Why Did Chuck Kill Himself?

Did Chuck kill himself intentionally?

At the end of season 3, Chuck had gone on to full fledged mental illness which drove him to kill himself. They did have Chuck back a few times in season 4 in flashback scenes.

Why did Chuck go insane?

As of Season 3, it’s made pretty clear that his Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity emerged around the time of his divorce, heavily implying that his wife leaving him is what triggered it.

Why didn’t Jimmy cry when Chuck died?

The death was just the physical catching up with the emotional death Jimmy felt for Chuck. Jimmy’s mind, it is over and time to move on with my life. It’s classic denial. He told himself he didn’t care, and acted like he didn’t care, so he didn’t have to deal with his own feelings.

Did Jimmy cause Chuck’s death?

A well-timed moment of soul-baring from Gene Takavic benefits Better Call Saul’s Cinnabon scam and reveals more about Jimmy McGill’s guilt and grief. Warning! SPOILERS for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 10. Better Call Saul ‘s Gene-centric episode “Nippy” proves that Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) still feels guilty about the death of his brother Chuck (Michael McKean). Chuck took his own life in Better Call Saul season 3, episode 10 “Lantern” after Jimmy had publicly ruined his reputation in court.

1. The public revelations about the nature of Chuck’s psychological condition led Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) to suggest he retire from the firm of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill.
2. In the immediate aftermath of Chuck’s death, Jimmy withdrew into himself, showing none of the flashier and charismatic aspects of his character that would create Saul Goodman.

Jimmy clearly felt guilty about his role in Chuck’s tragic suicide in Better Call Saul season 3, However, he appeared to absolve himself of this guilt at the end of Better Call Saul season 4, episode 1 “Smoke,” when Howard admitted to forcing Chuck out of HHM.

Jimmy quickly shifted the blame onto Howard, further fueling his distaste for the lawyer that would ultimately lead to Howard’s death at the hands of Lalo Salamanca. However, a brief moment in the flashforward to Jimmy’s new life as Gene Takavic heavily implies that he still feels guilty for Chuck’s death.

Better Call Saul season 6, episode 10 “Nippy” jumps even further in time than episode 9’s Saul Goodman time jump: into the Gene Takavic timeline. Resolving to deal with Albuquerque cab driver Jeff on his own terms, Gene briefly resurrects the Slippin’ Jimmy/Saul Goodman character to neutralize this threat to his new identity.

Is Chuck mentally ill?

Mental illness in this series is presented through the character Chuck, who, at the be- ginning of the series, is deemed to be of sound mind as his illness is purely physical, but whose reception is transformed as a result of his illness being irrefutably categorized as men- tal, a dichotomy common in the US (Mehta 14)

Is Chuck’s condition real?

Chuck McGill is Jimmy’s older brother in Better Call Saul and he suffers from a strange aversion to electricity. But is that condition real? What condition does Chuck suffer from in Better Call Saul, and is it real? As a prequel to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul takes the character of Saul Goodman and delves into his former life as Jimmy McGill, Fans get to see how Jimmy began as an honest, plucky young lawyer and how his playful streak as a small-time con artist evolved into a full-time career defending the criminals of New Mexico.

Better Call Saul also introduces Jimmy’s older brother, Chuck. A respected legal professional and a partner in his own law firm, Jimmy idolizes Chuck and is desperate to win his respect. at first. The fractures between the McGill brothers eventually develop into full-blown fissures and Chuck takes his own life as a direct result of their feud.

A defining characteristic of Chuck is the medical condition he purports to have: electromagnetic hypersensitivity. When viewers first meet Chuck, his house is stripped of modern appliances, guests are forced to remove any items on their person with a battery and Chuck is unable to be in the presence of excessive electricity.

Exposure to electromagnetism sends Chuck into a dizzy haze and can cause him to black out entirely. Not only does Chuck largely avoid the outside world in Better Call Saul, but his strict medical requirements push others away from him, with the exception of Jimmy and fellow HHM partner Howard Hamlin,

Although Better Call Saul often presents Chuck as a kook, electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a genuine term, albeit not one that any medical organization would recognize as a genuine condition, since EHS has never been scientifically proven. Broadly speaking, the causes and symptoms of real-world EHS are the same as those Chuck experiences in Better Call Saul, but because the condition sits on the edge of pseudo-science they’re are difficult to define. Once again, there’s no evidence to suggest certain individuals are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than others, and if a patient visits a registered doctor claiming to suffer from EHS, the physician would explore all other possible causes for those symptoms, including the psychological route.

1. This is reflected in Better Call Saul,
2. Doubts are cast over the fidelity of Chuck’s condition from the beginning, but are confirmed by Dr.
3. Cruz, who proves Chuck is unable to tell when his electric hospital bed is switched on.
4. This mirrors how real-life EHS studies have been conducted – participants who supposedly suffer from the condition don’t respond consistently to the presence of electromagnetism.

Chuck’s symptoms are further proven to be psychosomatic in Better Call Saul season 3, where Jimmy has a battery slipped into his brother’s pocket in court to discredit him. Further evidence that Chuck’s problems are mental rather than physical comes when his condition begins to improve through therapy.

1. Chuck uses grounding techniques (noticing and describing objects around him) that are taught to sufferers of anxiety, PTSD and various other psychological conditions.
2. Conversely, Chuck’s condition worsens during times of great stress, and was initially triggered following the breakdown of his marriage.

While Chuck’s condition is real in the sense that EHS is inspired by real life, it’s certainly not real in the traditional sense. Like anti-vaccination and climate change being a hoax, EHS is the result of false information spreading and seizing advantage of those with existing psychological conditions.

• EHS also plays upon the newness of modern technology, planting seeds of potential side effects without any evidence to back those claims up.
• Through Chuck, Better Call Saul accurately presents both how convinced a person can be about suffering EHS and how debilitating that can be, while clearly highlighting the mental causes behind the condition.

More: Better Call Saul Season 6 Needs To Explain What Happened In Santiago Better Call Saul season 6 has been green-lit by AMC. Source: WHO

What mental illness does Saul have?

Abstract – An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button. Type Papers Copyright Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011 It is widely accepted that Saul, the first king of Israel, had a mental disorder.

Probably it was depression, soothed when David played on his harp: ‘And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it in his hand, and Saul would be relieved and feel better and the evil spirit would depart from him (1 Sam.16:23).’ Rather less well known are two passages that suggest he may have suffered from mania as well.

Thus, shortly after being anointed king by the prophet Samuel but before he assumed the throne, Saul gets lost in the woods while searching for some lost donkeys, and there he meets a band of prophets.10:10 ‘When they were going from there to Gibeah a band of prophets met him and the spirit of God possessed him and he fell into a prophetic frenzy along with them.11 When all who knew him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets the people said to one another “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 A man of the place answered “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb ” Is Saul among the prophets?” 13 When his prophetic frenzy had ended he went home.’ This passage describes a brief episode where Saul behaved out of character and was in a state of prophetic frenzy similar to that of the prophets (many of whom were accepted as being mad and subject to prophetic ecstasy).

• The second episode of possible mania occurs towards the end of Saul’s reign when, in a jealous rage, he and his army are pursuing David across the desert and they have heard David is in a place called Naioth.19:23 ‘He went then towards Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him.
• As he was going he fell into a prophetic frenzy until he came to Naioth in Ramah.24 He too stripped off his clothes and he too fell into a frenzy before Samuel.

He lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, is Saul also among the prophets?’ Both episodes of mania may have occurred in the presence of others who also went into states of excitement suggesting epidemic hysteria. Thus, in the first episode it is the prophets Saul encounters and in the second episode all his soldiers fell into a state of prophetic frenzy.

• Saul strips off his clothes, which sometimes occurs in mania and the pattern in the second episode is similar to the first episode, with the people commenting on his change of character as he briefly behaves like a prophet.
• Towards the end of his life, Saul descends into a state of paranoia, which culminates in death by suicide following defeat by the Philistines.

This may indicate that Saul’s condition was more serious than depression. If the above two brief excerpts are accepted as signifying manic episodes, then perhaps Saul qualifies for a DSM–IV diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder.

Why can’t Chuck be happy for Jimmy?

