Better Call Saul was one of the best TV surprises of last year. Rather than exhaustively recap each episode, though, we thought we’d chart Jimmy McGill’s moral journey by paying attention to his various decisions and assigning him a Dungeons & Dragons-style alignment. Chaotic good? Lawful evil? Neutral…neutral? Depends what the writers decide to do with him. For now, we’re just happy to be along for the ride.
Jimmy’s first appearance in "Cobbler" might be the sweetest moment of Better Call Saul to date. Now blissfully working together on the Sandpiper case, Jimmy and Kim play footsie in a conference room. Afterward, they discuss where they might live (and whether Jimmy should buy a horse). He has the trappings of material success—company car, nice office, enough money to think about getting a new house (and a horse)—and he’s using his tongue for good in the Sandpiper meetings, pursuing his connection with the elderly. Then Chuck comes back.
When Chuck reenters the HHM, it should be a triumphant moment for him, overcoming his illness and returning to work. Instead, he’s framed as an encroaching monster, coming for Jimmy out of spite and anger. And, in response, Jimmy crosses the line. Most of the meat of "Cobbler" focuses on Mike dealing with the idiot drug dealer Pryce and Nacho—a situation that could come down hard to ruin not only Mike’s life, but Jimmy’s as well.
Pressed into giving Pryce legal help, Jimmy spins a classic ridiculous story, full of weird sexual fetishes and creepy benefactors. But in getting Pryce to make a video to confirm his tale, he’s explicitly contravened the law, and threatened his relationship with Kim—maybe not nearly as bad as what he’ll do down the road, but certainly stretching the bounds of his commitment to the straight and narrow. How long will it be before he regresses, and continues to act on those impulses?
Alignment: Neutral Good
