‘Sorry kid, that’s the one thing you can never do…’
Do you ever feel like you are out of touch with the population generally? Like when the list of the highest selling albums of the 21st century was released this week and two of the top five were Ed Sheeran albums? What kind of bullshit is that? Well, I had that sensation again recently when I read that the belated Breaking Bad sequel El Camino was released after a public outcry to reveal what happened to meth dealer and lover of saying the word ‘bitch’, Jessie Pinkman, drove off into the sunset in the series finale. For the life of me, I can’t imagine who would watch that stunning conclusion and feel anything other than shock and awe that eventually gave way to a deep satisfaction. But apparently, people wanted more for some reason so here we are…
…that isn’t to say that I wasn’t excited to catch up with Jessie again, it’s just also feels like you wouldn’t add a sparkly necklace to the Mona Lisa would you? Why mess with perfection. In the end, El Camino doesn’t quite justify its own existence but still remains a compelling and enjoyable 90 odd minutes of television (for television is what this is, despite the title of this very article).
The last time we saw Jessie, enveloped by blue flashing lights and careening into the desert, he was the only survivor in a bloodbath that left every other major character as dead as a doornail. And Jessie has been in stasis ever since, preserved forever as Schrodinger’s drug dealer, at once living as a free man in Mexico or gunned down in a blaze of glory by the boys in blue.
El Camino initially picks up where Breaking Bad left off but eventually flits between different timelines which allows for Mike, Jane and even ‘the one who knocks’ himself, Mr White, to make a comeback. No room for Saul Goodman sadly, but we do have a whole different show devoted to him so that can be forgiven.
Ultimately, El Camino doesn’t really need the cameos, nor does it benefit from them. Instead, Aaron Paul delivers his best performance of the whole run as Jessie P and it is his vulnerability that carries El Camino.
Let me be clear, this movie is not unsuccessful, it’s just unnecessary. Does it work as a standalone movie? Absolutely. Does it enhance what is already one of the greatest stories ever told? Hmmm… probably not.