El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story - A Worthy Epilogue? (Spoiler-Free)
Six years ago, “Breaking Bad,” one of television’s most iconic series, concluded on a high note. Walter White, having turned Jesse over to the neo-Nazis, returned to rescue him, sacrificing his own life in the process. The meticulously crafted finale (the title “Felina” alone, an anagram of Finale and a nod to the chemical elements Fe - iron, found in blood; Li - lithium, present in methamphetamine; and Na - sodium, found in tears) punctuated Walter’s story while leaving Jesse’s future open-ended. However, his future didn’t seem bleak; everyone understood that escaping captivity was a well-deserved happy ending. How he would start a new life and evade the police were questions no one wanted to dwell on.
Revisiting the Breaking Bad Universe
However, series showrunner Vince Gilligan always pondered this, never truly letting go of the universe he created, further expanding it with the “Better Call Saul” spin-off. Gilligan, for some reason, decided to provide closure to the open ending where Jesse drives off in an El Camino, banging on the steering wheel with joy, and answer how exactly the character’s story concludes. The problem is, no one asked for it, hence the lukewarm reaction to the film – an awkward “well… okay.” “El Camino” is essentially two hours wedged between Jesse’s escape and the happy ending viewers envisioned six years ago.
Should You Watch It?
However, for fans of the series, the question of whether to watch the film shouldn’t even arise – definitely watch it. “El Camino’s” main merit lies in allowing viewers to revisit beloved characters, even if some appear through Jesse’s flashbacks. This isn’t a blatant attempt at fan service but rather a necessity to tell the story post-factum – practically three episodes of the good old “Breaking Bad” series, edited into a single epilogue film, which was somehow “enhanced” with black bars at the top and bottom.
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A Familiar Feel
Gilligan’s script is polished and consists entirely of signature episodes – with wicked irony, dark humor, and absurdity (the duel scene!). One of his main achievements is that Gilligan didn’t scale up the story with a heroic escape from the police but remained true to the series’ tradition, grounding the drama in searching for money in an apartment or, for example, a conflict over a few thousand dollars. Ultimately, the film is even shot with typical series inclusions of time-lapses, POV shots, and music video-style editing. Everything screams that this is “Breaking Bad” – both inside and out.
Aaron Paul’s Performance
However, none of this would have been possible without Aaron Paul’s agreement to return to what is perhaps the most important role of his career. In the six years between the series finale and the film’s release, the actor, unfortunately, didn’t become as big a star as his colleague Bryan Cranston, but he still demonstrates once again how talented he is. Over the two-hour runtime, Paul showcases the entire spectrum of emotions that Jesse felt during the 5 seasons of the series – from pride and recklessness to humiliation and repentance – and his magnificent performance reminds us that if anyone in the cynical universe of “Breaking Bad” deserves a happy ending and a second chance, it’s definitely Jesse Pinkman.