El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is a film about memories. Major spoilers ahead! After escaping the clutches of Jack’s tortuous gang in the 2013 TV finale of Breaking Bad, Walter White’s protege Jesse Pinkman (played by Emmy winner Aaron Paul) tearfully drives off in gang member Todd Alquist’s car, an El Camino. El Camino picks up seconds after that and is centered on Jesse remembering old relationships and tricks in order to get enough money to relocate with a new identity and escape the police manhunt that’s underway because of his connection to the largest methamphetamine drug operation in U.S. history. Jesse’s memories are what get him through this ordeal, and it is those memories that help expand the Breaking Bad universe.
A plethora of familiar faces return. Krysten Ritter briefly reprises her role as Jesse’s girlfriend, Jane Margolis, in a flashback to give him sage advice on life. Junkyard owner Old Joe also returns and brings up Jesse’s now-famous magnets quote from Breaking Bad’s season five premiere. Jesse’s parents return and unwittingly assist their son in evading the police. Even Jesse’s knucklehead friends Skinny Pete and Badger return to help Jesse one last time.
Those appearances are great fan service by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, who also wrote and directed El Camino. ONE37pm combed through the 122 minutes of this glorious return to the world of arguably the best TV show ever to find out how the film helped expand the world of Breaking Bad.