Better Call Saul: Is Revenge Enough? 

*Learns that this is your last BCS video (for a while at least.) * ...........is revenge ENOUGH?

Watching Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul makes you realize also that Los Pollos Hermanos debuted Spicy Curly Fries and then inexplicably took it off the menu in breaking bad and I wish spicy curly fries existed irl

I think it's important to notice not only how many people Gus harm to enact his revenge but also the extend of his revenge. Letting Hector die of a heart attack is too merciful. But dying of a heart attack is much more excruciating than a single gunshot to the head, as was the case of Max. Max dies a "clean" death. But Gus puts Hector through hell, both physically and psychologically, by incapacitating him and then exterminating his entire family one by one. In essence, Gus isn't avenging Max's pain. He is avenging his own pain.

Babe wake up, new What’s Therapy just dropped

always appreciate that in all of your thumbnails every character looks disgruntled that they even have to be there

Better call Saul is okay, Breaking Bad is meh, but Slippin Jimmy, that's true artistic genius. An analysis of that show would be amazing, the moral complexity and deep philosophical interrogation on display is leagues more advanced and nuanced than any other BB property. It's not only the best animated show I've seen, it's the best piece of art I've ever experienced.

Revenge is a key theme in sibling relationships. I speak from experience. Each sibling is mad about something the other did, which was revenge for something the other did, which stretches back to when they were small children. BOTH siblings feel like victims who are entitled to revenge and the circle never stops unless both sides decide to grow up and just let things go. Neither Jimmy nor Chuck was ever mature enough to do that, and so in that way, they are both equally to blame for everything that happened.

20:36 I’m honestly surprised you didn’t mention how this scene with Mike and Manuel parallels the scene in “Waterworks” where Kim gives Cheryl a copy of her affidavit. Although they aren’t 100% alike, the dynamics between the characters in these 2 scenes have noticeable similarities - ie. Mike telling Manuel that the Salamancas with be brought to justice over nacho’s death only to be met with disgust parallels how Kim tries to comfort Cheryl by telling her Howard didn’t suffer, only for Cheryl to get angry at the falseness of the statement, since Howard was emotionally suffering from Kim and Jimmy’s antics. In both scenes, the main character (Kim and Mike) attempts to utilize consoling of a grieving person as a way to subconsciously reduce the guilt they feel for causing/enabling that person’s lost loved one’s death. In both scenes they are met with a response that immediately brings them back down to earth and reminds them that no amount of comforting will ever bring that person back. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Kim and Mike aren’t being genuine with their feeling of guilt and sorrow (they clearly are), but, just like any other human being, they are susceptible to unintentionally utilizing forms of defense mechanisms that they feel can kill two birds with one stone (provide closure while simultaneously preserving their self perception). Not to mention that both scenarios have a moment where the true depravity of the lives the Kim and Mike live(d) truly sinks in. With Kim, it’s fairly obvious I’m referring to the bus breakdown scene, where all her conflicting feeling of guilt, shame, and self pity all come out at once. Although we can’t 100% prove it, I like to think that part of what sparked the breakdown was the fact that Kim realizes that her attempts to atone for what she’s done are futile and have only proven Cheryl point that it will never make up for the cruelty she inflicted on Howard. It’s essentially a less cheesier version of a “how could let myself become such a monster” moment. With Mike, we get an extremely similar, yet much more subtle demonstration of the self awareness of his depraved life sinking in. This being when Manuel walks away from him, and we see Mike behind barbed wire, due to the fact that he is on the other side of the fence. Both of these men have lost their sons, yet Manuel is free because he doesn’t let meaningless obsession over retribution take over his life, while Mike is stuck in a cage, that cage being the twisted etiquette of the cartel world and the deep-seeded resentment that comes with obsessing over revenge. This is one of Mikes last few scenes in BCS (minus any flashbacks or breaking bad timeline scenes), and I think that was done to both setup his much more cold and indifferent personality in breaking bad, and to contribute to the narrative of Mike becoming more and more aware of the bleak and depraved life he is living now. This moment and Kim’s bus breakdown both achieve the same goal of having the character realize their reprehensible actions and paths of life, yet the former does so primarily visually while the latter focuses more of Rhea Seehorn’s portrayal of Kim’s breakdown.

"this gets them in trouble because drugs are illegal" fantastic commentary as always, broski. for real though, awesome video and I'm sad that these BCS videos are ending for a minute. Love your takes and in-depth analysis on the show, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

28:30 the murder of max is mentioned a number of times in the show too. I believe Hector mentioned it and I remember Lalo mention Hector killing “his boyfriend”.

