Why did Walt like Jesse THAT much

But If Felina is "just one episode"...in the entire series:

- Nearly every iconic move Walt did in the series was Jesse-fueled. From "This is not meth" to "RUN" to "Kill Jane so that you won't lose Jesse" to "Kill Gus and his men so you won't lose Jesse" to "The 2 greatest meth cooks in America" to "Deal with nazi's, so you protect Jesse" and giving Jesse his 5 million

- Walt cares more about Jesse than his own g-dam pride. He ends that little fight with Mike over the money....basically "weakens himself".....because Jesse was willing to take on the entire hazard pay and that CAN'T HAPPEN.

- Jesse can crush a beaker in Walt's class (212), choke Walt but decide "give him mercy" (204), kick the crap out of Walt (409), point a gun at Walts head (412).......but he never has to actually "pay retribution" for all these crimes against the great Heisenberg's ego. On the contrary, Walt freakin cries. FREAKIN CRIES cause he hurt Jesse (410). Whereas if Mike so much as really insults Heisenberg, he freakin dead.

- Always when Jesse needs it, Walt is just the sweetest pandabear he can actually be: "This is the first day, of the rest of your life" (107), "You didn't kill anybody" (213), "Let me stop you right there. You are not responsible for any of that (airplane crash). Not in any shape, way or form." (301), "I don't want a monkey, I want you."/"Your meth is good, Jesse. As good as mine." (308), "You did the only thing you could, I hope you know that." (401), Hug in a handshake (413), "Everything that had happened, happened for the best. I wouldn't have it any other way." (502), "We run this business our way, And make sure that this never happens again" 506, The intertia scene in 508....

All Saul gets is "Grow a pair" and "We're done when I say we're done" and "Why don't you take a walk Saul?". Mike gets shot. Skyler gets the entire bedroom fight ("Your little pool stunt", lol she nearly died) in 504 and that watch shoved in her face at the end.

Walt beyond loves Jesse

I can't really disagree with your general gist, but I think you lovey-dovey it up too much. Over time Jesse became human to Walt, like his family, and he could not bear the hell that he was responsible for getting Jesse in any more than if it had been Skylar or Jr.. The gun was his way of apologizing, and Jesse's not shooting him was his way of forgiving Walt.

It's funny there are comments about how they were going to write Jesse out of the show at first, but like you said, Jesse is one of the pivots of the show from the very beginning, so I think that claim is BS. Who would go into a multi-million dollar business venture not knowing every part of the story, at least enough to ensure there would be no crash and burn, and of most of the series out there BB was really tight in its storytelling. That's one of the reasons people like it despite other factors that might push them away.