Chuck McGill
Better Call Saul character
Michael McKean as Chuck McGill in a promotional poster for Better Call Saul ‘ s third season
First appearance	” Uno ” (2015)
Last appearance	” Saul Gone ” (2022)
Created by	Vince Gilligan Peter Gould
Portrayed by	Michael McKean Gabriel Rush (adolescent)
In-universe information
Full name	Charles Lindbergh McGill Jr.
Nickname	Chuck
Occupation	Attorney Criminal lawyer Name partner at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill
Affiliation	Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM)
Family	Jimmy McGill (brother) Kim Wexler (sister-in-law)
Spouse	Rebecca Bois (divorced)
Home	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Irish
Birthplace	Cicero, Illinois, United States
Date of birth	1944
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania Georgetown University
Partners	George Hamlin Howard Hamlin

Charles Lindbergh ” Chuck ” McGill Jr. is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad, He is portrayed by Michael McKean and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould,

Chuck was born in Cicero, Illinois, United States and is the eldest son of Ruth and Charles McGill Sr. He is the older brother of fellow lawyer and titular character Jimmy McGill (“Saul Goodman”), Chuck is a successful attorney who runs his own law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin, & McGill (HHM), with business partner and friend Howard Hamlin,

Chuck is semi-reclusive and believes that he suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity, He was amicably divorced from Rebecca Bois, who was unaware of his EHS, a few years before the events of Better Call Saul, Although in the first season it seemed that he was initially supportive of Jimmy, Chuck harbored resentful feelings toward him because of his conman past and charisma, in addition to Jimmy’s approach to his career.

Why is Chuck a villain?

Chuck McGill

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Charles Lindbergh McGill, Jr. Lawyer Co-Founder and partner of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (formerly) Genius-level intelligence Psychological manipulationLegal expertiseOratory skillsLegal and political connections Studying case law. Listening to classical music.Being alone in his house.Trying to end Jimmy’s legal career.

”	I know you. I know what you were, what you are. People don’t change. You’re ! And Slippin’ Jimmy I can handle just fine, but Slippin’ Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun! The law is sacred ! If you abuse that power, people get hurt! This is not a game. You have to know on some level, I know you know I’m right. You know I’m right!	„
	~ Chuck revealing why he impedes his brother ‘s progress as a lawyer.

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” I am not crazy! I know he swapped those numbers, I knew it was 1216; one after Magna Carta, as if I could ever make such a mistake, never! Never! I just. I just couldn’t prove it! He-he-he covered his tracks, he got that idiot at the copy shop to lie for him. You think this is something, you think this is bad? This, this chicanery? He’s done worse. That billboard! Are you telling me that a man just happens to fall like that? No! He orchestrated it! Jimmy! He defecated through a sunroof! And I saved him! And I shouldn’t have, I took him into my own firm! What was I thinking? He’ll never change. He’ll never change! Ever since he was nine, always the same! Couldn’t keep his hands out of the cash drawer! “But not our Jimmy! Couldn’t be precious Jimmy!” Stealing them blind! AND HE GETS TO BE A LAWYER?! WHAT A SICK JOKE!,I should’ve stopped him when I had the chance! And you, you have to stop him! You- „ ~ Chuck’s infamous breakdown after being outsmarted by his brother during a trial, revealing how much he truly resents Jimmy.

Charles Lindbergh “Chuck” McGill, Jr. is one of the two main antagonists (alongside ) of, the prequel series to, One of two co-founders of the prestigious Albuquerque law firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, Chuck was a well renowned lawyer before taking an indefinite leave of absence when he claimed to experience symptoms of electromagnetic hypersensitivity, causing him to become semi-reclusive in his own home.

He is also the archenemy of his own younger brother of, whom he deeply resents over his history as an exploitative fraudster in the past. Despite his reverence for the law, Chuck is far from above committing hateful and immoral acts in the name of keeping his younger brother away from a law profession – thus inadvertently serving as a catalyst for Jimmy’s moral deterioration and eventual transformation into Saul Goodman.

He was portrayed by, who also played in American Dad!, in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, in Law & Order, in Smallville, in The Brady Bunch Movie, in Casper: A Spirited Beginning, in The Year Without a Santa Claus, in Batman Beyond and in The Angry Beavers,

Did Jimmy ever love Chuck?

Chuck McGill was Jimmy’s true archenemy. That Better Call Saul managed to justify a prequel to the critically and popularly acclaimed series Breaking Bad and, to some, surpass it in every way is a testament to creator Vince Gilligan ‘s genius and foresight. When Breaking Bad concluded the story of Walter White ( Bryan Cranston ) in 2013, some of its characters’ fates were left unresolved, such as Jesse Pinkman’s ( Aaron Paul ).

While where Jesse ultimately ended up was explored in the Netflix film El Camino, Vince Gilligan developed the prequel series Better Call Saul in order to explore the backstory to fan-favorite Saul Goodman ( Bob Odenkirk ) with brief glimpses into his eventual future after the events of Breaking Bad,

Before he was Walter White’s sleazy go-to lawyer and associate in money laundering, Saul Goodman was Jimmy McGill, an optimistic attorney at law with a criminal past. But fans got more out of Saul than a straight-up prequel to Breaking Bad, Part of making Jimmy McGill’s story so alluring is the cast of characters built around him— Kim Wexler ( Rhea Seehorn ), Howard Hamlin ( Patrick Fabian ), and of course Chuck McGill ( Michael McKean ). The introduction of Charles McGill as Jimmy’s older brother made for a compelling sibling rivalry throughout the show’s early seasons. Although he is one of the lead partners of the prestigious law firm Hamlin Hamlin & McGill (HHM), Chuck spends most of his time secluded in his house.

He thinks he has developed a sensitivity to electromagnetism, which means he mostly stays away from anything electric or turns on with a battery. His house is completely powerless, and anyone who wants to meet him inside has to “ground” themselves by leaving all electronics in a mailbox and touching its metal.

This is what Jimmy has to do every time he comes by the house to drop off food and supplies. Jimmy shows an absolute love for his older brother. After all, it was Chuck who helped Jimmy get out of trouble back in Chicago — when Jimmy defecated on top of a car in front of children, Chuck represented him as his lawyer.

It was also Chuck who hired Jimmy to work at HHM’s mailroom. But apart from these substantial favors, Jimmy still treats Chuck like family. Yet, when Jimmy acquired a law degree from the University of American Samoa through distant learning, Chuck refused to promotee him at HHM. To Chuck, Jimmy’s law degree is illegitimate.

It is this tension between Jimmy’s aspirations and Chuck’s disapproval that becomes the foundation for their falling out. But Chuck’s hatred for Jimmy goes much deeper. His “villain” origin story has roots in their childhood. When their mother was on her death bed, she had asked to speak specifically to Jimmy, who had unfortunately stepped out of the room.

1. Chuck, hurt by their mother’s favoritism towards Jimmy, holds onto this secret, which ultimately fuels his hatred throughout their adult lives.
2. If he can’t be his mother’s favorite, Chuck has to be better than Jimmy in every other way.
3. Refusing to let Jimmy become an official partner at HHM is just one way he demonstrates his vendetta towards his younger brother.

Later, even when he suffers from his psychotic episodes and hallucinatory reactions to electricity, Chuck takes advantage of Jimmy and his work on an important class-action lawsuit against Sandpiper Crossing. Chuck musters up the courage, even creating an aluminum suit to assure his anxieties about electricity, to go back to work at HHM.

• All the while, he planned to keep Jimmy out of the case, still refusing to promote him as a partner.
• He might mentally be in a state of weakness, but Chuck’s lifelong hatred gives him enough determination to prove himself better — and perhaps more worthy of his mother’s love — than Jimmy.
• But Chuck’s jealousy doesn’t end there.

When he was married to his ex-wife Rebecca ( Ann Cusack ), Chuck felt that Jimmy had a more natural chemistry with her. Rebecca would constantly laugh at Jimmy’s jokes, especially the ones poking fun at lawyers (Chuck being one of them). It’s not exactly clear as to why Chuck and Rebecca split, but it wouldn’t be too farfetched that his hatred for Jimmy got in the way of their relationship.

Still, their divorce might have also played a part in Chuck’s psychosis. This is what Jimmy posits in front of a court hearing, which was meant to lead to Jimmy’s disbarment as a part of Chuck’s plan but only led to his one-year suspension. But Jimmy had a plan of his own. With the help of Huell Babineaux ( Lavell Crawford ), Jimmy plants a cellphone in Chuck’s jacket pocket which rings in the middle of the trial.

When Chuck’s psychotic anxieties about electricity are exposed in front of a court, he feels absolutely defeated. At that point, there is no saving his reputation as a lawyer, which to him is everything he has over Jimmy. Returning to the seclusion of his home, Chuck purposely kicks a gas lantern over, setting the house and himself on fire.

