At the beginning of the series, when Skyler’s ultrasound indicates she will have a girl, Walt says, “That’s exactly what I was hoping” (“The Cat’s in the Bag.”). Muscle cars, alcohol, “gambling”-all of these objects or narratives gain Walt Jr.’s respect, and Walt is more and more into the destructive empire he has built for himself. When Walt lavishes in outward displays of masculinity, he becomes more of a hero to Walt Jr. arrives home later, he sees but doesn’t consciously understand the meaning behind the remnants of her green mask on the refrigerator, a sort of signifier of patriarchy from father to son. The inherent subjugation of women and violence of patriarchy, which Walt has become more and more enmeshed in, physically hurts Skyler. He bends her over, her face slamming against the refrigerator, until she screams at him to stop and he finally listens. Pregnant in a bathrobe and a fresh, green face mask, Skyler makes Walt a plate of food-the picture of domesticity and femininity. In “Seven Thirty-Seven,” Walt comes home from a deadly meth deal. He’s facing death with his cancer diagnosis, but he’s reclaiming some idealized form of patriarchal life, which includes taking initiative during sex this is a positive development, sexually, until it turns into ownership. They have sex in his Aztek in the parking lot Skyler asks why it was so good, and Walt says “because it was illegal.” At this point, his body count and cash flow had increased. Later in the season, in “A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal,” Walt acts confidently and powerfully at a public school meeting, stroking Skyler’s leg and going up her skirt during the meeting. This initial rush of what he had been missing-a feeling of patriarchal control-makes him feel virile. He comes home and grabs Skyler’s face, kissing her and initiating intercourse: “Oh Walt, is that you?” she says. By the end of the episode, Walt has cooked meth, gotten a pile of cash, and killed two men. The banal orgasm (punctuated by her cries to “Keep it going!” “Yes!”-in response to the eBay auction) illustrates their incredibly comfortable and boring existence. In the pilot episode, Skyler manually stimulates him as she watches an eBay auction (her for-profit hobby at the beginning of the series) and he talks about taking a drive to visit the Mars Rover. The sexual relationship between Skyler and Walt represents the changing dynamic of their marriage as Walt becomes more enamored with his own authority.
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