Aaron Paul returns as Jesse Pinkman in the “Breaking Bad” follow-up film, “El Camino,” which debuts on Netflix this Friday.
The film, which was written and directed by “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, takes place after the events of the AMC series, which aired its final episode in 2013. The synopsis of the film reads: “In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future.”
Not much is known about the film other than along with Paul, Charles Baker and Matt Jones will return as Skinny Pete and Badger, respectively. Before the film lands on Netflix — and theaters — this weekend, we figured you needed a quick refresher on where we left Pinkman at the end of “Breaking Bad.”
Pinkman spends the last couple of episodes of “Breaking Bad” in captivity by Todd Alquist’s (Jesse Plemons) uncle Jack and his gang of white supremacists, and is forced to cook meth for them.
Earlier in the final season, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) officially retired from the business, having amassed enough money to last several lifetimes, though his cancer (which had been in remission since the end of Season 2) returned. Pinkman, who at this point had been looking for a way out of the drug business, ends up turning on his former partner after he discovers that he was behind the ricin poisoning of his girlfriend Andrea’s son, Brock.
Pinkman than works with DEA agent — and White’s brother-in-law — Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and his partner Steve Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) to bring White to justice. Hank knows White is the drug kingpin called “Heisenberg” at this point, but needs to get him to admit to it on tape. They set up an elaborate trap to lure White out to the desert, where he’s buried his fortune. It nearly works, but once White realized it was a trap, he called Alquist to get Jack to get him out of trouble, which leads to a shootout that results in Gomez and Schrader’s deaths.
Pinkman is captured by Jack’s gang during the ensuing chaos and spends many months forced to cook meth against his will. At one point, Pinkman nearly breaks out of captivity, but he is caught. Pinkman is forced to witness the gang murder Andrea, with Jack threatening to kill Brock if Pinkman attempts to escape again.
In the series finale, White — who at this point has been outed as “Heisenberg” and on the run, and estranged from his family — returns to New Mexico to set things right. He ends up Jack’s compound and has Pinkman, in shackles, brought before him. He tackles Pinkman to the ground, right as a machine goes off from his car (which was planned) and kills all of Jack’s gang members. Pinkman than strangles Alquist to death, while Walt kills Jack.
White then hands Pinkman a gun and asks him to kill him, which he refuses. He leaves the compound but nods gratefully to White for freeing him. It is then revealed that White was mortally wounded in the shooting, and dies.
Jesse was last seen driving off in a state of relief and tears in Todd’s El Camino, and thus, the reason for the upcoming film’s name.