Yeeeaah bitch, Jesse Pinkman is back! So you may have heard of a little show that ended a few years ago called Breaking Bad. It’s quite possibly the best show that has ever been on television. The quality was so consistent from each season and the story went so many unexpected places. The third to last episode, Ozymandias, is in my opinion the best episode over any tv show ever. The finale, Felina, wrapped things up so perfectly. It was the rare show that was fantastic throughout AND stuck the landing. But there was one storyline left a little open ended. What happened to Jesse?
Now I do actually like Jesse’s original ending. There’s a hopeful ambiguity to it. I like to think that he did find his way to freedom and peace, but we don’t know. Anything could have happened once he got past that stretch of road. El Camino seeks to put a definitive punctuation mark at the end of that sentence.
We pick up exactly where we left Pinkman. He’s in an El Camino speeding away from the base where he was imprisoned for months, being forced to cook meth in chains. From there he syncs up with his friends Skinny Pete (!) and Badger (!!!!!!) and starts to put in motion the plan that will take him thru the rest of his life. We also get flashbacks to his time in captivity as well as moments throughout the series.
This is very much a movie for the Breaking Bad fans. In fact, it’s less of a movie and more of a bonus double episode. You’re expected to know who these people are and what the story is thus far. It’s not for the casual viewer who is encountering this world for the first time. You also should know all the random people who show up (especially in the flashbacks). I won’t list out who appears since each cameo is a fun surprise, but they are kinda gratuitous. Still fun though.
Even though I don’t think this film was entirely necessary, it was rather nice to give Jesse some closure. And it’s given to him in a truly Breaking Bad way. There’s lots of tension and suspense and an intricately worked together story. It’s not as epic as some of the best moments in the series, but it’s not gonna tarnish its reputation either. It’s simply a fun bonus, and a welcome one at that.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n