Jesse Almost Formed This Unexpected Relationship In Breaking Bad
It's normal for TV writers to consider dozens of different story directions and ideas while plotting out a show's various seasons and episodes. The writers on "Breaking Bad" often did just that, and they have been unusually transparent about the ideas they considered and rejected over the course of the show's five-season run. For example, creator Vince Gilligan once admitted that he and his staff considered at least five alternate endings for "Breaking Bad" before finally settling on one (via The Wrap). The show's writers have also been open about the fact that one of its most beloved characters, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), was almost killed off at the end of the first season. It turns out there was another discarded story idea that could have seriously altered Jesse's story in "Breaking Bad" Season 3 as well.
For context, at the end of the show's second season, Jesse's relationship with Jane (Krysten Ritter) ended tragically when the latter character choked to death on her own vomit as Jesse slept next to her and Walt, who had suddenly dropped by, did nothing. Afterward, Jane's heartbroken father Donald (John de Lancie), an air traffic controller, accidentally caused a midair collision that killed hundreds of people.
"Breaking Bad" Season 3 found Jesse still grieving over Jane, but Donald essentially disappeared from the show shortly after Jane's death. However, according to two of the show's writers, that wasn't always the plan.
Jesse and Jane's father almost crossed paths again
In a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Breaking Bad" co-executive producer Peter Gould and executive story editor Gennifer Hutchison shared several discarded stories from the show's five seasons. According to Hutchinson, the original plan for "Breaking Bad" Season 3 was to have a grief-stricken Donald attempt suicide and have Jesse visit him in the hospital.
In the end, the "Breaking Bad" writers just couldn't find room for the story. "We were trying to find a way to get that character [Donald] back in, but Jesse's story-line trajectory just didn't allow for it because he very quickly went off in a different direction," Hutchinson explained.
For what it's worth, the idea definitely had the potential to create some compelling drama. At that point in the story, Jesse felt personally responsible for Jane's death, and since Donald never approved of their relationship, it's likely that any meeting between them would have been somewhat contentious. Seeing if Jesse and Donald could move past that and find a way to grieve together would have been fascinating to watch as well. Unfortunately, in the end, there were bigger things on the agenda.