Better Call Saul - Characters & Cast

Initially, Jimmy is motivated by a desire to prove his worth and gain his brother's respect. After Chuck's death, his motivation shifts towards a nihilistic embrace of his own worst impulses, often egged on by his relationship with Kim. Ultimately, his deepest motivation is his love for Kim, which prompts his final act of self-sacrifice and redemption, choosing to face the consequences of his actions to protect her.

Jimmy begins as a small-time con artist turned earnest lawyer desperate for the approval of his brother, Chuck. Rejection and betrayal from Chuck, combined with his own self-destructive tendencies, slowly erode his moral compass. He embraces his 'Slippin' Jimmy' past, transforming it into the persona of 'Saul Goodman,' a flamboyant 'criminal' lawyer. This identity allows him to be successful but pulls him deep into the criminal underworld. After the events of 'Breaking Bad,' he lives a paranoid, colorless existence as Gene Takavic in Omaha. His arc concludes with a final, public confession in court, where he sheds the Saul persona to reclaim his identity as Jimmy McGill, accepting a long prison sentence as a form of penance and an act of love for Kim Wexler.

Kim is motivated by a drive for justice, but her definition of it becomes warped. She wants to help the 'little guy' and sees bending the rules as a way to achieve that. She is also motivated by her complex love for Jimmy; she is both enabled by him and enables him. Her internal struggle is between her ambition within the system and her desire to subvert it.

Kim starts as a highly principled and ambitious lawyer at HHM, serving as Jimmy's confidante and moral anchor. Over the seasons, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Jimmy's morally ambiguous schemes, enjoying the thrill of the con. Her character arc is one of internal conflict, battling her 'good' professional side with the 'bad' side that enjoys breaking the rules with Jimmy. This culminates in her actively planning the downfall of Howard Hamlin, which has tragic, unforeseen consequences. Wracked with guilt, she abandons her legal career and relationship with Jimmy for a mundane, purgatorial life in Florida. She finally finds a measure of peace after confessing her role in Howard's death, spurred by Jimmy's final actions.

Mike's primary motivation is to provide a financial safety net for his granddaughter, Kaylee, and her mother, Stacey. This is driven by a deep sense of guilt and responsibility for his son's death, seeing it as a way to atone for his past corruption as a police officer.

Mike is introduced as a parking lot attendant, a disgraced ex-cop from Philadelphia burdened by guilt over the death of his son. His arc is a slow, tragic descent into the criminal world as he uses his skills as a 'fixer' to provide financially for his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. He operates by a strict, albeit criminal, code of honor, valuing professionalism and loyalty. Throughout the series, he becomes increasingly entangled with the Salamanca cartel and Gus Fring, gradually losing pieces of his soul with each violent act. By the end, he is a key player in Fring's empire, a man who started doing bad things for good reasons only to find himself consumed by the darkness.

Chuck is motivated by a rigid, almost fanatical belief in the supremacy of the law. However, his deeper, more personal motivation is a profound and bitter jealousy of Jimmy's natural charisma and the affection he received from their mother. He needs to believe Jimmy is irredeemable to validate his own life choices and feelings of superiority.

Chuck is a brilliant, esteemed founding partner of the HHM law firm who suffers from a psychosomatic allergy to electricity. He presents himself as a man of high principle and a guardian of the law's sanctity. His arc reveals that his morality is a shield for his deep-seated jealousy and resentment of his younger brother, Jimmy. He refuses to believe Jimmy can change from his 'Slippin' Jimmy' past and actively works to undermine his legal career. Chuck's relentless campaign against Jimmy ultimately leads to his own professional humiliation and a tragic suicide, but his psychological influence looms over Jimmy for the rest of the series.