Chuck McGill: It's Electric!

[fuzzysneakers]

I think Chuck has Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. I found an article. It even mentions a problem being near cell phones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_hypersensitivity

 

ETA: I was trying to come up with a catch name for this thread and the Electric Slide started playing in my head. I can't get rid of it! I will probably start hearing that song in my head every time Michael McKean comes on my screen, LOL.

Edited February 10, 2015 by fuzzysneakers

[editorgrrl]

I don't understand the thread title. The character's name is Chuck McGill.

And while he believes he's super-sensitive to electricity, I think he's mentally ill.

[Ronin Jackson]

In some of the early press releases, it was announced that Michael McKean was cast as "Chuck Thurber".  But yes, the character is named Chuck McGill.  Maybe they were trying to keep it a secret that McKean was Saul/Jimmy's brother?  I'm not really sure what the explanation is.

[halgia]

(Fixed the thread title.)

I also saw him as being portrayed exclusively as being mentally ill, not actually being electromagnetically sensitive, though I suppose if he actually were we wouldn't necessarily have seen anything different so far....

[Umbelina]

This is the one character that really isn't working for me.

 

I have faith in the writers though, and am hoping for something really good to come out of him.

[editorgrrl]

According the character bio at AMCtv.com, 

Jimmy's older brother Chuck McGill is a name partner at one of Albuquerque's most prestigious law firms. A brilliant man of high ideals, Chuck believes that doing the right thing is the true and proper route to success. Unfortunately, an unusual illness makes it difficult for him to lead a normal life.

[fuzzysneakers]

Thank you Dougal for fixing the thread title. This is my first time starting a thread.

[Bryce Lynch]

I just remembered that the babbling tweaker in Jesse's house who got the pizza and dipping sticks in "Bullet Points" expressed a fear of radiation similar to Chuck's.

[Quilt Fairy]

I just listened to the first BCS podcast, and they mention that they intentionally didn't get too specific about Chuck's illness, at least early on. They want the viewer to wonder what's up with him.  All is supposed to be revealed by the end of the season.

[Constantinople]

Going forward, I wonder if Chuck is going to try to figure out a way to keep some kind of tabs on Jimmy.

 

In the pilot, Chuck said he wasn't a recluse when Jimmy asked Chuck if Hamlin had stopped by.

 

In Hero (Episode 3), when Jimmy stopped by on his newspaper delivery run, but without the Albuquerque Journal, Chuck was skeptical when Jimmy suggested that some kids must have swiped it.  Chuck said something to the effect of how kids love local print journalism.  Then Chuck waited until after Jimmy left to don his aluminum poncho, take a neighbor's paper (while leaving more than enough to buy a replacement).  That was quite an effort for Chuck, and it really freaked him out.  It may partly be an OCD thing of Chuck's where he has to read certain newspapers each day.  But I think he was also wondering about his brother.

[Bannon]

I am more convinced than ever that Chuck's mental illness is going to result in something violent befalling him, and Jimmy is going to have gigantic feeling of guilt about that, with the remorseful con artist/lawyer being the central feature of the show going forward. I really like the concept. Lord Jim as a strip mall attorney!

[editorgrrl]

From episode 4, "Hero":

I'm starting to like the stuff with Chuck. Him venturing out with his tinfoil cape was a great scene. The way it was shot -- strange angles, quick cuts, loud ambient noise -- really made you feel what he was going thru. And then I loved the cut to the neighbor watching him. From crazed chaos to quiet.

So now I'm curious what Chuck is going to do about Jimmy.

I was so busy laughing, I didn't fully appreciate the artistry of that scene.

In the preview for next episode, Chuck's in trouble. Does the neighbor call the cops?

[Nashville]

From episode 4, "Hero":

I was so busy laughing, I didn't fully appreciate the artistry of that scene.

In the preview for next episode, Chuck's in trouble. Does the neighbor call the cops?

After she took the money, no doubt.

[nikkibond]

Fanart: http://skreened.com/smashup/heisensaul

[shapeshifter]

So Chuck perks up to make coffee only after Jimmy assures him he has a future in "elder law." And Chuck did not react to the doctor's secretly exposing him to electricity in the hospital. Both point to it being "all in his head" or he is doing it to manipulate Jimmy into going legitimate, which, if so, is a whole lotta love, given the life style that entails for Chuck.

I'm guessing Chuck does have both a real physical condition and a psychosomatic condition. I have chronic pain that is best alleviated by distracting myself with work, TV shows, etc. The pain is real, but the mind can be stronger.

