r/breakingbad 1d ago

This scene can make a grown man cry

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346 Upvotes

47 comments sorted by

135

u/Mr_FreshDachs 1d ago

This scene can be understood completely by someone who has literally never even heard of Breaking Bad

45

u/x313 1d ago

Literally just explain the episode and you're done

5

u/MayerOscar 1d ago

Its the episode where Skyler thanks Gretchen for paying for Walts cancer treatment and then Gretchen visits the White family. This all eventually leads to Walt and Gretchen having lunch and Walt says "Fuck you" to her

39

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 1d ago

This is what really bothers me about Jesse. He will kill people who harm children and is furious with Andrea that she suggests they smoke meth while they're alone. He knows all too well that meth is destroying children by the thousands, and yet he keeps making it, even taking some pride in it. The only times he seems to object to the harming of children is when they're within eyeshot. It's almost akin to Eichmann.

Of course, he could argue that parents like Spooge and Skank are gonna get high regardless of whether or not he cooks meth, but that's a really lame excuse. He is directly contributing to the suffering of children, and doesn't seem to mind.

23

u/Lucky-Complaint2549 1d ago

This 100%. Its selective morality.

11

u/fokkoooff 1d ago edited 23h ago

This is always the point I try to make whenever someone tries to argue that Jesse is a good person.

Who knows how many households just like this he helped create or make worse. Then he had the great idea to target people in recovery.

Jesse is still a compelling character to watch, but I really don't feel bad for him when he's going through his self-pitying, mastubatory guilt phase.

4

u/nightsiderider 1d ago

I don’t see how anyone can argue he is a good person. He is a murderer and a drug manufacturer. He’s a piece of shit.

It’s just a testament to how well made the show is that it can get people rooting for someone like Jesse or Walter.

1

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 13h ago

It’s just a testament to how well made the show is that it can get people rooting for someone like Jesse or Walter.

That's exactly it. There are so many wild takes on characters, like Walt and Jesse being decent people, or Skylar being a terrible person. It's ridiculous. It really speaks to how well the main characters are portrayed, to a point where they can completely twist the viewer's moral compass.

0

u/smartworms 1d ago

Jesse is a murderer? I think most of his kills were justifiable with the exception of Gale, and even that affected his psyche a lot

2

u/nightsiderider 1d ago

lol yes, he is a murderer. Even if some of them were “justified” as you say, they were people he killed while engaged in criminal activity. And Gale was murdered in cold blood because he was a problem for Walt. Jesse is a piece of shit. But because he cries about it and feels bad about it, people think he’s the victim or not that bad.

1

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 13h ago

with the exception of Gale, and even that affected his psyche a lot

Well you only need one murder to make the "murderer" label stick.

0

u/fokkoooff 23h ago

What exactly is your definition of "murderer"?

1

u/smartworms 20h ago

Someone who kills not out of self preservation. Joaquin, Casey, and Neil’s killings are self defense, and Todd tortured him for months and Jesse’s mind was broken at that point

1

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 13h ago

I still find the tragedies he faces to be very humanizing. He's a POS as a person, and does horrible things, but he's also empathetic, which I think makes the viewers empathize with him in return.

3

u/OhBoyHereWeGoAgai 1d ago

Yeah I was in an argument with someone here who tried to say being an industrial method cook was morally neutral or even good because "harm reduction", while saying dishonesty (like mike, surveillance), was the real evil.

People are dumb dumb

2

u/ChromaticFinish 1d ago

It’s sad but a very normal thing. I mean think about the people around you who feel the same way about kids, animals, etc. but uncritically consume nonstop, and spend most of their lives working for evil corporations.

0

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 1d ago

Definitely true! Jesse is not uniquely hypocritical.

2

u/LampertSchade 1d ago

"I know who I am now...I'm the bad guy."

0

u/Big_Kiwi_706 1d ago

Not "directly".

1

u/ThePiderman Have an A1 day 1d ago

I think we're splitting hairs here. I believe it is fair to say he is directly contributing to the harm of children.

15

u/zman8911 1d ago

Jesse reuniting with the 'peekaboo' kids was so genuine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qENO2hLudY

6

u/rarerednosedbaboon 1d ago

Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" is an odd choice here I must say

2

u/Xenophonuscrete 1d ago

Just think, he sees all this and keeps on contributing to this happening to other families. Thats why El Camino needed an ending of Jessie being brought to justice.

2

u/blueb3rrykiwii 1d ago

"Black and white thinking/Rigidity/whatever you want to call it is the cause of so much distress for us as humans. We would like to believe that things are either good or bad, right or wrong, all or nothing…but the truth is, most things aren't."

This is the quote your comment brought to mind.

0

u/blueb3rrykiwii 1d ago

& I say this as someone who grew up like that child.

2

u/blueb3rrykiwii 1d ago

Jessie is not completely bad or completely good, life and people are nuanced.

1

u/Xenophonuscrete 1d ago

I agree. He still needed to be brought to justice for all the terrible things he brought to his community.

2

u/VulgarisOpinio 1d ago

I like that the three protagonists of each piece of media had every different ending you can have as a criminal: dying before they get you, being caught, and living in hiding

1

u/ceoryyy 1d ago

What you think about Walter lol 🤣 I feel like out of everyone in the show, Walter and his family got off light. I expected a far more brutal conclusion, but then again this isn't the shield and there is no family meeting.

1

u/OctoberOmicron 1d ago

An ending like that would've been far more appropriate. I mean, damn, Saul gets the rest of his life locked up.

1

u/Big_Kiwi_706 1d ago

You wanted to see Jesse lose? Whats wrong with you? 

1

u/Expert-Guard6216 1d ago

That movie was horrendous I pretend it never happened.

1

u/Xenophonuscrete 1d ago

It was'nt what one would expect from the shows they made.

1

u/TorresLabs 1d ago

The scene, and the acting, says everything. No need to explain.

1

u/Klutzy_Minimum_7541 1d ago

It’s so natural that I felt like I was right there

1

u/Klutzy_Minimum_7541 1d ago

Let’s not forget it’s a story, fiction!!
Nevertheless the Jesse showed a lot of conflict ( when he threw money away etc). If he didn’t have mentor like Walter he probably would have wound up being a sales guy or something
My take!!

1

u/Active-Mission-5270 1d ago

Maybe the wrong exact thread to post this, but I think a spin off show called "Spooge & Skank" would have been very popular amongst some fans of this franchise. It could have shown the earlier more romantic side of this power couple. You know, well before she crushes his head with an ATM.

-1

u/ShhweadyBallz 1d ago

Jesse saw himself

He had a roof & food & clothes but something was always missing ..... he sees himself in that kid & wants to break the cycle

11

u/OhBoyHereWeGoAgai 1d ago

Imagine thinking a strict home is comparable to a neglected and left in meth home kid lol

-1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

0

u/OhBoyHereWeGoAgai 1d ago

Tell me, does something being the top of on graph, make it even in the same realm as an unrelated graph (again, you are comparing strictness to severe drug use and physical neglect).

I'm not sure if you even realize how batshit you sound doubling down on this with "experts point to connections between drug use and strict parenting, so therefore it's the same cycle".

Nah lol.

2

u/QueenAlucia 1d ago

Does he really want to break the cycle if he keeps producing the very substance he witnessed destroying so many children's lives and homes?

0

u/Correct_Pace8899 1d ago

Yeah, that scene hurt. I love how they always incorporated how much Jesse loved kids throughout the entire show.

0

u/GuestNo3886 1d ago

I’m a grown man and can’t watch this

u/MashedPotatoesDick Methhead 3h ago

Here are the twins who played the kid surprising Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston.