Breaking Bad Fans Defend Jane's Actions Despite Criticism From Viewers

The recurring character of Jane (Krysten Ritter) in "Breaking Bad" may just appear in one season, but she plays a vital role — both in that season and afterward.

Despite her importance to the story, Jane has rubbed some viewers the wrong way, mainly for getting Jesse into heroin and for standing between the character and Walt. Once she finds out that Walt owes Jesse money — which Walt is keeping so that Jesse doesn't spend it on drugs — Jane threatens to expose Walt unless he gives Jesse his money, which they plan to use to leave town together. Jane and Jesse want to get clean but end up deciding to use heroin once more before leaving town — this, of course, leads to Jane overdosing and dying, which Walt passively witnesses.

Despite her faults, many fans think that any criticism of Jane is a bit unfair. In one Reddit post, a fan, u/Pleasestaywendy, wrote out a long defense of the character, pointing out that recovering from a heroin addiction doesn't happen overnight (and relapses are pretty normal) and that Jane had been getting her life together before meeting Jesse. Further, they pointed out that she truly cared for Jesse and wasn't just using him despite what her actions toward Walt may indicate. They concluded, "Jane is flawed, she may have 'broke bad' once she found out about Jesse's money, but there was also a long story arc about how happy she made Jesse and how much she appreciated the real him that seems to be overlooked."

Other fans were quick to jump to Jane's defense.

On another Reddit thread, u/ForTheSanguine noted that she is far from the most immoral character on the show, writing, "She did try to blackmail Walt, but at the same time, that being [her] only crime makes her pretty upstanding by BB's standards." In response to this, u/Dryfted pointed out that all of Jane's actions made sense: it was clear she genuinely liked Jesse and knew the money could benefit both of their lives.

And on another thread, u/chamonoto pointed out that Jane is a completely different person when she's on drugs than when she's clean (as we first meet her) and speculated that those who criticize her don't fully understand the power of addiction. Replying to this, u/No-Candidate-8867 wrote that, while they can't forgive Jane for introducing Jesse to heroin (something that they think a recovering addict shouldn't do to a recovering addict), they don't think all of the hate is justified. They continued, "As for the rest, I'm of the same mind as you. Jane was an interesting young woman who was also a drug addict in recovery, she relapsed after being triggered by Jesse, and it was tragic."

Other fans agree that, if anything, Jane's character isn't black and white — and neither is the situation. One fan, u/darkpsychicenergy, for example, wrote, "I hold them both equally responsible for pulling each other down, and it's so sad because, at first, they seemed so good together." On this note, u/Evil_Commie added, "the main point of the show was that people aren't just 'bad' or 'good,' they are complex beings with their own motivations and priorities which are formed by the environment they find themselves in."