notapollo

I get that we're starved for queer representation guys but not every dynamic between two men has to be romantic or homoerotic- sometimes it's father/son, sometimes it's brotherly, sometimes they're just really good friends- we need to stop devaluing non-romantic relationships

Making this post because I saw someone say Jesse and Walter from Breaking Bad had 'obvious homoerotic tension';

I'm not saying you can't interpret media however you want, you can do and say what you want and if that's how you want to read into it you do you but I feel very strongly that their relationship is supposed to be a representation of a very manipulative, tangled, complex and harmful paternal bond. Early on Jesse is vying for Walter's approval constantly and never gets it, Walter is taking on a sort of paternal, guiding role, trying to teach him things and make him learn (but never rewarding him even verbally when he gets things right, because he's an asshole) Later on when Jesse moves on from that Walter wants to take on a parental role and even accidentally CALLS HIS OWN SON JESSE

Just because they call each other their 'partner' and there's some awkward shoulder rubbing or something doesn't mean it's homoerotic. It's a complex, nuanced relationship that definitely cannot be broken down into a simple category and no matter how you look at it it's manipulative and harmful. But I really do believe that it's pretty far from homoerotic. There are definitely some shows that have relationships between characters that I could see being interpreted various ways including homoerotic, but this really just isn't one I can see that for.

You know what? This ones like a lootbox, you gotta open it to find out... :)