Jesse Pinkman

Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a fictional character in the American television series Breaking Bad, played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer, and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), in a meth operation. Jesse is the only character besides Walt to appear in every episode of the show. Paul reprised the role for the 2019 spin-off film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, a sequel to the series set after the events of the show's series finale. He will reprise the role again in 2022 for the sixth and final seasonof the prequel series Better Call Saul, being one of the few characters to appear across both shows and the movie.

WARNING SPOILERS

Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a retired career criminal, best known as the business and meth cook partner of his former chemistry teacher Walter White in the Albuquerque methamphetamine drug trade as a manufacturer and distributor. Prior to working with Walt, Jesse worked as a small-time methamphetamine user, manufacturer, and dealer. In high school, Jesse was an indifferent student in Walt's chemistry class. Jesse is impulsive, hedonistic, and uneducated beyond high school, but he is financially ambitious. He talks in playful slang, likes to wear garish clothing that follows the latest trends in youth culture, plays video games, listens to rap music, takes recreational drugs, and drives lowriders. Although Jesse and Walt began as amateur, small-time meth cooks, they soon climbed up the drug hierarchy, killing or systematically destroying anyone who impeded them. As a result of his relationship with Walt, Jesse becomes an excellent meth cook, ultimately leading to his exploitation. Despite his criminal lifestyle, Jesse was far more empathetic than Walt. While Walt became immersed in the drug trade and became a feared drug kingpin, Jesse was horrified by the brutality at the higher levels of the drug trade, but remained involved with Walt out of necessity until his retirement. He is very protective of children; his desire to keep children out of the violent drug world gives rise to several key events throughout his and Walt's criminal careers. The brutality of the drug trade ultimately resulted in Jesse's decision to leave the criminal business.

Background information

Jesse Bruce Pinkman was born on September 24, 1984, into an upper-middle-class family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jesse met Emilio Koyama in elementary school. At some point in his early life, Jesse was the drummer in the band "TwaüghtHammër" with his friends Badger, Paul Tyree, Cheevo, and Anthony. Jesse attended J. P. Wynne High School and was a poor student, largely due to his inattentiveness and apathy. Jesse first met Walter White in his junior year when Walt was his chemistry teacher. Walt, whom Jesse almost always calls "Mr. White," flunked Jesse in his class. Jesse's mother later recalled that Mr.White really believed in Jesse's abilities. Walt later tells Jesse that he "never thought much" of him, though he did frequently write "Apply Yourself" on Jesse's graded quiz papers and, when meeting Hank Schrader, his mother said "Mr. White must have seen some potential in Jesse, he really tried to motivate him, he was one of the few teachers who cared." In high school, Jesse was already involved in the use, manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. Despite his poor academic standing, Jesse was able to graduate, with Walt present on the stage when he received his diploma. On Jesse's website, he mentions that he attended "DeVry University data systems management" along with J. P. Wynne High School. After being forced to leave his parents' residence, presumably because of his continued drug use with the final straw being when he took the blame for the pot his parents found in the house to protect his little brother Jake, Jesse moved in with his aunt Ginny, whom he took care of until her death from lung cancer. This presumably occurred when Jesse was in high school as the school has his address listed as his aunt's former residence, not his parents'. Afterward, he was allowed stay in her home, the ownership of which fell to Jesse's parents. Jesse has been long estranged from his parents due to his drug abuse and its attendant lifestyle. Jesse gets along with Jake, despite their differences in age and aptitudes, as well as Jesse's spotty rapport with his folks. In fact, Jesse seems to connect extremely well with children in general and avoids exposing them to his own destructive behavior, especially when to do so would be criminally inept and risky.