In Season 1 Episode 3, Skyler and Marie again fail the Beschdel test, within the first few minutes of the episode. Skyler is trying to paint the nursery for her baby due in a few months, and the first thing that Marie says when she sees Skyler up on the ladder, which is very dangerous for a pregnant woman, is “Should you be up on that ladder”, and in response, Skyler says “You’re more than welcome to take over for me up here” but instead of helping her sister paint the nursery, Marie just says “Why don’t you have Walt do it?”. This fails the Bechdel test because again, the two women couldn’t have a conversation without Walt coming up. This also fails to present the feminine traits, but more so brings about the topic of women can’t do anything without a man’s help. If Marie had gone up on the ladder and painted the nursery for Skyler, without bringing up the fact that Skyler’s husband should be doing the painting, this episode may have passed the Bechdel test, and Marie would have been seen as independent and non-reliant on a man, but instead, she seem reliant and dependent on a man’s help. Marie seems feminine because she sees being up on a ladder as a man’s job, but Skyler is so used to her husband not helping her with much around the house, so she is used to having to do a job more typically done by a man.
Shared by: Claire Hafeman
Image Credit: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70196254?trackId=13752289&tctx=00f2adbdf36e097fa412c2de09840a097f84c11acccef285b7e8a915cc45ab8b03615597e9206f933bf2adbdf36e097fa412c2de09840a097f84c11acccef285b7e8a915cc45ab8b03615597e9206f933bunknown