What Better Call Saul Teaches About Grief and Identity
Lessons from Character Transformation
Better Call Saul explores how people confront grief and shape their identity in the face of loss, guilt, and personal failure. The show follows Jimmy McGill’s journey as he copes with trauma and difficult choices, often displaying how unresolved grief can transform a person’s sense of self.
Characters in Better Call Saul navigate their pain in different ways, revealing that grief is not just about mourning the past but also about redefining who they are. The consequences of their choices show how people sometimes bury their true emotions or adopt new identities to survive.
Through nuanced storytelling, Better Call Saul illustrates that the struggle with grief is deeply connected to the struggle with identity, offering viewers insight into how personal hardships can lead to profound inner change.
Exploring Grief and Identity in Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul examines how personal identity evolves under pressure from trauma and loss. The series follows Jimmy McGill as he copes with grief, reshaping himself into Saul Goodman.
Defining Personal Identity Through Jimmy McGill’s Journey
Jimmy McGill’s struggle with identity is central to Better Call Saul. His journey is defined by the tension between his desire for legitimacy and the pull toward morally gray choices. The character constantly shifts between being earnest and resorting to deception, highlighting the internal conflicts that drive his transformation.
A pivotal aspect is how external relationships, especially with Chuck McGill, influence Jimmy’s sense of self. Chuck's expectations and judgment weigh heavily, shaping Jimmy’s need for validation. When those relationships break or dissolve, Jimmy’s foundation of self becomes unstable, pushing him closer to becoming Saul Goodman.
Jimmy’s evolving self can be understood as a response to disappointment and the need for acceptance. The gradual erosion of his belief in himself as "good" marks the shift from Jimmy to Saul.
The Role of Trauma in Shaping Saul Goodman
Trauma is a consistent force in Jimmy McGill’s evolution. The death of Chuck McGill and the constant pressure from the legal system serve as turning points. These events create lasting scars, altering Jimmy’s worldview and coping strategies.
Saul Goodman emerges as a persona built to shield Jimmy from the pain associated with his past. By adopting this new identity, he distances himself from vulnerability. This separation is not just about survival—it's about finding a space where old hurts cannot reach him.
Repeated exposure to setbacks and betrayal teaches Jimmy to expect the worst from those around him. As a result, empathy gradually fades and cynicism grows. Saul Goodman becomes both a defense mechanism and a deliberate reinvention.
The Impact of Loss and Grief on Character Development
Loss and grief are key driving forces behind several character arcs in Better Call Saul, especially Jimmy’s. Chuck’s death leaves Jimmy with unresolved guilt, anger, and a sense of abandonment that influences his every decision afterward.
Grief alters how he approaches relationships and ethical choices. Instead of processing his feelings, Jimmy buries them with bravado and risky behavior. This pattern reinforces the shift from Jimmy McGill’s conflicted persona to Saul Goodman’s self-assured but detached identity.
Characters like Kim Wexler also demonstrate how loss shapes their approach to relationships and morality. In this world, grief does not simply fade; it fundamentally reshapes identity, ambition, and the capacity for trust.
The Transformation from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman
Jimmy McGill’s journey into the persona of Saul Goodman is shaped by the close relationships he maintains, the pivotal moral choices he faces, and his early years as “Slippin’ Jimmy.” These forces combine to illuminate the complex connection between grief, personal loss, and the evolution of identity.
The Influence of Chuck McGill and Kim Wexler
Chuck McGill’s constant skepticism and disappointment deeply impact Jimmy’s self-image. Chuck’s belief that Jimmy is inherently dishonest causes Jimmy to feel both rejected and motivated. This dynamic pushes him toward the persona of Saul Goodman as a way to forge his own identity outside his brother’s shadow.
Kim Wexler, on the other hand, provides encouragement and partnership but also struggles with her own moral compass. Her relationship with Jimmy is marked by a mix of admiration, concern, and complicity in his schemes. The shifting ground between approval and judgment from both Chuck and Kim sets the stage for Jimmy’s rationalizations and his eventual embrace of his Saul Goodman persona.
Influences Table
Character Impact on Jimmy Chuck McGill Undermines confidence, intensifies self-doubt Kim Wexler Encourages daring, challenges morality
Moments of Moral Judgment and Redemption
Key episodes force Jimmy to confront decisions with lasting consequences. His choices often involve blurred ethical lines, such as altering legal documents in ways that benefit himself but harm others, notably during courtroom battles involving Chuck.
