Better Call Saul has one of TV’s most well-written main characters; Jimmy McGill is a clever attorney who has a hidden passion for conning people. He has a complex relationship with his brother Chuck. He wants to make him proud, but it seems impossible.
Only Kim believes in him, which makes Jimmy a rather tragic character. He often resorts to doing unforgivable things to get ahead in life. It seems almost as if he can’t help but get in trouble a lot. Even though he strives to be better, his hustler persona keeps him doing shameless things.
Hanging Teenagers Upside Down
In “Piñata,” Jimmy catches some teenagers that mugged him and generally gave him trouble. Sick of being pushed around, Jimmy hangs them upside down like piñatas and threatens them. Even though the teenagers had it coming, making them think they’re about to be murdered in the most gruesome way possible was pretty extreme. He even left them hanging there, and it probably took a while for someone to notice them.
He Plays Irene, The Resident Of Sandpiper Crossing
Jimmy proved that he is a talented attorney when he built a case out of Sandpiper Crossing. If it wasn’t for his charisma, the elderly residents would pay him no attention. Unfortunately, he manipulated a certain sweet old lady’s friends against her in attempts to try her to settle.
Irene was consequently isolated and shunned in her community. But, at least Jimmy did right by her and took the blame for the whole thing, so Irene got her friends back.
He Lied About Being Kevin Costner
Back in Cicero, Jimmy once tricked a girl into thinking he is Kevin Costner so she would sleep with him. He was successful, and, when the girl realized the truth in the morning, she was obviously very upset. Jimmy even bragged about it to Walter White in Breaking Bad.
What Jimmy did was shameless and incredibly disrespectful. Even though the woman could have known he isn’t Kevin Costner since they slept in a basement, she didn’t deserve it.
He Encourages Kim To Be A Con Woman
When Kim and Jimmy first met, they worked together in the mailroom. She always came across as being reliable, dutiful, and responsible, but, as she started hanging out with Jimmy more, he lured her into the world of conning and manipulating people. She didn’t want to con Ken at all but went along with it, anyway.
It’s because of Jimmy that she realizes she is actually very good at it. By the end of season five, the student of conning becomes the master.
His Colorful Wardrobe
While most attorneys dress pretty neutrally and professionally, Jimmy’s fashion style is straight-up unapologetic. His outfits are colorful and rich with patterns, they draw attention to him, and, even though it’s probably bad publicity, it does charm enough clients to keep him in business.
One of his most shameless outfits was the one in “Amarillo” when he dressed as a cowboy in attempts to solicit Sandpiper’s residents on a bus.
Tampering With Mesa Verde’s Documents
In order to sabotage HHM, Jimmy tampers with documents to make his brother look bad in court, switching a number in an address. He wasn’t driven by sheer hate though, he did it because he wanted to secure the client for Kim.
Chuck comes across as old and forgetful at the court, but he assured everybody he did not make the mistake, which made things even worse. He knew Jimmy was behind it, which was the beginning of the end for this tragic character.
He Publicly Humiliated His Brother
Chuck and Jimmy had a big standoff in court. The older brother was hell-bent on destroying Jimmy’s career, but he was one step ahead of him. Jimmy did a pretty shameless thing: he played Chuck right there in front of the judge and proved that his disease, a strange allergy to electromagnetism, is purely in his head.
Trying to defend himself, Chuck falls apart on the spot and comes across as completely deranged. Sure, Chuck was bad, but he still didn’t deserve that.
He Officially Changes His Name To Saul Goodman
The etymology of Saul Goodman is revealed in one of the flashback scenes. It derives from the phrase “It’s all good, man,” one of Slippin’ Jimmy’s signature sentences.
Jimmy doesn’t want to be associated with his surname anymore, so he changes his name to the most ridiculous one possible: Saul Goodman. It’s not just a new name he got with it, but also a whole new persona, a character much more shameless than Jimmy McGill.
“Well Howard, That’s Your Cross To Bear.”
One of the coldest and shameless lines Jimmy ever served Howard was: “Well, Howard, that’s your cross to bear.” He told him that after Howard confessed that he feels responsible for Chuck’s suicide.
It’s hard to say what exactly drove Chuck to kill himself. The fact is that his life fell apart, to which both Howard and Jimmy contributed. Ultimately, it’s just as much Jimmy’s fault as Howard.
Chicago Sunroof
In a flashback scene in “Marco,” Chuck comes to a jailhouse to bail out his hustling brother who was also known as Slippin’ Jimmy. It represents the end of Jimmy’s life in Cicero and decides to move to Albuquerque where he can start over.
Jimmy ended up in jail because of the most shameless act imaginable: he defecated through the sunroof of a man who supposedly owed him money, but he wasn’t aware his children were in the backseat. He called the stunt the “Chicago sunroof.”
