I wouldn't even go so far as to call him a bad brother. He helped Jimmy out when he probably should have just let him go to jail just so that he might learn his lesson. Remember, Chuck has dealt with Jimmy's shenanigans ever since Jimmy was a little kid. He's probably just sick and tired of having to pick up the pieces every single time Jimmy fucks up and then begs for forgiveness while saying "I'll change, I swear, this time it's for real!"

When it boils down to it, what was Chuck's actual crime? Not wanting Jimmy to practice law at his law firm? I think by now it's established that Chuck was perfectly within reason to not want to do that. Granted, Chuck also carries a lot of baggage and resentment towards Jimmy because despite all of Jimmy's flaws and all of his chicanery, he was still the Golden Son. Chuck did everything legit and still felt like he couldn't get the same level of respect that Jimmy got from the people who mattered most to him: his parents.

I think what frustrates Chuck the most is that he openly warns people about Jimmy and yet they choose to not listen to him. And then when Jimmy's actions start to negatively effect others, they'll go so far as to make excuses for him and defend him.

Ι agree with all of you about Jim's conduct in the last episode, however I think we are overlooking the gradual transition of Jimmy to Saul. I especially like these series because it feels authentic in the way it portrays people's characters. Jimmy in the last episode is not the same Jimmy from the previous season, who was not the same Jimmy from the first season. The change does not occur in a vacuum, in fact the whole show is about that, what happened and that kind-hearted guy turned into Saul. And the answer is obviously, his brother, circumstances and the pressure to cope (I think the betrayal by his brother is underestimated). I still think Jim's a good person but now he's at the point you'd say "deep down...". He tricked the people at the music store at the very end but he did make sure he spent his own money to pay for the assistants. It's not black and white, is what I'm saying. Not that you are but I must admit I am a bit surprised at the harshness of the criticism towards his character. Perhaps there is an added element of disappointment?

Now, of course everyone can react differently to what they see emotionally and intellectually. Personally, I do not agree with Erotetic's assessment of Chuck, I think he is a deeply problematic individual, "bad brother" does not even begin to cover it and I see his influence and actions being the primary reason behind Jimmy turning into Saul.The trial was obviously the breaking/turning point.

In the end I think the series is a study of how to destroy human kindness, the personal responsibility and moral choices we make and so on. Same goes for Mike, whose primary motivation is taking care of his daughter-in-law and grandkid and ends up being Gustavo's man. Is it life, other people, circumstances? Are they "excused" for their choices? Where is the red line? In Jim's case it probably is Irene (but I sense that some think he was an asshole basically even before that). Is he beyond redemption? We'll see. Is there a point to redemption? Saul would argue that kindness got him shit. If you believe there is no karma, there is no judgement, hell, why would he care anymore? He helped his older brother during his psycho years, endured a lot of humiliation and ended up having him as his biggest enemy of his professional career. Irene is insignificant compared to Chuck. If he crossed that bridge, Irene was easy. But I am not sure yet he doesn't care about her. We'll see. On the other hand, every time Jimmy bends the rules, something shitty happens to Kim (who is his primary motivation to suceed, at the point of ignoring her own reservations), so maybe subconsciously they are toying with the concept of Karma.

Anyway, I like the fact that different people have different takes on the characters. That means they are not black and white.

The Jimmy we are talking about has not done any of those things and he wouldn't do those kind of things unless something dramatic happened in his life. Which is the point of the whole BCS series. Up to the point we see in BCS, I insist that Chuch is far worse, with the Holier Than Thou attitude being the deciding factor. Reminds me a lot of the prodigal son story, which is strange in itself though (Big brother complains, some people insist he is right to complain). But I digress.

I do not agree that people do not change, that they are inherently bad or good, which is why I do not accept that Jimmy is worse than Chuck. Saul probably is. It's life and personal choices but I feel like the first is being underestimated here. Walter was much more responsible, he fucking enjoyed becoming a drug lord and lost himself in the process (but found himself again I'd say in the end). I don't know where BCS will end. When we catch up to the BB timeline? Maybe it will go further. Let's see.

