Why You Hate Chuck McGill - Better Call Saul
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- čas přidán 3. 05. 2024
- #bettercallsaul #breakingbad #bettercallsaulseason6
In this video, I take a look at season 6 of Better Call Saul and the tumultuous relationship between Jimmy and Chuck McGill. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's cinematography and writing made Better Call Saul's ending that much better, but Chuck and Jimmy’s relationship will always hold a special place in my heart. This is Why You Hate Chuck McGill - A Better Call Saul Video Essay
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SPOILER WARNING FOR ALL OF BETTER CALL SAUL
Time Stamps:
Why We Hate Chuck - 0:00
Control - 1:11
Jealousy - 3:31
McGill Vs. McGill - 7:26
The Tragic Tale Of Two Brothers - 13:47
Outro - 16:27
Song 1: Stargazing • Better Call Saul Seaso... - Dave Porter
Song 2: Intangible www.epidemicsound.com/track/h... - Franz Gordon
Song 3: The Merchant’s Prayer www.epidemicsound.com/track/K... - Lama House
Song 4: The Dawning www.epidemicsound.com/track/c... - Anna dager, Hanna Ekstrom, Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Song 5: Faith In You www.epidemicsound.com/track/O... - DEX 1200
Song 6: Past Love www.epidemicsound.com/track/i... - Ruiqi Zhao
Song 7: Lament For Howard - • Better Call Saul Seaso... - Dave Porter
This channel is all about gaming and commentaries and video essays. I'll also review some other media, but I primarily focus on gaming commentaries and making fun of games. Come check out the rest of the channel if you're interested!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to this footage or music. All footage you see belongs to AMC and the creators of Better Call Saul. Additionally, Dave porter is responsible for the majority of the phenomenal music in this video. - Zábava
The scene where chuck and jimmys mom dies is really character defining for chuck. He was so selfish that he didn’t even stop to consider that she was calling jimmys name because she wanted to see both of her kids in her final moments. Great analysis and great video
Appreciate it. Likely will keep up these character analysis’ people seem to be loving them
I always interpreted this scene differently than both you and the creator did I suppose. I don't have a sibling, but I know how goddamn awful I'd feel if I left the room briefly and my mother woke up, asked for me, and then promptly died. I would 100% not want to know that, because I wouldn't be able to cope with knowing I hadn't been there for her. I always thought that was Chuck's motive, more than the jealousy or hate of Jimmy. Chuck was always protecting Jimmy, if he'd let Jimmy continue down his path and not bailed him out of the Chicago-sunroof incident he also would never have become Saul Goodman.
But I can also see it from your perspective as well. I dunno, somewhere in the middle of s3 I stopped loving Jimmy and that made me empathize with Chuck on my latest watchthrough to finish off the series. By s4 I hated Saul the same way I hated Heisenberg.
interesting way that you read that scene, i didn't think about that, but i still don't really think she called jimmy because she wanted to see him too, but because she just wanted to see him
@@goleer6694 I think she did call for him because she wanted to see him as well as Chuck but I do think Chuck's reasons for not telling Jimmy was purely selfish.
The main telling moment for Chuck being selfish about it was when the nurse asked if she should send for Jimmy. Chuck without hesitation said no. I imagine if he had said yes and gave Jimmy a sense of urgency returning, I could then see Chuck not want to break Jimmy's heart.
But here, he just wanted to shut Jimmy out.
When Jimmy ruined Chuck's insurance, he didn't pretend to be Chuck. He went in as himself, but "accidentally" told the clerk about Chuck's meltdown and mental issues.
And that he was “confusing numbers” edit (lying about how his mental illness was effecting his work and thats why the numbers were wrong.)
Thank you. I wanted to say it but didn't want to dog pile.
You are correct, I just posted the same thing then noticed you had already
Thank you for pointing this out. I was about to look for this episode to check because I was pretty sure Jimmy went there as himself to drop his insurance and get reimbursement for it.
Well he kind of did, by not telling the lady his first name. So when she looked up McGill the first name that popped up was Chuck. Which planted him in her mind.
The real nail in the coffin is how chuck never told Jimmy about his mom's last words and even lied by saying she said nothing. Not even in his "heartfelt" letter he left in his will.
Why would you want to lay a guilt trip on your sibling by telling them they failed to be there to say farewell to their mother, who asked for them right before she died?
Y'all are straight fucking sociopaths man. Spent six seasons watching Jimmy emotionally manipulate people to make money or avoid punishment, and somehow still got conned into thinking he was the only victim in that relationship.
@@Tiabliaj1989 now. I dont know about you. but if a loved one died and called for me on their deathbed then I would want to know about it. its not guilt tripping unless theyre exploiting that fact to take advantage of me
@@asmodeus304 I've said repeatedly I would not want to know lol. I would feel terrible for missing that final chance to say goodbye to my mother and bring her some measure of comfort. Especially if I'd been waiting with her, knowing she was dying.
I'm not saying Jimmy was wrong to leave, he was doing what he thought was the right thing (even though Chuck expressed he did not want to eat, just in case). It was a kind act. But it caused him to miss his mothers passing. We see how Jimmy internalizes things until he explodes. Why wouldn't something similar happen now, and at a time when Jimmy was doing *well* for himself, steady 9/5 job a place of his own, no outstanding warrants...he would've gone off the rails, the same way he did when Marco died?
There are so many reasons for why you would decide not to tell someone, particularly someone as self-destructive as Jimmy.
I'm not saying your opinion or interpretation is wrong, simply explaining why I disagree with you in what (I hope?) is a polite manner :D
@@asmodeus304 I agree, I feel like the majority of people would want to know especially if their mother was a loving kind person
@@Tiabliaj1989 Calling people Sociopaths for trying to empathize with someone who they felt bad for is kinda sh!tty. Jimmy is a real POS but I'd rather be friends with him than someone who puts you in a box and never lets you leave, Chuck.
Being an older brother can be hard but how Chuck treated Jimmy is inexcusable. I would never tell my brother that he never mattered to me.
Right?? I have 3 siblings and I have a rocky relationship with one. But I would never dream of saying anything like that to any of them.
Siblings say that to each other all the time. Jimmy is the one that goes straight up sociopath mode ruining his life and the reason why we are behind it is because it's so entertaining
I'd say it to mine because he was a total POS :D
The "but it's family" card doesn't work on everyone...
i think that was the reason he committed suicide in my opinion he knew he went to far and he needed jimmy way more than he estimated and it was too much for him
@@dbxniker7484 I have no idea why chuck feels inferior to Jimmy. Dude was incredibly smart, hardworking, knew the law like the back of his hand, didn't need to take shortcuts like Jimmy, he even had charm.
If I didn't know any better he would be someone I'd look up too
Chuck's manipulation of Jimmy's career is downright despicable. He purposefully made Jimmy turn his life around in return for defending him for the sunroof defication case, and when Jimmy worked hard and got his law degree, all while getting his foot in the door by working at the HHM mailroom, Chuck refused to accept Jimmy becoming a lawyer. Jimmy became a horrible person, but I believe that if Chuck had put a little faith in his brother, and stopped being a control freak, Jimmy and Chuck could have worked together happily, and Jimmy never would have become Saul Goodman.
Also, Jimmy tried a lot harder to make their sibling relationship work than Chuck did.
Jimmy was slipping in season one before the reveal of Chucks betrayal. And when Jimmy went to Davis and Mein he hated it. Chuck was probably correct but should’ve been honest with Jimmy
@@woahblackbetty7691 not wanting to work for a company, but instead wanting to work for yourself is not a bad quality by any stretch. Yeah, he probably woukd have left hhm. So?
