Throughout its five-season run, Breaking Bad successfully blurred the lines between good and bad. Its entire premise is about how mild-mannered chemistry teacher Walter White is pushed to the limit and becomes the infamous methamphetamine cook Heisenberg. Even though he embraces his dark side, the series is designed so viewers continue to root for Walter even when he does awful things. His partner in crime, Jesse Pinkman, is no different. 

Viewers are introduced to Jesse when Walter sees him escaping during a drug bust. Recognizing him as a former student, he blackmails him into a partnership. After some initial reluctance, Jesse agrees due to the high quality of Walter’s crystal meth. The interactions between the unlikely pair make for entertaining viewing as they navigate one crisis after the next. It becomes impossible not to love Jesse, who, despite being a casual drug user, is a good person at heart. 

Jesse Pinkman: Partner and Protégé

Jesse takes most setbacks in his stride, be it almost getting caught in his rolling meth lab or being on the receiving end of beatings. He is the only person who really cares about Walter, who he respectfully refers to as Mr. White, and his cancer diagnosis. Jesse also sees his business partner as somewhat of a father figure, which he desperately needs since his parents cut him off financially and evicted him from his home. So, naturally, the pair forms a strong bond built on trust and loyalty. 

With Mr. White’s guidance, Jesse transforms from a lazy addict to someone who successfully manages the distribution aspect of their meth business. He even decides to be more responsible by getting a new apartment and a low-key vehicle. Unfortunately, things go downhill when Jesse and his landlord, Jane Margolis, become romantically involved. Jesse is smitten with Jane even though she pretends not to know him in the presence of her father. 

Jesse’s Downward Spiral

It’s at this point in the series that Jesse, whose impulsiveness and carelessness initially came across as endearing, starts to become really irritating. Jane, who is supposed to be a recovering addict, eventually gets the easily-swayed Jesse hooked on heroin. After spending days in a drugged-out haze, Jesse is still high when he arrives for an introductory meeting with Gus Fring. When Walter chastises him for his behavior, Jesse lashes out and reveals all the details of their drug business to Jane. 

Jane uses the information to blackmail Walter into giving Jesse his share of their drug money, which she intends to use. But the kind-hearted, trusting Jesse is unable to see that she is just using him, which is why Walter lets her die from an accidental overdose. After Jane’s death, Walter helps Jesse get his life back on track by sending him to rehab, where he learns to accept and forgive himself. He even convinces Gus to hire Jesse as his lab partner. 

Jesse Self Destructs 

But Jesse cannot seem to stay out of trouble and jeopardizes their partnership with Gus by stealing small amounts of meth that he thinks no one will notice. Although his actions put both himself and Walter in danger, Jesse continues to pilfer meth with plans to sell it at his Narcotics Anonymous meetings. When he learns that his friend Combo was killed by a child employed by Gus’ men, Jesse loses all sense of reason and decides to kill them. 

The entire situation leads to Jesse going into temporary hiding because Gus wants him dead. Walter finds himself in the middle of things because he will do anything to protect his former student, who he thinks of as a son. This pattern of behavior continues with Jesse getting into varying levels of trouble and Mr. White bailing him out. As a viewer, it becomes exhausting watching the once adorable and silly Jesse throw all their hard work away. 

The Final Betrayal 

Jesse cements his place as the series’ worst character when he turns against Walter in the final season. The reasoning behind his betrayal is complex and is largely due to several morally flexible decisions made by Walter, including his obsession with money, manipulation, and mainly the poisoning of Jesse’s girlfriend’s son, Brock, with Lilly of the Valley berries. Although Walter’s reasons were for the greater good, it was the breaking point for Jesse, who teamed up with the DEA to bring him down. 

A lot of Breaking Bad fans interpret this story arc as Jesse finally freeing himself from Walter’s influence. But that doesn’t really make sense since he had the opportunity to leave town and chose to seek revenge instead. His entire plan to work with police to trick Walter into revealing his drug money eventually backfired. Instead, Jesse was kidnapped and forced to cook meth for the Aryan Brotherhood. Moreover, his betrayal broke Walter, who resigned himself to death to save Jesse in the series finale.