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
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.
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.
@@Nystariii 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
@@Nystariii 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.
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....
@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..
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*
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.
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 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.
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
@@woahblackbettybamalam 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
@@woahblackbettybamalam 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
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.
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!
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
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 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.
Though you could argue though Chuck and Howard are seriously breaking the law, I mean Howard isn't a simpleton, they entertain Chuck's delusions about electrosensitivity and allow him to work despite him being obviously severely mentally ill. Really he could be a gigantic compromise for a client or the firm.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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).
Yes, but Chuck could have returned to the Chicago area after getting his Juris Doctor. Instead he chose to be far far away from his parents, to avoid anyone he ever worked with or worked for from meeting them. Chuck wasn't just ashamed of Jimmy, he was ashamed of his parents.
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.
@@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.
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.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
chuck represents the flaws of the justice sytem itself, because chuck always obeyed it to the letter, even if the system itself might not be perfect morally in a lot of cases
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.
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)." 🤡
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.
@@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....
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
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*
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
@@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.
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
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
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.
Jimmy was PARTLY to blame for his dad's business failing, since he took out, as Chuck said, $14,000 from the cash register over the years. What would have happened if that $14,000 was still there? I believe that's a big reason why Chuck hates Jimmy; he sees him as being responsible for their father's failing business, all for selfish gain.
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.
Chuck created Saul Goodman. If Chuck had helped his brother after he passed the bar and helped him keep on the straight and narrow, like Jimmy clearly wanted to do, then Jimmy would have likely made it as a legit lawyer. Even though Saul is immoral, he’s still a damn good lawyer. And if it weren’t for Saul, well, Walter White would have got busted by Badger or the cartel would have got him. Hell, he may not have even entered the meth business as Krazy 8 wouldn’t have tipped off the DEA about Emilio and Jesse.
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.
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
One thing I kind of love is that Jimmy and Chuck are basically the best lawyers in the world of breaking bad. In their own way. We see them set up as the perfect lawyers. Chuck who knows every letter of the law and Jimmy who can talk people into or out of anything (remember “I talked you out of a death sentence to a six month probation. I am a the best lawyer ever.”) They are so good that after just a week or two of working together, they were basically able to force a major elder care company to their knees. Sure there was a lot of legal stuff afterwards to limit the bleeding but the fight was basically over at that time. It shows just how good the two of them are and how terrifying they would be together. This didn’t just make them cool to watch but also made us wonder about how it would be if the two of them were ever to go against each other in the courtroom. Even Kim, who is also established early to be up there amongst lawyers, says very early on that she would be scared to go against Chuck. This is basically a battle shounen set up. A genre best known for dudes beating the shit out of each other with super powers, but is defined with people with unique skills clashing and fighting their way up the ladder until only the best one is left standing.
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.
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
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
Yes, it's great writing. Chuck can't admit to himself and others that he can't deal with his envious feelings so he rationalises it into a condition that he believes has scientific merit
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👍
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.
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.
@@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.
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
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.
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) RUclips 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?
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.
"His illness is a psychological one, not a real one." Dude that is harsh haha. Psychological illness are _real_ illnesses. I think he meant to say it isn't a physical one.
That letter Chuck wrote was edited by Kim. Chuck can’t say good things about Jimmy. That’s why Kim told Horward that is this the last attempt of Chuck to hurt Jimmy? And also Jimmy read that letter twice in front of Kim. First when Kim ask to read it and next in front of judges when Jimmy’s law license was about to get accepted. At these times Kim cried!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@figgorine 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
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.
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.
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!
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.
I never hated Chuck, I always thought he was right and loved his scenes. I am the oldest brother in my family and I’m well aware of the bullshit the younger ones always get away with just because parents don’t have any more energy to discipline after the first and second born
I get you but me also being the oldest of 3 siblings i feel there is also a sense of unjustified jealousy on my side. Yes my younger siblings have it easier and i had to fight harder, but it is not their fault that I am the oldest. Its easy to feel disadvantaged, but as the oldest i also enjoyed certain perogatives, my siblings did not have.
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
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.