Also, theres a massive difference between small court room shenaigans and the stuff saul goodman did. Like as an example, when he put his client in the back of the courtroom and used a replacement vs stuff saul did. Its safe to say jimmy would have still been jimmy, but he didnt have to become saul. He became saul because his brother was a pos
@@woahblackbetty7691 except for the fact he thought he would work for the company but was kicked out While he didn't know Chuck did it he was forced on the streets without a secure paycheck and then went to taking care of his brother almost as much as a part time nurse would for free. Like Chuck could have been the cause of Slipping Jimmy coming back because he went from secure paycheck where he was doing night schooling to be a lawyer to having to become an ambulance chaser so he can pay to keep himself supported.
@@BaeBunni Why would he assume he would get a job at a prestigious law firm? Because he wanted a shortcut. HHM is going to hire a lawyer with no experience and a shitty online degree? Lol
Chuck: Stop being crooked and a criminal and turn your life around!
Jimmy: *does exactly that*
Chuck: Nooo not like that, doesn't count you're still a bad person
Jimmy: *does bad things and cheats again*
Chuck: *Surprised pikachu face*
That’s..a pretty good summary of the events of their adult relationships honestly.
Jimmy never stopped being crooked. Episode 1 where he’s at his best has him trying to stage a car accident to gain clients 😂.
Jimmy was never stop being a criminal. Those years helping Chuck he was still doing illegal shit. He even admits to Kim that all those years he felt restrain and he simply wanted to make Chuck proud.
@@smtandearthboundsuck8400 to be fair the people he was trying to con was the keytlemans who literally stole all the money they had anyways
@@balmung7599 if you gonna resort to scummy tactics like that every time you are in trouble, you didnt actually "turn good".
People don't apprciate enough how bloody good Michael McKean was playing Chuck.....He was masterfully in control playing possibly one of the most well written complex characters of all time....for me he was the best performer in the show till his character exit...his chicanery outburst is still my favorite moment in BCS....
Everyone appreciated Michaels acting except for the twats who run the Emmys
Chicanery.. who talks like that?
Yeah, Michael was fantastic as Chuck, but so were almost all main actors in BCS.
@Paulie Walnuts "chicanery" was something Chuck said in the court outburst. So Chuck himself talks like that and it became kind of a big deal since chicanery was such an out there word to use. Hence, the chicanery outburst :)
@@kathyrodriguez4727 lol.. i said this as a joke.. remember when paige and kin were talking about chucks meltdown, Paige said “chicanery, who talks like that?” To kim..
After watching this show through for the second time, I’ve noticed how Chuck is actually the other side of the same coin to Jimmy. He is desperate to see Jimmy as a lying scheming conman, but doesn’t see that in his own ways he’s also a lying scheming conman. He just uses legal means to do so.
Jimmy may con someone out of the money in their wallet or bank account, but Chuck conned Kim (a lawyer with fewer means than him) out of a multimillion dollar client, exploited Howard’s sense of duty and guilt into being the bad guy to his brother, and even hammed up his own illness to trick his brother into self-incrimination.
Hell, he set Ernie up to hear the tape, knowing he’d tell Jimmy, hoping that Jimmy would feel bad about HIS decision to fire Ernie, the sweet underpaid boy in the mailroom. At least Jimmy punches up. Chuck punches down.
Bro he didn't con Kim he just wanted to keep a client and he used the legal way to do so and although I haven't finished better call Saul from my understanding Chuck just gave his opinion on Jimmy to Howard and strongly stood against Jimmy by sharing his thoughts and experiences about Jimmy, and his illness was something in his mind he subconsciously controls it.
The Ernie part is true but you have to consider Ernie was in Jimmy's side and Chuck realized that
@@Feeling_wheeler_lucky his decision to try and steal Mesa Verde when they actively chose Kim was an attempt to hurt Jimmy, because Chuck knows Jimmy would do anything for Kim.
@@Feeling_wheeler_lucky you love making excuses for chuck don't yah
@Balmung of course. He just does not think he is because he’s higher class.
The issue I have with Chuck as opposed to Jimmy is that while Jimmy did some terrible things to Chuck, it was always within an eye for an eye concept. He was always just trying to get back at Chuck for something and Chuck did. That doesn't make it okay, but I find it harder to judge as opposed to what Chuck was doing which was actively instigating. Jimmy took care of Chuck for years, and Chuck's response was to try to screw him over.
Yep, this is it right here.
Exactly. Chuck was straight up just trynna ruin absolutely any shot Jimmy had at being successful and establishing himself within the law community. Everything from his insanely jealous and spiteful acts to things simple as how he talks to Jimmy or how he describes Jimmy. Chuck ain’t neva done anything as kind and helpful as Jimmy taking care of him, constantly defending him. Fuk Chuk 🗣🗣
At the same time, he knew what kind of person Jimmy was. To use an analogy, imagine that Jimmy was a dog fighter in underground dog rings. He has been for years. No matter what he does, or how many times he's says he's quit, you always find him back in the dog fighting ring. He's lied about it over and over. Then suddenly, he moves to your town and opens up a "dog sitting service" and tells you that he wants to watch your dogs overnight. Do you trust him? Do you let him alone with your dogs?
To Chuck, the law is like his pet- it's the thing he loves the most in the world. Why would you let someone alone with your dog when all they've done for their entire life is cause the torture and death of dogs?
All of this yes, but also Chuck is the way he is partly because Jimmy can never just be a straight arrow. He always has to mess around and pull cons. They are both equally corrupted in the end and there’s mutually assured destruction between them.
@@LunatheMoonDragon Except Jimmy never was inherently that person. He became that person because gaining success on the 'straight and narrow' was impossible for him, and the person making that impossible for him was by-and-large Chuck. Chuck even seems to have convinced himself that Jimmy skimming a bit of money off their family business caused their dad to literally drop dead. Even if such a thing was somehow possible, the dad died several months later, why did he wait several months before having that heart attack? This is, of course, to assume Jimmy even did skim the money - the only person to ever make that claim was Chuck, who is also vindictively out to ruin the man's life. Not exactly a reliable, unbiased source.
I'm not saying Jimmy was some kind of boy-scout law abiding citisen, to be clear, but he was never as bad as Chuck decided he was, until Chuck engineered the circumstances that made him become that way.
As I've said elsewhere, Chuck spoke a big game about wanting his brother to abandon being Slippin' Jimmy, only to simultaneously give him every incentive not to do things the honest way. No shit Jimmy didn't straighten out when Chuck intentionally and directly blocked every straight path he tried to walk down!
Chuck has always reminded me of the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Everyone was thrilled to see the younger brother (Jimmy) return home, except for his brother.
Lol that's kind of a fun comparison
I find that hilarious due to the fact it’s Chuck who was the prodigy and the success, not Jimmy
I think the one who's trying to be good in spite of a bad streak are often more valued than the ones who are good as a matter of routine. Johnny Cash is a good example of this.
