You know, there are a million fanfics based on this premise and I've never bothered to read a single one of them.
Let me start by saying that I think Walt, despite the fact that he loved Flynn very much, was kind of embarrassed by the kid. I don't think he ever fully accepted Flynn's condition, that his son could possibly be disabled. It comes through in little ways, like during their driving lesson, when Walt was scolding Flynn for using the pedals in a way that wasn't "normal". Flynn's CP was never part of Walt's vision for his life, and I think it derailed a lot of Walt's plans for the future, not just financially but because it was a blow to his ego. He named the kid Walter Jr. and then the kid went and turned out fragile and sickly, bullied by everyone around him, and generally embodied all of Walt's fears and insecurities. After Walt got cancer, when he was weighing the benefits of dying with dignity vs. going with treatment, he essentially said (without meaning to) that he's afraid of turning out like Flynn.
Jesse is probably more like the child that Walt was expecting: healthy, enthusiastic, willing to stand up for himself when he's challenged but also eager to please. I don't know that Jesse would have turned out like he did if he was Walt's son. Jesse's parents were in denial about his interests and his strengths, but Walt (for all that he loved to berate Jesse) was all about stimulating Jesse's mind. Walt is a teacher, and it's something he loves doing, and I think he would have taken the time to help Jesse work through his troubles at school. Walt would have considered that a father-son bonding activity, unlike Jesse's parents, who dismissed Jesse as a lost cause and put all their focus into Jake, their second attempt at a perfect son.
Would it have been a perfect relationship? I doubt it, because Walt is still an egomaniacal piece of shit, but he would never have abandoned his own son to drugs and left him to fend for himself on the streets. Jesse would have been in therapy or in rehab or whatever he needed the moment he started to show signs of trouble. Flynn's condition was never neglected, so it's safe to say that Jesse's issues wouldn't have gone unchecked. If Walt wasn't dealing with it, Skyler sure as hell would have. Jesse would have grown up in a supportive and attentive family that had nothing to do with meth and eventually he'd become an elementary school teacher or something.
What does Kitty imagine will happen if she returns home with a bunch of imPorts in tow?
no subject
Let me start by saying that I think Walt, despite the fact that he loved Flynn very much, was kind of embarrassed by the kid. I don't think he ever fully accepted Flynn's condition, that his son could possibly be disabled. It comes through in little ways, like during their driving lesson, when Walt was scolding Flynn for using the pedals in a way that wasn't "normal". Flynn's CP was never part of Walt's vision for his life, and I think it derailed a lot of Walt's plans for the future, not just financially but because it was a blow to his ego. He named the kid Walter Jr. and then the kid went and turned out fragile and sickly, bullied by everyone around him, and generally embodied all of Walt's fears and insecurities. After Walt got cancer, when he was weighing the benefits of dying with dignity vs. going with treatment, he essentially said (without meaning to) that he's afraid of turning out like Flynn.
Jesse is probably more like the child that Walt was expecting: healthy, enthusiastic, willing to stand up for himself when he's challenged but also eager to please. I don't know that Jesse would have turned out like he did if he was Walt's son. Jesse's parents were in denial about his interests and his strengths, but Walt (for all that he loved to berate Jesse) was all about stimulating Jesse's mind. Walt is a teacher, and it's something he loves doing, and I think he would have taken the time to help Jesse work through his troubles at school. Walt would have considered that a father-son bonding activity, unlike Jesse's parents, who dismissed Jesse as a lost cause and put all their focus into Jake, their second attempt at a perfect son.
Would it have been a perfect relationship? I doubt it, because Walt is still an egomaniacal piece of shit, but he would never have abandoned his own son to drugs and left him to fend for himself on the streets. Jesse would have been in therapy or in rehab or whatever he needed the moment he started to show signs of trouble. Flynn's condition was never neglected, so it's safe to say that Jesse's issues wouldn't have gone unchecked. If Walt wasn't dealing with it, Skyler sure as hell would have. Jesse would have grown up in a supportive and attentive family that had nothing to do with meth and eventually he'd become an elementary school teacher or something.
What does Kitty imagine will happen if she returns home with a bunch of imPorts in tow?