In the 11th episode of Breaking Bad Season Two, Jesse Pinkman tries heroin for the first time with his then-girlfriend Jane. It's a pivotal moment in Jesse's life—one that later leads to Jane's death by overdose and his own downward spiral. In the scene, when Jesse shoots up for the first time with Jane, the song "Enchanted" by The Platters plays as he sinks into a heroin-induced daze.
This morning, Netflix shared a music video for a song from the upcoming Breaking Bad movie, El Camino. It's a chilling cover of "Enchanted" performed by Chloe X Halle accompanied by a montage of Jesse's entire story arch from Breaking Bad.
Musical choices on Breaking Bad are no accident. Just look at Vince Gilligan's choice for the final song of the series: Badfinger's "Baby Blue" a meta choice that works on a number of different levels.
In this case, the choice of "Enchanted" works in a similar way. We know that Jesse was haunted by Jane's death throughout his Breaking Bad tragedy. Her death changed him. Shortly after Netflix accidentally leaked the announcement of its own movie, Aaron Paul shared a scene that he wanted fans to re-visit before El Camino. It's the scene from the seventh episode of Season Three. Walt visits Jesse in the hospital after he gets the shit beaten out of him by Hank. Jesse tells Walt: "Ever since I met you, everything I've ever cared about is gone. Ruined. Turned to shit. Dead. Ever since I hooked up with the great Heisenberg. I have never been more alone. I have nothing. No one."
What Jesse is referring to here is Jane's death. And that, combined with the musical reference of "Enchanted" must mean that Jane's death will loom large over what's happens to Jesse in El Camino.
Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