It’s an apt comparison, except for this: Jimmy is a lifelong criminal who hurts everyone around him. Chuck felt a responsibility to protect the world from Jimmy, or at least not abet Jimmy’s efforts. Jimmy conned innocent people out of money through a number of schemes, whether Slippin’ Jimmy or the fake Rolex scam in Cicero or stealing from his own parents. As a lawyer, he immediately did dishonest and unethical things: The billboard scam. The TV ad spot he tricked his firm into buying. Getting himself fired from Davis and Main. He also destroyed Chuck just to get Kim the Mesa Verde account - then broke into Chuck’s house to get the tape of his confession and threatened to burn the place down. Jimmy humiliated Chuck on the stand - going so far as to bring in Chuck’s ex-wife to emotionally discombobulate him and ignite a breakdown - even though it was 100% irrelevant to the case, which was supposed to be focused on Jimmy’s criminal behavior. And then Jimmy got Chuck’s malpractice insurance cancelled so Chuck couldn’t practice anymore, leading to his suicide. Jimmy was a garbage human being who needed to be stopped.
And what dastardly sin did Chuck commit? He worked behind the scenes to keep this lifelong criminal from being hired *at Chuck’s own firm.* Chuck didn’t stop Jimmy from opening his own practice. He just didn’t want him at HHM, and he didn’t want Jimmy to know it was him. That’s it. Oh, and after all that went down, he was mean to Jimmy by saying he didn’t care about him. Can you blame him?
Chuck absolutely did the right thing: Jimmy was a monster. Chuck just failed.
@@SAK1855 100% agree
I'd say a big reason he's so hateable is due to his elitism. One scene in particular comes to mind, the one where Jimmy says "they'll never accept you" to the girl who made one mistake so she wont get the internship or scholarship or whatever it was. Chuck did exactly the same to his brother.
While Jimmy made far more than one mistake, he did genuinely want to go down the same path as Chuck himself and become an upstanding goody goody lawyer. But because of Jimmy's past, there is nothing Jimmy can say or do that will change Chuck's mind about him.
Another reason is his backhandedness and his conniving. Using Howard to stab his own bother in the back is particularly repugnant. People tend to strongly dislike traitors and backstabbers
for good reason, your own blood conspiring against you is despicable and should not be forgiven.
An example of Chucks elitism is that he always referred to himself an an attorney, never as a lawyer.
Indeed I agree. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to hate Chuck. It annoys me when Chuck apologists try to boil it down to “he was mean to jimmy so you hate him” like no Chuck was a pos all on his own lol
@@DeezNuggzchuck was invalidating all of jimmys goods that he was doing but gives all the attention to the negatives at this point it’s hopeless to expect a positive reaction when he really cares about is his brother being a mess up
@@caseyhart4999 yep. For a good example take the contrast between Chuck and Cliff Main or even Howard himself. All three men are “elite” goody goody attorneys, but Cliff and Howard are elite without being Elitist!
Chuck is an elitist. Cliff and Howard in contrast are genuinely good guys who have shown that they’re willing to give the underdog a chance, and won’t hold past mistakes against a person forever.
Howard, when freed from the influence of chuck (who was like a father figure and older brother to Howard, so it makes sense that he was so deep under chuck’s spell)-but yeah, when Howard was out of chuck’s influence he showed himself to be a genuinely good and generous guy
Chuck McGill has striking similarities to Walter White. Both are extremely intelligent and successful in their fields (Chuck being a lawyer and Walter being a chemist). Both are extreme egomaniacs who have extreme difficulty admitting fault and destroyed them and their families (metaphorically and literally).
Well in a way family destroyed Walter + he tried go let go of his criminal activities and return to family and he really did it for his family right untill late season 4 and even after that he left. While Walter has an incredible ego he is not maniac like Chuck. Walter was capable of humility and he was carying about Jesse (literally the reason behind him killing 2 dudes) and was manipulated to return to it by Gus himself.
But Chuck wasn't wrong. Not about Jimmy, not about their parents. The guy's father was an overethical incompetant and his brother grew up exploiting that so much that it became second nature to him, gaslighting everyone around him with his conman bullshit, despite the consequences. I almost see more of a commonality between Jimmy and Walt, however more implicit than your comparison. Chuck was a resentful asshole, but Jimmy fucking destroyed so many people's lives including his own. Chuck didn't destroy lives. He fucked a few people over, at best. Maybe he has an ego, but he was a prestigious lawyer. Good luck finding one that isnt.
It actually baffles me that so many let this point fly, knowing full well what becomes of Jimmy. EVERYTHING Chuck said he is, he was. Everything he got, he deserved. Really, Gilligan was a genius to dupe half his audience into empathizing with Jimmy. He made a piece of shit likeable, and a good guy an asshole, and fed you that lie based on a great story.
@@danc5644Chuck ended up being right about Jimmy because he never believed in him. All his life, Jimmy was rewarded for being bad and punished for being good. Jimmy almost always got away with his scams and the one time he truly tried to turn his life around, he was shut down by Chuck. If Chuck had allowed him to get hired by HHM, Jimmy could have had positive reinforcement for once and Saul Goodman may have never existed. Jimmy could never change because the person he most looked up to denied him every chance he got.
@@danc5644I liked chuck
I love how you felt the need to state the occupations of Walt and Chuck, as if anyone watching this video wouldn't already know that. The entire premise of those shows revolves around those exact fields of work.
"Hey guys, Tony Soprano is extremely successful in his field (Tony being a mob boss)." 🤡
Jimmy and Howard could have been friends had it not been for Chuck. Jimmy could have ended up as a partner at HMM had it not been for Chuck.
Chuck single handedly destroyed lives of Howard and Jimmy.
Yup. I’ve been rewatching the series again the last couple weeks to see if I’d feel differently about chuck this time and nope, I still think he’s an absolute POS.
Well thats one way to blame everyone but jimmy. Jimmy got a high paying job with Davis and Maine after his fallout with Chuck, he ditched it for crime and scams. Jimmy wasnt destroyed by Chuck and neither was Howard.
By your logic if you were to save a kid and that kid grew up to be a murderer, you would be at fault for the murders. Makes no sense at all. You are guilty for the imediate or forseeable consequences of your actions.
Chuck wasnt a good guy but the truth is all he did was give a little push to jimmy and he was done with trying to be decent.
Chuck treated his friends and family so poorly. It’s honestly unbelievable how he had any relations with anyone. It’s no wonder his marriage fell apart
@@MisterzzYT He was so mean to Ernesto. I guess Chuck was jealous that he liked Jimmy better than him, having worked in the mailroom with him at HHM.
I wouldn't say single handedly. But definitely had a hand in it
I think the “success” of Chuck as an antagonistic force was due in large part to Michael McKean really GETTING and understanding his role and relationship to the main character. He summed it up beautifully in an interview when he said “I (Chuck) made mom proud. Jimmy made her laugh.” That really says everything you need to know about Chuck and his motivation. The writers and actors really made this show beyond outstanding.
Until all of the shark jumping in Season 6A
@@TheSundayShooter shark jumping how did it jump the shark?
@@TheSundayShooter what?
I rarely see actors refer to characters as "I", except a few times from this show. They kinda internalized the characters instead of distancing from them. Maybe that's why it was so good (until the last half of the final season with out of character Jimmy, different pace, and horrible ending).
The scene the brothers' mother is dying and Chuck just can't accept that she showed even the vaguest preference for Jimmy is just so impactful when you consider that Chuck incorrectly blames Jimmy for the failure of their dad's business and his death, which in turn "causes" their mother's death.
Another little thing here that Chuck, and I think the vast majority of the audience overlooks, is that...their mother is calling for Jimmy because she already knows Chuck is there.
In her last moments it makes sense that she would want EVERYONE that's important to her there. If her sons are all she has left, it makes sense that she would call for the one that is absent and not the one that is ALREADY present.
In essence, Chuck's animosity and jealousy here could have, in addition to being extremely juvenile, been entirely BASELESS to begin with.
