The Confusing Morality of Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad

Yo Mr. White, I'm morally ambiguous.

Jesse liked to “play” a bad guy, but he really hated becoming one

Jesse suffered the most in the series, and the fact that he never stopped calling Walt Mr. White showed that despite his relationship with Walt, he always held some level of respect for him.

Him being chained in a dark dungeon and kept as a meth cooking slave was the saddest thing ever. Then having to watch them kill his gf and threaten the child if he ever tries to escape again. Its just tragic

Anyone who takes the risk of calling cps in that situation is at-LEAST a morally decent person in my eyes. That child has a chance at a happy life now after copious amounts of therapy.

Imo Jesse is one of the most realistic depictions of addicts in cinema. Being a sober addict myself. It truly portrays the journey from the illusion of being in control, to the resignation that comes after hitting bottom. I see alot of people pointing to Walts character as the main draw of the series, imo this series is mostly carried by Jesse Pinkman.

It’s worth noting that Jessie clocked Walt as being mortally wounded and cancer ridden before deciding not to shoot him.

It's an oversimplification, but Jesse seemed to be someone who liked playing a bad guy but hated actually being one, while Walt was someone who liked playing a good guy but hated actually being one.

My favorite thing above all is how Jesse gets smarter and no one really says anything. He begins as a total idiot, not listening to Walt's instructions several times, being completely naive etc. As the show gets darker and he realizes the gravity of the situation, his maturity is not only moral but intellectual. He was able to cook meth very close to Walt's purity, found out Walt poisoned Brock (Twice), suggested using magnets to destroy Gus's laptop, suggested using water for the train robbery, AND deduced that Walt killed Mike. Every character shrugs him off as the gullible idiot being manipulated by almost everyone around him but the fact that he recognizes that and tries to prove it with genuine intuition always fascinated me. He gets better throughout the show in every way. EDIT: Upon rewatch of the whole show, one of the characters only acknowledgement of Jesse's intuition is in Episode 13 of Season 5, where Saul insists to Walt "The kid's not as dumb as you think".

Ngl i didn't expect wholesomeness when it came to breaking bad but jesse playing with the peek-a-boo kid was so sad and wholesome at the same time