Major spoilersahead forEl CaminoandBreaking Bad
If you haven’t already watched either the big-screen or Netflix premiere ofVince Gilligan’sEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, you should probably rectify that immediately, especially if you’re a fan of the award-winning show and its incredible cast, narrative, and production quality. The movie, which, as our ownMatt Goldbergsaysin his review, is essentially a pair of “lost episodes” strung together, acts as a closer to the story of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), just asBreaking Baditself closed out Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) tale. So as you might expect, some crossover cameos from the original series popped up in the movie, and we’ll walk you through all of them below.
But first, some thoughts from yours truly;spoilersahead. I enjoyed the return to the world ofBreaking Bad, much as I enjoy the view of said world through the very different lens ofBetter Call Saul, and was happy to get a bit more closure on the story of Jesse Pinkman. While I would have been happy just believing that he drove to Alaska to live out his days as an artisan, Gilligan & Co. wanted to connect those dots with a more definitive stroke. When it works, it works; when it doesn’t, it’s still enjoyable. There wasn’t much science to be found at all–which is a bummer considering I literally wrote the book onthe science ofBreaking Bad–but there were plenty of nods to the show itself, including a wonderful if not surprising list of guest stars.
Let’s get into the cameos, starting with the less-spoilery ones since they were seen in thepreviously released trailersandbehind-the-scenes production videos:
Skinny Pete and Badger
It’s fitting that Jesse Pinkman’s best buds Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) are the first friendly faces he sees after his liberation from meth-making enslavement. With relatively few questions asked, they give him a place to crash, a big bundle of spending cash, clean clothes, a mostly clean towel, and all the Irish Spring and Tommy Hilfiger cologne he can handle. That’s what friends are for. The trio have had their share of difficulties in the past and Jesse may still be the softest touch* among them at times, but their ties run deep.
Jesse’s not there long, but it’s long enough of a stay to start to clear his head and acclimate to his newfound freedom, though it comes with some residual PTSD symptoms. Ultimately, when some other plans fall through, it’s Badger who takes Skinny Pete’s car to the Mexico border to hide it and hitchhike his way back, while Jesse takes Badger’s car; Skinny Pete inherits the LoJacked El Camino and waits for the authorities to arrive. But that’s not the last we see of the car since it shows up in some rather horrific flashbacks as Jesse’s story continues to unfold.
*For example, in an episode ofBreaking Bad, Jesse is admiring a beetle crawling on the ground just moments before Skinny Pete stomps on it for no reason. InEl Camino, Jesse is once again shown admiring a similar beetle, whose fate is much sunnier.
Curiously, this previously released teaser trailer (which never made it into the film) features Skinny Pete making good on his promise not to narc on Jesse and to buy him as much time as he can:
Old Joe (Larry Hankin) holds a special place in my science-lovin' heart. His junkyard wasn’t just the place of rest for the meth-lab-turned-RV, it was also the site of some high-tech magnet machinations. Walt and Jesse used his base to stage their electromagnetic operation to destroy evidence stored on Gus' laptop, which was kept in the heavily fortified police locker. Old Joe recalled as much in a short bit of dialogue here, so that’s a nice callback in and of itself, especially when he says, “I never thought it would work.”
Sadly, Old Joe isn’t as reliable as he used to be. When he discovers a LoJack device on Jesse’s El Camino, he hightails it out of there with due haste. It was a great cameo but denied Jesse an easy out, which is always better for the drama.
Jesse’s Parents
While staying with Badger and Skinny Pete–who 100% should have been under surveillance, right?–news of the event at the compound plays out on local TV. Jesse Pinkman is a wanted man for his connection to the crime and the ruthless drug kingpin, Walter White … but that’s old news to viewers. What’s interesting here is that, as the news coverage continues throughout the movie, a number of guest stars make their appearance. Among them are Jesse’s parents, played byMichael BofsheverandTess Harper.
They’ve been a bittersweet part of Jesse’s life over the years but always seem to play an unwitting part in his schemes; this time around, it’s no different. They act as a diversion so that Jesse can sneak into the house and steal a pair of guns from their closet safe. (Worth mentioning that Jesse’s younger brother is mentioned here and that his birthday, not Jesse’s, is now the combination to said safe.)
DEA SAC Ramey & ADA Suzanne Ericsen
Remember that news conference? It featuresBreaking Bad’s DEA SAC Ramey (Todd Terry) andBetter Call Saul’s ADA Suzanne Ericsen, as played byJulie Pearl. I do like how Gilligan wrote in parts for his actors to play, even if they’re on screen for a blip. And there are still more to come!