Grief and guilt surface periodically, especially after Chuck’s death and during periods of estrangement from Kim. These emotions drive him to moments of attempted redemption—sometimes seeking forgiveness, other times doubling down on Saul’s unscrupulous methods. Each moral judgment, whether his own or from others, helps carve the path away from Jimmy McGill and toward the fully realized Saul Goodman identity.
How Slippin’ Jimmy Shapes Identity Change
Jimmy’s early alter ego, “Slippin’ Jimmy,” represents his tendency toward con artistry and quick thinking. These formative years in Cicero, running minor cons, establish core behavioral patterns: charm, risk-taking, and the use of clever tricks to evade responsibility.
Rather than outgrowing this persona, Jimmy adapts it into his legal career, merging his knack for deception with courtroom tactics. Slippin’ Jimmy becomes the foundation of Saul Goodman, blending law with manipulation. This evolution highlights how unresolved grief and identity struggles from his past merge into the construct of Saul—a survival strategy forged through both necessity and habit.
Grief and Loss in Relationships
Loss within Better Call Saul is intertwined with identity, affecting core choices and behavior. Characters experience trauma not only through death, but through broken trust, shattered ambitions, and changing self-perceptions. The following explores two distinct paths through grief.
Kim Wexler’s Personal Struggles and Growth
Kim Wexler’s journey is marked by increasing emotional distance and compartmentalization as she faces the consequences of her decisions.
After Howard Hamlin’s death, Kim is haunted by guilt. She withdraws both from Jimmy and her career, eventually giving up her law license—a central part of her identity. These choices reveal how trauma leads her to abandon the ambitions and relationships that once defined her.
Her grief becomes a catalyst for change rather than destruction. She attempts to make amends with those affected by her and Jimmy’s actions, striving for a sense of justice that eluded her previously. Kim’s responses demonstrate that grief can lead to growth when it is confronted rather than avoided.
Howard Hamlin’s Downfall and Its Ripple Effects
Howard Hamlin’s trajectory shifts sharply as he becomes an unintentional victim of Jimmy and Kim’s plan.
He is publicly humiliated and suffers professionally, losing the respect of his peers and the foundation of his personal identity. This emotional trauma is compounded by his isolation; he lacks real support as his world collapses. The night of his death, Howard is calm but broken.
His fate leaves lasting scars on others. Kim and Jimmy face the gravity of their actions, while Howard’s family becomes collateral victims. The shock and grief ripple through every connected character, exposing the harsh costs of reckless behavior and unchecked ambition.
Identity in the Context of Crime and Law
Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman is closely linked to his legal career and the criminal world it draws him into. His struggle with personal identity intensifies as he shifts between conflicting roles and locations, reflecting how law and crime shape individual self-concept.
Navigating Dual Roles as a Criminal Lawyer
Saul Goodman operates at the intersection of legitimate legal practice and criminal activity. He often bends ethical rules to defend clients and protect himself, creating a blurred line between advocate and participant in crime.
Jimmy’s legal persona becomes inseparable from his involvement in illegal schemes. This duality forces him to adopt new strategies, mannerisms, and even speech patterns for survival. It demonstrates how a criminal lawyer’s identity can be split by the demands of both professional obligation and unlawful opportunity.
The conflicting pressures of the legal field and underworld connections shape his decisions. Saul moves between defending the rights of clients and facilitating their criminal activities, revealing a fractured self shaped by legal procedure and illicit conduct.
Maintaining Facades in Omaha and Cinnabon
After fleeing Albuquerque, Saul adopts the identity of Gene Takavic, a cautious manager at a Cinnabon in Omaha. This dramatic change highlights the lengths he goes to erase his past and conceal his true identity.
In Omaha, Gene lives with constant fear of recognition or discovery, resulting in extreme vigilance and isolation. His habits, appearance, and social interactions are carefully curated to avoid drawing attention.
The Cinnabon job serves as both refuge and prison. Gene’s efforts to blend into the mundane routines of mall life further separate him from everything Saul Goodman represented. The necessity of maintaining a facade showcases the complexities of identity change following a history tied to crime and law.
Supporting Characters and Their Influence on Identity
Supporting characters in Better Call Saul do more than move the plot forward. Their interactions and ethical codes heavily influence personal choices and self-perception, pushing others to confront or reinvent their identities.
Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring’s Philosophies
Mike Ehrmantraut shapes the identities of those around him through his unyielding sense of responsibility and his clear moral boundaries, even when acting outside the law. He believes in control, order, and loyalty above all, often discussing the meaning of "good" and "bad" choices with Jimmy McGill.