1. In the end, Chuck’s pride was his downfall.
2. Ultimately, Michael McKean’s performance as Chuck is what sells the character.
3. McKean is able to elicit sympathy during his manic episodes, yet he can also quickly present a stoic confidence when he dons a suit and tie as an attorney at law.
4. When he’s opposite Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill, McKean conveys the hidden hatred underneath Chuck’s apparent paternalism.

There is no love or affection on Chuck’s part, despite Jimmy’s care and attempt at a healthy relationship. There is only bitterness and jealousy, which is what makes Chuck McGill one of the best antagonists in the Breaking Bad and Saul universe, Although his role as main antagonist was eventually superseded by Gus Fring ( Giancarlo Esposito ) and Lalo Salamanca ( Tony Dalton ) as the show delved into Jimmy’s dealings with the cartel leading up to the events of Breaking Bad, McKean’s Chuck McGill is a character surely missed in Saul ‘s later seasons.

Did Chuck regret what he did to Jimmy?

Jimmy’s Regret Is Final Season’s Theme – In the other episode flashbacks with Mike ( Jonathan Banks ) and Walt ( Bryan Cranston ), Jimmy/Saul is the one asking the questions. When presented with solid answers or (somewhat) legitimate regrets, he follows up with pithy but paltry excuses — that he would get rich, or not have forever ruined his knee in a “slip and fall” job — and never with any answer of real substance. Image via AMC Jimmy’s real regret is missing his last opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with his big brother, and that he unnecessarily retaliated against Chuck by having his malpractice insurance revoked. Or even perhaps that directly or indirectly due to his actions, his brother committed suicide.

This chat that never came to fruition seems to mirror many of Chuck’s conversations with Jimmy, as well as Mike’s conversation with Saul about not getting mixed up with Walt. Jimmy/Saul needs guidance if he is going to change his path and not end up like his brother or his business partners. Instead, as per usual, he takes the easy way out.

Likewise, Chuck likely felt regret in the way he treated Jimmy and realized that if he had not been so antagonistic to his brother in the past, his present would be much different. This scene illustrates that do-over Jimmy/Saul longed for: one last heart-to-heart with his brother, the one he almost had that day many years ago, and didn’t take.

Was Chuck sabotaging Jimmy?

Evil: Stopped HHM From Hiring Jimmy – Jimmy was quickly proving himself to be a brilliant lawyer. He knew how to reach potential clients that no else had thought of before. He almost became a senior attorney at the firm but Chuck sabotaged his chances. Jimmy couldn’t understand why the firm was reluctant to take him in, and even blamed Howard for this.

What was Chuck’s last words?

BCS_405_NW_0312_1018-RT SPOILER ALERT: This story contains plot details from Monday night’s season 3 finale of Better Call Saul, titled “Lantern.” Chuck McGill was not exactly an easy character to like. He was priggish, self-righteous, bull-headed, and dismissive. He claimed to suffer from an allergy to electricity that prompted him to wear a space blanket around the house and to force all people who came into his orbit to surrender all electrical devices.

This illness, however, was ultimately proven to him (in a public hearing) to be more mental than physical. Let us also not forget he ruined his brother’s chances at becoming a partner at his firm, in part because he always felt his brother unjustly accrued the lion’s share of love from their mother. Chances are that you wished some form of comeuppance for Chuck.

Why This Episode Of Better Call Saul Is All Good, Man

But chances are that it wasn’t that, At the end of Monday’s season 3 finale of Better Call Saul, Chuck (Michael McKean) apparently decided enough was enough, and instead of continuing to face his daunting demons, he gave into the darkest instinct of them, taking his own life by literal lantern light.

The decision, made by someone clearly in an altered, tortured state, came as a shock after he recently confronted the realities of his illness and seemed committed to change, putting in the hard work with Dr. Cruz (Clea DuVall). The results were tangible. He was shopping for groceries again, and could even hold a lamp for a short time.

But after his ego-crushing exit from the law firm he co-founded—his longtime partner/ally, Howard (Patrick Fabian), couldn’t usher him out the door fast enough, handing him a $3 million check drawn from his own personal account—and after a devastating conversation with his brother Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk), the sibling with which he waged many moralistic wars and the one he dismissed from his house by saying, “You’ve never mattered all that much to me”—something in Chuck finally broke.

(It was all the more surprising after Jimmy showed up at his house and Chuck looked as good as we’d seen him in recent years, listening to music, surrounded by electrical light, etc.) After taking a pill and reviewing the journal where he tracked his progress in exposing himself to electricity for the last time, Chuck decided he just couldn’t do it anymore.

He shut down the power in the house, unscrewing lightbulbs, and ripping his home down to the studs in search of the one last electrical charge that was causing his meter outside to keep ticking. He never found it, spiraling further into chilling monomania.

In the final moments of the episode, Chuck sat in his office in a numbed-out state, robotically slamming his foot into his desk, where a lantern was perched precariously on some papers. Finally, one of the kicks did the job, sending the lantern tumbling onto the ground and quickly setting the room ablaze, presumably marking a fiery end to a fiery character who stoked the ire of fans.

One can only imagine the damage this tragedy will have on Jimmy, who was destroyed by that conversation with Chuck, one in which his brother also urged him to acknowledge himself for who he truly was. (“In the end, you’re going to hurt everyone around you.

You can’t help it. So stop apologizing and accept it. Embrace it.”) The battle for Jimmy’s soul, though, was still ongoing. He attempted to right last week’s wrong of using innocent old lady Irene as a sacrificial lamb in his desire for Sandpiper lawsuit money. He returned her to the good graces of her mall-walking friends by trashing himself, ending his own elder law career that waited on the other side of his one-year suspension.

(Yet another piece of ground-laying track for Saul Goodman.) RELATED: The Cast of Better Call Saul ‘ on the Pressures of Following Breaking Bad’ Elsewhere in the episode, Kim (Rhea Seehorn) finally saw the light of workaholic ways after her dangerous car crash and decided to focus on her recovery.

She also more than hinted at a future, or at least future office, with Jimmy. Meanwhile, the dark-but-weak-hearted Hector (Mark Margolis) almost met his maker but was resuscitated by Gus (Giancarlo Esposito). This marks the second curious sparing of Hector’s life in a year by Gus, wasting the efforts of fellow Salamanca haters Mike (Jonathan Banks) and Nacho (Michael Mando).

One of these men is already starting to find himself in the employ of Gus; the other’s fate remains unclear. There are plenty of questions surrounding “Lantern,” so let’s flip on the circuit breakers and dial Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould, who just might illuminate a light bulb or two over your head.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start at the tragic end. When did you decide you were going to kill Chuck? Or rather, that Chuck was going to kill Chuck? PETER GOULD: It happened during the season. We had a choice, and Chuck had a choice. After the midpoint of the season— that great episode “Chicanery” that Gordon Smith wrote—there was this powerhouse confrontation between Jimmy and Chuck, and Jimmy won.

Chuck was humiliated and there were a lot of choices that we could have made at that point. One choice would have been to have Chuck redouble his efforts to get his brother, to try another round of tricks. That didn’t feel right, and it’s interesting—the moments that I find most satisfying in the writers’ room are the moments where the characters surprise us, and our first reaction, of course, was what I just said: “Okay, now how is Chuck going to bounce back and be even worse?” And the more we talked about it, the more we thought about what a brilliant man Chuck is, and what he would actually take out of this experience.

We came to the conclusion that maybe this could be in some ways good news for him. Maybe there’s a chance for growth, even? So while Jimmy is kind of wallowing in his anger—the winner in the conflict is the angry one—Jimmy is pissed that he has to go to community service, he’s struggling to make ends meets and keep the office with Kim—Chuck actually takes what we always used to call his hero’s journey.

He goes out of his safe house and goes out into the world and makes the call to Dr. Cruz, And of course, Chuck previously has been vociferous in denying that there’s anything wrong with him other than sheerly a physical ailment. Chuck has been dead set on avoiding any confrontation with the medical establishment.

1. Of course, the whole end of season 2 turned on that.
2. But now Chuck is actually reaching out to this person who he’s never trusted and never liked, and he does some of the work.
3. And you see it in subsequent episodes that he’s under this doctor’s care, he’s starting to make real progress to the point that in episode 8, you see him go out to the grocery store and get his own damn soymilk, which for some of us is not a big deal, but for Chuck, it’s the equivalent of climbing Mt.

Everest barefoot and without oxygen. That just all felt very natural, but we then realized that it’s one thing to make the choice to get help, but the bigger, more difficult problem in life is to carry through with change. And there’s really nothing more difficult than changing yourself.

