It’s not through the prism of what Jesse has become that I’m viewing past events, but through the prism of who Walt has revealed himself to be and in hindsight (flashbacks) has always been. In my opinion, Jesse has always seen Walt as a true partner. Whether they prospered or failed, they would do so together. Walt, on the other hand, was only out for himself. Every action I can remember him taking was for his benefit. Even his dealings with Tuco had less to do with making things right for Jesse and more about getting HIS money. Jesse, on the other hand, while a fuck up, constantly pushed his comfort zone in order to help their operation and after their marathon cook told Walt that if anything happened to him he would make sure his family got the money.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at by italicizing Jesse’s desire to keep cooking and how that shows a lack of loyalty. Who was he supposed to be loyal to? Walt turned his back on him when a better offer came along, so Jesse did what meth cooks do: he kept cooking meth. The only reaction worth noting during that time was Walt’s condescending tone when learning that Jesse was cooking HIS recipe.
It’s also a bit misleading to say that Walt hid Jesse’s machinations from Gus in order to save his life. What I feel you’re doing is interpreting the events early in season 3 with facts only learned later in the season. Up to that point Gus proved himself to be nothing but a discerning and cautious business man. Walt’s fear more likely was, “If I don’t cut Jesse in on this deal and he gets caught cooking on his own, he’ll rat me out. If I tell Gus the truth about this, he’ll sever my contract.” The thought that Gus would kill Jesse if he found out about his plans to get back in the game would have been the farthest thing from Walt’s mind. More to the point, it’s not revealed that Mike actually works for Gus or that Gus is anything more than a manufacturer until the end of the 3rd season.
Separated this out because it’s probably the most pivotal point in the relationship between Gus, Walt and Jesse. I haven’t suggested that Walt is a monster, he’s not; he’s an arrogant asshole whose loyalty to Jesse was only apparent when it benefited him. In this case, two episodes previous, Walt learns that Gus is playing a deeper game than he realizes, but the full scope of that game isn’t immediately apparent. When Walt learns of Jesse’s plan he doesn’t, reveal what he knows about Gus, but chastises him calling the plan unrealistic and an unnecessary personal vendetta. True loyalty would have been working with Jesse to concoct a better plan or letting him in on the fact that Gus is not as mild mannered as he seems. Instead, he goes behind his back to protect him, a move that came off to me as arrogant and paternalistic. Walt knows what’s best for Jesse, Walt always knows what’s best for everyone.
What’s more is that while it’s true that Mike is good at his job, at the time Walt had no idea he worked for Gus or how good he was. But even so, what would he have been looking for? They would have died days to a week later of flu like symptoms or a heart attack. It’s a big leap to assume that Mike would have been able to connect their innocuous deaths back to someone who, to his knowledge, has no reason to wish ill on them. It’s far more likely that Gus would have assumed it was the cartel coming back at him for the death of the cousins.
As for the truce, its major significance was that it was violated. Not just that, but if Gus was willing to kill a 10 year old because he worked for him and became a problem, don’t you think Jesse thought the same fate was awaiting him. And, while I think Walt was acting in part out of loyalty to Jesse by mowing down the gang-bangers (in my opinion the first time he’d done so) it was a move made out of desperation. When he heard about the execution of Tomas he fully realized what kind of monster he was working for and that the only person in the world who had any emotional loyalty for him was Jesse. If Jesse had a chance to act, no matter how it came out, how would Walt be able to convince Gus he had no knowledge of it beforehand? How long would it take for Gus to start questioning Walt’s judgment? What would happen to him then? His chances of survival, however slim, increase with Jesse alive.
The reasons I’m able to root for Jesse and not Walt are first, I know Walt’s going to make it to the end of the series and given the way he treats and talks to everyone, I’m kind of enjoying seeing him get his comeuppance. Contrasting that hubris with his impotent rage is fun for me to watch. Second is that Jesse has resigned himself to playing the game he got himself into by the rules the boss proscribes. He’s fallen in line while Walt has spent the entire season thinking up ways to try and prove he’s outsmarted the game. Third, he doesn’t eat the crust of his sandwiches and I never trust a man who doesn’t eat the crust.