Chuck seems to feel responsible for Jimmy--maybe a deathbed promise to their parent(s)?

[fuzzysneakers]

I still think he has Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. I agree, he's not all right in the head...but I think that one is a symptom of the other. Either the Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity has made him mentally ill or vice versa.

 

Just a quick question...Wouldn't an electric hospital bed be grounded? I mean, the wires, etc. would have to be heavily insulated in order for the bed to not spark and go up in flames. Maybe that is why the bed didn't effect him. He is basically laying on a "rubber like" mattress after all.

 

ETA: I think simple mental illness is too easy of a cop out for the writers. I think Vince Gilligan and the other writers are a little more creative than that. At least I hope, lol. I'm still trying to imagine what their definition of a "Chicago Sunroof "could be. Urban Dictionary isn't really helping out on that one.

Edited March 3, 2015 by fuzzysneakers

[editorgrrl]

So Chuck perks up to make coffee…

I see what you did there!

I think the age difference is great enough that Chuck has felt responsible for Jimmy since the day the latter was born. (The actors were born 15 years apart; I honestly have no idea how old the characters are supposed to be. Nor Mike.)

[editorgrrl]

From the "Alpine Shepherd Boy" thread (season 1, episode 5). The bolding is mine:

Chuck wants to believe he will get better but also is in total denial about the true source of his problems and the fact it is a psychosis and not a true physical problem. 

 

The longer that goes on and he does not confront that, the less likely he is to "get better".  I see this every day as a physician.  Patients say they will "do anything" to get better but then are in denial about the true nature of their problem and what they actually need to do to get better.  This is actually an interesting and very relevant, modern, real life scenario.  Its a great way to introduce the concept of secondary gain for a patient, which is what must be determined in order for them to get better.  What is Chuck gaining from the delusion?  Not wanting to return to the law firm?  Not wanting to face something outside his house?  There has to be something or some reason why he has created this scenario where basically he has isolated himself from the rest of society.  

 

Chuck said symptoms began approximately two years ago, and Kim said he left HHM a year & half ago. I have no idea what the initial trigger might have been—the death of his mother, maybe? Or whatever happened to the other "H" in HHM?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Just a quick question...Wouldn't an electric hospital bed be grounded? I mean, the wires, etc. would have to be heavily insulated in order for the bed to not spark and go up in flames. Maybe that is why the bed didn't effect him. He is basically laying on a "rubber like" mattress after all.

It's been a long time since the discovery that early cell phones were giving people cancer, so the bed would be designed to avoid exposing patients to too much electromagnetic radiation, which is what Chuck is concerned with (not electric current). It's an open question whether that should still be enough for him to feel in order to be consistent with his claims.

[morgankobi]

Boogie woogie woogie.

 

 

(So sorry, I had to do that one time.)

[fuzzysneakers]

Boogie woogie woogie.

 

(So sorry, I had to do that one time.)

 

Hee Hee. Thanks for the morning smile morgankobi :)

[J.McGill]

I still think he has Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. I agree, he's not all right in the head...but I think that one is a symptom of the other. Either the Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity has made him mentally ill or vice versa.

 

Just a quick question...Wouldn't an electric hospital bed be grounded? I mean, the wires, etc. would have to be heavily insulated in order for the bed to not spark and go up in flames. Maybe that is why the bed didn't effect him. He is basically laying on a "rubber like" mattress after all.

 

ETA: I think simple mental illness is too easy of a cop out for the writers. I think Vince Gilligan and the other writers are a little more creative than that. At least I hope, lol. I'm still trying to imagine what their definition of a "Chicago Sunroof "could be. Urban Dictionary isn't really helping out on that one.

 

Even if the hospital bed is grounded, it does not mean it does not cause electromagnetic field. So, microwave is also grounded but not to eliminate electromagnetic field but for electric leakage. If there is electricity there is electromagnetic field.

Edited March 4, 2015 by J.McGill

[ALenore]

I don't think this is what will happen with Chuck, but maybe he could relocate here: http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/the-town-without-wi-fi/

 

The residents of Green Bank, West Virginia, can’t use cell phones, wi-fi, or other kinds of modern technology due to a high-tech government telescope. Recently, this ban has made the town a magnet for technophobes, and the locals aren’t thrilled to have them.

 

[turbogirlnyc]

This thread title is brilliant! Not sure if it has anything to do with The Electric Slide but... I laughed out loud.

