MovieChat Forums > Better Call Saul (2015) Discussion > Chuck's final letter to Jimmy - more pro...

Chuck's final letter to Jimmy - more proof he hated him

posted 6 years ago by PeteyandJia (300)
12 replies | jump to latest

The note was FILLED with subtle digs at Jimmy. Mostly subconscious, since Chuck was nuts like that.

First, just the way it starts: "I hope you will take my words in the spirit in which they are intended." That's universally understood code for 'I am about to shit on you.'

Then there's the meat of the letter, which is basically Chuck saying how proud he is of Jimmy to work in the MAIL ROOM. "You took the opportunity I gave you, and ran with it." He saw Jimmy as his pet that he gave a handout to & kept in the basement, but he never wanted him to be any more than that, never respected his aspirations to be a lawyer. (He admits this flat-out to Jimmy's face later, in an outburst.)

"I'm certain no matter what the future might bring, you'll land on your feet." It reads more like an employment termination notice than final words from a loving brother.

The real key giveaway in the letter to me though, the real insight into Chuck's resentment towards Jimmy, is a throwaway line near the beginning of the letter: "I can honestly say I never saw mom happier than the day *you* were born. You brought a shine to her life that nothing else ever did, and I'm glad of that." That's a reference to arguably the main source of Chuck's resentment toward Jimmy: his own jealousy, that their mom (& dad) loved Jimmy more (or Chuck thought so anyway). Back in the finale of season 2, they show the flashback where Chuck and Jimmy are at their mom's deathbed in the hospital. Jimmy goes out to get food, and while Chuck is sitting there alone with her, she suddenly wakes up for a brief moment, calling out Jimmy's name repeatedly, then dies. Jimmy comes back later with the food, is shocked to learn she died, then asks Chuck "Did she say anything?" Chuck says "No." Arguably the worst thing Chuck has ever done to Jimmy, and to me, the defining moment that sums up what a piece of shit Chuck always was to Jimmy.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

That's right.
Unfortunately, many people can't see how humiliating this letter really is and thus keep saying crazy stuff like 'Kim wrote it!', 'Howard wrote it!' etc.

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

Like when the letter writer says he is proud they share the same last name... So humiliating, lol.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Yeah, irony is a great thing.
Well, the season will end in a couple of months or so and it will never be revealed or even hinted that Chuck is not the author of the letter. Because he is. And this is obvious. And yes 'sharing the same name' is a humiliating line. That is of course if you can read between the lines.

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

Yeah, those "theories" are actually embarrassing just to read and are stinking up places like Reddit and other boards. I mean--it's great that people love this show and it gets people talking but these theories are beyond ridiculous. As I stated, I'm so happy these people don't write this show. Could you even imagine the cornbread these people would sh!t out?

[–] McQualude (4231) 6 years ago

And then there are fans that turn off their brains and take everything at face value, never looking deeper, always waiting for popular opinion to tell them what to think.

[–] LebronCorleone (63) 6 years ago

Great breakdown. The letter was so pat and petty that Jimmy's calm reaction is especially even more interesting. Why didn't he erupt with rage or even sorrow? Has Jimmy truly built an armor from Chuck's cruelties, or is he burrowing the pain?

Chuck was the first Walter White that Jimmy ever encountered. They are men filled with seething, debilitating pride. Chuck goes out by fire; Walter White goes out surrounded by ice. Both men incinerate everything they touch.

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

What we're seeing are the are "troubled teen" years of Saul Goodman. Seasons 1-3 featured an adolescent Saul Goodman. This is the moody, puberty-stricken, trying-to-find-his-way-in-the-world Saul Goodman. He's not quite to his "Breaking Bad Saul Goodman" phase yet but is halfway there.

