‘Better Call Saul’: Bob Odenkirk Reveals Why Jimmy Kept Chuck’s Last Words a Secret From Kim
Fans of Better Call Saul know Jimmy and Chuck McGill never really had the best relationship. That was clearer than ever in season 3 when Chuck straight-up told Jimmy that even though they were brothers he’d “never mattered all that much to [him].” The remarks left Jimmy visibly hurt, but he never shared Chuck’s last words with anyone — not even Kim. But why?
Why Jimmy kept Chuck’s last words a secret from Kim, according to Bob Odenkirk
In a March interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Odenkirk was asked why Jimmy never revealed Chuck’s words to Kim. He doubted she would have believed him, but he also said, “I don’t believe Chuck.”
“If anyone says that to you, it probably means you mean way too much to them,” he continued. “That’s why they’re saying that. It’s because they’re trying to push all those feelings away in order to stop feeling them. But Jimmy certainly believed him in that moment, and Chuck’s words were devastating to him.”
When the interviewer pointed out how Chuck appeared to regret his words after Jimmy left his house, Odenkirk seemed to agree. “Yeah, I just don’t believe Chuck for a second that Jimmy didn’t mean much to him. He meant way too much to him, frankly,” he continued.
Chuck’s death came soon after
Later, Chuck died by suicide when he set his house on fire amid his ousting at HHM. Jimmy seemed unaffected when he learned of the news and also in the days that followed. When he found a heartfelt letter left behind by Chuck, he remained emotionless while Kim broke into tears. His way of grieving would eventually cause friction in their relationship. But Odenkirk said it was an honest reaction.
“She wanted him to show and feel this massive gulf of sorrow and loss, but he just wasn’t there yet,” Odenkirk explained. “He had so much resentment towards his brother — and justifiably in many ways. So Jimmy just wasn’t there to grieve like that, at least not for a while.”
Jimmy’s reaction to the overall situation highlights his progression to Saul Goodman. In an interview with The Wrap, Odenkirk added that Jim is basically “one very bad move away” from fully assuming that persona and that it could be Kim who pushes him over the edge.
“He’s pretty much close to there, I’d say. But something big still has to happen to trip him over into, I think, full Saul mode,” he said. “I imagine it has a lot to do with Kim Wexler.”
It remains to be seen what happens there, but fans will get to find out when Better Call Saul returns in 2022.