Edited March 5, 2015 by turbogirlnyc

[DrSpaceman]

I'm still expecting Vince Gilligan to convince us it's all in his head and then turn around and have it be something else. If that is what's going on, maybe the physical trigger is an intermittent internal stimulus--like a metal tooth filling picking up radio signals, but not that.

 

 

I hope they don't do this. 

 

As a doctor, patients watch these shows and take cues from these shows.  While I find shows like House and medical dramas interesting and thoughr provoking, they take a real, serious toll on day to day medical practice and trying to convince patients that many subjective symptoms are not indicative of anythhing seriously wrong. 

 

Everyone has this view of medicine as the classic what I call "occam's razor" phenomenom that is shown on House and such shows where someone comes with the a bizarre array of symptoms and they are all explained in an hour by one diagnosis that just needs to be found.  While that DOES happen on occasion, it is the exception, not the rule. 

 

And even in cases where there MIGHT be a physical basis for it, often patients like chuck have a huge psychological overlay. 

 

I don't blame just fictional TV shows for this, there are many reasons.  Facebook, misinformation all over the internet, american in general being scientifically ignorant and also despite having a huge databate of possible information often only consuming news/studies from a few biased sources, many societal and social reasons. But these type of shows are one reason. 

 

Each time a show like this shows a patient with bizarre symptoms and for the sake of a good story comes up with some odd scientific plausible explanation, the expectations of patients diverge just a little bit more from reality

Edited March 5, 2015 by DrSpaceman

[ghoulina]

think the age difference is great enough that Chuck has felt responsible for Jimmy since the day the latter was born. (The actors were born 15 years apart; I honestly have no idea how old the characters are supposed to be. Nor Mike.)

 

I don't either, but I do get the impression that there was a rather significant age difference there, and that Chuck helped raise Jimmy to a degree. Maybe not 15 years, but I could see there being a 10 year age difference. 

 

Chuck said symptoms began approximately two years ago, and Kim said he left HHM a year & half ago. I have no idea what the initial trigger might have been—the death of his mother, maybe? Or whatever happened to the other "H" in HHM?

 

I'm thinking either something happened with Jimmy. He was up to something sneaky. Maybe involving HHM, if he did indeed work there in a lower level position. It really seems, to me, that a lot of Chuck's issues stem from worrying about Jimmy and what he is up to. 

[editorgrrl]

In the "Better Call Saul" Insider podcast for episode 5, they said Chuck was wearing a wedding ring in the episode 3 flashback.

[ghoulina]

Interesting!

[kieyra]

I still think he has Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. I agree, he's not all right in the head...but I think that one is a symptom of the other. Either the Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity has made him mentally ill or vice versa.

 

Just a quick question...Wouldn't an electric hospital bed be grounded? I mean, the wires, etc. would have to be heavily insulated in order for the bed to not spark and go up in flames. Maybe that is why the bed didn't effect him. He is basically laying on a "rubber like" mattress after all.

 

ETA: I think simple mental illness is too easy of a cop out for the writers. I think Vince Gilligan and the other writers are a little more creative than that. At least I hope, lol. I'm still trying to imagine what their definition of a "Chicago Sunroof "could be. Urban Dictionary isn't really helping out on that one.

 

I'm not sure you're reading the article you've linked:

 

 

The majority of provocation trials to date have found that self-described sufferers of electromagnetic hypersensitivity are unable to distinguish between exposure to real and fake electromagnetic fields,[3][4] and it is not recognized as a medical condition by the medical or scientific communities. Since a systematic review in 2005 showing no convincing scientific evidence for it being caused by electromagnetic fields,[3] several double-blind experiments have been published, each of which has suggested that people who report electromagnetic hypersensitivity are unable to detect the presence of electromagnetic fields and are as likely to report ill health following a sham exposure as they are following exposure to genuine electromagnetic fields, suggesting the cause to be the nocebo effect.[5][6][7]

 

And

 

 

 

Seven studies were found which did report an association, while 24 could not find any association with electromagnetic fields. However, of the seven positive studies, two could not be replicated even by the original authors, three had serious methodological shortcomings, and the final two presented contradictory results.

One of the studies which Rubin et al. reviewed, known as the Essex study, received some criticism for its methodology and analysis, and the authors responded in full to these initial criticisms.[21] The authors additionally noted that their study says nothing about the long-term effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields, but those affected generally claimed to respond to the fields within a few minutes.

