(Warning: This story contains MAJOR spoilers for “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” so stop reading NOW if you don’t want to find out what happens in the film.)
“El Camino” ends the same way it began: With a flashback featuring a dead “Breaking Bad” character. But that was not always the plan.
Right after Ed (Robert Forster) drops Jesse (Aaron Paul) off in Alaska to start anew, the free former meth cook hands him a “goodbye” letter. Though not privy to its contents, the audience catches a glimpse of the name on the envelope: Brock Cantillo (for a refresher on who that is, go here).
Paul told TheWrap that Vince Gilligan had initially planned to end the film with a voiceover revealing the contents of the letter. “That was the very first thing that Vince wrote when he wrote the script,” Paul explains. “Originally, in the first draft of the script, that’s how the story ended. With Jesse driving through Alaska, and you hear the voiceover of what’s inside of the letter.”
Instead, the final scene of Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” movie sequel has Jesse driving off to his new life in Alaska, thanks to Ed, the vacuum shop owner/fixer who helps criminals disappear. It then quickly cuts to a flashback scene of Jesse and his old girlfriend, Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter), as the two of them are driving along an open stretch of road in the New Mexico desert.
Even though Gilligan made a slight change to the ending, Paul was overall pleased with how Jesse’s story panned out. “In my own sort of idea of where he ended up, it was always in Alaska,” he said. “I just always saw him running off to Alaska and living in the mountains, hopefully falling in love and just working with his hands and building things out of wood, keeping his nose clean.”
“El Camino” is now available to stream on Netflix and in theaters for a limited engagement from Oct. 11-13.
'El Camino': All the 'Breaking Bad' Alums Who Show Up in Vince Gilligan's Follow-Up Movie (Photos)
We know Jesse Pinkman (along with a few of his junkie friends) is back in "El Camino," the follow-up film to "Breaking Bad" that debuted on Netflix Friday.
But if you're reading this, you know that many more "Breaking Bad" vets came back, including many that didn't make it out of the AMC series alive. Here is every "Breaking Bad" alum we could find that pops up in "El Camino" (listed by order of appearance).
Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul): OK, we'll start with the most obvious one. Only Bryan Cranston's Walter White had more screen time in "Breaking Bad" so the list wouldn't be complete without the drug-dealer-turned-emotional-punching-bag Pinkman.
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks): The flashbacks start right away, as "El Camino" opens with a quiet scene of Pinkman and Ehrmantraut, who gives him the idea of heading up to Alaska to start fresh.
This appears to take place in the same area (or at least, it's meant to resemble the same place) where Ehrmantraut was killed by Walt in one of Cranston's most brutal acts of the series.
Badger (Matt Jones): Along with Skinny Pete, Badger was one of the few "Breaking Bad" alums Netflix promoted ahead of "El Camino's" release. Hey, Jesse had to find somewhere to go after he escaped Uncle Jack's compound.
Skinny Pete (Charles Baker): Honestly, it was just nice to see that some things, like Skinny Pete and Badger busting each other's chops over video games, haven't changed.
Old Joe (Larry Hankin): Still impressed with Jesse's great magnet plan, Old Joe initially helps Pinkman dispose of Todd's El Camino, before realizing it was low-jacked.
Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons): Of all the alums, Plemons' quiet psychopathic Todd surprisingly gets the most screentime. He appears in numerous flashback sequences, which help shine some light on Jesse's time as a meth-cooking captive.
Adam and Mrs. Pinkman (Michael Bofshever & Tess Harper): Jesse's parents haven't been seen since Season 3 of "Breaking Bad," but appear first via a TV news broadcast and then again when Jesse calls to lure them out of their house.
Ed (Robert Forester): Everyone's favorite vacuum shop owner helps smuggle Jesse to Alaska, an offer Jesse should've taken up the first time.
Walter White (Bryan Cranston): There was no way they could do a "Breaking Bad" follow-up without Jesse's deceased partner returning in some way. This comes in a flashback that takes place in Season 2, a reminder that Jesse and Walt weren't always at odds with each other.
Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter): "El Camino" ends the same way it begins: with a flashback. This one, with Jesse and Jane driving through the New Mexico desert, mirrors Jesse's ending in the film, as he drives off to his new life in Alaska.
"Man Mountain" (David Mattey): So this one is a pretty deep cut (and technically cheating since he shows up in “Better Call Saul” and not “Breaking Bad,” but it’s the same world). But “Man Mountain” (or “Clarence” as he’s called in “El Camino”) briefly tussled with Mike in the first season of “Better Call Saul.” He has a small scene in "El Camino" as the guy who drops off the girls for the Kandy Welding guys.
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Spoilers below, so tread lightly…
We know Jesse Pinkman (along with a few of his junkie friends) is back in "El Camino," the follow-up film to "Breaking Bad" that debuted on Netflix Friday.
But if you're reading this, you know that many more "Breaking Bad" vets came back, including many that didn't make it out of the AMC series alive. Here is every "Breaking Bad" alum we could find that pops up in "El Camino" (listed by order of appearance).