Mike Ehrmantraut
In what felt like the biggest reach of the flashbacks and callbacks but was also among the most touching reunions in the movie, Jesse gets to have a final heart-to-heart with veteran fixer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). Mike came to see Jesse as a sort of surrogate son, mentoring the younger upstart and attempting to guide him out of a nasty situation. That didn’t end so well for Mike, but we like to think that his tutelage and experience helped Jesse put the necessary steel in his spine to ultimately make it out alive. (However this river bank would also be the site of Mike’s death, knowledge that brings a definite pall to this scene.)
Pardon the expletive butfucking TODD!
Now we get into the meat of the middle ofEl Camino’s story, which is surprisingly more of a flashback/backstory than we were expecting. And no one expected to spend more time with the psychopathic Todd as played, expertly well (but probably not really a psychopath in real life…) byJesse Plemons.
While Jesse was being held at the compound, Jack took the boys out for some fun, leaving Todd to watch over their meth-making prisoner. What follows is a bizarre bit of storytelling that sees Todd giving Jesse a spit shine of sorts, taking him along to get the bed cap for the El Camino, wrapping up the dead body of Todd’s housekeeper in a carpet before enjoying some canned soup, and burying said body in the desert just before a promise of pepperoni pizza if Jesse resists the urge to shoot Todd and leave him for dead. It’sa lot. But it gives us a peek into the horrific experiences Jesse experienced at the hands of Todd, Jack, Kenny (who gets a cameo thanks toKevin Rankin’s disturbing portrayal) and the neo-Nazis.
So while this sub-plot provides the thin connection between the White Supremacists, Jesse, and “Neil the Welder” (who becomes the victim of Jesse’s revenge after Walt solved the Nazi problem), it’s a better reminder that Todd was a complete nutjob and that Jesse has some severe psychological trauma to go with all those scars.
Drew Sharp’s Tarantula
But is Todd completely heartless? He did execute Drew Sharp in the desert without pause and also killed Jesse’s sorta girlfriend Andrea Cantillo in order to keep Jesse in line … but he did spare her son Brock (also to maintain leverage over Jesse). He also kept Drew’s tarantula in a cage in his Easter egg of an apartment. That’s got to count for something, right? (Anyway, the tarantula is probably fine now … )
Ed Galbraith, The Disappearer
Back to the plot: Surprise! We’re visiting a vacuum store!
Fans will rememberRobert Forster’s no-nonsense portrayal of Ed Galbraith “The Disappearer”, a fixer of sorts who, for an exorbitant sum, can make anyone disappear and reappear as someone else completely in a one-time-only deal. Jesse took that deal through Saul back inBreaking Badbut then never showed up for the pick-up. Ed remembered that and held a grudge. Now, with Jesse between a rock and an even harder place, he’s squeezing him for twice the price.
The issue is that Jesse has no choice. He manages to get $248,200 out of the $250,000 needed to “disappear” him, but that last $1,800 is going to be a little tougher to come by. Ed sticks by his guns though. Ultimately, he spirits Jesse off to Alaska* (apparently through at least one customs checkpoints since they’d have to go through Canada to get near Haines, Alaska, Jesse’s new destination that’s still 40 miles “thatta way”) and sends him off to start a new life.
*There’s also a shot of Jesse’s new car’s license plate, which is marked as July 2013; that doesn’t quite fit with the in-story timeline unless Jesse laid low for three years, but it may be a nod to whenBreaking Badoriginally wrapped its final production.
Senior Officer Simon Drobik
Jesse thinks that Ed is bluffing when he calls the cops to report him as an intimidating customer in his store; turns out, Ed actually did just that. The cop on the right who shows up to ask Ed some questions is Albuquerque PD’s ownSimon Drobikwho previously appeared as “Arresting Officer” inBetter Call Saul. Now? He’s “Senior Officer”, so congrats on the promotion!
Clarence a.k.a. Man Mountain
Speaking of “Wait, who?” cameos, the pimp/protector known as Clarence inEl Caminopreviously appeared as “Man Mountain” in a pair of episodes ofBetter Call Saul.David Matteyreturns to bring his imposing presence to the screen, though it’s unclear if Clarence and Man Mountain are the same character. It’s also unclear if he boostedDaniel Wormland’s (Mark Proksch) Hummeror just purchased his own.