Since the Rubin et al. 2005 review, several more double-blind experiments have been published, each of which has suggested that people who report electromagnetic hypersensitivity are unable to detect the presence of electromagnetic fields and are as likely to report ill health following a sham exposure, as they are following exposure to genuine electromagnetic fields.[5][6][7]

In 2010 Rubin et al. published a follow up to their original review which included 15 experiments done since the last original review, bringing the totals up to 46 double-blind experiments and 1175 individuals with claimed hypersensitivity. The study confirmed the results of the original, claiming "no robust evidence could be found" to support the hypothesis that electromagnetic exposure causes EHS. The review also found that the studies included did support the role of the nocebo effect in triggering acute symptoms in those with EHS.[22] In 2008, another systematic review reached the same conclusion.[4]

 

TL;DR: It's not actually that hard to prove that the sufferers can't tell a 'real' electromagnetic field from a fake one, so I have to put this squarely in the 'all in their head' category.

 

I admit this doesn't mean the person experiencing it isn't suffering. It does mean I hope Vince Gilligan doesn't try to go the 'this is a real physical disorder' route, which would be a very anti-science move. 

[editorgrrl]

TL;DR: It's not actually that hard to prove that the sufferers can't tell a 'real' electromagnetic field from a fake one, so I have to put this squarely in the 'all in their head' category.

 

I admit this doesn't mean the person experiencing it isn't suffering. It does mean I hope Vince Gilligan doesn't try to go the 'this is a real physical disorder' route, which would be a very anti-science move. 

 

In episode 5 ("Alpine Shepherd Boy"), the doctor tells Jimmy, "This 'allergy to electricity' isn't real—it's a manifestation of something deeper." To which Jimmy replies, "I'm not saying it's 100% real, okay? But Chuck is smarter than you and me put together, so we're not talking him out of this, and I'm not sending him to a rubber room."

 

When they get home, Jimmy tells Chuck, "I think you got sick 'cause you saw this story." They talk it out, Jimmy reassures Chuck he's "on the up-and-up," and suddenly Chuck is well enough to make coffee.

 

TPTB have made it pretty clear that Chuck is mentally ill. And now we (the audience) know that Jimmy knows it, too.

[DrSpaceman]

Also in regard to CHuck being rendered nonfunctional by a small penlight, there is just no physical way for that to happen even if you assume for a minute he is sensitive to electromagnetic fields.  That penlight probably has a little aa/aaa battery or two.  If I remember by high school physics correclty, the power of that electromagnetic field, even as small as it is to begin with, falls off in power inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.  And that is in air, not in body tissue.  There is no possible way that small field is reaching Chuck nervous system even if you stuck it in his ears, pressed it into his abdomen, stuck it on his head, no matter where you put it. 

 

The doctor may have been trying to trick him with it, but it actually proves how little physical validity to his symptoms the way it happened.  Too small an object and field to reach his nervous system

[PinkSprinkles]

I really hope Chuck doesn't become the FPP (Walking Dead) of this show. 

[ShadowFacts]

What about that type of encephalopathy that afflicts pro athletes who've had head injuries, where they have many unhealthy behaviors and some end up killing themselves?  A head injury, or repeated injuries, or maybe undiagnosed seizure disorder where he has multiple small seizures and he stays conscious but zones out a bit and then attributes that to outside factors?  Not a scientist or medical person, just throwing out ideas because I doubt this is as simple as straight-up schizophrenia or the like.  Unless it is.

[Christina]

I posted in one of the episode threads about having multiple sclerosis, and that those of us with neurological conditions CAN and DO feel electricity in some instances. This is not unheard of or news to neurologists. I am quite surprised a doctor keeps insisting it is only psychosomatic.

 

I am aware of those studies showing the electromagnetic hypersensitivity being unproven. People claiming that condition had very specific claims of several things being wrong with them physically when being around, say high-power electrical lines. The studies were not able to recreate the symptoms. I was not aware that any study ever did, but someone had posted in that episode thread about one. That is not what I am referring to when I say we can feel electricity. Lightning strikes, MRI and CT machines, some people have issues on airplanes, etc. I've never even had a radiologist tech surprised when I reacted during an abdominal CT. I've had several and only react during MS flares. It's just not uncommon when dealing with neurological conditions.

 

I do think that the show is trying to present Chuck as believing he has an electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and that it is mental illness as opposed to anything physical. However, if he were to discover a neurological condition, possibly caused by a head injury like ShadowFacts mentions, it wouldn't be unrealistic. I know a man who had his phone in his right front pocket and it rang on vibrate. He felt it on his back left side. His neurologist told him it was nerve damage from his concussive syndrome, where the wires got crossed. Medicine is continuing to learn about brain injuries.

