Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s complicated relationship inBreaking Badwas so important to the success of the show that Jesse’s original fate is almost impossible to imagine.Breaking Badis a monumental piece of television and is, hands-down, one ofthe best TV shows of all time, telling one of the most exciting stories in TV history.
Breaking Bad’s cast of charactersis one of the best in television history, with Saul Goodman, Hank Schrader, and Gus Fring being incredible side characters. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are the obvious stars, though, and truly elevateBreaking Bad,but Jesse Pinkman’s story early in the show’s run was going to be way different from how it turned out.
Breaking Badrevolves around Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, a chemistry teacher who dives into the drug trade by making meth following a cancer diagnosis. He works alongside Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman, his troubled former student.Their partnership is a central aspect ofBreaking Bad, and the show’s biggest strength, but that wasn’t always going to be the case.
Breaking Badcreator Vince Gilligan originallyplanned to kill off Jesse Pinkman in season 1, which would have led to the show being incredibly different. In an interview withNew York Magazine, Gilligan talked about Paul’s portrayal of Jesse Pinkman and opened up about originally having him killed off early in the show’s run, stating:
My intention was that at the end of season one, Jesse would die horribly, which would make Walt feel really guilty and force him to question his criminality… But it became clear to me that Aaron Paul was an absolute asset to the show.
The idea of killing Jesse off in a horrible way to have Walter White question his descent into being a meth manufacturer is an interesting one that could have been executed well. Like every TV show, no initial decision is set in stone, and in hindsight, Gilligan’s choice to spare Jesse early on ended up being genius.
Aaron Paul Truly Brought Jesse Pinkman To Life
Reversing the decision to kill off Jesse Pinkman couldn’t have been easy at the beginning. Still, like what Vince Gilligan said in theNew York Magazineinterview,Aaron Paul was an irreplaceable asset inBreaking Bad.Itis hard to imagine him not being present in it, as Jesse is arguably the best character in the series.
Gilligan had some immense praise for Paul’s performance as Jesse Pinkman from the very beginning of the series, realizing that he was the guy to play the character the first time Paul started his line readings. He talked about casting Paul in the role despite pushback from AMC executives because he was too good-looking as Jesse, stating:
I knew he was the guy… When folks rise to the occasion and make themselves indispensable your perception of your own show changes. Funny how that works.
There is no doubt that Paul’s performance was the biggest factor in keeping Jesse Pinkman around longer than originally intended. It was absolutely the right decision for Gilligan to push for Paul to get the role, and if he wasn’t the character, Jesse might have been dead before he had the chance to become a TV legend.
Making Jesse A Bigger Character Was The Right Move For The AMC Series
Breaking Badcould have worked if the series had just focused solely on Walter White and his rise as a drug lord, even if Jesse had died in season 1, butkeeping Aaron Paul around as the character was easily the best decision AMC and Vince Gilligan ever made. Paul’s Jesse is synonymous withBreaking Bad.
Jesse Pinkman is just as important to the story ofBreaking Badas Walter White. His evolution as a character, from the first season and even throughEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, is arguably the greatest thingBreaking Badever did. His chemistry with Walter White was the defining relationship of the entire series.
A lot of the show’s most emotional moments revolved around Jesse and the various tragedies he experienced over the course ofBreaking Bad’s five seasons.Jesse Pinkman is one of TV’s greatest charactersof all time, and it would have been a shame if he had never been given the opportunity to become just that if he had been killed off.
Walter White And Jesse Pinkman’s Partnership IS Breaking Bad
Despite Walter White being the main protagonist ofBreaking Badsince the show first premiered, the series evolved to the point where he was no longer the sole focus of the story. Jesse Pinkman’s impact on the overall narrative can’t be overstated, and it is hard to pictureBreaking Badwithout Walter and Jesse standing side-by-side.
Both Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston won multiple Emmys for their portrayals of Jesse Pinkman and Walter White.
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston worked magic as Jesse and Walt, and it feels impossible to picture aBreaking Badwhere their two characters weren’t as explicitly intertwined the way they were for the show’s entire run.Jesse and WaltareBreaking Bad, and will always be some of TV’s most iconic characters.
Breaking Badwill forever be one of the greatest shows in television history, and a big reason for that is the incredible depth the partnership between Jesse Pinkman and Walter White brought to the series. Vince Gilligan made the right decision not to kill off Jesse so early, asBreaking Badwas infinitely better off for it.
Breaking Bad
Cast
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