Gus Fring embodies another approach to identity. He operates with calm precision and keeps his persona as a respectable businessman distinct from his criminal life. Gus’s influence presses others, including Mike and Saul, to navigate the tension between outward appearance and internal truth.
Both men illustrate how a strong moral or personal code can serve as a foundation—or a mask—for identity, especially as individuals encounter grief, guilt, or new pressures.
Character Guiding Principle Impact on Identity Mike Ehrmantraut Responsibility, Order Challenges integrity Gus Fring Control, Duality Encourages compartmentalization
The Role of Jeff in Saul’s Omaha Life
During Saul Goodman’s time as Gene Takavic in Omaha, Jeff disrupts the fragile identity Jimmy has constructed for himself. Jeff’s insistence on drawing Gene back into criminal schemes threatens Jimmy’s attempt to escape his past.
Jeff does not know the full complexity of Saul’s story but recognizes Gene’s dual nature. This forcing of identity recall puts pressure on Saul to decide whether he can truly change or will always be defined by previous choices.
Their relationship highlights how external influences can trigger self-doubt and lead to re-emergence of old behaviors. It shows that escaping grief or guilt is rarely straightforward when others push for continuity with the past.
Parallels Between Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad
Both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad use interconnected characters and storylines to explore personal change and moral conflict. Key figures like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman highlight shifts in identity, while parallel stories examine the possibility and cost of redemption.
Intersections with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are central to Breaking Bad, but their influence also shapes the evolution of Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul. Their appearance in the sixth season bridges the two series, offering context for Saul’s transformation from Jimmy McGill.
The interactions between these characters reveal how each one’s choices affect identity. For example, Saul’s criminal persona emerges as a response to the demands and chaos introduced by Walter and Jesse. The scene recreations and callbacks show how moments from Breaking Bad gain additional meaning and depth when viewed through the lens of Saul’s own journey.
A table of intersections:
Character Breaking Bad Role Better Call Saul Impact Walter White Chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin Triggers Saul's deeper descent into crime Jesse Pinkman Walter's partner, struggling with guilt Interacts with Saul as an uneasy ally Saul Goodman Shady lawyer Origin story reveals reasons for his choices
Shared Themes of Identity and Redemption
Both series closely examine identity and the struggle for redemption. In Breaking Bad, Walter White’s transformation is driven by pride and desperation, causing him to embrace his criminal alter ego. Better Call Saul presents Jimmy McGill’s gradual shift toward becoming Saul Goodman, raising questions about whether people can truly change.
Redemption is a recurring theme. Walter’s attempts to justify his actions often fail, and Jesse’s pursuit of forgiveness becomes one of his defining traits. Jimmy, meanwhile, oscillates between seeking validation as a legitimate lawyer and resorting to schemes for survival.
Bold decisions and moral failings force each character to confront their true nature. These stories use the motif of dual identities—teacher and kingpin, earnest lawyer and con man—to show how difficult, if not impossible, it is to escape one’s past.
Creative Vision: The Impact of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould shaped Better Call Saul with a deliberate focus on visual style, character complexity, and narrative innovation. Their collaborative methods drew heavily from classical cinema and built on lessons learned during Breaking Bad.
Narrative Approaches to Grief and Identity
Gilligan and Gould often structured episodes as intimate puzzles, allowing viewers to piece together character motivations and emotional states. This method emphasized grief and identity without direct exposition, relying instead on visual storytelling and careful pacing.
By presenting Saul Goodman’s transformation in nuanced increments, they gave the audience space to witness shifts in self-perception linked to trauma and regret. Stylistic choices, such as extended silences and shadow-heavy compositions, highlighted internal struggles.
Their use of shifting timelines—particularly black-and-white segments depicting Gene Takavic—demonstrated how grief and lost identity shape and linger in a character’s life. Scenes were crafted to induce viewers to empathize with isolation, guilt, and the process of self-reinvention.
Evolving Character Arcs Across Two Shows
Both creators leveraged the character of Saul Goodman, originally conceived in Breaking Bad, as a foundation and then expanded his arc in Better Call Saul. Jimmy McGill's journey from a hopeful attorney to Saul Goodman was chronicled through unique story devices and visual motifs.
They paid close attention to the consequences of choices, showing how events in one series affected the next. Key relationships (e.g., with Chuck and Kim) vividly demonstrated identity crises and the lasting effects of loss.
By collaborating on consistent visual language and character development, Gilligan and Gould ensured continuity and depth between the two series. Their creative vision offered a detailed exploration of identity reshaped by grief across multiple timelines and contexts.
