Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched the Season 3 premiere of Better Call Saul.
Season 3 of Better Call Saul kicked off on some particularly tense terms Monday night, with Jimmy finding out just how far down Chuck will go to get on Jimmy's level. But even though Chuck has the proof he needs to destroy JImmy's reputation, this is more about power, and the elder brother is intent on making the younger mentally pay for his foul deeds. But it's entirely possible Jimmy's grand form of revenge may backfire in a big way. Here's actor Michael McKean offering an explanation for Chuck, complete with a forewarning.
You can disagree with him, you can root for Jimmy all you want, but Chuck has his point. If you removed the revenge element from his psyche, which is fairly large, I think you'd actually find a human being in there. But don't get too attached!
Cue all the dramatic music on that note. Is Michael McKean saying to TV Guide what we think he's saying at the end of that answer? Are we not supposed to get too attached to Chuck's "human side," which hasn't really come out much, or do we not get attached to the character due to an impending situation where we would then be attached to him as a dead guy? That sounds more and more likely as I play it all out in my head, tin foil hat not included.
At this point, Chuck and Jimmy's relationship is as frayed as we've ever seen it, and it's probably as bad as it's ever been. And while Jimmy admittedly doesn't seem capable of cold-blooded murdering Chuck just yet, there are many episodes left to come this season that could fracture their family ties even further. Especially if Chuck keeps going back to his Big Book of Ways to Screw With Your Brother. We're at a point where Howard is almost BFF material in comparison, and we all know Jimmy would probably love to string Howard up by his belt loops and permanently lock him inside the mail room. Plus, Jimmy knows people that can "take care" of Chuck, should he not want to get his own hands dirty. (Although he'd have to get them dirty at some point for this theory to play out.)
Of course, there's always the chance that Chuck could detach himself from this world and audiences without going out permanently. Maybe things get to the point where Chuck fears for his life, and he chooses to leave town (with or without Ernesto) and becomes a rarely seen character. Regardless of whether Chuck is dead or living elsewhere, his absence would definitely allow Jimmy to change his name and identity without any angry McGills trying to stop him, and an estranged Chuck would be an interesting way to expand Saul's life during the Breaking Bad years and beyond in a way that wouldn't include bringing in more cameos.
With more darkness heading Chuck's way -- if by way of his sensitivity to electromagnetism than anything more fatal , Better Call Saul airs Monday nights on AMC at 10:00 p.m . ET. Head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to see what else is heading to the small screen in the future.