We’ve all tried it, it’s not easy to do, and under stress, as things continue in the season, Chuck reverts. Instead of taking it step by step as Dr. Cruz suggests, instead of really starting to understand himself in a deep way, he turns to the outside world and he starts blaming the outside world for what’s happening on his insides.

Of course, the ultimate version of that is, after he has what might be the terrible final confrontation between the brothers, when Chuck says those terrible things to Jimmy, then he’s got an itch that he just can’t scratch. That’s when it all falls apart.

And for me, one of the most heartbreaking moments in the finale is when he actually does call Dr. Cruz and there’s a moment where he could actually say, “I’m in crisis. I need help right now,” which is, by the way, what I would encourage anyone who’s in that position to do, but his pride won’t let him.

Somehow, his pride keeps him from asking for help when he really needs it the most. And the results of that are, to my eye, tragic. Now that he has been suspended from the law for a year, we’ve been asking a question in the second half of this season: Who is Jimmy McGill without the law? But for Chuck, in a way, he was nothing without the law.

• How much did Howard calling his bluff and removing him from the firm contribute to that downward spiral? And he really had no family left after what happened with Jimmy, including that devastating last conversation.
• What, in sum, led him to take his own life? It’s a little bit of a watercooler question: What drives Chuck to do what he does? I would point out, though, he is expelled from HHM with a giant bonus, and he still has his law license.

As he said to Howard in the previous episode, he is getting better. There’s nothing to say that he couldn’t practice law himself. There’s nothing to say that he couldn’t turn around and try to hang his own shingle out in a very luxurious office or even join Schweikart & Cokely, or any of the other firms.

There’s the possibility for renewal, and when Jimmy comes to Chuck’s house, Chuck is dressed properly, he’s listening to music, and he’s got it together enough to confront his brother and just cut him to the core. It’s only after he has that terrible scene with Jimmy that Chuck’s downward spiral begins.

So to me, that means—however important what happened at HHM might have been—somehow it’s the scene with Jimmy that’s the trigger. NEXT PAGE: Gould on McKean’s reaction when he learned the news, fan hatred of Chuck What was Michael’s first reaction when you broke the news about where you wanted to take Chuck? I have to tell you: I was dragged kicking and screaming to this conclusion because we had the insight of what might happen to Chuck pretty early in season 3, but we didn’t know it was going to happen for sure.

And all through season 3, I kept trying to find some way to avoid what turned out to be really kind of inevitable what happens to Chuck. As we were shooting the second half of the season, it became apparent. And around when we broke episode 10, we realized: this is how we’re going to end the season. They were shooting one of the later episodes of the season in Albuquerque, and Vince sat down in my office and called Michael.

And I’ll always remember what Michael said as soon we got him on the phone because I wrote it down. We said, “Hey, Michael, it’s Vince and Peter.” And Michael is on a speakerphone and he says, “Hey, fellas. I’m driving. If this is the death call, let me pull over.” So Michael had an inkling.

I haven’t asked him about it. I’m willing to bet that he’s such a brilliant guy, he might have read the handwriting on the wall and extrapolated where we might be going with this. I’ll tell you, I’ve enjoyed working with him so much, and that’s not to say that it’s over. Because whether or not Chuck’s fate is sealed in episode 10, one of the joys of our show is that we go back and forth in time, so just as we didn’t really fully say goodbye to Mike Ehrmantraut on Breaking Bad, thank god, I’m sincerely hoping that we’re going to see more of Michael McKean as Chuck McGill.

I know the audience hates him, but he is just an unbelievable performer. And also a fun person to work with. Although I will say in this episode, Michael scared me. He scared the hell out of me. It was one thing to visualize Chuck McGill breaking up his house, it was something very different to watch Michael do it.

1. And Michael did all that.
2. There’s not a frame of a double in that whole sequence.
3. He was swinging hammers for hours and hours.
4. He went to a very dark, internal place, and I found it frightening in a certain way to watch—he was doing such a good job of being the very edge of a very dangerous cliff.
5. I found it wearing and exhausting, and also riveting.

What stands out to you about directing that brutal final scene between Chuck and Jimmy? Gennifer Hutchison wrote the hell out of this episode. This is actually the first time I’ve directed anything that I didn’t write. One thing that I got out of it was actual appreciation for the writing.

When I’m dealing with something that I’ve written myself, I’m always mentally trying to rewrite it, and with Genny’s script, it was just so beautifully executed, and so thoughtful and emotional. And, of course, the way that Michael and Bob approached that scene was terrific. There’s a moment that I’m so proud of—when Michael comes forward and claps Jimmy on the shoulder and says, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings” It’s interesting, there’s so many ways to read that line, and the way Michael did it, it was almost like a high school coach, and the dissonance between the avuncular supportive tone and just the devastating, nastiness of the words just rang for me.

Chuck was a very polarizing character with fans. He is an extremely sanctimonious, unrelenting, stubborn, self-consumed character, motivated in part by his jealousy of Jimmy dating back to their childhood — and he sabotaged Jimmy’s career. How much of the fan hatred for Chuck do you attribute to those facts versus the fact that we came into the show with a rooting interest for Saul/Jimmy, so any adversarial force for him would be perceived the same way for the audience? You put your finger on it.

It’s one thing to understand something intellectually; it’s another thing to understand it viscerally. And I had one of the most visceral lessons of my life on Breaking Bad when I saw the incredible depths of hatred that the fans had for Skyler White. Even before she did anything that I found that despicable, even before the adultery was a big hitching point for a lot of people, she was just immediately the focus of so much rage.

And the worse we made Walt, the more we found people making excuses for Walt. And it was fascinating. So it wasn’t as much of a surprise to me on this show to know that when you have a character who really is—Jimmy is a long way from Walter White; Jimmy McGill, as opposed to Saul Goodman, is really a good-hearted person who is doing things for fine motivations for the most part, but of course, as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

He is somebody who we like and we worked very hard to help the audience invest in him in the first season, because we were very concerned that we would show people Bob playing Jimmy, and they would see Saul Goodman. We thought that we had to make some big statements at the beginning of the series that Jimmy McGill is not yet Saul Goodman, and we worked really hard to understand that ourselves, and hopefully dramatize it.

Having said all that, as soon as we realized that Chuck had been sandbagging Jimmy all this time, that his own brother was stabbing him in the back, we knew people were going to hate Chuck. Just like in life, they say first impressions really linger. I think that’s doubly true in drama.

Do you think the finale—and this season overall—might beg a re-examination or reconsideration of the character from fans? Factoring in episode 5 of this season, with the hearing, this season has been a stand-out showcase for Michael as Chuck. In those first two seasons, it felt like he was trapped in the house, brooding, wallowing in that space blanket.

I hope so. I’ve been doing this just long enough to not think that I know exactly how people are going to interpret the characters or how they’re going to feel about the characters. All I can say is, as the season went on I had empathy for Chuck. I certainly think he’s done a lot of terrible things, but he is a man in pain.

He is a man who has lost everything that he cares about, and everyone that he cares about, and the irony is, he has won every battle, and he has lost the war. Chuck is left very much alone. Some of the times that I felt the most affection for him or most empathy for him are when he decided to make a change.

There’s a version of this story in which Chuck just sets his cap for Jimmy all the more after the bar hearing. There’s a version where Chuck makes an excuse or spins a tale of how he was tricked during the bar hearing and decides he’s got to make sure that Jimmy never practices law again.

That version we refer to in the writers’ room as the Spy vs. Spy version—those two black and white spies in Mad Magazine, Those are great cartoons. Every issue of Mad I would turn to that, and you would see how the two spies are tricking each other. At a certain point, it becomes cartoony—it’s great for Mad Magazine, it just doesn’t quite work for us, because the characters grow, they change.

Chuck tried so very hard to change, he really struggled to come to grips with his illness, and in the end, he failed. Will Chuck return to the show next season in some form? On Breaking Bad, I learned a term from a brilliant writer named George Mastras, and that term is “schmuck bait.” Schmuck bait is when writers make it look like something enormous has happened in order to keep you watching, and then they take it off the table when you come back to the show.

And that could be after the commercial break, in the next episode, or the next episode, and all I can say for sure is, we really try to avoid schmuck bait. I meant in flashbacks. Boy, I want to work with Michael McKean as much as I possibly can. I’m fascinated by Chuck. NEXT PAGE: Gould on how Chuck’s fate might impact Jimmy—and Gus saving Hector again Surely Jimmy will be severely impacted by guilt over Chuck’s death—the Mesa Verde document forgery, the humiliation of Chuck in public, and that he executed that brilliant ploy to get the malpractice insurance rates to skyrocket, which led to Chuck’s ouster from the firm.