 

I can also tell you when the weather is going to change. So can my neighbor who broke his back several years ago, and many people with arthritis, gout, etc. A condition which is also not unheard of, but difficult to recreate.

[Mindymoo]

Christina, 

 

I can believe are people who are sensitive to those things. I have fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and can tell when the weather will change. So I understand if some people with certain diseases are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields. What I have a hard time believing is the electromagnetic sensitivity being the only part of the disease, as opposed to a secondary symptom. Especially with all of the double-blind studies that have been done. 

Edited March 7, 2015 by Mindy McIndy

[wrestlesflamingos]

This thoughtful discussion is moving too far away from our subject. Lets refocus, please.

[editorgrrl]

On the "Better Call Saul" Insider podcast, Vince Gilligan said they named Chuck McGill after

Charles Crumb, the late brother of cartoonist R. Crumb.

He stressed they are not the same character—it was just an insight into the writers' process. But I spoiler-tagged it for those who don't want to know anything above & beyond what is shown on the screen each week.

Edited to add from the "Alpine Shepherd Boy" thread:

As for a triggering event for Chuck's condition, I imagine Jimmy had something to do with it. In the first show, it seemed as if Jimmy had at one time been part of the firm. I wonder if he was dismissed from the firm by doing something somewhat unethical (or was set up - I can see that odious partner setting him up). It couldn't have been huge, or he would have been disbarred. Chuck would have been deeply torn and traumatized by that, since he has such high standards and loves his brother.

Edited March 7, 2015 by editorgrrl

[Starchild]

I have fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and can tell when the weather will change. So I understand if some people with certain diseases are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields

That's not an EM sensitivity thing. People with joint damage can sometimes feel air pressure changes related to weather events (affects joint fluids).

[kieyra]

It seems that RICO confirmed it's all in Chuck's head, although I suppose they could still throw us a curveball next week. 

[Conan Troutman]

I'll try to make some sense of Chuck's relationship with Jimmy from his point of view.

 

- He apparently either didn't want to hire Jimmy at HHM or was easily persuaded by Hamlin not to. And from a rational standpoint, that's absolutely valid: HHM clearly has to get lots and lots of applications, most or all of them from talented, hard working people from a respected law school with probably top degrees and plenty of other recommendations. Jimmy, on the other hand, went to a joke of a law school, at least compared to the other applicants, not the mention his more than shady past. There's no way in hell Hamlin would agree to hiring him over all of those other guys, and I can't blame him for it - though I do blame him for still taking the cake, what an asshole. Even Chuck couldn't possibly make a good case for Jimmy other than him being his brother, even if he wanted. So while it surely has to be heartbreaking for Jimmy, he really should've seen that coming and not getting his (empty) hopes up.

 

- Back to the present (I assume the case indeed goes to HHM, as anything else would be a big surprise): Jimmy can't possibly take on that Sandpiper case alone. That's not even a question of competence, but simply one of manpower, experience and financial backing (it's going to be long and very, very costly before he's goint to see any money at all, even if the case is relatively easy to win). So Jimmy would have to find a big firm to back him up, and Chuck of course has to think "why shouldn't it be HHM?". In addition, Jimmy's reputation or lack thereof might lead to some problems if he were in charge of the case.

 

So it wouldn't be only understandable from Chuck's POV to a) not having hired Jimmy years ago and b) taking the case to HHM, I'd argue that these decisions are really the only sensible options for him in both cases. So while Jimmy could still feel screwed and/or treated disrespectfully, Chuck has good reason to think he's doing the right thing and get in a defensive/stubborn position should Jimmy confront him.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Conan Troutman

[ShadowFacts]

I mostly agree that it is understandable from Chuck's point of view, with a couple limitations.  First, Jimmy passed the bar.  He is as likely to know the law as anyone else who passed it, and the way he went about getting his legal education proves his grit and determination.  And hey, JFK, Jr. took three attempts as well, I believe.  Admittedly he went to a better school, but Jimmy's was accredited, so there's that.  Second, if Chuck had so little respect for what Jimmy accomplished that he couldn't deign to take him on as an associate, he damn well could have helped him with a job elsewhere.  That he didn't hire him at his own firm and thought he was justified is one thing, but leaving him hang there without further help (that we know of), I hold that against big bro, and don't think that is justifiable.

