Jesse Bruce Pinkman, also known by his clandestine pseudonym and business moniker Cap'n Cook, is a former chemist, manufacturer, and distributor who worked in Albuquerque, New Mexico, currently residing in Haines, Alaska. Originally a low-level methamphetamine dealer who worked with his friend and fellow meth cook Emilio Koyama, Jesse is best known as the former business and meth cook partner of his former chemistry teacher Walter White, teaming up with Walt for two years to help him manufacture chemically pure crystal methamphetamine so Walt could provide for his family (his wife Skyler, son Walt Jr., and infant daughter Holly) upon his death. Alongside catalyzing Walt's drug empire and being the second biggest player in it after Walt himself, Jesse and Walt were also the leaders of a short-lived meth distribution chain which his friends and fellow meth distributors were also a part of.

Jesse was born into an upper middle-class family in Albuquerque (consisting of his father Adam, mother Diane, brother Jake, and aunt Ginny), but unfortunately his relationship with his parents would often become strained due to his frequent drug use, which later resulted in Jesse being kicked out of the Pinkman home. In high school, Jesse was an indifferent student in Walt's chemistry class at J. P. Wynne High School, though despite his poor academic standing, was able to graduate and received a diploma. During his adulthood, Jesse became impulsive and hedonistic, but was financially ambitious and streetwise. He talked in playful slang, played video games, listened to rap and rock music, took recreational drugs, and drove lowriders. His closest friends in Albuquerque were fellow small-time drug users and dealers Skinny Pete, Brandon "Badger" Mayhew, and Christian "Combo" Ortega. Jesse worked as a small-time meth dealer and distributor with Emilio and his cousin Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina before he was enlisted by Walt, who at that point knew nothing about the Albuquerque drug trade, to sell the meth he produced.

Walt's scientific knowledge and dedication to quality lead him and Jesse to produce crystal meth that is purer and more potent than any competitors'. To avoid the tedious collection of pseudoephedrine required for production, Jesse and Walt devise an alternative chemical process utilizing methylamine, giving their product a distinctive blue color. Their crystal meth, which is given the street name "Blue Sky," dominates the market, leading to confrontations with established drug makers and dealers. Although Jesse and Walt began as amateur small-time meth cooks, manufacturing the drug out of an RV in the deserts of New Mexico, and being met with very limited success, Jesse and Walt soon climbed up the drug hierarchy, killing or systematically destroying anyone who impeded them. As a result of his two-year partnership with Walt, Jesse became an excellent meth cook, with Walt begrudgingly saying that Jesse's meth was as good as his. Because of his drug-related activities, Jesse eventually finds himself at odds with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) through Walt's brother-in-law Hank Schrader, the local gangs, and the Mexican drug cartels (including his and Walt's regional distributors), putting their lives at risk.