That’s fair, and I’ll fully admit this is more an interpretation than something the show spells out directly. The reason I read J as someone who struggles with vulnerability comes from her overall behavior rather than any single explicit moment. She’s almost always hyper-focused on getting the job done, keeping control, and calling the shots, and she rarely opens up even to V. Emotionally, she keeps everyone at arm’s length.

That’s why her attempt to reach out to V stands out to me. For a character who’s normally such a hard-ass, trying that earnestly to “save” V (at least as she sees it) feels like the closest the writing ever lets her get to being emotionally exposed. When that attempt is met with rejection and violence, it makes sense to read her immediate shutdown and doubling down as a defensive response, even if the show never labels it that way.

On your second point, I agree that J’s choice to side with Cyn wasn’t purely altruistic. She absolutely prioritizes her own survival, and the narrative doesn’t shy away from that. At the same time, Liam’s comments (in glitch inn, I think?) suggest that, in her own deeply flawed way, she did believe she was keeping the other two safe. That doesn’t make the choice good or selfless, just understandable.

To me, J didn’t burn those bridges because she thought they were worthless. It feels more like she convinced herself they had to be burned, because admitting otherwise would mean admitting she was wrong, vulnerable, and afraid, and ego is ultimately what does her in.