When In Breaking Bad El Camino’s Flashbacks Are Set

Caution: Spoilers ahead for El Camino

When is each El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie flashback set in relation to the wider timeline of the TV series? The highly-anticipated Breaking Bad movie premiered on Netflix earlier this month to a predominantly positive reception, hailed as a fitting epilogue to one of the greatest television series of all time.

El Camino is set in the immediate aftermath of Breaking Bad‘s final episode and focuses on Jesse Pinkman as he attempts to escape the authorities and start a new life away from the mess created by Walter White in “Felina.” Generally speaking, El Camino is a sequel to Breaking Bad that takes place in the days following the conclusion of the original story, however, Vince Gilligan makes liberal use of flashback sequences in order to provide new context to the characters and reintroduce some familiar faces without resurrecting anyone from the dead.

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Unlike El Camino‘s main story, these flashbacks aren’t presented in any sort of chronological order and are plucked from varying points within the Breaking Bad series. Consequently, it’s not immediately obvious when exactly each of El Camino‘s flashbacks is taking place, but some telling clues are provided, allowing viewers to connect the dots.

Jesse And Mike’s “Alaska” Conversation

El Camino opens with Jesse standing on a riverbank alongside Mike Ehrmantraut – a somewhat jarring first image considering Mike was killed by Walt in Breaking Bad‘s final season. Before the audience can properly begin to ponder how Mike could’ve survived, it transpires that this scene is actually set within Breaking Bad‘s timeline. Mike and Jesse discuss being “out” of the meth business, and what Jesse specifically should do with his life next. It’s here that Pinkman first gets the idea of heading to Alaska. The two associates also make a passing reference to a tragedy that can’t be made right, which is likely Todd’s murder of a young boy who happened to sight the gang after they pulled off a train heist.

These clues would put El Camino‘s opening scene somewhere between season 5’s “Buyout” and the end of the following episode, “Say My Name.” Jesse is quitting his work with Walt due to the weight of the child’s death, so the scene can’t happen any earlier than “Buyout” but Mike is killed by Walt at the end of “Say My Name.” Perhaps the most likely scenario is that the conversation takes place in the hours before Mike’s death, and that Jesse met up with him shortly before Walt’s rendezvous sealed Mike’s fate.

Jesse & Todd’s Bonding Time

An extended El Camino flashback finds creepy Todd Alquist take Jesse out of his cage for a day of eating soup and moving dead bodies. In some weird, twisted fashion, the two end up bonding to a certain extent, but it’s impossible to escape the sense that Jesse is merely biding his time and keeping a mental note of all the reasons Todd deserves a good slap.

Jesse is first abducted by Jack’s gang towards the end of Breaking Bad, in season 5’s “Ozymandias” and is freed by Walt two episodes later in the series finale, so Jesse and Todd’s excursion must take place at some point during this 3-episode span. From Jesse’s beaten demeanor, hair growth and decision not to shoot Todd despite having a clear opportunity, it can be surmised that the meth cook has been kept in captivity for quite some time, and Todd also makes the threat that if Jesse tried to escape, “the little boy” would be killed. This is a reference to Brock, and it’s strongly implied that the kid’s mother, Andrea, is already dead by this point. This would narrow the placement of the scene down to between Breaking Bad‘s final two episodes, most likely while Walter White is in exile.

Kandy Welding Co.

While Jesse and Todd’s day trip most likely occurs a little while after the penultimate “Granite State” episode, the scene in which Kandy Welding Co. are hired to reinforce Jesse’s chained pulley almost certainly occurs either during that episode’s timeline or very soon after it. In this flashback, Neil Kandy is paid by the Nazi gang to make sure Jesse can’t escape his bonds again. The first time Jesse managed to break free (via use of a paperclip) came in “Granite State” and he was punished by having to watch Andrea’s death. This initial attempt at freedom is mentioned in the El Camino flashback, and the additional work to the pulley was surely arranged quickly afterwards to prevent any further instances of this nature.

Jesse And Walt’s Diner Scene

Undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited and hotly discussed flashback in El Camino sees the return of Bryan Cranston as Walter White, as he and Jesse enjoy the luxuries of a hotel before heading to a diner. The two business partners discuss their recent dealings and Walt reveals that he envisions a bright future for Jesse, possibly as a business student at college.

Walt is bald in this sequence, and Jesse has a phone conversation in his hotel room in which he talks romantically with the person on the other end and asks if they missed him. This figure is almost certainly Jane Margolis, Jesse’s first real love interest in Breaking Bad. Jesse’s relationship with Jane plays out in season 2, from episode 8 (“Better Call Saul”) until Jane’s death in episode 12 (Phoenix), so El Camino‘s diner flashback must occur at some point during that period.

Since the RV can be spotted parked outside, the hotel and diner scenes probably slot in towards the episode of season 2’s ninth episode, “Four Days Out,” which would also account for the constant talk of hydrating and Jesse’s voracious appetite. During a mammoth cooking session in the desert, Jesse and Walt get stranded and have to rely on ingenious science to get them out of trouble. By the end of the episode, Walt and Jesse have made their way home, and El Camino‘s flashback could show the duo washing up and grabbing some food immediately after having returned from the wilderness. This would explain why Jesse reassures Walt that his family will get their share of the money in El Camino‘s diner scene, despite saying exactly the same thing when Walt is dropped off at the end of “Four Days Out” – Jesse makes the claim first while eating (in El Camino), and reaffirms it as he says goodbye (in Breaking Bad).

Jesse And Jane’s Dreams For The Future

El Camino‘s other major ending cameo comes as Krysten Ritter reprises her role as Jane Margolis. Jane and Jesse take a road trip, during which they discuss their future and Jane reveals her deep desire to grab life with both hands and make her own decisive steps, rather than simply going where the universe takes her. Like the Walt flashback, this scene would have to take place between “Better Call Saul” and “Phoenix” in Breaking Bad season 2, since this is the height of Jesse and Jane’s romance. Unlike El Camino‘s previous flashback, however, there’s very little to indicate exactly where during that period the road trip took place.

In theory, Jesse and Jane could’ve gone driving at almost any time, but in episode 11 of Breaking Bad‘s second season (“Mandala”) Jesse suggests that he and Jane take a trip to a museum in Santa Fe. The audience never see the couple actually go on this drive, but the El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie flashback could be plugging the narrative gap.

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