MovieChat Forums > Better Call Saul (2015) Discussion > Letter

Letter

posted 6 years ago by McQualude (4231)
9 replies | jump to latest

I've read semi-official responses that the letter was intended to be genuine so I admit to being wrong but I don't understand the motivation and it doesn't match the personality of the Chuck character in the show.

Dear Jimmy,

I have left many things unsaid in our relationship through the years. Rather than allow these unspoken thoughts to die with me, I’ve chosen to record them here for you. I hope you will take my words in the spirit in which they are intended.

I remember quite clearly the day you came home from the hospital. You can’t imagine the joy on mom’s face. I can honestly say I never saw her happier than she was on that day. You brought a shine to our life that nothing else ever did and I’m glad of that.

We have not always seen eye to eye. I expect that will continue to be so in the future, however, nothing will ever change the fact that we are brothers - flesh and blood. And though we are very different people, I want you to know how much I respect what you have made of yourself in these last few years. You have taken the opportunity I gave you in the mailroom and you have run with it, becoming a valued member of the HHM family. For all the problems in your past, I’m proud we share the name McGill. I sincerely admire your energy and resilience. I used to worry about you finding a place in the world, but I’m not worried about that anymore. I’m certain now that no matter what the future may bring, you’ll land on your feet and I hope when you read this, you remember me not only as your brother, but as a person you knew was always in your corner.

Chuck

[–] PeteyandJia (300) 6 years ago

Chuck definitely wrote the letter, and if you look at it carefully it was full of highly subtle, very subconscious resentment towards Jimmy. Classic Chuck.

Furthermore, it would be completely out of character for Kim or Howard to forge a letter like that. I've seen other fans floating that theory around too, but I think it's an absurd notion.

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

What would be Chuck's motivation to write the letter?

I do agree it would be out of character for Kim to forge a letter but not Howard. He liked Jimmy but was a bad guy to him at Chuck's insistence, he feels responsible for Chuck's death, he knows Chuck snubbed Jimmy in the will, and the letter was unsigned (typed only).

[–] TheEngineer (199) 6 years ago

Like the previous poster said the letter was full of Chuck's resentment for Jimmy. It was written while Jimmy was working the mail room at HHM and was nothing but an extended gloating session about how glad Chuck was Jimmy was contained and controlled at a menial job. Their entire relationship was based around Chuck deriding and manipulating Jimmy. Denying him opportunity after opportunity. I truly doubt anyone else wrote that letter.

It was exactly what Kim expected in an unexpected form. And it brought into focus just how much Chuck hurt Jimmy, how much they hurt Chuck, the enormity of his sudden and bizarre death, and how cold Jimmy had become that he could read it and have no reaction or investment. Kim had far more reason to cry over a legitimate letter.

[–] indigodaddy (24) 6 years ago

Excellent thank you for putting this into words. I believe this is exactly the correct interpretation.

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

"I'm proud we share the name McGill," is full of resentment? I can understand how parts of the letter could be interpreted sarcastically but the letter as a whole wasn't Chuck. Here is the text for you to review.

Dear Jimmy,

I have left many things unsaid in our relationship through the years. Rather than allow these unspoken thoughts to die with me, I’ve chosen to record them here for you. I hope you will take my words in the spirit in which they are intended.

I remember quite clearly the day you came home from the hospital. You can’t imagine the joy on mom’s face. I can honestly say I never saw her happier than she was on that day. You brought a shine to our life that nothing else ever did and I’m glad of that.

We have not always seen eye to eye. I expect that will continue to be so in the future, however, nothing will ever change the fact that we are brothers - flesh and blood. And though we are very different people, I want you to know how much I respect what you have made of yourself in these last few years. You have taken the opportunity I gave you in the mailroom and you have run with it, becoming a valued member of the HHM family. For all the problems in your past, I’m proud we share the name McGill. I sincerely admire your energy and resilience. I used to worry about you finding a place in the world, but I’m not worried about that anymore. I’m certain now that no matter what the future may bring, you’ll land on your feet and I hope when you read this, you remember me not only as your brother, but as a person you knew was always in your corner.

Chuck

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

Jimmy: "I thought you were proud of me..."

Chuck: "I WAS! When you straightened out, got a job in the mail room, I was VERY proud!"

...People are really overthinking this letter--on every forum I've seen so far. Why? It's pretty obvious that it's just a letter from Chuck back when Jimmy was in the mail room and it 100% confers with Chuck's "When you got a job in the mail room I was VERY proud!" statement.

There's no hidden mystery here.

All this "Jimmy, Kim or Howard wrote it!" crap is utter nonsense. If ANY one of those three had written it then WHY would they write it in such a way where it only acknowledges Jimmy when he was working in a mail room? If Jimmy wrote a fake letter then it would be Chuck "congratulating" him on becoming a lawyer. Same for Howard or Kim. Chuck was the ONLY one to be more proud of Jimmy when he was in the mail room than when he became a lawyer and the letter confers with that.

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

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[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

Why does there have to be a motivation? It is not at all uncommon for people to leave some notes behind when constructing their will. He very well could have left one to Rebecca, Howard or other people as well.

Chuck WAS proud of Jimmy when he was working in the mail room. Chuck was essentially like Walter White: he loved having Jimmy (Jesse) around but wanted him to be several rungs lower than him (law/meth cooking) and mistreated Jimmy/Jesse the most when they demonstrated their ability to be as good as them (law/meth cooking).

It's ego. Chuck was a egotistical man who was only happy when Jimmy was beneath him. He wanted to keep Jimmy in that mail room because it kept him off the streets and away from his Slippin' Jimmy days but still kept him far below Chuck.

The fact that he offered to help Jimmy "walk that path" in Season 3 after setting Jimmy up to lose his law degree proves this even more: he cares about Jimmy but only in terms of the vision he has for him.

As other posters alluded, Chuck is essentially talking down to Jimmy with that letter even if he doesn't consciously realize it because that's who Chuck loves: low-key, law-abiding, mail room Jimmy--not lawyer Jimmy.

There is no motive there--he was leaving a letter for his brother when he made the will because he WAS proud of him...proud that Jimmy was living within the confines of the "vision" Chuck had for him. There was no other motive there. You're reading too much into it.

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

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