[wrestlesflamingos]

Chuck did help Jimmy get a job, presumably in HHM's mailroom. Chuck also seemed cold enough that several years of time passed as Jimmy worked on his degree and the bar exam. It doesn't seem like Chuck and Jimmy talk, or trust each other. I could see Chuck waving his hands at the job rejection and pumping Jimmy up to "Do it the right way, work your way up" while Jimmy has been doing exactly that, and getting pooped on.

[tennisgurl]

I feel like, in flashback interactions they have, that Chuck has always been kind of cold and distant from Jimmy, with Jimmy always trying to earn his approval. Do we know anything about their parents or family? Its makes their current dynamic a really interesting one. 

[editorgrrl]

I feel like, in flashback interactions they have, that Chuck has always been kind of cold and distant from Jimmy, with Jimmy always trying to earn his approval. Do we know anything about their parents or family?

Better Call Saul shows rather than tells, so we don't know many facts about the McGill family. But you've got the dynamic between Chuck & Jimmy right.

The cold open from episode 3, "Nacho," is set in Chicago c. 1992. Chuck's wearing a wedding ring:

Chuck: I haven't seen you in what, five years? We barely hear from you. Now that you're in it up to your neck, you can't even call me yourself—you have Mom call me?…

Jimmy: Look, I know I'm a lousy brother—I'm a big screw-up. And if I was just a better person, I would not only stop letting you down—you know what? I'd stop letting me down. And it's about time that I started to make both of us proud. Am I right?

Chuck: Guard!

Edited March 26, 2015 by editorgrrl

[ToastnBacon]

From the "Alpine Shepherd Boy" thread (season 1, episode 5). The bolding is mine:

 

Chuck said symptoms began approximately two years ago, and Kim said he left HHM a year & half ago. I have no idea what the initial trigger might have been—the death of his mother, maybe? Or whatever happened to the other "H" in HHM?

There hasn't been a solid reference to the other Hamlin yet, so that is a very good possibility. I have been thinking the EMF hypersenitivity was really just Chuck cracking under pressure from a high stress job.

However if we assume that Chuck really does strive to live by a highly ethical and moral code, then his psychosomatic illness is possibly linked to him being forced to betray his morals at the law firm.

To the poster that provided a wiki-link to EMF hypersensitivity, it is NOT a recognized illness by the medical or scientific communities. That wiki article even makes note of that.

It is pretty clear to me that Chuck's problem revolves around something bad that happened at the law firm. Chuck's jitters and self doubt when the "Sandpiper landed" are strong evidence of his real problem being connected to practicing law again.

[ShadowFacts]

I mentioned in a different thread that it looks almost like Chuck has a severe phobia mixed with some obsessive/compulsive features.  I'm not in the mental health field, only guessing, and I guess labels don't matter that much.  I agree that it probably began with anxieties around his workplace.  When he got into Jimmy's elders and their files, he became immersed once again in something he knew and was good at, without the pressure of the firm.  That started him possibly on the road to recovery.  What will happen as a result will be interesting to see.  He could continue forward progress, maybe with help, or backslide, or worse. 

[ToastnBacon]

I mentioned in a different thread that it looks almost like Chuck has a severe phobia mixed with some obsessive/compulsive features.  I'm not in the mental health field, only guessing, and I guess labels don't matter that much.  I agree that it probably began with anxieties around his workplace.  When he got into Jimmy's elders and their files, he became immersed once again in something he knew and was good at, without the pressure of the firm.  That started him possibly on the road to recovery.  What will happen as a result will be interesting to see.  He could continue forward progress, maybe with help, or backslide, or worse.

I like the way the episode ended with Chuck dropping the box of files. What happens next? He could collapse or start rejoicing.

I'm pretty sure he will finally realize it was all in his head; however, there is a chance that Chuck will attribute it to his stupid endurance therapy.

The reason I want Chuck to cast off his delusion is I really want to know what the hell happened to him at HHM that caused him to withdraw.

[editorgrrl]

Chuck was right about a couple if things:  1) Jimmy is like a chimp with a machine gun when it comes to working on cases, and 2) there will always be a bit of Slippin' Jimmy in him.  However, Chuck was wrong in seeing those as negative qualities.  If I'm hiring a lawyer, those things are exactly what I want in someone.  So yeah, Chuck can go fuck himself.  Tin foil bastard.

 

I hereby nominate this is as the new thread title.

[Umbelina]

I so disagree with that.  axlmadonna said it better though, in the episode thread.

 

Jimmy isn't a chimp with a machine gun, and never will be, even when he becomes Saul.  At all.

[ShadowFacts]

I'm just liking the tin foil bastard as thread title part.