How bad will it be? It’s a hard question to answer because we haven’t opened the writers’ room for season 4. Just knowing Jimmy as we all do, viewers and writers alike, I think this is going to rock Jimmy’s world. This is going to be the biggest kick in the gut—maybe he’s ever had in his life.

1. There’s a lot for him to unpack.
2. There’s all the back and forth he had with Chuck going back to forging the Mesa Verde documents to fighting to keep his law license to humiliating Chuck in the disbarment hearing.
3. And getting Chuck’s malpractice insurance looked at, which he can’t have possibly have understood the impact that would have had on Chuck.

So I think this is going to take some time for Jimmy to unravel. And there’s the additional element of that final conversation that the two men have when Chuck lashes out at Jimmy in a very cold and detached way and strikes him as hard as he can. I think Jimmy is going to be ringing like a bell from that and from everything else that has happened since.

1. In Jimmy’s last conversation with his brother, Chuck lies and says, “You’ve never mattered all that much to me,” which is going to haunt him.
2. But Chuck also says: “In the end you’re going to hurt everyone around you.
3. You can’t help it.
4. So stop apologizing and accept it.
5. Embrace it.” This seems to be laying the groundwork for the true beginning of the Saul Goodman that we know from Breaking Bad,

When I watch that scene, it almost feels like Chuck is putting an old gypsy curse on Jimmy’s head. Those are words, especially for those of us who watch Breaking Bad, they ring. One thing that always irritates me, though, in life is when someone says, “Oh, I can’t help my bad behavior.

It’s just my nature.” And you’re supposed to like these people, or they want you to like them, because they may be doing bad things, but they’re admitting it. And you know what? If you know you’re doing bad things, just stop it. That’s my PSA. That holds no water for me. Dramatically, in any case, I judge people by their actions more than the words or their intentions.

I don’t know what else to say about that. Kim’s car crash makes Jimmy reevaluate certain things—his relationship with his brother — and makes him realize Kim is more important than the office. One reason he was so obsessed with the office, though, was that he felt that was his tie to Kim.

1. But she indicates she’ll be sticking by his side, even when they clear out of the office.
2. There will be a new wall,” she assures him.
3. How important will that relationship be for Jimmy in season 4—and is she the last buffer before he becomes Saul? You wonder if the catalyst for Jimmy to become Saul is the loss of the two most important people in his life—his brother and Kim—and we just lost one by my count.

There’s no question that Kim and Chuck are the two most important people in Jimmy’s life. Once upon a time, there was someone else we knew—Marco —but Marco’s gone. He’s dead. Who does Jimmy have to hold onto? This is a man who obviously, he’s got a big heart, and he needs people in his life.

What happens when he loses people, whether it’s through death or other ways? Ever since we started this show, our great concern was, How do we take this basically good, decent man, Jimmy McGill, and turn him into Saul Goodman? And I think the clouds are beginning to clear, we’re starting to understand it better, but it doesn’t make me feel better because it feels tragic.

There’s a lot that’s very sad about what’s happening here. And it really seems at this point that Saul Goodman—who seems to be so happy-go-lucky, and so pleased with himself—is the result of some terrible losses and tragedy. It seems like that’s the direction we’re going in.

1. Jimmy redeemed Irene, at a cost to himself—the destruction of his elder law practice.
2. He chose one person over his career.
3. There is a bit of a redemption story here, and, granted, he was needing to redeem himself after the awful betrayal.
4. But this also seems to move him to some other kind of career in the law—perhaps the Saul Goodman kind—because he just torched the one kind he was good at, and that he liked.

There’s bittersweetness here. Jimmy is truly burning a bridge. Now of course in my mind, he burned an arguably bigger bridge in the previous episode when he took advantage of this poor lady and almost destroyed her life. But now he is having to go public.

And through a lot of the episode, Jimmy is trying to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to make everything right with Irene, but he doesn’t really want to give up all that money because who would? He goes kicking and screaming, digging his fingernails into the ground; he slowly has to be dragged to the inevitable, which is, he’s going to have to ruin his own reputation.

Which weirdly enough, I realized—and you could argue this is where he got the idea—has something in common with Chuck secretly taping him at the end of season 2. You might think that’s what struck Jimmy in that moment late in the episode when he sees what he can actually do to make things right, but he also sees the cost.

Jimmy is still eventually going to get the Sandpiper money, but he’s not getting it right now. Kim is eager to get back to work but then takes a look at her calendar during recovery and changes her mind, canceling her work appointments and going on that Blockbuster binge. Can you talk about that epiphany? Did she just realize she needed to break that pattern? Absolutely.

One of the things about Kim—and boy, I love the way that Rhea Seehorn plays her—is Kim is a striver. She works her ass off. She has total commitment to the things that are important to her. Frankly, she’s a workaholic. And in season 2 especially, that was admirable.

Remember when she dug herself out of doc review, she said to Jimmy, “You don’t save me—I save me.” I loved her for that. This season, it seems like something’s happened to her, and what was healthy in a way and what was good and admirable about working hard has metastasized into something else, something that’s more frantic and that doesn’t feel quite as good, and it all comes to a boil with this car accident.

And she has a choice to make. Usually in real life, we don’t realize how many choices we’re making, everything seems inevitable to us, she feels very much like she’s just got to go back to work, and then she has this moment of insight which is that, “Yes, I can go and get everything done, but at what cost?” Working while she was exhausted and driving while she was exhausted could have really hurt somebody else.

I remember earlier in the episode, Jimmy says, “You know, you could have killed yourself.” She’s not really thinking about the consequences just for herself. She’s thinking, “Is my law practice worth some innocent life?” For all she knows, she could have gone over the median line and hit a school bus.

So I think that’s weighing very heavily on her, and she’s making a change that I find kind of admirable, actually. She’s saying, “I’m going to keep working hard, but I’m not working that hard.” Nacho almost takes out Hector with a gun but the timing isn’t right.

Shades of last season with Mike. And then it seems maybe that pill worked after all, it was just a delayed reaction, seemingly transforming Hector into the incapacitated state we know him in Breaking Bad, Is that a fair assumption? We haven’t opened our writers’ room for season 4, so I don’t think I can legitimately commit to anything not shown on camera, because we sometimes change our minds.

Gus seems to pick up on the pills that Nacho tampered with. Does Gus realize he has someone on Team Salamanca who could be useful for future intel? Boy, there’s a lot of different ways to read that look that Gus gives Nacho. One thing to keep in mind is that Gus went to great lengths to save Hector’s life not just by giving CPR in this episode, but also by preventing Mike from shooting Hector in the head.

• Gus is ironically very protective of the man that he hates the most in the world.
• And Nacho almost has succeeded in killing this guy.
• So how Gus feels about Nacho is a good question.
• But one thing is for sure: Nacho has drawn the attention of the most brilliant character in this universe.
• And I’m not sure that’s going to be good for Nacho.

What is the ultimate plan for Hector? I mean, we know a little from the end of Breaking Bad, But saving a guy who he hates? Twice? Something bad is happening. It seems that way to me. He is one of the greatest exponents of revenge since the Count of Monte Cristo.

Deep cut for you. He is willing to take his revenge step by step, over as many years as it takes, and he’s not going to let anybody else kill Hector. He wants Hector to die on Gus’ terms. Of course, we find later the situation ends up somewhat the reverse of what Gus really wanted. It seems a forgone conclusion that there will be more Better Call Saul, but there has not been a renewal announcement for a subsequent season yet.

How optimistic are you that this is coming soon, and how many seasons do you ultimately envision for the show? I feel very optimistic. Like anything else in show business, you don’t want to take anything for granted, but I have a lot of faith in our partners at AMC and Sony, and I think things may not go as quickly as we’d liked, but in the end it will be good news for everybody.

That’s my hope and belief. As for how many seasons, the writers’ room for Better Call Saul has been closed for many months now, and we specifically had a writers’ room lunch not too long ago and brought almost everybody back into the writers’ room, and that was the topic of conversation: What is the future of the show? How many episodes? How many seasons do we have left? I don’t think anything’s nailed down for sure, but it really helped give us a sense of where we are in the story.

Just talking that intensely for an hour or two, and it’s absolutely something that’s on my mind and Vince’s mind right now. Can you give us even a vague sense of whether we’re entering the final third of the show? It could be that we’re barely halfway through, it could be that we’re a little bit more than halfway through.