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
I loved the way Kim put Chuck in his place. She knows Jimmy isn't on the level. But she's only seen the Jimmy who worked his ass off in a thankless position she got assigned to as punishment. She saw him be friendly to everyone at the firm, study law, get a degree and be excited to finally become a partner. To finally fulfill the terms of his rehabilitation as laid out by Chuck and finally become the one who would make HHM into Hamlin, Hamlin, McGill & McGill. And that makes Kim believe in Jimmy, which is what's keeping him good and stops him from sliding into Saul. Chuck only ever sees him as Slippin' Jimmy, and doesn't believe people can change. And decided to dedicate his life to ruining any chance that Jimmy might prove him otherwise, and he was going to sacrifice everything and everyone in his fued to do so. Even Kim Wexler, who Jimmy wasn't going to drag into his problems and went out of his way to help. And Chuck only saw that as a weakness to attack Jimmy. And targeted her for punishment, sabotage and demotion because he knew it hurt his brother. Even if Kim can see that Jimmy is petty, chummy and underhanded, she can see that she's just collateral damage to Chuck, who will gaslight Jimmy into believing it's he who's hurting everyone around him. But argueably the greatest victim of Chuck was Howard. He made Howard the one to tell Jimmy he couldn't be a partner because Chuck was too much of a coward to admit he lied to Jim and doesn't want him representing the law. He unfairly made Howard the fixation of Jimmy's wrath and the decoy to mask that there's conflict between the brothers. And because of how much damage it does to Jimmy's relationship to Howard, even by the time Jimmy learns who the real problem at HHM was it's far too late for him to want to make it up to Howard. Worse, it even set Kim on the path towards corruption and wanting Howard destroyed for no other reason than that he went along with Chuck's manipulations and stood by and let him sabotage Kim's career, and we all know what ends up happening to him.
Jimmy was really the villain of the show. An antihero of if I may. He ruined his own career and ruined Howard’s life just for the fun of it. I feel bad for both Chuck and Howard.
For me, the reason everyone hates chuck is not necessarily because of his distaste for Jimmy. From what we can tell Jimmy's behaviour before the show is absolutely disgraceful, and we don't get to see all of this, which I think is very important, because we don't have the full context for how bad Jimmy actually was. I think it's very telling that by the end, we end up hating Jimmy MORE than Chuck over what happens with Howard, and I expect if we had seen Slippin' Jimmy at his worst, we'd have much much less sympathy for him than we do, because all we saw of Jimmy was a guy trying to atone. We don't relate to Chuck, and that's VERY important. We hear of Jimmy's past deeds but don't see everything, so we aren't emotionally connected to Chuck's feelings for Jimmy like we are to Howards just before his death. However, I think ultimately, the way Chuck goes about things are what solidifies him as a villain in the eyes of the audience. When it becomes apparent that his illness is linked to Jimmy's success, we lose all sympathy for said illness because it's a mental condition brought on by a hate we don't fully relate to as an audience. However, the worst thing is the betrayal. Maybe he's justified in his beliefs, but his actions show a real snake in the grass. He could have just been honest about everything. He could have said to Jimmy : "You can work at HHM, but we can't have you be a partner, because I can't trust you. I'll look after you but you need to keep to your lane. Otherwise I won't be there to help you when you screw up again." I think this would be very fair and allow Jimmy to make a choice whether to stay under Chucks thumb or try to go it without him. Instead, Chuck is dishonest, claims to be on his brothers side while secretly undermining him every opportunity he can, putting the blame onto Howard, a comparatively decent man who actually likes Jimmy. His betrayal is absolutely vindictive and unnecessary, and really shows how much he truly hates his brother. And that's why I think we hate him. Because he couldn't be honest with himself, or anyone else. Chuck might flaunt his moral superiority, but at the end of the day, he's a liar.
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.
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.
what really baffles me about people who shit on chuck for believing jimmy would never change is that they dont realize that jimmy is not a teenager or young adult. i do believe that redemption is possible for everyone but we're talking about a middle aged man and an even older man who's on the verge of retirement; jimmy has gone through multiple decades making the exact same mistakes with little to no consequences because chuck would get him out of trouble. chuck truly believes jimmy is not changing anytime soon (for good reason) so it makes sense for him to want to keep his antics away from something he deeply cares about (law)? the hate chuck gets is honestly unreal, he's definitely not the best person and has not dealt with some things the best way but considering what he's had to deal with pretty much his entire life i don't blame him for being done with jimmy
Thing is, though: Jimmy really was making an honest effort to turn himself around in the flashbacks when he got his degree and passed the bar. He says he hated Jimmy's dishonesty, and that was certainly part of it, but he was also definitely motivated by jealousy and spite. He also could have just outright said why he didn't want Jimmy practicing law at the firm, but instead he pretended to be on his side while using Howard's respect to manipulate him into being the bad guy. Jimmy was no saint, sure, but Chuck was a pretty underhanded guy in his own right. And smiling to your brother's face for years while undermining him behind his back is pretty unforgiveable to me.
