Breaking Bad: Betsy Brandt Still Won't Watch This Marie & Skyler Scene
When people talk about the cavalcade of unforgettable characters that came and went on "Breaking Bad" over the course of its combustible five-season run, the tend to focus on heavy-hitters like Walter and Skyler White (Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn), Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), and Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). And there's good reason for that as those characters arguably rank among the most compelling to ever grace the small screen.
Though she doesn't always make it into the conversation, Marie Schrader was every bit as important to the series' overall dramatic impact. Portrayed by Betsy Brandt, Marie is one of the more complicated, and at times infuriating characters to populate the "Breaking Bad" landscape. She's also one of the few legitimately tragic figures in the series. Like many "Breaking Bad" narratives, Marie's is sometimes brutal to watch, and there are some "Breaking Bad" scenes too painful for even Brandt to get through.
The actor admitted as much during an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, citing one-such scene with onscreen sister Anna Gunn (Skyler) among them, saying, "You know, there's some scenes I haven't even watched because it's too hard for me ... Where Skyler and Marie fight, and I slap her." Brandt went on to admit it was also one of the toughest scenes she shot for "Breaking Bad."
That Breaking Bad scene forever alters the relationship between Marie and Skyler
If you've seen the scene in question, you know it's one of the most emotionally raw moments to pass between Marie Schrader and her sister Skyler White. And that's saying a lot, as they were not always on the friendliest of terms throughout "Breaking Bad." This scene is particularly loaded, however, stretching well beyond the normal sibling rivalry territory as Marie has just learned Skyler knew about her husband Walter White's criminal activity long before it resulted in the shooting and near death of her own husband, DEA agent Hank Schrader.
The revelatory scene builds slowly, with Marie almost whispering as she stitches the evidence against Skyler together, eventually exploding in the aforementioned slap once she realizes her sister might have been in a position to prevent the attack against Hank. Some vintage Marie hysteria ensues, as she nearly leaves Skyler's home with her infant niece in tow. Hank prevents that from happening, but irreparable damage between Skyler and Marie has clearly been done.
As Brandt told Rich Eisen, that very fact makes the scene harder to revisit. "That was one of the saddest days for me, for my character," she said, adding, "Because that, I love their relationship, and I was like, 'That's done now. That will never be the same.'" Brandt was right about that, with Skyler and Marie never fully reconciling from the fray. But even if the actor has never seen the scene herself, some might argue it ranks among the finest work of her "Breaking Bad" tenure.