If you ask a fan of Better Call Saul how they feel about the character Chuck McGill, you’ll probably receive a strong response--either a puckered face of disgust or an eye roll. Michael McKean, who you may remember as Lenny Kosnowski on Laverne and Shirley, plays the role of pretentious attorney, Chuck McGill. Chuck’s seething hate for his brother turns many viewers against him, and he serves as the perfect foil for the lead character, Jimmy McGill.
But to be fair to Chuck, you have to consider the nature of his little brother Jimmy. “Slipping Jimmy” is what the neighborhood coined him, and that’s for good reason. He’s a shyster and his brother loathes the fact that a shyster finished law school and actually passed the bar exam. How could he!
So what brought Chuck to his sad and deadly ending on Better Call Saul?
Michael McKean explained in a recent Entertainment magazine article:
“I think that the events outside of his physical discomfort — sometimes it feels like the whole world is ganging up on you, and if you’re a person who has not done a lot of introspection, if you’re a person who has never really felt like he was in the wrong about anything, then it can really seem like the world is giving you the middle finger, and this is maybe one thing to do about it. But I don’t think it is the world’s most conscious suicide, frankly.”
Is Chuck a Narcissist?
Perhaps...Here’s a round-about definition of a narcissist: Narcissists lack the ability to see themselves as others see them. They lack introspection. Their life priorities are all about how much power they wield over others whether it’s through accumulated wealth or political office.
Now, that sounds on the money in many ways for Chuck, but how about the fact that he cares deeply about his ex-wife? I can’t believe that Chuck really is a narcissist. Another thing that keeps him from being a narcissist is that he’s a burden to his little brother. He’s someone that has to be watched or taken care of. How many narcissist would ever agree to that?
I feel a smidge of sympathy for this character because he truly thinks that it’s his mission to do the right thing and that Jimmy McGill is the arch nemesis of the law. He feels passionate about his identity as a lawyer and that’s why the $9 million dollars meant nothing to him. It’s not just a job to him; it’s his identity. Losing his position as the crusader of the law is what brought him down.
So if Chuck isn’t a true narcissist, then what is he?
Chuck the Constitutionalist
Chuck is the cinematic embodiment of the U.S. Constitution. He’s an old furled document that he feels should be highly revered and respected by everyone, but often is forgotten. Chuck’s struggle to make others rally to his cause goes unrewarded when everyone jumps ship and leaves him to his own devices. He’s lonely at the end. Nobody wants him as he is. Nobody respects the Constitution as it is written. Everyone is trying to rewrite the Constitution to fit their own political views. This is called judicial activism. This is Jimmy McGill’s way of the law--to bend it to suit his client or himself. That’s why Chuck hates him. Chuck is a constitutionalist and Jimmy is a flaming judicial activist. Jimmy will twist and bend the law in any way to benefit his client or cause. This ignites Chuck’s passion to be relevant in today’s world. You might say it’s in his “constitution.”