What we're essentially seeing are the coping mechanisms of Jimmy that he eventually harvests and forms into the fully-realized Saul Goodman persona. He's burying his true emotions: rage, fear, guilt, sadness and putting on this cheery facade with a Slippin' Jimmy back. I've been saying this from Season 1 and I only feel more affirmed in this theory now after all these years: Saul Goodman is essentially Jimmy's cocoon. It's his shield and it's his weapon. That poster for this season PERFECTLY demonstrates what Saul Goodman really is: A fully-cooked, full-cultivated Slippin' Jimmy mask that hides his true hurt and pain deep down. In other words--Jimmy, after so many pains and failures, is learning how to detach himself. Slippin' Jimmy is his comfort zone in the same way a depressed comedian utilizes their comedic act to hide/escape their pain. It's no different with Jimmy here. It's what most artists do: they hide their pain behind a creative process. Jimmy's is "Slippin' Jimmy" which he will one day rename "Saul Goodman". That's what you're seeing here.

I love your analogies regarding Chuck and Walt and 100% agree with you on it. YOU are the type of poster around here that should be writing for this show. Not those "Kim wrote it!" people. *shudder*. Idiots.

[–] LebronCorleone (63) 6 years ago

Nice how you put that 'Saul' is not only a mask - but a weapon as well. We're gonna see a lot more bodies laid to waste on Jimmy's road to Saul Goodman, as we already did in Breaking Bad.

The black & white Cinnabon flashforward where he blurts to the teenage shoplifter 'get a lawyer!' makes you wonder if he's able to discard the Saul and come to a sort of atonement.

All the conspiracy theory posters need to go back to the Westworld or True Detective subreddit.

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

Yeah, Saul Goodman is definitely lashing out at the world every bit as much as he's protecting himself from it.

As for the Cinnabon scenes, that still remains to be seen. Clearly, he's longing for his Saul Goodman days. He watches the videos while misty-eyed, wrote "SG was here" on a wall, took pity on that boy and told him to get a lawyer...

We have to remember, though--while "Saul" was the true agent of his undoing, it was also the time in his life he felt "at the top". Saul was not only his cocoon but also his outlet to truly express himself. He's a lively and social guy. Saul gave him a chance to be as colorful as he wanted to be.

Jimmy could still be seeking atonement while longing for Saul at the same time. Even the creators suggested that there may be some form of "redemption" in his future. So, how could he redeem himself while still longing for his Saul days? Simple: a halfway point. He needs an outlet to express himself to SOME extent while, at the same time, not harming people as Saul did. This doesn't necessarily mean he needs to be a lawyer. He just needs a change in his life that can allow him to be more "colorful" while still remaining free and safe at the same time.

The only question is "HOW?". Is it even possible without being caught? Who knows. It definitely seems, though, from ALL the interviews that Gould, Gilligan AND Odenkirk all seem to want some sort of absolution for Jimmy and some sort of redemption/happiness. It's anyone's guess how that could happen.

Some have suggested that perhaps Jimmy could face the music but I don't think so. It's NO coincidence that Kim's old hometown just happens to be a couple hour's drive from Omaha. Not with Gilligan and Gould, the masters of small details. That means SOMETHING and it means one very obvious thing: a present day reunion with Jimmy and Kim. If the writers do nothing with that Kim's hometown being so close to Omaha tidbit I'd be VERY surprised, given how meticulous these guys have been with--

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

--tiny details. They didn't just pull that town out of thin air. This isn't just some happy coincidence that her hometown was that close. They even made a POINT of having her character say: "It was a little town on the Kansas/Nebraska border". That means something significant. We're talking about the guys who remembered to write how Tuco knifed a Mexican national in '03. The guys who made a point of showing Jimmy losing his first hairs. These guys have SOME sort of planned reunion between Jimmy and Kim in present day. And perhaps that's where Jimmy will find his redemption. We'll see.

[–] dteam6 (5073) 6 years ago

I agree with this post 100% and I just wanted to say it's refreshing to see someone take the scene for what it is and not introduce all this wild, insane theories about "Oh, Kim or Howard or even JIMMY wrote it!" and all this other nonsense.

I'm so glad people like that don't write this show. It would be utter sh!t if they did.

[–] jriley555 (7241) 6 years ago

great analysis. passive-aggressive to the crispy end.

it wasn't until the eulogies did we come to know what an actual prodigy chuck had been - which makes his insecurities all the more, in some sense, tragic.

jealous of charming regular street-wise old little brother jimmy. that sounds like something which could happen in a real family.

i almost wonder if they weren't riffing a bit on the ted taczynski family dynamic.