@@MrClickity Jimmy never tried to change. Just because he's the protagonist doesn't mean you have to defend him. That's the problem with audience, even if the protagonist is shitty evil scumbag, audience will still defend him, why? Because he's the protagonist!
13:10 One mistake I noticed, he doesn’t pretend to be Chuck. He goes to the insurance office to get a refund on his insurance since he won’t be able to practice for a year. But after he is told he can’t get his money back, he decides to tell the insurance person about his Brother’s meltdown to raise his premiums and that if the entire firm.
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.
Chuck is worse when you realize he let Howard take the blame for his resentment of Jimmy. Jimmy refused to believe his own brother could do that to him, much like how Hank didn’t even think about Walter being Heisenberg despite the evidence.
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
What Chuck does to Jimmy is demoralizing him and refusing to recognize his effort in the name of "for Jimmy's own good", which Asian parents tends to do to their children all the time. I realized this after finding an uncanny relatability to Jimmy.
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
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.
1:00 Chuck was full of sh* t standing right there telling Jimmy that he did it for Jimmy's own good. He clearly did that for himself and what he selfishly wanted.
Another interesting thing about Chuck is his desire for the truth and just desserts. For example, Chuck is vexed because everybody loves Jimmy and they're unable to see him as the "Slipping Jimmy" Chuck has come to know. Their father denied Jimmy's theft, his wife loved his sense of humour, Howard loved his hustle, and everybody is taken with his natural charisma. Not only is he jealous of Jimmy, like you mentioned in the video, because he wishes he had those things too, but also because nobody sees Jimmy for what he is (or at least what Chuck condemns him to be which has been proven to be true to some extent due to Jimmys actions over the years). That's the reason why Chuck sabotages Jimmy's law opportunities. He feels like Jimmy is undeserving and people cant see the truth of who he is. Therefore, (in Chuck's mind) it's Chuck's responsibility to see that justice is done in regards to Jimmy's success, that the law is not made a mockery of by his little brother, and that Jimmy is not elevated to the level of success that would make him Chuck's peer (because he's less deserving). Its all a part of Chucks twisted sense of fairness through the lens of his own ego and knowledge of Jimmy's past habits that most people arent privy to. Brilliant Writing!
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.
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
Jimmy is not an innocent person, but when compared to Chuck, Chuck definitely got what he deserved. Without Chuck's constant dissaproval, Jimmy probably would have been an honest lawyer with normal clients.
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
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.
I would have accepted that jimmy had more blame than he did IF there was any realistic chance Chuck would have accepted him in the end. But he wouldn't have, he never would. Going to jail would have just further proved Chuck right about how Jimmy'll always be below him, and he tried time and time again to keep it that way. People hate chuck the most FOR that reason, ultimately chuck got what was coming to him in the end, it was only a matter of time before Jimmy found out how he really felt. We've seen enough to know Jimmy wanted to improve BECAUSE of his brother as a role model and would have succeeded. Had Chuck accepted Jimmy then i believe Saul never would have been created.
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.
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.
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.
1:42 yes cause telling a kid to listen while you’re reading to him means you MUST be in control. 😂 why are there so many pseudo psychologists online now?
Jimmy and Chuck are victims of the same toxic mental patterns that cause them to create emotional villains that must be ruined. The only difference is their different skill sets they use for their evils, and Chuck's lawfulness vs Jimmy's chaoticness.
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.
i never got why people hated chuck. fist off who wouldn't want to be in control? and jimmy should've gotten the hint, chuck doesn't want him around. all this "chuck was hell bent on destroying jimmy's career" is taken way out of proportion, you already have your degree dude, go do your own thing and stop expecting chuck to give you a job just because he's your brother. yes chuck schemed to get a confession out of jimmy, but so what jimmy is still guilty of all of it. and in the end chuck was right all along, all exploiting con-artist... "chuck should've just swallowed his pride, saul wouldn't have existed"" lmao listen to yourself 🤣🤣🤣. no it's not up to someone else to not turn you into a scumbag. jimmy is literally responsible for the deaths of many by enabling heisenberg
Here are two questions I pose to you, the reader: firstly, if we had been following Chuck instead of Jimmy, is it possible that we would view Jimmy in the same irredeemable way? Secondly, if we had spent our entire lives watching our younger brother manipulate our parents, con people, and cut every corner imaginable, could we ever truly believe that he can change?