• It’s something that we’re still working out.
• Can you offer up a way-too-early tease for season 4? What questions should we be asking in the long, cruel hiatus? Boy, there’s so much.
• What is going to be the next step in Gus’ and Mike’s relationship now that Mike has very reluctantly signed on the dotted line? What does it mean that Gus has his eye on Nacho? Is he talent-spotting Nacho or is there something darker and maybe even worse than that? And the biggest thing, of course, is: What exactly happened to Chuck and what is that going to mean to Jimmy? Jimmy has made this new resolution in episode 10.

What is he going to do if he has to take responsibility for what happens to his brother? Those are all questions we’re going to be asking ourselves in the writers’ room, that’s for sure. Is Gene okay? Last time we saw him in the season premiere, he fainted at Cinnabon.

Shouldn’t that be on our minds too? That should be on our minds. I’m fascinated by Gene. I love Gene. And I’m worried about Gene In some ways, Gene is like the outside of one of those Russian nesting dolls. He is Gene, the Cinnabon manager, but underneath that, he’s got an element of Saul Goodman that’s not completely gone.

In season 2, when he was left to his own devices, he scratched the wall “SG was here.” He didn’t scratch the wall “JM was here.” So Saul Goodman is certainly on his mind, and I have to think underneath that layer, there is Jimmy McGill still present.

Did Jimmy regret Chuck’s death?

Losing Chuck Is What Turned Jimmy McGill Into Saul Goodman – Image via AMC In the end, we see Jimmy’s ultimate regret come into fruition: destroying Chuck’s career and perhaps causing his suicide. We see how that haunts him as a person and a professional. But we also see how it redeems him in the end, In telling the truth about Chuck and telling a lie to save Kim, he (almost) kills Saul.

• In honor of his brother, he tries to go back to being a decent person, albeit behind prison walls.
• Even though Jimmy and Kim are partners in crime, it was the loss of his brother in his life that turned Jimmy into Saul.
• Their brotherly relationship drives the plot, and even after Chuck is gone, his presence is felt in Jimmy’s decision-making.

Whether he is trying to forget about the trauma surrounding his suicide, deciding to do the opposite of what Chuck would do, or trying to make his brother proud, Jimmy is who he is and becomes “Saul Goodman” as a result of his ever-changing relationship with Chuck and Chuck’s memory.

Why did Chuck’s wife leave him?

Better Call Saul season 2 revealed that Rebecca Bois left Chuck McGill several years prior. Did it have anything to do with Chuck’s illness? In Better Call Saul season 2, fans learned that Chuck McGill’s wife, Rebecca Bois, left him several years prior, but why did she leave? Rebecca appears sporadically throughout Better Call Saul, particularly to settle Chuck’s estate after his death, but there is no clear reason offered as to why she and Chuck got a divorce.

The biggest glimpse into Chuck and Rebecca’s relationship came in Better Call Saul season 2, in a flashback set in 1992. The events of the Breaking Bad prequel begin in 2002, so it is safe to say Chuck and Rebecca were still together a decade prior. In the flashback, Chuck is apologetic towards his wife because his brother, Jimmy, is coming over for dinner.

Chuck is expecting Jimmy to embarrass him, and the dinner does get off to an awkward start. But soon, Jimmy begins telling a series of jokes that make Rebecca laugh. Chuck is unamused, and grows uncomfortable as Rebecca begins cracking a few jokes of her own.

1. He tugs at his ear – a signal he and Rebecca agreed upon in case they wanted dinner to end – but Rebecca is too hysterical to notice.
2. Later that night, Chuck tries telling a similar joke, but it falls flat.
3. Because audiences’ familiarity with Chuck is so heavily defined by his electromagnetic hypersensitivity, it would be easy to assume that Rebecca left Chuck because of his supposed medical condition,

However, a flashback in Better Call Saul season 3 confirms this is not the case. Rebecca visits Chuck, who is newly struggling with his hypersensitivity, and therefore attempts to hide it from her. Therefore, Vince Gilligan’s decision to include just a single moment from Chuck and Rebecca’s marriage takes on particular weight. So much of Chuck’s adversity in life stems from his relationship with Jimmy. Even his electromagnetic hypersensitivity is more so a reflection of his insecurities in relation to his brother than it is a genuine health condition. Of course, he also loves his brother a lot, and the thought of losing him is part of what drives Chuck to take his own life at the end of season 3,

1. It would therefore follow that Chuck’s marriage ended as a result of Jimmy’s presence as well.
2. While Gilligan only provides a single glimpse into Chuck and Rebecca’s relationship, one could imagine Chuck’s insecurities from that night festering in the days and months to follow.
3. Perhaps Chuck began to complain to Rebecca more and more about Jimmy, chastising her for enjoying his company as much as she seems to.

Perhaps Rebecca began to feel uncomfortable caught in this brotherly feud, and their relationship spiraled downwards as a result. It’s also worth noting that Jimmy has experienced a couple divorces of his own. It is entirely possible that the McGill brothers endured even deeper trauma in their childhoods that have affected their ability to remain in long-term, healthy relationships.

• They lost their father at a young age, which hurt Jimmy in particular.
• He did get over the loss, however, and grew to resent his father, a dynamic that troubled Chuck and made him blame Jimmy for their father’s death.
• This kind of tragic past could have affected Chuck and Jimmy well into their adulthood, and may have impacted Chuck’s treatment of Rebecca, causing her to leave.

Uncertainty surrounding Kim’s fate continues to linger as Better Call Saul ‘s final season approaches, and fans can only hope her marriage to Jimmy doesn’t suffer a similar fate as the one between Rebecca and Chuck. Next: Better Call Saul Can Have Both Breaking Bad AND El Camino’s Endings

Why does Howard hate Jimmy?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Howard Hamlin
Better Call Saul character
Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin in a promotional poster for Better Call Saul ‘ s fifth season,
First appearance	” Uno ” (2015)
Last appearance	” Point and Shoot ” (2022)
Created by	Vince Gilligan Peter Gould
Portrayed by	Patrick Fabian
In-universe information
Occupation	Attorney Corporate lawyer Name partner at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill
Affiliation	Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill
Family	George M. Hamlin (father)
Spouse	Cheryl Hamlin (widowed)
Home	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Partners	George Hamlin Charles McGill

Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad, He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Initially a foil for and longtime antagonist of Jimmy McGill, his hostility and actions towards Jimmy are later revealed to have been largely due to pressure from Chuck McGill, his business partner and Jimmy’s elder brother.

Does Chuck hit his head?

Main story – Chuck is unconscious after hitting his head at the copy store. Jimmy rushes in to give first aid and tells the clerk to call an ambulance. In the hospital, Chuck wonders how Jimmy came to his aid so quickly, correctly deducing that Jimmy bribed the clerk to lie and then hid nearby to watch Chuck question the clerk.

Ernesto covers for Jimmy by claiming that out of concern for Chuck’s health, he called Jimmy before bringing Chuck to the copy store. Jimmy refuses to have Chuck committed to psychiatric care but takes temporary guardianship and allows an MRI and a CAT scan to determine whether he suffered head or neck injuries.

The doctor treating Chuck tells Jimmy that Chuck is healthy but has entered a self-induced catatonic state because of the medical tests. When Chuck returns to consciousness, Jimmy informs him of the test results and takes him home. Mike Ehrmantraut purchases a rifle that he intends to use to kill Hector Salamanca,

1. He positions himself on a ridge overlooking a desert site where Hector and his crew are preparing to execute Ximenez Lecerda, but Mike is unable to get a clear shot because Nacho Varga is in the way.
2. Behind him, Mike hears his car horn blaring, so he leaves to investigate.
3. He finds a branch wedged against the horn and a note on the windshield with a single word: “DON’T”.

Howard Hamlin tries to reach Jimmy and when Jimmy calls back Howard says Chuck is concerned that the mistakes he supposedly made on Mesa Verde’s paperwork mean his judgment is no longer sound, so he intends to retire. Jimmy rushes to Chuck’s house, where he finds that Chuck has plastered the walls with reflective space blankets, claiming he needs protection from ambient electromagnetic waves.

Why is Chuck sensitive to electricity?

UPDATE, 3/3: On Monday night’s episode of Better Call Saul, “Alpine Shepherd Boy,” Chuck confirms that he indeed does suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. He lands in the hospital after police break down his door, thinking he’s a crystal meth user, and his symptoms incapacitate him.

We see Chuck tied down in what may be the psychiatric ward of the hospital, only responsive after Jimmy turns off all the lights and everyone leaves their electronics outside. But when Chuck’s doctor secretly turns on electronics, he shows no symptoms. Though Jimmy believes the condition isn’t real, he feels for his brother and refuses to commit him.

