Pathos-packed Jesse Pinkman is gracing our screens again thanks to this weekend's release on Netflix of <em>El Camino</em>, the<em> Breaking Bad</em> spin-off film that picks up right after the end of 2013's finale <em>Felina. </em> Remember, the series finale six years ago saw Walter White bleeding out and Jesse Pinkman driving away in a, well, Chevrolet El Camino. For many fans, the long-awaited film answers questions that were still lingering from the show's end and offered some closure to Jesse's story. Here are some of the questions the film answered, as well as some of the questions you may have after watching. <strong>Beware, spoilers below.</strong> Even though it was filmed about five years after the television show wrapped up, <em>El Camino </em>is a direct follow-up to Jesse Pinkman's (Aaron Paul) escape from the Neo-Nazi compound where he was held captive before being freed by Walter White (Bryan Cranston). The movie follows Jesse as he tries to evade the police and figure out what to do next. Yes, he is. Even though some fans originally speculated that he could have survived, as the end of <em>Felina </em>only shows him bleeding out on the floor as police search the meth compound. However, in<em> El Camino</em>, it's confirmed over a radio broadcast that "White was found dead at the scene of a gang massacre." However, Heisenberg fans aren't left completely bereft in <em>El Camino</em> as Walt does make an appearance in a flashback scene with Jesse. So this is a bit confusing, as in the movie you're led to believe that they previously appeared in <em>Breaking Bad,</em> but that's not actually the case. The company's ties to Jesse come in the form of their relationship with Jack Welker (Michael Bowen) and his White Supremacist gang. As we see later in the movie, Neil Kandy (Scott MacArthur) is hired to build new restraints to keep Jesse in place after his escape attempt – even tormenting him by forcing him to try and escape by running up and down while still chained up. The film begins with a scene with Jesse and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) in what would be their final conversation before Walt kills Mike (in season 5 of <em>Breaking Bad</em>). They discuss which 'fresh start' they would choose if they could start over, and Mike says he would pick Alaska. "If I were your age and starting fresh, Alaska. It's the last frontier. Up there, you can be anything you want," he says. Perhaps that stuck with Jesse, and so, while you're shown that he's near the Canadian border at the end of the movie, making you think he might attempt to cross to a new country with his new identity, this conversation suggests that maybe he will actually stay in America's 'Last Frontier' and start a new life in Alaska. At the very end when Jesse finally arrives in Alaska, he gives Ed (Robert Forster), the man who helps smuggle him to Alaska with a new identity, a letter. It's addressed to Brock Cantillo. Who is that? It's the son of Jesse's ex-girlfriend Andrea. Brock has been through a lot, including being poisoned by Walt, and his mother being killed by the white supremacist gang that detains Jesse. While it's not revealed what is actually written in the letter, we can assume it's an apologetic goodbye to the young man and perhaps an explanation of what happened. In a film full of key cameos, one surprising one was that of Jesse's former girlfriend Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter). For those who don't recall, Jane died in season two from a drug overdose as Walt watched on. Her return in the movie comes in the form of a flashback conversation with Jesse about no longer letting the universe make decisions for her. "I've gone where the universe takes me my whole life. It's better to make those decisions for yourself," she says. The fact she appears in such a pivotal moment in the film suggests she was Jesse's one true love, and/or that her advice is something Jesse needs to hear in that moment. I believe so. There's enough closure to Jesse's story, as well as updates to some other characters and this should leave fans of the show feeling content. And also, the film is true to Vince Gilligan's style. It's a beautifully shot, and a thoughtful character study. It's been almost six years since <em>Breaking Bad</em> aired its final episode, and the film feels like the perfect continuation of Jesse's journey. Will we see a Jesse series sometime soon? Who knows, but we would definitely watch it (we're also campaigning for a Skinny Pete and Badger spin-off: two of TV's most likeable characters).