Chuck was an only child for about ten years. Along comes baby brother. Doted on ,coddled and spoiled with affection. The resentment starts. The need for affection , admiration and being the center of attention grows. Make them proud at least, become a lawyer ,excuse me ,an attorney.Chuck always referred to himself as an attorney never a lawyer. Got married, no children. Wife with a carrier trapezing around the county instead of Suzy-homemaker and the one electronic on battery run device that comes between him and his demand for center-stage. The cellphone. As her carrier progresses there is less and less room for Chuck. Marriage falls apart, not his fault. Batteries , no it's bigger than that. Electricity that's it. Could Chuck have been wrong all this time about his "allergy" ? No. Chuck underestimated everyone around him. Howard refused the handshake, He was wrong there too. End of the road defining moment.Sooner set himself on fire than admit to being wrong.
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.
@@Nystariii 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
@@Nystariii 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.
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..
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".
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
@@woahblackbettybamalam 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
@@woahblackbettybamalam 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
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!
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 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
Though you could argue though Chuck and Howard are seriously breaking the law, I mean Howard isn't a simpleton, they entertain Chuck's delusions about electrosensitivity and allow him to work despite him being obviously severely mentally ill. Really he could be a gigantic compromise for a client or the firm.
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
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.
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).
Yes, but Chuck could have returned to the Chicago area after getting his Juris Doctor. Instead he chose to be far far away from his parents, to avoid anyone he ever worked with or worked for from meeting them. Chuck wasn't just ashamed of Jimmy, he was ashamed of his parents.
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.
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
chuck represents the flaws of the justice sytem itself, because chuck always obeyed it to the letter, even if the system itself might not be perfect morally in a lot of cases
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)." 🤡
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....
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
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*
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.
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!
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
Yeah like how is jimmy stealing pocket change from the cash register gonna run a business into the ground? Chuck was just a stubborn dickhead
Jimmy was PARTLY to blame for his dad's business failing, since he took out, as Chuck said, $14,000 from the cash register over the years. What would have happened if that $14,000 was still there? I believe that's a big reason why Chuck hates Jimmy; he sees him as being responsible for their father's failing business, all for selfish gain.
@@brendonw456 OMG i never thought of it like that. If it was that then man... would so many things change
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.
"The worst thing about betrayal, is that it doesn't come from an enemy."
I honestly believe Chuck was a huge butterfly effect for the BB universe.
Chuck created Saul Goodman. If Chuck had helped his brother after he passed the bar and helped him keep on the straight and narrow, like Jimmy clearly wanted to do, then Jimmy would have likely made it as a legit lawyer. Even though Saul is immoral, he’s still a damn good lawyer. And if it weren’t for Saul, well, Walter White would have got busted by Badger or the cartel would have got him. Hell, he may not have even entered the meth business as Krazy 8 wouldn’t have tipped off the DEA about Emilio and Jesse.
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.
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
A really well-versed analysis of Chuck and his contribution to Jimmy's downfall. Excellent video!
Thank you. Your guys' support means everything
One thing I kind of love is that Jimmy and Chuck are basically the best lawyers in the world of breaking bad. In their own way.
We see them set up as the perfect lawyers. Chuck who knows every letter of the law and Jimmy who can talk people into or out of anything (remember “I talked you out of a death sentence to a six month probation. I am a the best lawyer ever.”)
They are so good that after just a week or two of working together, they were basically able to force a major elder care company to their knees. Sure there was a lot of legal stuff afterwards to limit the bleeding but the fight was basically over at that time. It shows just how good the two of them are and how terrifying they would be together.
This didn’t just make them cool to watch but also made us wonder about how it would be if the two of them were ever to go against each other in the courtroom. Even Kim, who is also established early to be up there amongst lawyers, says very early on that she would be scared to go against Chuck.
This is basically a battle shounen set up. A genre best known for dudes beating the shit out of each other with super powers, but is defined with people with unique skills clashing and fighting their way up the ladder until only the best one is left standing.
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.
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!
Their relationship reminds me of how important charisma is for social relationships.