On Monday night’s episode of Better Call Saul, we got a deeper look into the troubled life of Jimmy’s brother, Chuck McGill. When visitors come to his house, they must “ground” themselves by putting their cell phones in the mailbox outside. But when Jimmy doesn’t do that during a drunken bender, Chuck is visibly weakened and upset.

What causes Chuck to completely ban electronics? “This strange, kind of psycho-physical problem this man seems to have, it’s been intriguing to research,” Michael McKean, who plays Chuck, told us, But the actor won’t give any details about his character’s condition. “Part of the fun is finding out what it is or learning what it is along with us,” he said.

The show hasn’t said anything specific at this point, but given the evidence so far, Chuck might be part of a small group of people suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. It’s a set of physical symptoms blamed on radiation from wi-fi, cell phones, and other appliances that use electricity.

The condition is a controversial one, since many researchers say the connection between electronics and physical ailments just isn’t there. Some researchers call the condition idiopathic environmental intolerance, but for the sake of clarity, we’ll call it electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or EHS. Research on the condition has been limited, but so far there’s been no rigorous study that has proven electromagnetic frequency directly causes sufferers’ symptoms.

Some experts blame the condition on the “nocebo effect,” in which the suggestion of a problem will make people feel its real-life effects. Double-blind studies have shown that sufferers feel symptoms when they think electromagnetic frequencies are present, even when they aren’t.

Regardless of cause, the symptoms themselves are definitely real. EHS sufferers have a range of complaints, from headaches and itchy skin to blurred vision and heart palpitations. In Monday night’s episode, when Jimmy drinks too much on a date, he stumbles back to Chuck’s house, cell phone still in his pocket.

Chuck grabs the cell phone with a pair of wooden tongs and tosses it out the door into the yard. Back in the house, he grabs his arm and cringes in what looks like pain. The next day, Chuck wraps himself in a metallic “space blanket” because Jimmy had the phone indoors.

Jimmy insists he take the blanket off, and he does. Chuck looks pained to do so, his hands shake, and he looks itchy and uncomfortable. His “space blanket” is likely made of silver bobbinet, a fabric that contains silver threads; sufferers often cover themselves with it to effectively create a Faraday cage and keep transmissions out.

“It’s as though you’re insulated,” says Dr. Andrew Tressider, a UK-based physician who has seen a number of patients with the condition. Though Chuck’s electricity-free house is an extreme lifestyle choice, it’s hardly the furthest sufferers go. Some completely isolate themselves from modern technology.

• A small community has moved to the U.S.
• National Radio Quiet Zone in West Virginia, which bans most electromagnetic radiation to aid the world’s largest telescope.
• We’ve seen cases where become virtual hermits,” says Dr.
• James Rubin, who studies the psychology of emerging health risks at King’s College in London.

“It has a devastating effect on some people.” There’s no clear-cut way to treat EHS, because when you take away the perceived cause, all you have left is a wide variety of symptoms. The World Health Organization recommends doctors focus on sufferers’ physical ailments, and not on their so-called connections to electronic devices.

Why can’t Chuck be around phones?

In Better Call Saul, why is Chuck afraid of mobile phones and stuff? – Quora. Chuck evidently suffers from a condition called electromagnetic hypersensitivity. A rare condition in which exposure to electronic devices causes a range of unpleasant physical symptoms.

Was Chuck’s hypersensitivity real?

Quick Answer: While the condition of electro-hypersensitivity is something real people have reported suffering, there is no scientific evidence that supports it is physically happening. Likely, it is a psychomatic torment caused by a person believing in the condition.

• An incredibly complex organism, the human body relies on a high number of systems that can fail us when even the smallest thing goes wrong.
• Some malfunctions are so rare and eccentric that they seem nearly impossible, with only a handful of documented cases in the history of mankind.
• Chuck (Michael McKean) on Better Call Saul (2015-) suffers from one such unusual condition.

He describes it as electro-hypersensitivity, a condition slightly less fantastic-sounding than some other real-world maladies but one which strikes us as bizarre in today’s world of computers, technology, and cell phones. Being allergic to electricity is like being allergic to air, and it sounds so unlikely that it’s easy to question the validity of the condition — especially coming from Chuck, a character much disliked by the average Better Call Saul viewer for his condescension and deceit toward his supportive brother Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk).

It wouldn’t be out of Chuck’s wheelhouse to fake the whole thing as a means of controlling others. As it turns out, though, the condition does exist well, kind of. The disease is called Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance Attributed to Electromagnetic Fields (IEI-EMF), more commonly known as the simpler Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS).

It’s true that real people suffer from the condition, reporting symptoms like crippling headaches, nausea and fatigue if they are in the presence of EMF-generating electronics, like radio, WiFi, and phones. But while these symptoms are believed to be the product of an allergy to electromagnetic waves, the condition is most likely psychomatic in nature.

1. In other words, it’s a problem created in one’s brain, but the belief is so firm that it can cause real physical distress.
2. The word “idiopathic” refers to something for which the true cause is unknown; hence the “attributed” later in the condition’s name.
3. The facts of the condition remain very uncertain.

Chuck’s condition is also similar in some ways to a neuropsychological disorder called Morgellons, a psychosis wherein people believe any sort of parasite or insect infestation is living in their body causing them to be itchy and sick. For Chuck, that infestation is electricity. Michael McKean as Chuck in Better Call Saul Humans do display sensitivities to electricity, but we as a race have been washing ourselves in electromagnetic energy for the past half century. Denis Henshaw, Professor of Human Radiation Effects at the University of Bristol, told r ecombu that there is no study that definitively links electro-mag radiation to any severe human health condition : ” pointed us to studies that demonstrate the effects of mobile phone radiation on various organisms.

While it looks like there’s a case for EMFs ruining the sex lives of fruit flies and causing ants to evacuate their homes, there’s so far been no study that conclusively proves that BT Home Hubs, iPhone 6s and mobile masts are scrambling our brains.” Yet there are also reports of people suffering from conditions that sound very similar to Chuck’s who have relocated to remote areas devoid of electromagnetic waves for relief.

Radio Times writes, “Psychologists have conducted a number of tests which state that the condition is entirely psychosomatic, with scenarios in which neither the participant or the researcher know if an electromagnetic field is active proving rather conclusive.

Better Call Saul fans may recognize a similar scene in episode five, Jello, where a doctor turns on an electronic device without Chuck knowing, and he doesn’t react.” On the series, it’s unclear whether or not Jimmy and the rest of Chuck’s associates truly believe his disease is real, but they do understand that, if nothing else, it is real to Chuck.

It shapes him and distorts his perspective of the world, and in all likelihood we may discover it plays a role in explaining his non-existence in the chronologically later Breaking Bad (2008-2013).

Is hypersensitivity to electricity real?

Conclusions – EHS is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms that differ from individual to individual. The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual.

EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF exposure. Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem. Physicians: Treatment of affected individuals should focus on the health symptoms and the clinical picture, and not on the person’s perceived need for reducing or eliminating EMF in the workplace or home.

This requires:

a medical evaluation to identify and treat any specific conditions that may be responsible for the symptoms,a psychological evaluation to identify alternative psychiatric/psychological conditions that may be responsible for the symptoms,an assessment of the workplace and home for factors that might contribute to the presented symptoms. These could include indoor air pollution, excessive noise, poor lighting (flickering light) or ergonomic factors. A reduction of stress and other improvements in the work situation might be appropriate.

For EHS individuals with long lasting symptoms and severe handicaps, therapy should be directed principally at reducing symptoms and functional handicaps. This should be done in close co-operation with a qualified medical specialist (to address the medical and psychological aspects of the symptoms) and a hygienist (to identify and, if necessary, control factors in the environment that are known to have adverse health effects of relevance to the patient).

1. Treatment should aim to establish an effective physician-patient relationship, help develop strategies for coping with the situation and encourage patients to return to work and lead a normal social life.
2. EHS individuals: Apart from treatment by professionals, self help groups can be a valuable resource for the EHS individual.

Governments: Governments should provide appropriately targeted and balanced information about potential health hazards of EMF to EHS individuals, health-care professionals and employers. The information should include a clear statement that no scientific basis currently exists for a connection between EHS and exposure to EMF.

What mental illness does Chuck McGill have?

A Therapist Reacts to Chuck’s OCD in ‘Better Call Saul’ This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. , the spinoff from (and prequel to) the acclaimed drama Breaking Bad, has been almost as much of a critical darling as its predecessor, thanks in large part to the central performance of Bob Odenkirk. But the supporting cast are given plenty to do as well, including character actor Michael McKean, who plays Chuck McGill.

