Does this episode pass the Bechdel Test? Nope. Why not? Walter again was the main topic of discussion throughout the entire episode. When he is found, after being missing for several hours, Skyler and Walter Jr. are able to go to the hospital to see him. Skyler right away portrays the feminine traits of being emotional and nurturing. She begins to cry and kisses Walt numerous times while hugging him on his hospital bed. She repeatedly says “I’m so glad you’re okay”, and, when the doctor comes in to tell Walt all of his labs and his scans came back clear, she says “Thank God” because she was so concerned and worried about her husband. There are a few scenes that show women in this episode, but none occur where two women are speaking of something other than a man. Skyler and her sister Marie are on the phone for a few minutes at the beginning of the episode, but they were talking about Walter’s condition, and also about Marie’s husband Hank, who had been involved in a shootout earlier in the day where he killed a drug-dealing suspect. The two women are both nurturing in asking about each other’s spouses, and calming each other down as both are hysterical due to the circumstances of their families. The only other scene in which a woman is shown is when Jesse Pinkman, Walt’s business partner, his girlfriend is interviewed by Hank about Jesse’s whereabouts and is questioned about drugs. She goes against female stereotypes due to the way she talks, and how she lacks female etiquette in conversation, but she falls under the female stereotypes of dressing feminine because she is wearing a dress and dangly earrings. Even though this episode does not pass the Bechdel test, there are many examples of masculine and feminine stereotypes present.
Shared by: Claire Hafeman
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