aTmAg said:
TCTTS said:
Chuck was essential to understanding - and essentially produced - Jimmy's entire psychological state/complex. Without Chuck there is no Saul. I agree that the show was better after Chuck left, but those Chuck seasons were a absolutely crucial.
The thing that bothered me most was the whole electromagnetic phobia. I couldn't get myself to care.
It reminded me of a movie called "Copycat" with Sigourney Weaver where she was an expert on serial killers who just so happened to have a phobia of leaving her house. Of course the serial killer winds up in her house and she just CAN'T LEAVE!! It was just a lazy way for the writers to add bogus tension. A better writer would have been able to do so without having to use a phobia crutch.
While Chuck was not nearly as bad as that, I think they could have told that story without having him with that condition. It was a distraction that annoyed me. It was the only part of the show that I couldn't get myself to trust the genius of that writing staff and assume that something great was going to come out of it.
I can understand if you didn't enjoy it. Nothing appeals to everyone.
But Chuck's condition is what allowed us to see how dutiful Jimmy was when it came to taking care of his brother, how unselfish he was in that respect. And the most important aspect of that was that Jimmy was going to such lengths to take care of Chuck despite the fact that he knew it was a mental illness and not an actual medical condition.
If Chuck had cancer, it would be still be admirable of Jimmy to take care of him, but it's a different ballgame when Jimmy knows that Chuck's problem is entirely in his head.
This was the biggest thing the show did to reveal that while he was a hustler/con man, he still had a big heart and not only cared about his brother, but craved his approval, as well.