• One of the subplots of the show follows Chuck’s, a mental illness where people suffer from intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
• For Chuck, that manifests as the belief that he is sensitive to electrical charges, and subsequently coming up with rituals to deal with that, including insisting on removing anything which might carry a charge.

In a new video on her YouTube channel, licensed therapist explains that while these rituals originate as a way of lowering anxiety and calming the individual, they don’t stay that way.

Why did Nacho kill himself?

Why ‘s Death Represents a Rare Moment of Altruistic Sacrifice in ‘Better Call Saul’ Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 3, “Rock and Hard Place.” In the world of, now in that somehow just keeps getting better, altruism is a rarity.

1. As we have followed the descent of ‘s Jimmy McGill into the Saul Goodman of, it has become clear that he and everyone else is out for themselves with their own interests remaining paramount.
2. Even characters like ‘s brilliant Kim Wexler are tempted by a destructive impulse that, while occasionally done for the right reasons, stems most directly from a selfish place.

There is always someone who has a play, an angle that will benefit themselves no matter the impact it will have on others. It is a show about good people giving in to the worst parts of themselves, a bleak portrait of a world built around unrelenting callousness.

1. As the bodies have stacked up and the collateral damage continues to grow, it has been all but impossible to see any potential for a character to find salvation in this cruel world.
2. That is, until this most recent episode.
3. Entitled “Rock and Hard Place,” it focuses primarily on a transcendent as Nacho Varga who, to put it lightly, has found himself in quite a tough spot.

After Gus Fring ( Giancarlo Esposito ) uses him as part of a failed attempt to kill Lalo Salamanca ( Tony Dalton ), Nacho has been on the run with seemingly nowhere to turn. He manages to barely escape a motel in which he has been hiding out where, in the beginning, he and the audience have believed there’s the possibility that he will be rescued.

1. Instead, Nacho discovers that he was never supposed to leave and is in fact being surveilled.
2. He manages to avoid his imminent death by stealing a car and taking off in a hail of gunfire.
3. This is where this most recent episode begins, as Nacho’s bullet-ridden vehicle dies on him and leaves him stranded on the side of the road.

Thinking quickly, he manages to hide out in an abandoned tanker in a field, submerging himself in the remaining oil in a tense sequence in order to escape his pursuers. Image via AMC This desperate attempt at survival requires surrounding himself in death, a baptism in the blood of the Earth. Now reborn, Nacho emerges in the dark of night and continues on to find refuge in the kindness of a stranger who allows him to use his garage as a temporary hideout.

1. There, he makes two phone calls that will be his very last.
2. The first is to his father who, not unkindly, encourages him to come forward and leave this life behind.
3. Mando, giving an understated yet devastating performance, responds affirmatively as Nacho says goodbye to his father one final time.
4. He then calls Jonathan Banks’ Mike Ehrmantraut, the closest person he has to a friend in this harsh world.

Nacho agrees to sacrifice himself and take all the blame for the attempt on Lalo’s life. He does this to ensure said father will be protected, something Mike swears to do personally. Nacho will fall on his sword even as he could have still tried to selfishly make his escape and abandon his father who would most certainly end up being killed as recompense for his betrayal.

1. This sets in motion a death march for Nacho that spans the remainder of the episode, ending with him dead by his own hand.
2. It is one of the more tragic moments of Better Call Saul thus far as, even with his many flaws, there has been the dream that Nacho will get out of this life.
3. He has done everything Gus has threatened him into doing.

He risks everything time and time again for a future where his father will be safe from any threats that he has unintentionally brought on him. When that isn’t enough and the walls are closing around him, Nacho gives his life for another to become an unexpected hero in a world where they are in short supply. Image via AMC In his final scene, Nacho gives a monologue with a double meaning as he decries the “chicken man” and belittles him. It accomplishes his end of the bargain, as he convincingly lies that Gus was not involved while also getting one final shot in at the man who forced him into this situation.

1. Nacho does this while on his knees, unflinchingly staring down death in a manner that ultimately makes him stand taller than he or any other character ever has before.
2. He then steals a gun from Juan Bolsa ( Javier Grajeda ), briefly staring out in the distance at where he knows Mike to be and giving one final smile that, even in death, remains etched on his face as he falls to the ground after shooting himself.

In these final moments, Mando’s performance speaks volumes even when he is saying nothing at all. Nacho dies a good death, a flicker of kindness in a world gone bad. It all creates a thematic bright spot that also further signals the beginning of the end as we slide deeper into darkness.

Hope is not long for this world and Nacho’s death marks yet another instance of this being snuffed out. It is notable that, in this same episode, Jimmy is asked about why he is continuing to do yet another scam. He tries to say he is doing this to help others, though we all know that this is an unconvincing lie that not even he believes.

These two storylines alongside each other, Nacho’s final act of altruism and Jimmy’s continued selfishness, serve as a tragic juxtaposition that shows where this is all going. While there is a desire to cling to the possibility that the remaining characters could pull out of the spiral they are falling into, we know that is not going to happen.

Nacho was an outlier, the rare person who realized what he had to do and had the courage to do it even when it spelled doom for him. Now that he is gone, all that we are left with is a cast of characters who seem both unable and unwilling to make the hard choices to do the right thing. Yet that is the prevailing tragedy of Better Call Saul that makes it so completely and utterly compelling.

It shows how the few who are willing to give their lives for others only end up dead, leaving the cruelty of the rest to continue unabated and unchecked as the cycle of callousness continues. : Why ‘s Death Represents a Rare Moment of Altruistic Sacrifice in ‘Better Call Saul’

Does Chuck hit his head?

Main story – Chuck is unconscious after hitting his head at the copy store. Jimmy rushes in to give first aid and tells the clerk to call an ambulance. In the hospital, Chuck wonders how Jimmy came to his aid so quickly, correctly deducing that Jimmy bribed the clerk to lie and then hid nearby to watch Chuck question the clerk.

Ernesto covers for Jimmy by claiming that out of concern for Chuck’s health, he called Jimmy before bringing Chuck to the copy store. Jimmy refuses to have Chuck committed to psychiatric care but takes temporary guardianship and allows an MRI and a CAT scan to determine whether he suffered head or neck injuries.

The doctor treating Chuck tells Jimmy that Chuck is healthy but has entered a self-induced catatonic state because of the medical tests. When Chuck returns to consciousness, Jimmy informs him of the test results and takes him home. Mike Ehrmantraut purchases a rifle that he intends to use to kill Hector Salamanca,

• He positions himself on a ridge overlooking a desert site where Hector and his crew are preparing to execute Ximenez Lecerda, but Mike is unable to get a clear shot because Nacho Varga is in the way.
• Behind him, Mike hears his car horn blaring, so he leaves to investigate.
• He finds a branch wedged against the horn and a note on the windshield with a single word: “DON’T”.

Howard Hamlin tries to reach Jimmy and when Jimmy calls back Howard says Chuck is concerned that the mistakes he supposedly made on Mesa Verde’s paperwork mean his judgment is no longer sound, so he intends to retire. Jimmy rushes to Chuck’s house, where he finds that Chuck has plastered the walls with reflective space blankets, claiming he needs protection from ambient electromagnetic waves.

Has Chuck ever killed anyone?

Plot summary – As the episode opens, Shaw has taken Sarah to a warehouse where he claims the Director has been tracked. Shaw reveals to her that the woman she killed was his wife, Evelyn. He tells the stunned Sarah that he knows she wasn’t to blame and that she was set up by her superiors to make the kill.

• Back at Castle, Beckman benches Chuck and orders Sarah and Shaw to Washington to head up the search for the Director.
• Shaw finds the director, and Sarah chooses Chuck to help them apprehend him.
• Chuck and Sarah confront the Director, who reveals that the Ring has developed its own prototype of the Intersect Cipher.

After they leave the facility, it is revealed that Shaw has joined the Ring. The team debriefs at Castle, and Beckman this time reprimands Shaw for apparently killing the Director, but Chuck comes to his defense for saving their lives. Beckman reveals that the Ring’s Cipher is flawed, and based on the components, was manufactured in Paris.

Beckman orders Shaw and Sarah to follow-up. Meanwhile, Shaw takes Sarah to the street where Evelyn was killed and Sarah realizes he has been turned by the Ring. She is then poisoned by a paralytic agent. Chuck and Casey arrive, and while Casey deals with the Director, Chuck confronts Shaw and the two get into a fight.

Chuck shoots Shaw in the chest, and he topples over the bridge to his death.