@@brendonw456 Exactly
Chuck represents a lot about the American criminal system. When those who commit crimes are treated as "criminals", a class of people fundamentally different from others, they tend to never leave that life. There is no rehabilitation, just punishment, which cements that idea that there is no going back. Chuck created a self-fulfilling prophecy, which in the end is why he was always right about Jimmy. He never let him forget that he was a criminal, and suggested he accept that he always will be.
And yet everyone is forgetting that Jimmy was addicted to scamming and couldn't help himself even in danger of being caught. Saying that Chuck created Saul Goodman is really simplistic and would have worked if Jimmy was, let's say, 18-20 and easily influenced. But.. he was an adult and a lawyer, so he made very conscious choices in his life.
@@williet.3058ok, chuck, get back in your space blanket.
@@williet.3058i agree with you. Chuck isn't really a good person but how is it his fault that Jimmy became Saul after denying him the shortcut to HHM just because it's his brother?
Maybe i'm wrong, but Jimmy was an adult an he could have made his own way into being a respected attorney.
sorry for my bad english btw
@@hernanortiz6772he denied Jimmy hhm because of jealousy and his dumb belief that people don't change
Hard to sympathize with Chuck when he spent years deliberately trying to stop Jimmy from succeeding. You have to wonder if Saul would even exist if Chuck had been a supportive brother.
The writers have claimed that Jimmy wouldn't have evolved into Saul if Chuck supported him, and I agree. I think that doesn't absolve Jimmy at all tho
@@erin_3569 chuck is responsible for his transformation, but jimmy is responsible for the people and lives he destroyed
I think even if he didn't support him and just got out of his way and left him alone he likely wouldn't have turned into Saul.
@@MisterzzYT Get out of his way? Chuck was a recluse, if Jimmy stopped visiting Chuck he would never see him again.
@@LesterBrunt He still had enough influence to affect Jimmy's career with all the prestige and respect he'd built up in his years.
So Jimmy could have absolutely just avoided TF out of Chuck in that way, but he couldn't easily avoid Chuck career wise....
Also "The time machine" book is shown to be in Jimmy's possesion during the cold open of the season 6 premiere. Which could imply that it is one of the few things, if not, the only thing he kept of Chuck's belongings after his death
Never picked up on that, amazing spot
Also it’s cool that he was shown reading that in the episode about regrets because it’s ultimately about a man who goes back in time to fix his mistake while realizing that nothing will change
@@futuristicgirl14everything turns into crabs
The book is also on Jimmy's night stand in season 6 episode 2. Just noticed it during a rewatch!
Chuck reminds me of my mother so much. I remember passing my senior high entrance exams a few years ago. I was so proud of it because I was struggling in Japanese yet I did it. When I told my mother about it, she just stared at me, coldly. Never congratulated me. Told me instead that education is unnecessary in Japan. I was so devastated. The face my mother made that day still haunts me. I really wanted to study, but what really hurt me is the disappointment in her face.
The most emotional scene for me in BCS is when Chuck told Jimmy he's not a real lawyer. It's really sad that Chuck never gave Jimmy a chance. Watching the later seasons after Chuck's death, I always wondered what Jimmy could've been if Chuck had been supportive of him.
What? Doesn't Japanese culture place an emphasis on excelling in school? Also isn't not going to school illegal? In America, there are laws against not putting your child in school.
@@supernintendo182bro are on you on drugs?
Your mother was wrong to treat you that way. You did well and you should be proud of that.
@@DeezNuggz???
@@supernintendo182 Try not to treat people like a monolith haha. Some laud schooling, others don't. It's far from impossible - lots of people have lots of different opinions. Secondly, high school is not mandatory in Japan by law, however the grand majority to go to and graduate from high school.
Imagine if Chuck told Jimmy he was proud of him, that getting him out of jail was worth it to see Jimmy turn himself around. Saul would've never existed.
2:55 Jimmy literally goes into the library after Kim’s success on her exam, and he didn’t want to be left behind. He didn’t become a lawyer based on greed.
Totally agree. You also see in that scene how inferior he feels when Kim & Chuck start talking law & he’s left out of the loop. A big part of becoming a lawyer was to gain the respect of people he respected, in particular Chuck & Kim.
Jimmy wanted nothing more than to make his brother proud; proud that with his guidance and help, he turned his life around for the better.
Saul Goodman cared about nothing more than himself and his money.
I don't hate Chuck he never bothered me that much until he said I've never cared about you all that much He's very well written and the memes are amazing I don't like Chuck's personallity but I love his voice and character
What a sick joke. Actually though he's a really well written character and Michael McKean did a great job
Didn't he write a nice letter to Jimmy, which Jimmy read after his death?
Have some more chicken🐔, have some more pie🥧, it doesn't matter if it's boiled🥚 or fried🍳
Yo, thanks for being the comment that got no hate to me
@@chuckmcgill522 Awwwww!
The hate Chuck felt towards Jimmy is so huge that he never told Jimmy that the last thing their mom said was asking for Jimmy. He could never overcome his jealousy of his own brother. That acts as a magnifying lens that only lets him see Jimmy's negatives, and never, or almost never, his positives.
lol Because Jimmy didn't have any positives. He was always slipping Jimmy. Have you even seen the last season yet? Jimmy is a scumbag all on his own nobody made him that way.
I do find this particular moment rather...nuanced.
Chuck did certainly have a disdain for Jimmy, but not telling him that their mother was calling for him when he couldn't make it might have also been a kindness.
It probably would have devastated Jimmy to know that his mother died wanting him to be there...which he failed to do.
Just some food for thought
@@brendonw456 but that pain woulda made Jimmy become more responsible. More aware of doing the right thing.
@@alejandroserrano7755 Maybe. Maybe not. Imagining how Jimmy would act after the initial shock would, as both of these characters would say, be conjecture.
That isn't to downplay the whole of how Chuck treated Jimmy though, which is a SIGNIFICANT factor in Jimmy becoming Saul. Because Jimmy was trying to do better, and rather than being supported, he was actively being fought in his efforts by his closest family member. This scene is just one of many that developed more and more cracks until Jimmy caved to his darker side.
Chuck weaponized Jimmy's care for him with that recording device. Jimmy avoided publically branding Chuck as mentally ill to the last minute and only did so when he had literally no other cards to play. And even then, Chuck knows the cellphone has no batteries because it never occurred to him that Jimmy would do this
Something about chucks illness, it always seemed as more of a sensitivity to jimmy rather than electricity. When chuck and jimmy work together on sandpiper, he’s fine, until he slows down and thinks about it. He’s working with his cheat brother, the one who was off scamming while he studied, and he immediately falls back into his illness
Chuck also had a hand in ruining Howard’s life without meaning too. Using Howard as a scapegoat for denying jimmy had some unintended consequences.
The story of these two is kinda gut wrenching for me. I'm an older brother, and there are traits that my younger brother has that I don't. There are ways in which I wish I was more like him. Personally I admire him for it, especially as we get older and more mature. I don't envy or hate him for it at all. And its sad to see that this isnt always the case. That the differences I admire my brother for could be the reason that different siblings try to destroy one another. Makes me feel kinda gross.
Telling a family member they mean nothing to you is the worst insult you can give them; even worse than telling them you hate them, because even hate implies some level of caring. What Chuck did to Jimmy was disgusting. He never helped him, he only knew how to keep him down.
Not really, I walked away and never looked back or attended their funerals, there was love both ways but it was easy to forget them, last man standing wins👍
A really well-versed analysis of Chuck and his contribution to Jimmy's downfall. Excellent video!
