The Game-Changing Demise of Krysten Ritter's Character in Breaking Bad

The death of Jane Margolis in Breaking Bad, at the hands of Walter White, had a profound impact on both the character and the audience. Krysten Ritter, who portrayed Jane, recently shared her thoughts on her character's brutal demise.

Ritter acknowledged that both she and the public were initially taken aback by Margolis' death, which involved a heroin overdose and choking on vomit while Walt stood by. However, she expressed her gratitude for being part of a groundbreaking series like Breaking Bad, even if the experience was emotionally challenging.

Vince Gilligan always had the intention to kill off Jane, but the original plan was for Walt to intentionally push her on her back while she was asleep to cause an overdose. However, they decided to change the storyline to make her death appear accidental. This was because it would have been out of character for Walt to intentionally kill someone who wasn't threatening his life yet. All the previous kills he committed were in self-defense. Jane's death was the first one that Walt allowed to happen purely for his own interests as she was blackmailing him and also a heroin addict who could potentially ruin Jesse Pinkman's life.

Jane's death had far-reaching consequences for Walt's character development. Although he didn't directly murder her, he played a critical role in her demise by choosing not to save her. This decision revealed his capacity for ruthlessness and foreshadowed his transformation into the cold-hearted criminal mastermind Heisenberg. Even after years had passed, Jane's death continued to impact Walt's actions and influenced other shows featuring morally ambiguous characters who kill to protect themselves. These depictions offer a nuanced view of criminal behavior that goes beyond simple bloodlust.

Breaking Bad can be streamed on Netflix.

Source: Inside of You Clips/YouTube