How El Camino was the perfect sequel to Breaking Bad

One of the most exciting aspects of the upcoming season of Better call Saul are the clues that it has over the postbreaking Bad World. Black and white photographs of Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) exploits after being included in the Witness program at the end breaking BadThe last season of was teased. It’s a rare glimpse into the future that thankfully hasn’t ruined what seemed perfect so far breaking Bad Finale “Felina”.

One of the best aspects of “Felina” was the ambiguity. Whether Walter White (Bryan Cranston) got the justice he deserved is a question fans had to debate, but his fate was sealed. Characters like Jesse Pinkman (AaronPaul) still had an open future. While fans were naturally curious about what Jesse’s life would be like after all the trauma he endured throughout the series, many felt that a sequel would only lose the beauty of “Felina.”

However, breaking Bad and Better call Saul Creator Vince Gilligan surprisingly revealed that he had put together a sequel story that would supposedly “conclude” Jesse’s character arc. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was dropped on Netflix in November 2019. The announcement was met with immediate skepticism, but Gilligan didn’t try to wrap it all up with a nice bow. El Camino actually gives more insight into Jesse’s experience during the last season and shows the beginning of his healing process. It serves as a fitting epilogue rather than a fresh start.

RELATED: The ‘El Camino’ ending is an odd companion to ‘Breaking Bad’

In breaking Bad In Season 5, Jesse is captured by the criminal organization The Brotherhood. The totally unsympathetic Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons) had betrayed Jesse and Walt and sold them to his relatives in The Brotherhood. Walt selfishly chooses to bid his time and leaves Jesse in captivity. Although the series portrayed Walt’s eventual reunion with Jesse, it was never made clear what Jesse’s final days with Walt were like. El Camino shows an extended flashback in which Todd brings Jesse to his apartment to cover up a murder. It’s an intense sequence that gives a glimpse of just how much Jesse has changed over the course of the series; He’s a far cry from the goofy stoner we met in Season 1. Jesse is simply defeated and doesn’t even manage to dodge Todd after he takes his gun. It showed how empathetic Jesse had become and how genuinely he wanted to make amends.

The theme of Jesse trying to redeem himself is present throughout. In the film’s opening sequence, Jesse has a brief conversation with Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) before he too is betrayed by Walt. Jesse asks Mike where he would go to start over and the older man tells him about his dream of moving to Alaska. This is not just a touching moment; it gives Jesse a new target. When we see him defeated the most when dealing with Todd, it becomes clear what Jesse still has to fight for. Jesse’s redemption continues to this day and he begins visiting those closest to him. The Characters Skinny Pete (Karl Barker) and badger (Matthew Jones) had added occasional hover breaking Bad, but her reunion with Jesse is played out completely directly. They give him a brief resting place so Jesse can adjust to his new reality without being completely alone. breaking Bad was rarely sentimental, but Skinny Pete’s “dude, you’re my hero” line is in El Camino is really heartwarming. It’s also heartbreaking; Jesse would be an idol in the eyes of his friends, regardless of whether he was traumatized or had ever even met Walt.

Jesse’s reunion with his parents doesn’t go so smoothly. He is in a challenging situation; he knows that as soon as he contacts his family they will call the police and their house will be monitored. When he finally works up the courage to pick up the phone, Jesse’s apology is a sham. He has to wait for his parents and the police to leave before he can sneak into the house and break into his father’s safe. It showed that some things about Jesse’s future had to be ambiguous and that some of his scars would never really heal. However, Paul really shows the double meaning in Jesse’s words during the conversation. It’s something he does a great job with throughout the film, in what may be his best portrayal of Jesse ever. We see that Jesse has a more worthy goal, but must first focus on his survival. He’s still the same smart guy from breaking Bad. Jesse escapes his would-be captors when he returns to Todd’s apartment to steal the money. In a film that is so emotionally draining, it’s nice to see a brief reminder of this creative problem-solving breaking Bad was so good at it.

What’s even more impressive is seeing Jesse restored with a newfound sense of confidence that he had never shown before. There were always references to the western genre in it breaking Badbut Jesse’s gun duel with Neil Kandy (Scott MacArthur) feels like a gunfight right out The good the bad and the ugly. Jesse’s win in the quick draw is the kind of crowd puller we needed after seeing him hit rock bottom. Jesse’s journey has a symmetry, namely El Camino doesn’t give all the answers, it leaves him in the right place. Vince Gilligan didn’t try to answer an overarching question, instead opting to show Jesse’s newfound determination after the death of his mentor. Jesse was in the same place as the audience; it was given time to process breaking Bad like we had. breaking Bad had ended with Jesse crying out in agony as he drove away. That’s okay El Camino ends up with him on his way to Alaska, with a quiet, contented expression on his face.

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