughest situations. He had all the money in the world but he had no one. The writers in this way show to everyone that money does not in fact constitute happiness and serves as a fair warning to anyone wanting to go into illegal activities

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

At first, I found him annoying. Not mean spirited enough to really hate, but just rude, presumptuous, and ignorant. Generally, I gained more respect for him as the show went on, ad well as more sympathy. By the end, I definitely had more regard for him than almost any of the other main characters.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I liked Jesse. He wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree but he meant well. I found him very entertaining.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I just think that Jesse should have sucked it up and just become Gus' new cook....

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Jesse always seemed like a nuisance more than anything to me.

I couldn't stand him for quite awhile after he shot Gale. (Yeah, his actions and moods were very true to life and can be excused) but he was still annoying to me.




He really grated on me during Rabid Dog. However he didn't deserve the torture he got at Jack's compound.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I watched the show as it was being aired, and now I've watched the whole thing again on Netflix. I feel that the second viewing has definitely provided me with a more complete understanding of the characters. However, Jesse is the one character who I don't view any different after the second viewing, and that's fine by me.

The Walt fans who hate Jesse do so because he's one of the most realistic characters in the show and his presence kind of pokes holes in their El Chapo fantasies of Walt. Jesse is a moral cipher for the audience. He despises/ fears killing like an imagined normal person probably would if they were thrusts in similar situations. He has a pretty average intelligence level compared to Walt, and he has a major failing that is pretty damn common to many areas of the US. The majority of people I know who have watched the show (including myself) were rooting for Jesse in the last season and I'm like 95% positive the last season wouldn't have gone well if they killed off Jesse.

It has to be said that Aaron Paul's portrayal of Jesse is what kept that character in the show past the original end point Vince had in mind for him. I've known plenty of Jesses in my life, and I'm pretty sure Aaron Paul has too. He got pretty much everything right, from the way he talks, to his fidgety mannerisms. Even the way he picked things up and moved them seemed an inspired choice by Paul. However, there was one facet of Jesse that seemed unrealistic. He acts more like a pothead than hardcore drug user. Granted, I've known a lot more potheads than hardcore druggies, but the few hardcore users I knew (Meth/Oxy/Heroin) would be lucky to keep their *beep* together for a few hours let alone a day on end, especially with a constant supply. I mean, sure, people can quit and not every user is the exact same, but Jesse just looks and acts more like a pothead, than a hardcore drug addict. He seems like your average under-achieving early twenties pothead.

F all that talk about Jesse being a rat. The whole idea of there being loyal criminals is just a ridiculous movie-made bs cliche. The Goodfellas is a real life story, and nowadays most criminals who get caught do what Henry Hill did and sell out their friends to save their own skin. Once the mob didn't have the cops/judges/politicians in their pocket, criminals were facing charges (charges that got more and more severe for every offense as time went on and astronomically more severe for drug charges) started talking to save their own skin.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Well said. Nothing more annoying than the people who worshipped Walk right to the end and seem to paint Jesse as a bad guy. Jesse was the moral grounding the show needed and in my opinion the show was always a two-hander between them and their moralities (or lack thereof). But it's Heisenberg who ended up on the t-shirts and posters, so one can see why Jesse gets a bad rap.

I disagree a little with the criticism about his drug-use versus character though- I have known a few bright people who are heavy users of heavy substances who do, just about, keep their *beep* together. Few and far between, granted, but they do exist.



Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I'll never understand why a few posters on this board seem to assume that everyone that got tired of Jesse's whining and being an unreliable business partner are just Walt "fanboys" or apologists.

I despised Walt a great deal towards the end of the series almost more than any other anti-hero I've watched over 5 seasons and at the end was willing to put a bullet in him myself.

That being said I still hate Jesse and think that if he really wasn't cut out for the world they entered he would have at least had the common sense to try and put it all behind him instead of allowing himself to be manipulated by Walt and used by Hank simply for personal vendetta.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

Excellent analysis! I especially liked this statement:


The Walt fans who hate Jesse do so because he's one of the most realistic characters in the show and his presence kind of pokes holes in their El Chapo fantasies of Walt.


I think that the people who "loved" Walt really liked his criminality, NOT his actual personality. He was so flawed it was amazing that anyone wanted him around at all! Gus saw that and I often think that he wanted to get rid of Walt because the latter annoyed him with his constant posturing, whining and pretensions of being a drug lord.

I also agreed that Jesse seemed like a pothead. I haven't known any meth addicts, maybe a few addicted to opioids but yes, except for that scene when Jesse gets high and hallucinates that the Jehovah's Witnesses are killer bikers...he seemed simply stoned.

Also, good point about the myth of the "rat" always meeting a bad end! Henry Hill is a great example. Not only did he sell out his criminal "friends" (who were none too loyal to HIM) but went on to start an Italian restaurant in Hartford, CT after leaving Witness Protection. He should have just done that to begin with.

-Those we should know elude us. But we can...love without complete understanding.

Re: Anyone else not find Jesse that bad?

I agree with you laxxx028, 100%! Jesse is my favorite character and became even more so as Walt deteriorated into the REAL whiny brat of the show! Remember Mike's insulting lecture to Walt? It was spot on: "You with your pride and your ego!" That's all that motivated him, which he even admitted to Skyler in the finale...that he really "did all that" for himself, not the family. He actually treated his family like crap, bossed them around, pawed at Skyler when she clearly didn't want him anymore, lied every chance he got (and wasn't any good at it!), even putting his kids in danger, all the while claiming they weren't.

Jesse was also braver than Walt, standing up to Gus when it came to his dealers using kids, for instance, whereas Walt would just cringe and beg. He only pushed around those who were weaker than him, unless he could run them over with a car!

Jesse was kind of a mess, to be sure, but his motives were fairly pure. He stuck by Walt long past the time he should have turned him in. He was good to his girlfriends and great to kids. Of all the characters in the show, even including Junior (another spoiled whiner!), I see Jesse as the only one whose motives remained pure. I liked Saul very much but you couldn't really say that about him.

Jesse was, to me, the real "hero" of Breaking Bad, if anyone was.


-Those we should know elude us. But we can...love without complete understanding.
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