Does this episode pass the Bechdel Test? Nope. But there are SO many stereotypes present. Skyler has just given birth to her baby girl, Holly, and she is so nurturing as she cares for her and continuously repeats “Mama’s got you” – however, a counter-stereotype to this is when she lights up a cigarette in the same room her baby is sleeping. In this scene, she goes against and with the stereotype. She also is very assertive in this episode. She and Walt are “separated”, and she kicked him out, but he comes home because he says he technically can still be there since his name is on the mortgage. She calls the police on him, which very much so goes against female stereotypes. There is also a scene where she is talking to her lawyer about the divorce, and she tells the lawyer everything about how Walt cooks meth and it is destroying her family. The divorce lawyer tells Skyler she needs to file a restraining order and that she will notify the police, but Skyler says she can’t do it because she doesn’t want her son to know his father is a criminal, and also she doesn’t want to cause Walt more stress because he is still fighting lung cancer. Out of spite, Skyler also sleeps with her boss and in the final scene of the episode, she tells Walt that she had sex with Ted (boss). Walt is visibly distraught because even though he’s made some bad decisions in their marriage, he has never cheated. He looks hurt and sorrowful, not tough, and strong like a normal male stereotype. Walt also gives Skyler a suitcase full of cash and tells her to use it for their children’s college tuition, Walter Jr.’s SAT tutor and his physical therapy, groceries, and the mortgage because he tells her she won’t be able to pay for it on a part-time bookkeeper salary. Although this episode didn’t pass the Bechdel Test, there were multiple examples of feminine and masculine stereotypes present, whether the characters were for or against them.
Shared by: Claire Hafeman
Image Credit: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70196274?trackId=14170289&tctx=10875327f2-d602-4554-b12a-acc9e82541c2-49188703545c3efb-a1aa-46ca-a9d3-76a9e242121c_48652774X3XX1605023652809545c3efb-a1aa-46ca-a9d3-76a9e242121c_ROOT