Breaking Bad Fans Hate That Walt Missed This Obvious Cry For Help From Jesse

Although "Breaking Bad" was a crime show by categorization, the series was rooted in the trials and tribulations of interpersonal relationships. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is compassionate regarding his family and those close to him, but he is also selfishly obsessed with his own impulses and opportunism. Viewers can see this during his interactions with numerous characters, including his toxic working partnership with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).

Walt and Jesse's relationship is consistently imbalanced but oddly familial in how the former often looks after and guides the latter, similar to a connection between father and son. Fans quickly point out how Walter frequently keeps Jesse at a distance personally, even when Pinkman struggles with severe PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in Season 4, Episode 3, "Open House." On the show's subreddit page, u/MoonSpawn12 asked why Walt couldn't see Jesse asking him to go-kart as a cry for help.

Redditor u/dDarkdev summed it up nicely by answering, "Walt was pretty self centered by this point, even if he did notice he was more preoccupied with Gus trying to get rid of him." Here are some of the reasons fans gave for this insightful moment in the drama.

In the third episode of "Breaking Bad's" 4th Season, Jesse Pinkman is dealing with his PTSD after his murder of Gale Boetticher (David Costabile). The disorder is causing him to become hyper-focused on methamphetamine cooking but lost and reckless in his private life. In one scene in the installment, Pinkman asks Walter White to go-kart with him as they prepare to leave the meth lab. White turns him down and is seemingly oblivious to the changes in Jesse's behavior.

On the subreddit discussion thread, u/OnlyFactsMatter stated, "Tbh I wish he did Go Karting because I'd like to see them bond more. They argue way too much so it'd be nice to see some bonding with them." The lack of recurring camaraderie and bonding between the two characters is noted by fans, which u/SKIKS followed up on by discussing the constant friction between the two, with pleasant moments occurring rarely.

As for Walt's inability to grasp that Jesse was crying for help on the inside, u/TheRealest_Deal summed this up as White's lack of emotional intelligence, as witnessed by his journey from school teacher to drug kingpin across the program's five seasons. u/Ok-Seaworthiness7207 disagreed and stated how the character was a narcissist and understood emotional impulses more than any other character due to his skilled manipulation tactics.