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
Yes, it's great writing. Chuck can't admit to himself and others that he can't deal with his envious feelings so he rationalises it into a condition that he believes has scientific merit
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👍
Um no, that’s not worse. Hate implies they could die and you’d be happy that’s worse
@@blueyeshadow2738 hate and love are only one step away from each other, as an eastern saying goes...
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.
@@LONE_SKUM_DOGE 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.
"Pride comes before the fall" is a big theme in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul both
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
@@CIeaner23 Better Call Saul is part of the Breaking Bad franchise. You know what he meant.
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
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.
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) RUclips 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 RUclips 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
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
"His illness is a psychological one, not a real one."
Dude that is harsh haha. Psychological illness are _real_ illnesses. I think he meant to say it isn't a physical one.
That letter Chuck wrote was edited by Kim. Chuck can’t say good things about Jimmy. That’s why Kim told Horward that is this the last attempt of Chuck to hurt Jimmy? And also Jimmy read that letter twice in front of Kim. First when Kim ask to read it and next in front of judges when Jimmy’s law license was about to get accepted. At these times Kim cried!
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.
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
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.
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.
Psychological illnesses are still real. Chuck's illness was not physical, but was still "real". He didn't make it up.
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.
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.
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.
@@figgorine 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
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
this guy doesnt try to prove anything other than things already established in the show, its just a 16 minute summary of the chuck vs jimmy plotline
I never hated Chuck, I always thought he was right and loved his scenes. I am the oldest brother in my family and I’m well aware of the bullshit the younger ones always get away with just because parents don’t have any more energy to discipline after the first and second born
he's not wrong, it's his reasons and intent that are wrong (coming from hate and fear, not love, no matter what he says)
I get you but me also being the oldest of 3 siblings i feel there is also a sense of unjustified jealousy on my side. Yes my younger siblings have it easier and i had to fight harder, but it is not their fault that I am the oldest. Its easy to feel disadvantaged, but as the oldest i also enjoyed certain perogatives, my siblings did not have.
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
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.
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
I loved the way Kim put Chuck in his place. She knows Jimmy isn't on the level. But she's only seen the Jimmy who worked his ass off in a thankless position she got assigned to as punishment. She saw him be friendly to everyone at the firm, study law, get a degree and be excited to finally become a partner. To finally fulfill the terms of his rehabilitation as laid out by Chuck and finally become the one who would make HHM into Hamlin, Hamlin, McGill & McGill. And that makes Kim believe in Jimmy, which is what's keeping him good and stops him from sliding into Saul. Chuck only ever sees him as Slippin' Jimmy, and doesn't believe people can change. And decided to dedicate his life to ruining any chance that Jimmy might prove him otherwise, and he was going to sacrifice everything and everyone in his fued to do so. Even Kim Wexler, who Jimmy wasn't going to drag into his problems and went out of his way to help. And Chuck only saw that as a weakness to attack Jimmy. And targeted her for punishment, sabotage and demotion because he knew it hurt his brother. Even if Kim can see that Jimmy is petty, chummy and underhanded, she can see that she's just collateral damage to Chuck, who will gaslight Jimmy into believing it's he who's hurting everyone around him.
But argueably the greatest victim of Chuck was Howard. He made Howard the one to tell Jimmy he couldn't be a partner because Chuck was too much of a coward to admit he lied to Jim and doesn't want him representing the law. He unfairly made Howard the fixation of Jimmy's wrath and the decoy to mask that there's conflict between the brothers. And because of how much damage it does to Jimmy's relationship to Howard, even by the time Jimmy learns who the real problem at HHM was it's far too late for him to want to make it up to Howard. Worse, it even set Kim on the path towards corruption and wanting Howard destroyed for no other reason than that he went along with Chuck's manipulations and stood by and let him sabotage Kim's career, and we all know what ends up happening to him.
Jimmy was really the villain of the show. An antihero of if I may. He ruined his own career and ruined Howard’s life just for the fun of it. I feel bad for both Chuck and Howard.
For me, the reason everyone hates chuck is not necessarily because of his distaste for Jimmy. From what we can tell Jimmy's behaviour before the show is absolutely disgraceful, and we don't get to see all of this, which I think is very important, because we don't have the full context for how bad Jimmy actually was. I think it's very telling that by the end, we end up hating Jimmy MORE than Chuck over what happens with Howard, and I expect if we had seen Slippin' Jimmy at his worst, we'd have much much less sympathy for him than we do, because all we saw of Jimmy was a guy trying to atone. We don't relate to Chuck, and that's VERY important. We hear of Jimmy's past deeds but don't see everything, so we aren't emotionally connected to Chuck's feelings for Jimmy like we are to Howards just before his death.
