I rewatched breaking bad and el camino all within a week and my opinions on both have completely changed.
This was my third watch all the way through the full BB series and second time watching el camino.
The first time around, as the show was airing, I remember wanting Walt to get away with it and rooting for him consistently throughout the series, and only viewing Gus Fring as the villain. I remember thinking Hank was annoying AF. I remember thinking Skylar was the worst.
Almost every one of those opinions has flipped this third time around. I found Walt to be incredibly irritating throughout the entire series. From start to end. He didn’t have to behave the way he did… he still could have cooked meth without being an asshole (jesse was proof as he had done that without killing anyone up until he crossed paths with walt). I wasn’t rooting for walt. I was so annoyed by his obvious lying and crazy storytelling, his manipulative behavior, the way he spoke to his wife, to jesse, to anyone he thought was beneath him.
I kept thinking as the show went on… when does skylar turn into a bitch? Because that’s one of the things I remembered… how much I disliked skylar and thought she was constantly in the way. I kept waiting and waiting for her to start being as annoying as I remembered her… but she never became annoying. I was pretty much always on her side of things.. given how horribly walt acted and treated her, I’d say she was actually way too forgiving and nice about it. The shit she had to put up with, I can’t believe that she was villainized.
I thought hank was annoying as hell first time. Loved his character this time around. Hilarious. Obviously the kind of person I would find annoying irl, but he played that part so well and it was perfect for the dynamic… he was so funny.
I really didn’t remember the el camino movie and remember not really liking it the first time. This time I loved it. Such a good movie, and I think maybe bc I found myself caring more about Jesse through the series this time around.
I’m glad he got the ending he deserved w/ el camino. But it was heartbreaking to watch his story unfold… this kid wasn’t really hurting anyone, just trying to make some money cooking some meth in a small garage operation. Rough around the edges and had a lot of problems, but also a good heart. Walt really was a cancer to Jesse. He ruined his life. Turned Jesse into a killer… things Jesse never wanted for himself. Walt dug his claws in at every turn. And I just felt so bad for Jesse through this rewatch. Felt more connected to his character this time. It was sad to watch how impossible it was for him to get out. He would finally be in a good place and then walt would drag him back in and his life would be derailed yet again… and jesse was too young and lost to see it until it was too late. I was glad Jesse escaped and got his new life. And I think my strong dislike toward walt and stronger connection w/ jesse this time around made el camino better for me.
Not really sure what my point is in sharing this, but I’m just so surprised that my opinions have changed so drastically on this show and the characters after rewatching. I guess I had to tell someone.