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What Happens to Jesse at the End of Breaking Bad?

In Case You've Forgotten, Here's What Happened to Jesse at the End of Breaking Bad

BREAKING BAD, Aaron Paul, 'Felina', (Season 5, ep. 516, aired Sept. 29, 2013), 2008-2013. Photo: Ursula Coyote /  AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection

Breaking Bad captured the attention and hearts of its audience while it was on the air. For years after, it's continued to make an impact on viewers everywhere. It's been six years since Breaking Bad ended and we still have so many questions — the most pressing one being, what happened to Jesse?

In case you've forgotten, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) was Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) counterpart in their highly esteemed meth-making business. Jesse had his own qualms with the business and tried desperately to shake himself free from the grips that Walt had on him. The two faced a lot of obstacles together, constantly trying to cover up lie after lie in order to continue their business and stay under the DEA's radar.

In the final episodes of the five-season series, we see Jesse struggling to find a light at the end of the tunnel. Things with Walt have fallen to pieces, and he's now being held captive by a group of white supremacist drug dealers. The ring leader of the group, Uncle Jack, controls Jesse and forces him to produce the same type of meth that got him and Walt recognised in the first place. Jesse's essentially forced to work, and his leaders have no idea the level of work that goes into producing the purest meth in the country.

While Jesse painstakingly works under Uncle Jack, Walt comes up with a plan so elaborate, it created one of the most satisfying television endings of all time. Though Walt's mind may have been a little clouded by the cancer that was slowly taking over his body, he managed to create a plan that, thankfully, allows Jesse to escape from the white supremacist meth makers, even though it results in Walt dying due to a stray gunshot from the automatic gun he's designed.

Jesse's last scene in the series shows him springing into action, jumping into an old El Camino and driving away to freedom as he hoots, hollers, and sheds tears of joy while at the wheel. In that moment, it's almost impossible not to feel a sense of relief. The ending of Breaking Bad left Jesse's life open for interpretation. Jesse seems free, until we realise that there is most likely a trail of people who will be after him the minute they realise he's escaped.

Thus, the premise for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was born. The film will follow Jesse's journey to freedom and will dive deep into the nitty gritty details of exactly what happened to Jesse the day he escaped from Uncle Jack and the rest of his crew, and we can't wait to see how his story unfolds.

Image Source: Everett Collection
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