However, I think ultimately, the way Chuck goes about things are what solidifies him as a villain in the eyes of the audience. When it becomes apparent that his illness is linked to Jimmy's success, we lose all sympathy for said illness because it's a mental condition brought on by a hate we don't fully relate to as an audience.
However, the worst thing is the betrayal. Maybe he's justified in his beliefs, but his actions show a real snake in the grass. He could have just been honest about everything. He could have said to Jimmy : "You can work at HHM, but we can't have you be a partner, because I can't trust you. I'll look after you but you need to keep to your lane. Otherwise I won't be there to help you when you screw up again."
I think this would be very fair and allow Jimmy to make a choice whether to stay under Chucks thumb or try to go it without him. Instead, Chuck is dishonest, claims to be on his brothers side while secretly undermining him every opportunity he can, putting the blame onto Howard, a comparatively decent man who actually likes Jimmy. His betrayal is absolutely vindictive and unnecessary, and really shows how much he truly hates his brother. And that's why I think we hate him. Because he couldn't be honest with himself, or anyone else. Chuck might flaunt his moral superiority, but at the end of the day, he's a liar.
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.
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.
what really baffles me about people who shit on chuck for believing jimmy would never change is that they dont realize that jimmy is not a teenager or young adult. i do believe that redemption is possible for everyone but we're talking about a middle aged man and an even older man who's on the verge of retirement; jimmy has gone through multiple decades making the exact same mistakes with little to no consequences because chuck would get him out of trouble.
chuck truly believes jimmy is not changing anytime soon (for good reason) so it makes sense for him to want to keep his antics away from something he deeply cares about (law)?
the hate chuck gets is honestly unreal, he's definitely not the best person and has not dealt with some things the best way but considering what he's had to deal with pretty much his entire life i don't blame him for being done with jimmy
Thing is, though: Jimmy really was making an honest effort to turn himself around in the flashbacks when he got his degree and passed the bar.
He says he hated Jimmy's dishonesty, and that was certainly part of it, but he was also definitely motivated by jealousy and spite. He also could have just outright said why he didn't want Jimmy practicing law at the firm, but instead he pretended to be on his side while using Howard's respect to manipulate him into being the bad guy.
Jimmy was no saint, sure, but Chuck was a pretty underhanded guy in his own right. And smiling to your brother's face for years while undermining him behind his back is pretty unforgiveable to me.
@@MrClickity Jimmy never tried to change. Just because he's the protagonist doesn't mean you have to defend him. That's the problem with audience, even if the protagonist is shitty evil scumbag, audience will still defend him, why? Because he's the protagonist!
13:10 One mistake I noticed, he doesn’t pretend to be Chuck.
He goes to the insurance office to get a refund on his insurance since he won’t be able to practice for a year. But after he is told he can’t get his money back, he decides to tell the insurance person about his Brother’s meltdown to raise his premiums and that if the entire firm.
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.
Jimmy and Chuck’s story really shows how paramount it is to maintain a healthy relationship with your family…
Chuck is worse when you realize he let Howard take the blame for his resentment of Jimmy. Jimmy refused to believe his own brother could do that to him, much like how Hank didn’t even think about Walter being Heisenberg despite the evidence.
Exactly I just posted something to that accord
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
What Chuck does to Jimmy is demoralizing him and refusing to recognize his effort in the name of "for Jimmy's own good", which Asian parents tends to do to their children all the time. I realized this after finding an uncanny relatability to Jimmy.
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
You can literally hate AND love all characters from BCS, how is that possible
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!
1:00
Chuck was full of sh* t standing right there telling Jimmy that he did it for Jimmy's own good. He clearly did that for himself and what he selfishly wanted.
Another interesting thing about Chuck is his desire for the truth and just desserts. For example, Chuck is vexed because everybody loves Jimmy and they're unable to see him as the "Slipping Jimmy" Chuck has come to know.
Their father denied Jimmy's theft, his wife loved his sense of humour, Howard loved his hustle, and everybody is taken with his natural charisma.
Not only is he jealous of Jimmy, like you mentioned in the video, because he wishes he had those things too, but also because nobody sees Jimmy for what he is (or at least what Chuck condemns him to be which has been proven to be true to some extent due to Jimmys actions over the years).
