[!@#$%!]

oh, that's what i meant by "unlikeable". it's either passive submission or passive-agressive sabotage, and *always* cold (except maybe the sister when hank is ill but she doesn't tell him to stfu when he gets abusive). skylar and her sister are both a horror.-- of course the men around them are horrible as well, but they show some redeeming qualities that make them likeable (jesse, mike, even gus in the brief glimpses that you get his story).

not sure if you read this from american tv, but here couples are always at war--especially in the sitcoms (e.g. ray romano or that home improvement guy from the 90s), but also in other shows. there's no loyalty, no sharing, no understanding, only posturing and display-- there's always a mask between them (which is probably why deep down they hate each other). in other words, the social games never stop, not even at home.

the male characters in BB, while horrible people with severe faults, often have redeeming qualities-- some higher end they serve, or some "code" they adhere to, or some sort of ethics. for example walter (you mention the 50s) is some kind of hyper-50s dad, very rigid, which is also what drives him over the cliff, when his "code" no longer works--but you know, he's being "good" in some blind way, which is why the audience can both sympathize and be horrified. same thing with mike, a killer with a soft side.

the women though are presented instead as unrelenting bitches-- except maybe when they deal with each other (the sisters). they know each other's problems, they try to help each other out, they can drop the masks. but that's a minimal part of the story.

the new character appeared in last year's season. if you haven't seen her, you will. don't know enough yet about her but she's very different from the previous women. and cool in away.