Thank you. Your guys' support means everything
Good video but a slight mistake- Jimmy didn’t pretend to be Chuck to get the insurance revoked- he just faked an emotional breakdown where he let it slip that Chuck no longer has the mental capacity to practice law, which then caused the rate to go up.
Yeah realized that as I rewatched the clip. Def a mistake lol, honestly idk what I was thinking, thank you though
Jimmy didnt intend to harm chuck at first. He went there to ensure he wouldnt have to pay insurance for the year he wont practice but the cold lady told him he could still be sued by former clients so he must pay. Also, the rates would double if he got his license back because he is a risky lawyer. So He broke down and started crying then took back control of the situation and mentioned chuck's mental illness to drag his brother with him.
@@gijane2cantwaittoseeyou203 I agree, I think it was a spontaneous decision. It was wonderful acting from Bob Odenkirk though- he played it to perfection.
@@BauerandBagwell totally agree it was spontaneous. If I recall correctly, Jimmy went there to cancel his own insurance because he’d recently reinstated it before being suspended for a year. Then when he’s told that they won’t refund him you kind of see him have a lightbulb moment where he realises that even though he won’t get what he came for he can still get some satisfaction by screwing over Chuck. Another great example of one of the major themes of the whole series which is that the choices we make determine the kind of person we will become. A spur of the moment choice made out of spite dominoed into the complete destruction & ultimate suicide of Chuck, which pushed Jimmy further down the road to becoming Saul. The only way he could get off that road was to admit what he did & face the consequences, otherwise no matter how hard he tried to go straight he’d always slip back into being Saul.
@@BauerandBagwell totally agree it was spontaneous. If I recall correctly, Jimmy went there to cancel his own insurance because he’d recently reinstated it before being suspended for a year. Then when he’s told that they won’t refund him you kind of see him have a lightbulb moment where he realises that even though he won’t get what he came for he can still get some satisfaction by screwing over Chuck. Another great example of one of the major themes of the whole series which is that the choices we make determine the kind of person we will become. A spur of the moment choice made out of spite dominoed into the complete destruction & ultimate suicide of Chuck, which pushed Jimmy further down the road to becoming Saul. The only way he could get off that road was to admit what he did & face the consequences, otherwise no matter how hard he tried to go straight he’d always slip back into being Saul.
Charles McGill is a masterclass in how to write the perfer anti-villain: someone who is objectively good force in the universe, but every single audience member likes to hate.
Incorrect
Being law-abiding doesn't make you a force of good. Chuck is as evil as they come.
The mental illness never being addressed as a mental illness was frustrating as hell. It wasn’t realistic.
The same is true of Hank. He put on a hyper masculine persona to deal with the trauma of his job. While he's annoying he's also a truly good person just doing his job.
@@cb86258 but it was
"Pride comes before the fall" is a big theme in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul both
Chuck is actually my favorite character in the breaking bad universe. It’s the most creative character in the brba universe with the EHS and twist villain aspects. Nice video. I’m glad you’re starting to make character analysis videos for better call saul
Thx I loved Chuck as well. Another better call Saul vid coming hopefully monday
Honestly he's the highlight of Better Call Saul. The cartel subplot's not nearly as interesting as the interactions between Jimmy and Chuck.
Bruh what lmao he’s awful and annoying to watch
Villain actually breaking bad is my chuck of the exact moment he became Heisenburger
This is why Chuck has to be my favorite "villain" in Breaking Bad.
No other enemy is as complicated and personal as Chuck McGill.
Such a well written character
I agree 100%. Like all good villains he has qualities both understandable and irredeemable.
Better Call Saul
"The worst thing about betrayal, is that it doesn't come from an enemy."
I hated Chuck for his hypocrisy and jealousy but most of all for being an awful big brother.
As the youngest sibling in my family I always took for granted the comfort of having someone taking care of you and now as I have nieces and nephew I took the role as the older sibling for them.
So for me an older brother who always is trying to sabotage you it's awfully unnatural. I truly believe if Chuck took the role of mentor and actually encouraged Jimmy to be the best lawyer he could be Saul Goodman wouldn't ever existed.
Their relationship reminds me of how important charisma is for social relationships.
Chuck and Lalo were amazing villains. Seriously, how do the writers come up with such excellent characters.
"villain" 💀yall are so detached from reality
@@solanaceae8 Says the person with an anime girl for a profile pic
@@solanaceae8 fortunately the television show is not real! :)
Because Chuck is not a villain, slipping jimmy that later became Saul is the villain... Same as Walter, they break bad, they ruin everyone in their path, Chuck was always right.
Chuck was perhaps an Antagonist but the Villain in was jimmy
I do have to say that for the lawyer joke scene, Chuck pulled a bigger laugh out of me than Jimmy did with that one. Not enough cement LMAO
What a sick joke
the joke was so badly timed it could never make me laugh
@@dubl33_27 Haha that and his wife's dry reception of it, to me was just hilarious
Whats so funny about Chuck making a sick joke is, because you have to take into account that hes a stuck up, progressive, kind of guy who would never make a joke in the first place.
So hearing a joke from an unfunny standup comedian for instance can be sometimes funnier, because its so bad but at the same time you feel sorry for them.
Also, in a way its kinda cute how Chuck looks at Rebecca after he told the joke.
He's kinda smirksh & so convinced with himself that its simply adorable.
At least that's how I feel about it.
To this day, I'm still convinced Chuck did all this mainly out of jealousy. If he didn't, then why did he never tell Jimmy what their mom said before she died? I'm actually still pissed over that.
The other thing that makes me believe it is that I remember Chuck saying he was proud when Jimmy was in the mailroom, but if we look back in the flashbacks, he doesn't even show him one bit of respect.
Unpopular opinion: I don't outright just hate Chuck. I mean he was fine at first, and then he became really antagonistic twords Jimmy as the show went on. But that's just his character you know? He caused some really good Jimmy against Chuck story that was really riveting and interesting.
So that, plus this great video is my reasoning for not just hating the Chuckster.
Such a well written character. Bravo Vince!
@@MisterzzYT Oh absolutely! Being completely honest, I miss the guy. Seeing him sing "Winner takes it all" with Jimmy certainly didn't help.
Chuck stifled Jimmy's growth as a person, manipulating him and keeping him in a state of dependence. Including through his mental illness.
Made all the more tragic by convincing Howard into becoming an antagonist to Jimmy when he otherwise could've been a mentor and friend. The series hints at Hamlins being more the public relations arm of HMM with Chuck as its legal powerhouse. But that is perfect place for Jimmy due to the ease of which he slips into personas and his ability to charm others, particularly under the guidance of someone with a moral core - like Howard. He needed someone like that in his life.
Jimmy (and Kim) are still his own person. Chuck wasn't a positive influence, but his also not responsible for many of the choices his brother made. Throughout the series we see him being handed opportunities and chances to better himself outside of Chuck's influence, but consistently rejects them.
Jimmy was always felt punished for trying to do better. Even if that wasnt always true, chuck contributed heavily to that belief.
The world would have given jimmy a chance. But chuck was the one to make him feel like they wpuldnt ever accept him.
He gets his degree, and his brother is insulted by it. Literally insulted that someone as low and as pathetic as he sees jimmy, is a lawyer like him.
Jimmy internalizes that. And applies chucks distain for his brother, to the rest of the world.
I honestly believe Chuck was a huge butterfly effect for the BB universe.
Chuck being the main reason for Jimmy not being hired at HHM completely went over my head, I thought Howard was entirely to blame. Amazing video and well done!
