Breaking Bad’s underappreciated sequel movie,El Camino, did something that no other project in the franchise — not evenBetter Call Saul— was able to do. AlthoughBreaking Bad’s final episodehas been universally praised as one of the greatest series finales in TV history, in the years after its airing, there were plenty of complaints about a pretty big loose end it failed to tie up. WhileWalter White’s story got a definitive endingwith his untimely death,Jesse Pinkman’s story ended on a slightly more ambiguous notethat could’ve gone a few ways.
Walt makes the last-minute decision to shield Jesse from his gunfire, sacrificing his own life in the process. This allows Jesse to finally escape from captivity, and he flees from Jack Welker’s compound in Todd Alquist’s car. The last time Jesse is seen is speeding down the road away from the compound. Since cops swarm Jack’s meth lab shortly thereafter,there was an ominous fan theory that Jesse’s victorious escape was cut short, and he was intercepted by police on his way to freedom.El Caminocame along to clear that up, and gave us a first for the franchise.
El Camino Gave Jesse Pinkman A Happy Ending
Jesse’s Dream Of Moving To Alaska Came True
The opening moments ofEl Caminoreveal that Jesse did run into a convoy of police cars on his way out of Jack’s compound, but he managed to duck away from them in the nick of time. As the police launch a city-wide manhunt to find Jesse, he has to scrape together enough cash to hire Ed Galbraith to relocate him with a new identity. After a couple of close calls and a western-style pistol duel at sundown,Jesse manages to collect the cash and Ed takes him to a sleepy, snowbound town in Alaska to start a new life.
Better Call Saul Is Great, But Breaking Bad’s Other Sequel Deserves Some Love Too
Jesse Pinkman’s story in El Camino is an underrated part of the Breaking Bad universe, and it’s a shame Better Call Saul overshadowed the sequel film.
All throughoutBreaking Bad, Jesse dreamed of leaving behind his life of crime and moving to Alaska. Symbolically,chilly Alaska is the furthest thing from sun-baked New Mexico, where Jesse associates all his traumas and misdeeds. Atthe end ofEl Camino, Jesse’s longstanding dream to move to Alaska came true. This marked a rare happy ending in theBreaking Baduniverse. Whereas Walt wound up dead and Saul Goodman spent the rest of his life in prison,Jesse got what he always wanted: peace, stability, and the chance to start fresh.
Why Jesse Deserved A Happy Ending (Unlike Walt & Saul)
It was appropriate for Jesse to be the only major character in theBreaking Baduniverse to get a happy ending. Although he managed to settle all his scores, Walt’s story ended in tragedy; he bled out on the floor of a meth lab after being disavowed by his family.Saul’s ending was more bittersweet; he was sent to prison, but he earned back Kim Wexler’s affections by accepting accountability for his wrongdoings in court, and he was greeted as a superstar when he got to jail. Of these three characters, Jesse is the one who deserved a happy ending.
Walt and Saul were bad people at their core, but Jesse was a good person who got stuck in a bad situation.
Walt and Saul were bad people at their core, but Jesse was a good person who got stuck in a bad situation.Whenever Jesse did something immoral, like killing Gale, it was on Walt’s orders, and he was wracked with guilt about it.Better Call Saulconfirmed that Jesse was never found, so he got to live a long and happy life in Alaska. He might have even gotten to settle down and start a family, which is something he always wanted to do inBreaking Bad, but it got complicated by death and dangerous circumstances.
It Was Nice To Get Closure On Jesse’s Story
El Caminowasn’t a strictly necessary addition to theBreaking Badfranchise. Jesse’s ending inBreaking Badwas somewhat ambiguous, but it wasn’t so ambiguous that it was unsatisfying. Viewers could either fear that he was caught or hope that he made it away.El Caminodidn’t provide any huge surprises;it’s pretty much just a collection of all the fan theories about where Jesse ended up post-Breaking Bad.
But I’m still glad this movie exists. It’s like a supersized bonusepisode ofBreaking Bad, and it makes for a great supplementary material to rewatches of the show. Aaron Paul gives an incredible performance inEl Camino, effortlessly slipping back into the role of Jesse and powerfully capturing the PTSD following his long-term enslavement.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Moviewas praised by critics, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%.
El Caminois a gritty standalone neo-western, but it also functions as a poignant postscript toBreaking Bad. It explores the immediate aftermath of Walt’s death and gives Jesse one last on-screen moment with Mike, Jane, Badger and Skinny Pete, his parents, and even Walt himself.
Breaking Bad
Cast
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
