I Want To Talk About Jesse's Possum Story From Fly. Most Of This Is Just Word Vomit From My Notes So

I want to talk about Jesse's possum story from Fly. most of this is just word vomit from my notes so it might not 100% make sense just bear with me here.

We know Jesse's aunt Ginny died of cancer. It's not really discussed much in the show, but it seems to have affected him quite a lot, especially in his relationship with Walt. In Fly, Jesse is particularly thrown off by Walt’s sudden obsession with the fly because of how much it mirrors Ginny’s reaction to the possum (“Scrabble”). In both cases, a person Jesse looks up to, who has a tentative health condition, is being driven mad by an animal trapped in an enclosed space. Both of them are desperately trying to regain control over a situation where they have none – for Ginny, this is her cancer, for Walt, this is his life of crime – and going to more and more extreme lengths to do so. 

Eventually we find out that Ginny’s obsession was caused by brain cancer. This does two things. First, it leaves us to wonder what’s wrong with Walt – what’s causing him to act like this? His cancer is in remission, so it can’t be (or probably isn’t) brain cancer. This question is answered later, in the scene where Jesse kills the fly. Walter is experiencing guilt and regret for the first time in the show. He very rarely experiences remorse, so of course this version of him is alien both to us and to Jesse. By the end of the episode, the fly, symbolising Walter’s guilt, is killed, and he returns to normal.

Second, it gives us insight into Jesse’s emotional state. His trauma from his aunt’s death is being triggered, which is why he acts how he does in Fly. Ginny died when he was much younger and had no experience of such a situation, which rendered him powerless to react. Now that he is older, he sees the same situation playing out in front of him and is desperate to change it. He tries to help Walter, by trying to kill the fly, and by drugging him to sleep (the drugging also mirrors how Ginny was given antipsychotics). He is both trying to resolve the situation and soothe the pain it is causing.

All in all, I really like this scene for what it symbolises and how it gives us an insight into Jesse’s past experiences of cancer and how they affect his interactions with Walt. I feel like Aunt Ginny isn’t really explored that much but she really does have a massive impact on this part of the show. And despite what Walt says, there IS a discernible point to this story :)