The first season of Better Call Saul sheds a lot of light on Saul’s background. His real name is Jimmy McGill, and he’s a struggling public defender. His older brother, Chuck McGill, on the other hand, is a well-established lawyer and a partner at the successful law firm Hamlin, Hamlin, & McGill (HHM).
Chuck, however, lives a reclusive life, confined to his house, where he only uses gas for cooking and heat because of a self-diagnosed hypersensitivity to electromagnetism. Even though Chuck refuses to help Jimmy’s career, Jimmy remains fiercely loyal to him.
Chuck’s strange, reclusive life becomes a silent barrier to Jimmy’s success (Photo: Better Call Saul Season 1/Sony Pictures Television)He brings groceries each week and follows an odd procedure of turning his phone off and leaving it outside when visiting. Despite his best attempts to live a straight life, Jimmy’s affinity for scams is immediately clear.
In the first episode titled “Uno,” he tries to set up a hit-and-run scam, but his plan backfires when he crosses paths with Tuco Salamanca from Breaking Bad.
This interaction plays a crucial role in the series as it puts Jimmy in close contact with the Salamanca drug family, whose operations eventually lure him into the darker side of the law. While Jimmy initially tries to keep his distance, the Salamanacas target one of his clients, and Nacho Varga, a key member, insists that Jimmy is “in the game.”
While this happens, Jimmy discovers he has a natural talent for elder law, with elderly clients quickly growing fond of his safe and personable demeanor. With encouragement from his longtime friend and HHM attorney, Kim Wexler, he begins to focus more on this area of practice.
Despite their strong friendship, Kim frequently turns down Jimmy’s requests to start a practice together, citing her loyalty to HHM. Jimmy, on the other hand, doesn’t hide his feelings for her, though he also makes a solid business proposal.
As Jimmy works with the elderly, he uncovers a potential case of elder abuse at the Sandpiper retirement community, where the residents seem to be markedly overcharged. His suspicions are confirmed when he visits the facility and notices a massive shredding of documents.
Meanwhile, Chuck’s reclusiveness reaches new heights, and he contemplates quitting law altogether. Wanting to help his brother both personally and professionally, Jimmy manipulates the situation to draw Chuck’s attention to the Sandpiper documents, hoping to reignite his interest in practicing law.
How Does Better Call Saul Season 1 End?
By the end of season one, the dynamics between Jimmy and his brother Chuck take a dramatic turn. In the penultimate episode, “Pimento,” Jimmy uncovers the truth about his brother’s actions.
Although Jimmy had long believed that Howard Hamlin was the one preventing him from advancing within HHM, he learns that it was Chuck who orchestrated this rejection. Feeling betrayed, Jimmy decides to let go of the Sandpiper case, agreeing to hand it over to HHM for a small counsel fee and a percentage of any future settlement, should it ever come.
Jimmy’s determination to prove himself despite Chuck’s coldness is clear (Photo: Better Call Saul Season 1/Sony Pictures Television)In a heated moment, Jimmy confronts Chuck, accusing him of always trying to hold him back, and Chuck responds harshly, reminding Jimmy of his past as “Slippin’ Jimmy”—a scam artist with a law degree.
Chuck insists that people don’t change and that Jimmy’s law career is dangerous, as abusing the law could harm people. He warns Jimmy that this is no game, and deep down, Jimmy knows that Chuck is right.
Simultaneously, Jimmy also ends his care for Chuck, leaving him to rely on an HHM intern for support, a stark contrast to Jimmy’s usual role. The season finale, “Marco,” shows Jimmy slipping back into his former life of scamming, which had been hinted at through flashbacks earlier in the season.
He spends a week pulling off exciting cons, only to experience the shock of his old partner Marco dying of a heart attack. This turn of events is followed by Kim’s revelation that HHM cannot handle the Sandpiper case alone and will be working with another firm, Davis & Main.
They are aware of Jimmy’s close ties with the Sandpiper residents and offer him a job. While considering the offer, Jimmy hesitates, influenced by Chuck’s perception of him. He reflects on a past moment with Mike Ehrmantraut, who also has ties to the Salamanca family, and recalls a time when they did the right thing.
Vowing never to make that mistake again, Jimmy decides not to meet with Davis & Main, retreating from the potential opportunity. Don’t miss out on this emotionally charged movie streaming now on Netflix for subscribers.