Thanks :)
I finally realized it after my second watch of the show lol
Guys, it’s like, one of the main episodes of the series lmao
You may have caught that if you'd watched it twice. I only caught it on the second viewing as well.
Im convinced people better call saul fans don’t even watch the show
The analysis of the time machine really made me realize what a HUGE scene that was, I'm actually tearing up, I didn't even realize what the purpose of the final part was. Really great video man
For real. I must've watched that scene 3 or 4 times before this analysis, and I legit never realized that it was referring that he would've changed that moment with a time machine. Couldn't help but tear up.
Jimmy really did only want love from his brother, and the few times Chuck tried to express it, Jimmy turned down.
It really is a tragic tale of two Brothers
Jesus, how is it possible that people are so slow with something so clear? Turns out is not that my dad wants it alk explicitly explained. It's a lot of people. It breaks my heart a little.
@@theunknownuser9609 That's polite lol, it may come as a shock but not everyone is well-versed in cinematic language. I feel sorry for your dad if you judge him like that too.
@@viggoasgarden7050 I mean I wouldnt really call it being versed at cinematic language. If there is an entire conversation about regrets and a time machine and then the book abot the time machine shows up in a context and moment that Jimmy most likely would regret the implications are quite obvious. It wasn't even subtle. The camera basically focuses on the book.
@@theunknownuser9609 That is literally cinematic language. And in my defense, I only saw it once when it aired, I didn't consider the name of the book as I was still thinking about the dialogue that just transpired. So I'm sure I would've connected the dots on a repeat watch or two. Not that you'd believe me
I don’t hate Chuck. I see him as a complex character just like Jimmy, and I empathize with a lot of what he went through. I rolled my eyes so hard when I realized that so many people see Jimmy as the “good guy” and Chuck as the “bad guy” who is responsible for Jimmy becoming Saul. It’s the same thing that happened when I discovered the amount of vitriol directed at Skyler White (only that was even worse because the hate extended to the actress herself.) I’m glad I watched these shows alone the first time around because I would not be able enjoy the experience if I had to listen to the reductive opinions of someone who can’t see nuance. They fall in love with the protagonist and anyone who stands in their way is annoying and evil.
I don’t think a lot of people think Jimmy is good, they just see the hand that Chuck played in his downfall and corruption. Personally the moment I lost all sympathy for Chuck was we he said Jimmy never really mattered to him.
it's not about Saul good, Chuck bad
it's more infuriating how Saul didn't tell Chuck to eff off right from the start
the way Chuck treated Saul, Chuck is a piece of garbage
if i had a brother like that, i would not keep contact with him, no help no nothing and i mean it from the very first season
Chuck did a lot worse things to Jimmy than Skyler did to Walt. And everything she did was more or less justifiable. If Chuck had nurtured Jimmy's aspiring law career, he could've kept him on the right path, but instead his pride and jealousy caused Jimmy to lash out against him.
Bruh why does everything always have to be black and white with people like you.
Jimmy isn’t the good guy. He does however do a lot of good next to the bad he does. Chuck however does NO good. At all. He actively instigates situations to make things worse for Jimmy. That’s why people dislike Chuck.
I get your point. Personally i dont hate chuck for what he has done to jimmy, because i see his character more like a good person but with a fragile ego. I dont think James didnt mattered to chuck, I think chuck actually wanted the best for his brother, but in the surface he was so blind by his jealous to James success and structured way of thinking that success was only achieved with hard work and honesty, that showed his darkest side. That is what i take from bcs, all characters have two sides
I also think it’s interesting that Jimmy doesn’t even want to be a lawyer, he just wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Jimmy is good with people, and he is good at his job but when he was offered a good position at Davis and Main he denies it (until Kim talks him into getting the job) but then after awhile he wants to quit.
I believed he only kept being a lawyer out of spite for his brother.
It felt like Chuck's character was almost a statement that you can follow the law like a religion but still end up a piece of shit and downright villainous to someone else's story.
What makes a good person a good person isn’t black and white at all, and nobody on this planet is a perfectly 100% good person.
I don't hate Chuck McGill, I fully identify with him. My parents demanded a high level of excellence in everything for me while demanding almost nothing from my sister. She was the favorite.
But do you hate your sister because of that?
So now you go out of your way to destroy your sister so she doesnt excel more than you at anything? Cause if so i got news for you...
None of my business I know, but do you or resent her?
I could understand why, but you shouldn’t hate her for it. She’s your family, It’s more on your parents demands/expectations on you we dont get choose our parents But don’t resent her for something they did, just saying.
@@occody He should resent his sister if she was an exploitative, lying thief, like Jimmy was. Chuck was totally justified in his contempt of Jimmy. I have a younger brother and our family dynamic is quite similar to that of the McGills. It's quite easy to see chuck as the bad guy because Jimmy is our protagonist, but Jimmy is... well, he's kinda a POS. Chuck was totally 100% justified in not wanting to risk Jimmy burning down his company and his life's work by employing him at HHM. He'd just spent his entire god damn life watching him be a sleazy, self-serving scumbag.
@@coderpup4639 I mean,hypothetically , if his sister does illegal things, steal from his parents and abandoned his family and just call and neeeds help, maybe he would hate her, and he would have reason for that.
Only 4 minutes in and you have earned my subscription to your channel. Because you're addressing the issues right up front with Chuck. It wasn't his mental state that brought him to Jimmy's level it was mostly (to me at least) the fact he couldn't be happy or at least support his brother for attempting to use him as an example. If Chuck had been able to look at Jimmy and attempt to help him while molding his negatives into positives man they could've been a hell of a legal team. Jimmy would've never let a legal loophole pass while Chuck could've attempted to keep Jimmy ethical. But Chuck pushed back on him and gave him no support. Without a moral compass and chafing against Chuck's way of showing Jimmy that he wasn't meant for the Law, in that turn Chuck build Saul Goodman.
If both brothers worked together, they would've been an unstoppable force
I never caught that detail at 15:48-16:05. The placement of the Time Machine book in that scene with Chuck was supposed to subtly symbolize and foreshadow Jimmy's true regret: His dysfunctional relationship with his brother. The whole episode we are taken through this question of what would Jimmy change and he's subverted our expectations every time with some basic, insensitive answer only to have his true answer be shown to us in such a unique way. Beautiful analysis.
Small detail here but I think it’s important, the ear rub signal was arranged by chuck specifically for his wife because he was so sure she’d need a discreet way to alert him that she wanted to end dinner after some light conversation with Jimmy. Chuck didn’t convey to his wife that he might also use the signal if he wanted to call it early because he was certain his wife would find him unbearable and use the signal.
There are so many little things like this in BCS that add lots of characterization, like when they gave kid named finger actual fingers. Bravo Vince!
Indeed. Bravo Vince! Actually though good pickup, never thought about it like that
Dude it was all fudged up but the sentence "You've never really mattered all that much to me." Hurts in such a physical way I couldn't explain it.
One of the most nihilist (even if unintentional, but I have my doubts that it isn't) messages in the show is how Chuck knew from the very start Jimmy can't change. It's impossible for him to change, but we as the audience believed in him. Crazy that the culmination of all six seasons resulted in the revelation that Jimmy truly can not change, no matter how hard he wants to. Chuck was right all along. Jimmy isn't evil, sadly he can just never be helped. Every single unhinged rant and performance, from Chuck over his brothers nature has completely vindicated him. There was not a single exploit that Chuck didn't catch on to, and yet Jimmy was always unquestionably in the right to the perspective of the audience. It's a twist that I honestly wasn't really expecting after reflecting on the whole series.