That's the reason why Chuck sabotages Jimmy's law opportunities. He feels like Jimmy is undeserving and people cant see the truth of who he is. Therefore, (in Chuck's mind) it's Chuck's responsibility to see that justice is done in regards to Jimmy's success, that the law is not made a mockery of by his little brother, and that Jimmy is not elevated to the level of success that would make him Chuck's peer (because he's less deserving).
Its all a part of Chucks twisted sense of fairness through the lens of his own ego and knowledge of Jimmy's past habits that most people arent privy to.
Brilliant Writing!
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!
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
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
Jimmy is not an innocent person, but when compared to Chuck, Chuck definitely got what he deserved. Without Chuck's constant dissaproval, Jimmy probably would have been an honest lawyer with normal clients.
If I had Chuck's problem with control and Jimmy, I would seek therapy as Howard did the following season.
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
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.
After watching a 10 hour loop of Chuck hitting his head and falling I can honestly say I enjoy his character more
Your Honor, my client was just trying to keep a machine gun out of the hands of a chimpanzee.
I would have accepted that jimmy had more blame than he did IF there was any realistic chance Chuck would have accepted him in the end. But he wouldn't have, he never would.
Going to jail would have just further proved Chuck right about how Jimmy'll always be below him, and he tried time and time again to keep it that way.
People hate chuck the most FOR that reason, ultimately chuck got what was coming to him in the end, it was only a matter of time before Jimmy found out how he really felt.
We've seen enough to know Jimmy wanted to improve BECAUSE of his brother as a role model and would have succeeded.
Had Chuck accepted Jimmy then i believe Saul never would have been created.
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.
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.
1:42 yes cause telling a kid to listen while you’re reading to him means you MUST be in control. 😂 why are there so many pseudo psychologists online now?
I swear the sound "CH" makes no sense anymore at around the minute 3, sounds like something that shouldn't be there
Jimmy and Chuck are victims of the same toxic mental patterns that cause them to create emotional villains that must be ruined. The only difference is their different skill sets they use for their evils, and Chuck's lawfulness vs Jimmy's chaoticness.
I'd say chuck kind of started the ball rolling, but in the end it was equally both of their faults and responsibilities
@@MusiicRoolz When did he start the ball? Didn't Jimmy embezzling from his parents' business start the whole thing?
Chuck was pissed because he got out smarted by a grad from American Somoa……
would be intersting to know where Chuck got his law degree.
@@sigurdkaputnik7022 Georgetown if I recall correctly
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.
i never got why people hated chuck. fist off who wouldn't want to be in control? and jimmy should've gotten the hint, chuck doesn't want him around. all this "chuck was hell bent on destroying jimmy's career" is taken way out of proportion, you already have your degree dude, go do your own thing and stop expecting chuck to give you a job just because he's your brother. yes chuck schemed to get a confession out of jimmy, but so what jimmy is still guilty of all of it. and in the end chuck was right all along, all exploiting con-artist... "chuck should've just swallowed his pride, saul wouldn't have existed"" lmao listen to yourself 🤣🤣🤣. no it's not up to someone else to not turn you into a scumbag. jimmy is literally responsible for the deaths of many by enabling heisenberg
Here are two questions I pose to you, the reader: firstly, if we had been following Chuck instead of Jimmy, is it possible that we would view Jimmy in the same irredeemable way? Secondly, if we had spent our entire lives watching our younger brother manipulate our parents, con people, and cut every corner imaginable, could we ever truly believe that he can change?
Chuck was an only child for about ten years. Along comes baby brother. Doted on ,coddled and spoiled with affection. The resentment starts. The need for affection , admiration and being the center of attention grows.
Make them proud at least, become a lawyer ,excuse me ,an attorney.Chuck always referred to himself as an attorney never a lawyer. Got married, no children. Wife with a carrier trapezing around the county instead of Suzy-homemaker and the one electronic on battery run device that comes between him and his demand for center-stage. The cellphone. As her carrier progresses there is less and less room for Chuck. Marriage falls apart, not his fault. Batteries , no it's bigger than that. Electricity that's it. Could Chuck have been wrong all this time about his "allergy" ? No. Chuck underestimated everyone around him. Howard refused the handshake, He was wrong there too. End of the road defining moment.Sooner set himself on fire than admit to being wrong.
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