7 worst things Walter White did towards Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad
Running for five seasons, American crime drama series Breaking Bad has received numerous awards and plenty of fan love. The series is renowned for its flawless plot and writing. However, the show's huge success is credited to its main characters, Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul).
While the two work together throughout the show, there have been moments when Walter, aka Walt, did not consider Jesse's presence and did him wrong. Walter White's journey from a high school chemistry teacher to a powerful figure in the drug trade in Breaking Bad is marked by numerous betrayals and manipulations, including doing some of the worst things to Jesse.
These are the 7 most appalling things Walter White did to Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad
1) Letting Jane Margolis Die
Jesse's girlfriend Jane, played by Krysten Ritter, chokes on her vomit after overdosing on heroin in Season 2. When Walt sees this, he decides not to help and lets her die, since he feared that her involvement with Jesse could take him away from his drug business. This decision worsens Jesse's emotional trauma.
2) Manipulating Jesse to kill Gale
When Walt manipulates Jesse into killing Gale in Season 3, it becomes a pivotal moment in their relationship. Walt, with the fear of being replaced by Gale as the head chemist, asks Jesse to carry out the murder. With Gus's plans to remove Jesse and Walt as meth chemists, Walt fears of his downfall, and forces Jesse to commit the henious crime on his behalf.
3) Abuse of Jesse's Emotions
Walt, aware of Jesse's struggles with addiction, manipulates him throughout the series, emotionally. However, he also abused Jesse emotionally throughout the show. One major example is him taking away every possible connection Jesse made outside the meth business, whether it was Jane, Andrea, or Mike.
4) Asking him to poison Brock Cantillo
Walt uses a deadly plant called Lily of the Valley to poison Brock in Season 4, the young son of Jesse's girlfriend Andrea, and attempts to influence Jesse into turning against Gus Fring. He sets everything up so that it looks like Brock was poisoned by the ricin Jesse had, and frames Gus, complicating their relationship.
Planning the murder of a little child is possibly one of the worst things Walter did on the show, which also caused pain to Jesse.
5) Using Jesse as a Pawn
Walt treats Jesse like a pawn in his strategic disputes throughout the series, especially when he is at odds with Gus Fring. He shows no real concern for his partner by putting Jesse in risky situations without thinking about his safety. This shows how he often treats him like a pawn for his benefit.
For example, he gaslit Jesse into giving the ricin to Brock. After Jane's death, Jesse went into a guilt trap, believing he was the reason behind her death. However, it was Walt's wrongdoings. And he later used Jesse to remove Brock from his life.
6) Handing Jesse Over to the White Supremacist Gang
After Hank's death in Breaking Bad Season 5, Walt betrays Jesse by telling Jack Welker's gang where he is. After being captured, Jesse is forced into cooking meth. Walt's betrayal worsens when he coldly tells Jesse that he let Jane die, destroying their already weak bond.
7) Showing No Confidence In Jesse's Efforts
Walt undermines Jesse's attempts to walk away from the drug trade and live a more respectable life. By manipulating situations, he keeps Jesse from meeting his goals and personal development and successfully lures him back into the meth trade.
Walt regularly tried to hold Jesse down emotionally to get his dirty business done, making fans question his morals.
Walter White's moral decline throughout Breaking Bad is seen through his treatment of Jesse Pinkman. In every new season, he tries to tackle his problems by using Jesse as a shield, irrespective of the latter's feelings. Each of these betrayals highlights Walt's growth from a helpless man into a cunning and selfish person.