I mean, Jimmy is a certified criminal, but we're expected to hate his brother who actually wanted to protect the system from a potential scam artist.. Chuck wasn't the most pleasant guy out there, but saying that he 'made' Saul Goodman is a bit simplistic. Jimmy, a lawyer and an adult, understood perfectly what his 'exploits' were, but just like you said, he couldn't stop or help himself. If he really wanted to go clean and be a good lawyer, he could have simply tried his hand at another law firm without Chuck's approval and oversight. And if he did succeed, he wouldn't need said approval at all..
Did you watch the finale? Jimmy changed
Hey Guys. Had a lot of issues posting this and had to remove a lot of scenes (Chicanery scene, Kim reality check scene, Chuck calling out for his mom) CZcams wouldn't let me post the video without removing these sections so sorry if the video isn't up to the normal standard, sucks I had to remove a lot of the really impactful scenes. Thanks for understanding and thank you guys for your continued support! You guys wanna see more Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad videos?
That’s CZcams for you. I don’t care if your next video is breaking bad/better call Saul based or not.
Yes the least two better call Saul videos were amazing
Question. The reality check scene, what episode is that from?
I believe it’s episode 10 of season 2. Kim basically tells Chuck that all Jimmy wants is Chucks respect and that Chuck just treats him like trash
Chuck didnt tell Jimmy about his dying mum calling out for him because it would destroy Jimmy. He left her side to get sandwiches
This video essay! Are you telling me that a character analysis just happens to be this good? No! You orchestrated it!
And he gets dislikes? What a sick joke!
@@leonrobinson8180 the true sick joke is that there arent any dislikes anymore!
You can literally hate AND love all characters from BCS, how is that possible
I actually really loved Chuck, i think he was great and i was sad when he died
Chuck is the biggest trajectory altering element in his brothers’ life. Jimmy had a legit chance at a better life and Chuck stole that from him.
It’s sad, Jimmy’s life was shattered in its biggest ways by two men with colossal ego issues.
it makes sense that he would be hated at an audience level, your average viewer wants to see saul to do something interesting, exciting, probably illegal, and Chuck is actively against all that. if he listened, the show would be just mostly filling out and filing paperwork
gave me a chuckle
I don't hate Chuck. In fact, I love the character. He knew how corrupted Jimmy could get. He knew Jimmy's narcicism would end up hurting everybody else. He was right.
The tragedy of these two brothers is while Chuck was 100% correct about how Jimmy would end up, he himself was a main contributor to why Jimmy ended up becoming Saul Goodman by never giving him a fair chance. I sometimes feel like the whole BCS show seems to be about human flaws and how petty people can behave against other people.
this poster is chuck
Chuck is not only jealous but also envious of his little brother from even his childhood days and Chuck working hard being a brilliant lawyer is him trying to get out of his brothers shadow and finding a place where he will be respected and loved the same way Jimmy is but Jimmy becoming a lawyer threatens his new place and bruises his Ego to see however much work he puts in his life Jimmy will get there without breaking a sweat, ...this is why Chuck is a villain his jealousy envy and Pride
As a person with a troublemaker younger sibling, I can understand Chuck. Chuck has always known that Jimmy was a natural born scam artist. Chuck seeing Jimmy become a lawyer tells him that Jimmy will make a mockery out of the profession that he loves.
He also feel resentment to Jimmy, jealous everyone like him more. His attempt to stop Jimmy become a lawyer is also because he don't want Jimmy to become more popular than him.
Some people say that, but the truth is that chuck should let Jimmy take his own actions, if Jimmy was meant to screw up, then he will either Chuck intervention or not. What Jimmy deserved was an opportunity to make it right, or not, doesn’t matter because chuck didn’t want
@@ivanmartinezhernandez3962Chuck had nothing again as Jimmy was hired Davis and Main, he didn't just wanted him in his law firm, cause Jimmy's screwing up would hit on reputation of hhm
Yes great job branding your younger siblings in front of thousands of random people, I also hope you also made sure all your close friends and distant relatives know this about your brother and never question the story ever.
Chuck was a bitter guy who let his bitterness ruined everything
We hate him because instead of helping Jimmy, he tries to stop him at every step fearing the he'll 'slip'. You'd think that he doesn't know any better but he does and the only reason he doesn't is because he's give up on his own brother. Also, his jealousy stops him from being a brother and just makes him a petulant senile man.
Jimmy is a human garbage
13:10 Jimmy doesn't pretend to be Chuck here and I don't think the insurance was cancelled. He goes to get a refund for his own malpractice insurance, fails, and mentions Chuck's breakdown while crying. This gets Chuck's premium increased so it would be expensive to renew the insurance
I think the issue is that chuck wanted to sink as low as jimmy and he did forgetting jimmy can sink even lower. Which I think is an amazing parallel to chuck not wanting jimmy to achieve as much as he has not seeing that whilst jimmy could be success he wouldn’t be on the exact same level as himself.
Chuck doesn’t want jimmy to match or surpass him which ultimately he doesn’t. But In preventing that, chuck sank low forgetting that hes in his brothers domain. He wanted to be better in every avenue which backfired as ur never going to beat a shark in its home court.
This show is a beautiful tragedy, my favorite of all time. And this video is a beautiful analysis of their relationship, well done my friend, your words made me shed real tears.
Honestly this vid made me a lot sadder than I thought it would. Thank you tho!
When I first watched the show one thing I noticed about Chuck was his “episodes” or his breakdowns only happened or appeared when Jimmy was around. When chuck ran outside in S1 to retire the neighbors paper because he suspected Jimmy was lying about it not being out there. When he was at the copy shop asking Lance about Jimmy. I always thought that Chucks allergy to electricity was made up and really him stressing about Jimmy. One key example is when he promises chuck that the billboard thing was a one time thing and chuck throw his space blanket down and says “someone’s gotta make that coffee” seemily getting “better” when Jimmy reassured him that everything was okay and that he was gonna play by the rules
Chuck reminds me of what Mike said. "There a good crinimals and bad cops" Chuck isn't a cop, but he is a law-abiding citizen who doesn’t break any laws, while jimmy is a crinimal. The difference is that Jimmy cares for people for most of the show and does a lot of good stuff to help others, while Chuck is a narcissist who doesn’t want Jimmy to be as successful as him and treats people who helps him like trash. He may not be breaking the law, but he's an awful person.
crinimal
This ultimately defines that Howard's terrible death wasn't just only Jimmy's fault, but also Chuck's.
Amazing video! I never understood why people said that Chuck was the antagonist in the early seasons. Chuck always said the truth about Jimmy, his only mistake was saying that Jimmy will never change, if only they had talked it out it might have worked
Telling people that they'll never change, never do better than they have, never improve themselves, can often be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Both brothers are unbelievably flawed, but in other people's defense, antagonist doesn't mean villain. Just means a foil. But thank you!
Because once we learn that Chuck was the one handicapping Jimmy's progress as a lawyer, that recontextulizes so much. That means that Jimmy spent everyday of a year caring for Chuck while Chuck told Howard to be the villain and not let Jimmy get to work at HHM, even with the Sandpiper case, and Chuck has the audacity to act surprised in front of Jimmy when Jimmy gets rejected.
And Jimmy even tried to talk things out with Chuck after Kim had her car accident, but Chuck said the polite version of "fuck off" with him saying he never cared for Jimmy. It's disgusting and just like how Walter manipulated Jesse, except Walter has the "excuse" of self preservation (until he doesn't), while Chuck is just that prideful and egotistical.
loved this, thanks for your great effort and passion
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. Comments like these make me wanna keep making vids.
