Television

Standard Of Review: The 'Better Call Saul' Season Finale Becomes 'Better Call Chuck'

The show successfully turned Saul Goodman into a character worthy of exploration in a prestige drama.

By  
on

One of the biggest achievements of AMC’s legal drama Better Call Saul is the way that it turned Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill – a character played by noted comedian Bob Odenkirk and frequently used for comic relief in Breaking Bad – into a character worthy of exploration in a prestige drama. Similarly remarkable is the way the show has turned Michael McKean, an actor best known to the public for his comedic roles (from Laverne & Shirley to Christopher Guest films), into one of the best dramatic actors on television in his role as Jimmy’s brother Chuck. McKean has perhaps never been better than he was in this Monday’s season finale (this column will contain spoilers through the finale).

Throughout the latter part of the season, Chuck is still reeling from the fallout from his testimony at Jimmy’s disciplinary hearing back in “Chicanery.” After Chuck’s meltdown on the stand – in which Jimmy tricked Chuck into sitting with a battery in his pocket despite his alleged electromagnetic hypersensitivity – Chuck’s firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill gets into hot water with its malpractice insurer. Instead of having its premiums soar through the roof, Howard Hamlin encourages Chuck to retire from the firm and take a job teaching law as a professor (a job that Howard rightly describes as perfect for Chuck). Chuck sees this as a betrayal by the firm he helped to build, and threatens Howard with a lawsuit, which ultimately culminates in Howard buying Chuck out rather than having to deal with him any longer.

Chuck’s professional misfortune mirrors the turmoil in his personal life. Jimmy goes to Chuck’s house in an attempt to make amends, explaining how he has regrets about his behavior. Chuck brushes Jimmy off, dismissing Jimmy by telling him “you’ve never mattered that much to me.” The scene is played perfectly by both Odenkirk and McKean; Odenkirk responds to this line as if he was punched in the gut, standing silently with melancholy on his face and slinking out of the room. McKean as Chuck retreats to his desk and pretends to read as if he does not care what he said. But of course, as Jimmy leaves, McKean slowly lifts his head and stares ahead, the care on his face belying his apparent nonchalance.

Chuck thus loses his one friend (Howard) and his one family member and the person that cares for him the most (Jimmy). This has deleterious effects on his physical condition. After Jimmy’s stunt with the battery revealed that Chuck’s disease was likely in his head, Chuck makes a legitimate attempt to alleviate his symptoms, gradually exposing himself to more and more electricity. Even Jimmy is shocked when he arrives at Chuck’s house to see the refrigerator running and music playing on Chuck’s record player. But the night after Chuck rebukes Jimmy, Chuck wakes up in pain at the lamp in his bedroom. Chuck decides to shut off all electricity in his entire house, undoing the progress he has made.

Even turning off the breakers in Chuck’s house is not enough, as his electricity meter still shows that something in the house is using electricity. This causes Chuck to begin an increasingly manic hunt for the electric culprit, as Chuck unplugs all the lightbulbs and the phone, and eventually begins making holes in walls in an attempt to find all the wires. McKean absolutely nails this scene as Chuck, usually one of the more calm and collected characters on the show, falls more and more into hysteria. The production in this scene is equally effective, as Chuck is often framed against the darkness of the house. And the score uses a trumpet to evoke a feeling of eerie sadness. At the end of the episode, Chuck is truly a broken man, sitting in a chair with a look of absolute weariness on his face, as his books and other belongings are strewn around the room. In the season’s final moment, Chuck kicks over the lantern sitting on his desk, causing his house to engulf in flames.

The season finale also raises the question of how Chuck found himself in this position, such a stark contrast to how the season finale began, as a teenage Chuck reads a young Jimmy a story in a tent. Indeed, Jimmy tells Kim that fighting the good fight and helping the world was always more “Chuck’s thing” than Jimmy’s. But in the season finale, it is Jimmy that is more fighting the good fight (sort of), as he concocts an elaborate plan to severely delay his payout from the potential Sandpiper lawsuit settlement so that his elderly client Irene can reconcile with her friends. Of course, Irene’s friends only snubbed Irene in the first place because Jimmy pitted them against Irene so that Irene would agree to the settlement. Nevertheless, Jimmy engages in a selfless act, in a time in which he really needs the money. Time and time again on Better Call Saul, Jimmy shows that he has a good heart, even if he frequently bends ethical rules on the road to becoming Saul Goodman.

Perhaps the one character who legitimately has a chance to fight the good fight is Kim Wexler, who, after her car accident in the season’s penultimate episode, decides to stop “changing the world by helping a midsize local bank become a midsize regional bank.” Right now, Kim is just sitting on the couch repeatedly watching To Kill a Mockingbird, but Kim is too good of a lawyer to sit out forever. And given her current state of mind, one has to think that Kim might take a step towards becoming a different type of attorney next season, perhaps putting her in conflict with Jimmy as he inches closer to Saul.

Sponsored

It is a testament to the strength of the Chuck storyline that I have gotten so far in the review without mentioning Nacho. For a character who was mostly an afterthought at the beginning of the season, the show has done an exemplary job building Nacho’s conflict with Hector Salamanca. And actor Michael Mando’s eyes are extremely expressive in the season finale, as he shares a knowing glance with Gus after Hector suffers a heart attack caused by Nacho. But Nacho is one of those other characters who was not in Breaking Bad, so prospects do not look good for his future.

But this episode belonged to McKean and Chuck. I’ve watched enough television in my life to know that unless we see a major character actually die, that character is probably not dead. But on the other hand, the fact that Chuck is never mentioned during Breaking Bad doesn’t augur well for his prospects. Given McKean’s masterful performance this season, I sincerely hope that Chuck survives.

Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at harrygraff19@gmail.com. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.

Sponsored

Topics

, , ,