Yeah, you're right that it isn't the Jimmy we know now who did those things I mentioned. There are more events to come and he will do more things to lead him down the slope. But my post was just a reaction to the general sense I got with Breaking Bad's Walt character - that people are looking at it in a binary way where Chuck is pure evil and Jimmy can do no wrong and is a good guy until he just isn't. When in reality, it's the masterful unreliable-narrator style of these shows that wires your brain into the conventional 'the main character must be good' motif. You saw this with BB - people defending Walt's actions like he was a hero. Now we're seeing it in a way with Jimmy, where people are defending his amoral actions as if they don't lead anywhere. Ironically, this is the mindset that does lead Jimmy down that criminal path - a feeling that if he's got good intentions, what he does to others doesn't matter.

I do like Jimmy as a character and I think he's very well written. I also think Chuck is a great character and I don't hate him the way some do. As is, their relationship is complex and morally grey - but it'd be a mistake to really label one good and the other bad, or to forget what Jimmy does later and how what he's doing now leads to it.

How many damn people are they going to kill?! And the idea that that Usher guy, a political strategist and campaign manager "solves problems" ie disposes of bodies and orders hits on people is absurd. Just... what? It was shocking when Frank killed Zoe at the start of S2, and I suppose it was supposed to show that Clarie had become just as ruthless as Frank by killing Tom, but by the time they killed Leanne it was just par for the course.

I'm not sure I even got that it was Usher who ordered the hit - I thought Jane Davis did that. I dunno. It was confusing but I also didn't give a shit. These new characters are just pointlessly, ludicrously over the top and aren't sold with any kind of intrigue to make you interested. They're just chess pieces for the plot to accomplish whatever back flips the writers want. The whole plot about Frank orchestrating his own demise is so stupid that it makes me infuriated.

And I told you Jimmy would regret the Irene thing!

killing people (sometimes in self defense, sometimes not), making drugs that seriously screw up lives (including innocents like the children of junkies), blowing up a person's car just because the guy was a jerk, committing extortion, serious thefts, lying repeatedly to his family and putting them in danger, and turning down money that would 'save' his family from financial ruin because his ego/past got in the way; Walter White didn't become corrupt and evil, he was those things from the start, he just needed a little coaxing to come out of his shell

Like how Jimmy didn't fully turn to Saul like we thought the show was doing this season - he pivoted back for Kim's sake. He's still not there yet and the fact that he could come back from the brink shows he's a complex person.

Daniel Salazar is amazing! even in spite of the lightning bolt. which was more about creating the special effect. even though it moved the episode along as well as giving Daniel more questions re: why must he live after losing his wife and daughter.

Man, as intense as it was watching Percy slowly losing his shit as the demon that possessed him began to manifest itself more and more as he got closer and closer to completing The List, this new Chroma Conclave arc is starting off on an incredibly strong foot. Up to this point we've mostly seen Vox Machina kicking ass left and right, so seeing them get their asses handed to them by the weaker dragons of the four as they utterly laid waste to entire swathes of the city was terrifying. But, best of all, has been Grog stepping up the RP game to an insane degree. HOLY SHIT did it get intense when he started confronting people in Percy's workshop about using that skull to make a wish - the way he shifted from goofy, comic-relief Grog to tunnel visioned, simple minded, possibly feeling the creeping evil of his sentient sword Grog who just became this "oh...fuck..." presence in that room was brilliant to watch. I seriously thought there was going to be a bloodbath in there. That sword is going to lead to some serious shit - that single round of combat where he just completely destroyed three people with massive crit-chains and strength sapping was just unreal. The highest damage in a single round by anyone on the show by a huge margin. He's becoming an absolute powerhouse in combat that's getting really concerning considering the weapon he's wielding. I can't imagine him keeping it for long. Pumped to see where this goes.