El Camino

Breaking Bad was not a show that seemed to have a need to continue its story. Closure was provided for many of the characters, and yet there was enough to entice people into watching the spinoff series Better Call Saul to explore how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman. And during that final episode of Breaking Bad, fans cheered as Jesse Pickman, played by Aaron Paul, finally escaped his confinement by neo-Nazis and sped off into the night. The more deserving of the drug-making duo had his redemption and his escape. But did he escape? What happened immediately after?

El Camino (or by its worse title, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie) begins immediately after Felina, the series finale that aired six years ago. Jesse flees, but of course his journey isn't finished: there are cop cars ahead. His redemption is not yet complete, and he can't just "put things right," as a friend tells him. Instead, he's a person of interest by the police, and there are some former accomplices of the neo-Nazis who are after the same money Jesse is. Jesse's only chance at getting away from the police and starting completely over is to get the money of his former captor, Todd, played here in Stockholm Syndrome flashbacks by Jesse Plemons, who was once dubbed "Meth Damon" by the internet when he appeared on the show. Having an actor like Plemons reappear is a bit of an odd choice. For one, it's noticeable that Plemons has aged since his appearances in Breaking Bad. No expensive Irishman de-aging for this Netflix special.

Paul, though, as Jesse, retains his boyish looks, but his face is scared, reciting monologues without even uttering any word. It's clear he's going through post-traumatic stress. He's not out for revenge, only survival. Thus, he's also not out for a good time anymore; this is radically different from the Jesse Pinkman we first met in 2008. Now, he's the one who knocks. (For the record, in my humble opinion, that line from the original series is probably the worst and most overrated.)

If there is a villain in this film, it is Neil, (Scott MacArthur), a welder who worked for the neo-Nazis, enjoyed the torture and humiliation of Jesse, and now is after the same money. Beyond that, there are few new characters. As expected, it's practically a family reunion, with several appearances from Breaking Bad alum. One of them is Robert Forster as the vacuum repair man who, for the right amount of money, can supply Jesse (as he did for Walter and Saul) all the items he needs to relocate and start over. Forster passed away the day the film premiered. His first scene here with Paul is fantastic. It allows us to see a spark of that humor of early, smart-ass Jesse against that calm, no-nonsense demeanor of Forster as Ed. Additionally, Marshall Adams' excellent cinematography sustains the look of this universe.

It was mentioned earlier that no one would ever claim that the Breaking Bad series would never need a follow-up. This is true. But it's also true that at times the plot and watching these characters, some new and some old, makes the whole thing feel unnecessary. I can't say that El Camino is a film not worth your time, but of the three on-screen depictions of this universe, this is the least memorable.

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Yeah, Mr. White! Yeah, Season Five!

In attempting to write an article about "Breaking Bad" as a whole, it is much simpler for me to focus on the show's characters. This is especially so because "Breaking Bad" is a show that understands that there are no small roles. I am not exaggerating when I say that there has not been a single character in this series that hasn't been fascinating. Consider one of show's most intriguing characters, Saul Goodman. Played by Bob Odenkirk, the character is a highlight in every scene. A highly unethical lawyer with poor production infomercials, Saul has a plan for Walter and Jessie no matter what bizarre, impossible situation they find themselves in. A comedian who worked with Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel on "Saturday Night Live," Odenkirk brought necessary comic relief to the show. But if there was any instance of humor, it was usually offset by powerful and dark performances like those from the villains. Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) and his uncle Hector (Mark Margolis) provided the show with a level of psychotic intensity, and yet they seemed tame compared to Gustavo Fring (played excellently by Giancarlo Esposito). Fring is a small, delicate man, yet one who effortlessly instills fear in virtually anyone (character or audience member).

The show is really not so much about interesting characters but characters caught up in failure. Consider John de Lancie's reoccurring role in season two as the father of Jesse's drug-addicted girlfriend. As an actor, he knew exactly the right notes to hit. Upon seeing his dead daughter, instead of launching out at Jessie and ripping him apart, he simply glances at him for a moment; he's too destroyed to do anything else. His failure to save his daughter has enormous consequences; this is a reoccurring theme in the show. Case in point: Jesse Pinkman, played flawlessly by Aaron Paul.  Like Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Walter White, he is humorous when he needs to, easily slipping into tirades, and is complex and challenged at the same time. He is, as he says, "the bad guy," incapable of not making mistakes. And yet ironically, because he eventually sees the error of his ways, audiences have interpreted him to be the show's moral compass. Vince Gilligan and his fellow makers of "Breaking Bad" understood from the beginning that the show was never about only Walter, but Jesse and Walter.

Is Walter White a good man? Frankly, no, even before he started poisoning children. He's a terrible human being who has made terrible choices, and this should have been evident for most viewers by the end of the first season. But as a character, he's fascinating. It's fortunate for Walter that he discovers his talent for cooking meth because he is such a poor teacher. Constantly autocratic and overly didactic, he not only bores his students but practically bullies them. "Don't bullshit a bullshitter," he mercilessly tells one of them. His mercilessness explodes into his latter incarnation as the meth cook Heisenberg, though the show went a bit far pushing this point in the first part of season five. The evolution of Mr. White from bumbling teacher to meth emperor seemed to help the show lose its novelty and fun earlier. The metamorphosis was necessary, I suppose, but the show also ditched its unique blend of dark humor and grit by subtracting the former. Heisenberg, barking negotiations at rivals, is simply less interesting than Walter White, running scared through the desert in his underwear and gas mask.

But perhaps my favorite character has been Skyler, who utters probably the show's best line: "Someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family." She is the logical and practical force of the show, analytic when her Nobel Peace Prize-winning husband acts stupidly. But could a person really be that stupid by making that so many stupid mistakes, as Walter has been? (And he's in a show where the character's brother-in-law DEA agent--played perfectly by Dean Norris in perhaps the most loved character of the show--frequently and unwittingly gives away details of the investigations to Walt/Heisenberg.) Believing that a high school chemistry teacher could cook meth to pay for his cancer treatment?  Believable.  The same character turning down free money to treat the cancer from a former college classmate?  Way too far fetched.  But then again, there wouldn't be much of a show if he had, would there?

So here's hoping Gilligan and his crew conclude the show and its terrific characters exceptionally.

Save Walter White

Heisenberg before he cooked meth

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