An inconsequential scene in Season 1 of Better Call Saul cements Jimmy McGill’s role as television’s greatest lawyer

When debating the best lawyers in television history, breaking Bad or Better call Saul would quickly name Saul Goodman (real name Jimmy McGill). While the earlier series constantly showed how great he was at his job helping to keep Walter White’s activities secret and letting even his most obviously guilty clients get off completely scot-free, it was never shown how he did the work behind the scenes. Instead, that was saved for Saul’s solo spin-off series.

Before he fully embraced his role as Saul Goodman and became the “criminal defense attorney” that fans love so much, he was a small-time public defender named Jimmy McGill. He didn’t have tailored suits, fancy cars, assistants, or the lifestyle that most people think lawyers like Howard Hamlin could easily afford. Saul didn’t even have a real office or residence. Instead, he had the showmanship and never-ending hustle that made him perhaps one of the most authentic lawyers on television. There was a particular scene during Better call SaulThe first season of perfectly illustrated why.

Updated on August 28, 2024 by Ajay Aravind: Jimmy McGill’s alter ego is the phrase “Everything’s fine, man,” a phenomenal summary of his entire worldview. His flippant attitude has two consequences: Saul genuinely helps his clients in need without proper representation, but he also sinks deeper and deeper into a grave he dug for himself. However, it’s this layered personality that drives the series forward, at least until the series finale. Other TV lawyers are great, but none of their character arcs seem as believable as Saul Goodman’s. For that reason, we’ve updated this article with some more relevant information.

Jimmy McGill’s career as a lawyer had a very humble beginning

He started out as a small-time con artist named Slippin’ Jimmy

Before we admire his hard work, it is important to remember exactly where Jimmy was in life at the beginning of the celebrated Better call SaulTo put his former life and his image as an ex-convict behind him, he had financed an online law degree and passed the bar exam while also working a full-time job in the mailroom of his brother Chuck’s company, which already underscored his extreme dedication. Even though Jimmy passed the bar exam, Chuck secretly refused to let him join the firm.because he feared that his brother lacked the proper sense of morals to be a “real lawyer” and that his “Slipping Jimmy” days were not really behind him. This led to Jimmy trying to make it as a successful lawyer all on his own, which was easier said than done.

Jimmy started out as a public defender and lived as modest a lifestyle as you could imagine, both personally and professionally. He lacked the necessary equipment and access to resources that make private attorneys so successful in certain cases. Most of the time, things didn’t go the way he imagined, from the trial to pleading guilty to trying to avoid courthouse parking fees. While most of the other attorneys drove luxury cars, Jimmy was stuck with a yellow Suzuki Esteem on his last legs. Since he did not have the means to rent or own a legitimate apartment, he even slept in the closet of Mrs. Nguyen’s salon.which he converted into a makeshift office/bedroom. While his personal life lacked comfort, his professional life was a constant revolving door between business and repetition of defences, especially in the early parts of Better call Saul Season 1.

A montage in season 1 of Better Call Saul showed Jimmy’s hard dedication to his work

Season 1, Episode 2, “Mijo”

The second episode of Better call SaulThe successful first season entitled “Mijo” offers perhaps one of the most successful montages of the breaking Bad Universe. It has since been referred to as the “It’s Showtime” sequence of the series. Although it does not have a major impact on the overall story of the episode or the show itself, it does show the amount of hard, coffee-fueled work Jimmy puts into every case he takes on, and the many difficulties real lawyers go through in their profession. Because of their limited resources and influence, the job of a public defender is often viewed as thankless.

Considering how many cases they handle on a daily basis and how much more time they spend in courtrooms than the average private attorney, the “It’s Showtime” sequence is certainly one of the more realistic media depictions of the day-to-day life of a PD. Throughout the montage, Jimmy is constantly shown making the famous All this jazz Quote: “It’s showtime, folks!” to motivate himself for each defense. Unfortunately, he often faces countless uphill battles, especially when navigating the bureaucracy of the criminal court system.

As he continually and desperately tries to negotiate a deal with defense attorney Bill Oakley, he is repeatedly presented with “petty with a criminal record” as the only possible solution. Oakley only agrees to an alternative once, when Jimmy offers him his bag of chips as compensation. When he meets with his clients, the vast majority of these encounters take place right outside a shared prison cell. Jimmy even goes out of his way to lend his belt to one of his disheveled customers to make him more presentable to the judge. This one special detail adds even more realism to the montage. This practice of lending belts and ties to clients who do not have access to acceptable and courtroom-mandated clothing accessories is very common among public defenders, especially in low-income areas.

Breaking Bad – The Wonderful World of Evil The universe has dealt a lot of characters a hard time, and in addition to all the stress and hardship Jimmy has to endure just to get small, meager paychecks from the court clerk, he endures constant hassle with Mike Ehrmantraut to avoid paying for parking. In nearly five minutes Audiences know exactly what kind of lawyer Jimmy McGill was in the years before he landed the role of Saul Goodman. and corrupts him. Not only that, but despite the difficulty of the job, the montage is simply fun to watch him at work.

What makes Jimmy McGill the best lawyer on TV?

The series finale shows what he was always meant to be

At one point, at least, Jimmy McGill was one of the most realistic lawyers ever portrayed in television legal dramas. Although the position of private attorney grants the privilege of having access to all the expensive suits and cars that Davis & Main and even Saul Goodman & Associates would later provide him with, Jimmy had to start at the bottom of the legal ladder. Most lawyers may view their clients and cases as just another client or case in their career. but it seems that Jimmy considered these two things as something more personal. He might rarely be able to get his clients released or get them a lighter sentence, but having been in their shoes before during his time as “Slipping Jimmy,” he knew exactly what it felt like to be in their shoes. Therefore, Jimmy saw each of them as an opportunity to save them, just as Chuck had saved him before.

Although it came at great expense, Jimmy eventually became the lawyer he always wanted to be. As the montage shows, his life as a low-level public defender was drastically different and more difficult. But during that time, he was also arguably a much harder worker, as well as a much more decent and compassionate person. Despite what Chuck says in Better call Saul In the penultimate episode of the first season, Jimmy was as much a “real lawyer” as any other. Although his life outside of work was neither personally nor financially stable as a private attorney could afford, it was clear that Jimmy McGill had earned the title of “world’s greatest lawyer” long before he ever became Saul Goodman. This development is ultimately confirmed by the series finale “Saul Gone”, in which he is willing to help the other inmates of his prison.

There are other great lawyers on TV

Only one other TV lawyer is in no way inferior to Jimmy McGill

There are numerous legal TV shows with hundreds or even thousands of characters – especially if you consider the law and order Franchise. However, there are very few TV lawyers who have gained as much respect and admiration as Better call Saul‘s Jimmy McGill. Diane Lockhart may belong to the leadership class, but the character arc of the stalwart lawyer remains solid and captivating through The good wife And The good fight. On the other side of the sociopolitical spectrum is Woo Young-woo, an incredibly brilliant and neurodiverse lawyer who strives to prove her worth. Extraordinary Lawyer WooThe release of the second season is planned for 2024.

Although many of the lawyers in Boston Law Firm They may be white men who wear Armani, smoke Cuban beer and own a mansion, but some of them fight tooth and nail for the oppressed. James Spader’s Alan Shore is a remarkable example of legal heroism, but William Shatner’s Denny Crane should not be forgotten either. All in all, however, The only TV lawyer who could match Jimmy McGill would be Annalise Keating from How to get away with murder. Annalise is undoubtedly one of Viola Davis’ best roles, testing the limits of her personal and professional resolve over the course of the show’s five seasons – a transformative journey like no other.