Very nicely done. The analysis is thorough, nuanced, complex when it calls for it. The analysis is even contradictory at the appropriate moment when the source is contradictory for the sake of telling the very best story possible. It was clear that you put a considerable amount of mental energy into this and I totally respect your personal brand of passion with which this was delivered. Rock on! We the people want more :)
I was glad you did a character analysis on chuck keep up your style for other characters you have a great narrator approach
I never hated Chuck. Chuck was always his worst enemy. He caused his own demise.
Chuck is a moralist and a hypocrite. He is very well written though and important in weighing the main "protagonist's" actions, as ultimately Chuck's condemnation of Jimmy simultaneously becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and an accurate prediction. Jimmy tries to do right, but cuts corners. The more he cuts corners to do right the more corners he has to cut to make things right and much of that is due to the flaws in his world and those in Chuck's character.
Jimmy and Chuck’s story really shows how paramount it is to maintain a healthy relationship with your family…
I can't get enough of these BB and BCS analysis videos.
Watching this again I really think that the book Chuck's reading is showing us not what moment Jimmy regrets, but what Chuck regrets, he started to read The time machine and realized he regrets to have grown so bitter towards Jimmy
There's one deciding factor for me. Jimmy is to us, the viewer, someone we know is bad. He's crooked, he'll hurt people to get his way, even though his reason might seem noble at first. He's excited at the thrill of doing something he's not supposed to, the thrill of plotting and scheming. And he knows that. On the scene where they hustle that rich guy with Kim, they do it for fun. They do it bc they can. They never pretend to be the nice person to their closest one.
Chuck **always** takes the moral highground. He never sees the error of his ways, he never understands that the things he does he does for himself and himself only. He justifies it as if it is some heroic crusade to save the justice system or HHM or whoever/whatever. That's why people hate him more than the drug dealers and the murderers the show has on display.
Great Video! I look forward to seeing more from this channel!
I always interpret Chuck's fear of electricity as the representation of Jimmy: there's a kind of "magic" in his charisma, his wit, his whole personality (which Chuck envies). He enters a room and everything changes, becomes full of life, just like electricity does. Somehow, Chuck feels that he could control the discomfort that Jimmy produces in him by controlling a more specific and material issue (which is how fobias and obsessions are made)... But he is too proud to even admit to himself that Jim is such a powerful presence in his mind and self esteem, and how much it hurts to remember what he lacks.
It's ironic how Jimmy ended up becoming the man Chuck said he would but this actually wouldn't have happened if Chuck wasn't so envious of his quick sucess and guided him into the right path
This hits really hard when you share the same dynamic with your own sibling
Being neglected by my older brother, I think I have to be sort of biased. Probably a big reason why I love BCS over BB!
I am an older brother. A dumb, stupid kid who would do anything and everything to have more time with my brother. I was born too old to be with him all the time, but I always made sure to tell him how much he meant to me. Jimmy wasnt perfect, but god damn it Chuck you had every chance to make him better. He had every chance to let go of his selfishness and realize Slipping Jimmy could and had changed his ways. Instead he broke his heart in so many ways, Jimmy became Saul Goodman.
I think the way it's presented is extremely clever. You see everything from Jimmy's perspective, you understand his motives, the why. You rarely see it from Chuck's perspective and when you do its to fill in a part of Jimmy's future narrative. The simple answer is that neither of them are the villian, or the hero. They're just two estranged brothers who both hate and love each other in equal measure.
I wasn't rooting for one or the other, I was rooting for both. For Jimmy and Chuck to put aside their grievances and be the family they should have been from the start. I knew how it would end but I still hoped it wouldn't.
Honestly i cant hate chuck despite him being a horrible brother to jimmy, could be because of michael McKeans performance but i kinda liked chuck.
I loved Michael McKean so much. Honestly I loved every actor. Every actor did a phenomenal job
After watching a 10 hour loop of Chuck hitting his head and falling I can honestly say I enjoy his character more
one of the most beautiful aspects of BCS and BB is the character development throughout and how being involved in crime, ultimately sharpens the other person to become more invested into crime.
Skyler White: *acts completely rationally when finding out Walt is a drug lord, even helping him to some degree even though she is RIGHTFULLY reluctant to do so*
Chuck: *sees his brother trying to improve himself and does what he can to impede him at every turn*
He's the exact opposite of Jimmy. Where Jimmy does "the worst things for reasons that almost seem noble" Chuck tries to do the noble thing in ways that seem almost villainous. He always loved Jimmy, but he knew what he was capable of. He assumed the worst, which was his first mistake, and then in his efforts to prevent that possibility from happening, he only stoked the fire that forged Saul Goodman. Even tho I disliked Chuck throughout most of the series, he's one of my favorite characters in the show because he's such a pivotal part in the entire BB universe. Plus Michael McKean does such an amazing job playing the character you can't help but admire him in the show even when he's pissing you off. Hats off to Chuck, the character we all loved, and hated
Great video. I will really miss this show.
I rly hope Vince and Gould work on a new series but breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are so worth it, regardless of if it all ends here
great video. very detailed analysis. loved it mate keep it up!
I think you missed the part where Chuck has Jimmy’s law license canceled first and causing Jimmy to seek revenge. It didn’t have to go this way but Chuck needed his personal revenge on Jimmy.
Chuck to me is someone who despite being successful is still envious of those around him, especially Jimmy. He spent his entire life being a lawyer to be this respected and Jimmy in a few short years did what he could.
Jimmy had so many chances to redeem himself and not become the man we saw in breaking bad, chuck got in the way of so many of those chances. Jimmy went through all the effort to try and become a lawyer only for the firm he was hoping to apply to and that could've gotten him good pay, and kept him on the straight and narrow, to be taken away from him when Chuck told Howard to fire Jimmy and not let Jimmy work at HHM. Jimmy had the case of a lifetime, something that could've taken him from a down on his luck barely making ends meet public defender to someone noteworthy, potentially even worthy of a partner position at a firm, this was taken away from him by Chuck and caused the eventual spiral we saw that ruined his other firm opportunities. Jimmy looked out for Chuck for years and in all that time not once for a moment did Chuck regret screwing over Jimmy's position at HHM, and when Chuck ruined his relationship with Jimmy he could think of nothing but to blame Jimmy for his life being in shambles when all this time Jimmy did his best to look out for Chuck, up until the moment he realized all of Chuck's betrayal.
So many opportunities Jimmy had to get off the path that led to him becoming Saul was taken away from him by Chuck, and I genuinely think if not for Chuck, Jimmy would've ended up as a good person in the end. Jimmy isn't without blame he screwed up countless times and his choices that led to him becoming Saul where still his ; even though many opportunities were essentially taken from him by Chuck. But maybe if Chuck didn't actively screw over his brother's attempt to become a better person, everything could've turned out differently.
I thought it was interesting how deep down, Chuck's hatred of Jimmy resulted in his death. And Howard's forgiveness of Jimmy resulted in his death. Even tho at the beginning of the show, the show portrayed Chuck as the forgiving one while Howard was the one that "hated" Jimmy.
Chuck would have been wrong about Jimmy if he just gave Jimmy a chance. The guy was trying to keep honest for a while and instead he has doubted Jimmy in every turn. Why would Jimmy even go and make that billboard stunt in the first place if he had just accepted Jimmy in to HMM? Jimmy’s struggle in his law career would not have started if Chuck gave him the boost he could have. Sorry but this is on Chuck.