Warning: SPOILERS for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
Netflix’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie concludes with a bittersweet moment, as Jesse Pinkman begins a new life in Alaska and says goodbye, though a written letter, to a young boy that he failed to protect, Brock Cantillo. In Breaking Bad season 3, Jesse (Aaron Paul) meets Andrea Cantillo (Emily Rios), the mother of six-year-old Brock and 10-year-old Tomás. In a tragic sequence of events, Tomás kills one of Jesse’s associates, Combo, and is later murdered.
Jesse grows closer with Andrea throughout the rest of Breaking Bad and becomes especially protective of Brock, all the while hiding the truth about his line of work. In Breaking Bad season 5, Jesse ends his relationship with Andrea, but only to protect her from being connected to his drug-related activities. Jack Welker’s white supremacist gang ultimately kidnaps Jesse and uses him as a meth cook slave, and after a failed escape attempt, Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons) punishes Jesse by murdering Andrea on her doorstep - in front of him.
When Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster) gets Jesse to Alaska, Jesse hands him a note to deliver to Brock. Jesse’s letter is far more than a simple “I’m sorry” or “I loved your mother.” It appears to be several paragraphs long, but probably doesn’t continue on the back, at least based on how long it takes Ed to read the letter in full. Considering what happened to Brock’s mother and brother, Jesse most likely takes accountability for Andrea’s death, and explains his true feelings/intentions. In Breaking Bad season 2, Jesse’s love interest Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter) dies from a drug overdose, and so Jesse had a chance for a fresh start with Andrea. Based on Ed’s response to reading Jesse’s letter, it seems that the content is indeed heavy.
Originally, Jesse’s letter was supposed to be read aloud - as a voice over - as the Breaking Bad movie ended (via Collider), but that was ultimately cut out of the film. Interestingly, it was one of the first things that Breaking Bad creator and El Camino writer-director Vince Gilligan wrote when he envisioned the film. Since Jesse’s relationship with Brock is what grounded him and brought him out of the world of being a meth cook, it makes sense for him to end that life and begin another one with an apology letter (or something similar).
Because Jesse’s words can’t been seen, it allows the two performers to display their acting talent. Sadly, Forster passed away on the same day that El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie released, which makes the letter sequence his last on-screen movie performance. Forster shows an extraordinary amount of empathy and understanding. In El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, the final letter scene allows both actors to shine, and implies that Jesse understands Ed, and vice versa. There’s a whole side story in Ed’s facial moments; a testament to Forster’s extraordinary talent.
Next: El Camino Teases A Sad Ending To Better Call Saul