Interesting and enjoyable video as always! *SPOILERS* I do wanna say on the point of Gus' motivation, I think that although a base motivation for money is likely always engrained at some point in our psyche, Gus' revenge is without a shadow of a doubt more important to him in my opinion. I think this is specifically shown through the story of the quati. He didn't seem to do it strictly because it attacked his tree and therefore cut off his source of income, he saw the tree as a point of pride, accomplishment and love. This is the same way he saw max. When that was taken away, his reaction is then to fully dedicate himself to inflicting harm on the culprit: keeping the quati as a "pet", just like he does with Hector. His moves against the cartel also stem back to this, because his ultimate goal is to defeat the Salamancas, not for the money and the power, but for revenge against Hector. I think this is shown in Breaking Bad. Only after he defeats them all does he decide to go and kill Hector, which Walt ends up pushing him to do anyway by having Hector talk to the DEA. I think Gus would've gladly kept Hector alive for much longer otherwise. I'm excited for you to watch Breaking Bad because I think it will provide more context in the little details overall.

So if no more BCS videos for a while, do you think you’re gonna watch Breaking Bad and make thoughtful videos on that show? Would love to see how you analyze Walt, Skyler, and the other characters

Some observations: 1) interesting that Jimmy is lying on the floor when he’s lying to Kim about what happened with his back. 2) Mike suggesting to Nacho that he could teach Pryce a lesson - as if that’s Nacho’s motivation - is really ironic because it’s actually Mike’s motivation. Mike is trying to teach Nacho a lesson.

I love analyzing media and watching analysis videos. However, your video essays on better call Saul are the only critical essays I’ve watched on the show. It’s not that I think others are bad or uninteresting, but your deep rooted connection with psychology and philosophy have amplified the quality your review/analysis. I’ve watched each video, loved it, and am looking forward to whatever you plan to put out in the future!

I want to make sure this is clear to you: Hector didn't just kill Gus's partner. Hector killed Gus's lover. They are gay. We can see evidence from this (aside from the acting) this because Hector kept making fun of them for being gay. Called them "butt-brothers." Gus went on a life-long revenge quest for his murdered love.

Amazing vid as always. Thanks for the content

i binged all of your videos after finishing better call saul, it gave me a lot to think about and made me really fall even more in love with the show. thank you for all of it!!

it seems like everytime i have an urge to rewatch all of your previous BCS content there is another video just around the corner. this has happened 3 times now and im so excited. happy new years!

Needed this. The videos title, it’s significance and timing could not have come better for me. This show always heals it seems. Thank you

My personal opinion on revenge is that if someone wrongs you in a way where you want to seek revenge then they shouldn't be surprised. But then you also shouldn't be surprised of your act if vengeance incurs another act if vengeance from someone else. Its like the saying violence begets violence. Revenge begets revenge if that makes sense. I do like a bit of good old fashioned revenge though.

I love these videos so much. I love how deeply you think about the story and characters and their motivations, conscious and unconscious

Thank you so much for everything you did with this BCS series. I learned so much from you and this awesome comment section 🙌🏻

I watch these as a Better Call Saul fan but also it really makes me reflect on how I conduct myself in life between one’s close to me and one’s I actually hate.

After binging all your better call saul videos, I just gotta say, I love your work so much. You do absolutely fantastic analysis of this amazing show, and I can't believe you only have 23k subs. I hope you do more videos on breaking bad and such, I also recommend shows like Mr. Robot, which many have described as being therapy in a way. I'm just a huge fan and I REALLY appreciate this sort of long form content for such a fantastic tv show.

I love that opening edit.

"Man, this is a grown man and he can't stop himself from making more problems" would've been a great alternate title for the show.

27:25 they actually do mention this in BCS! When Lalo and Bolsa meet in America for the first time, Lalo jokingly says to Bolsa something along the lines of: "My uncle has this crazy idea that Fring might still hold a grudge after he shot his boyfriend through the head". (S5 E1)

I LOVE your BCS videos - your thought processes are very intelligent and always make me appreciate the show even more. Your analyses go into the kind of detail that I really appreciate as a fan - great videos!! And you are an actual Therapist - I suspected as much from your ability to analyze characters.

Oh man, the way I freaked out when I saw this! Thank you so much for this series, it’s SO interesting and thought-provoking!

Heck yes! I've been waiting for this all year!

So grateful for your Better Call Saul series - legitimately some of the toppest tier BCS content around. I'll definitely stick around to see what else you dig into!

So if this is your last Better Call Saul video, can this be your chance to make an 8 part series on Breaking Bad?

After a really tough 2 days at work and being hella depressed... this video will be a brilliant ray of light

This is genuinely such an interesting and thoughtful video, not to mention entertaining!

Another superb analysis. I enjoy these videos so much. Keep making stuff, please! You're great at it!

Love these series of videos. You bring so much to the 'table' beyond a simple recap/overview of episodes and character arcs, it's such a breath of fresh air. Exciited to see what's next :)

I've been waiting for this episode 😁 The final scene with Nacho's dad's and Mike really stuck with me

The edit at the end with characters' responses is so cool! Outro has improved :)

I disagree with many things you said but you surely gave me a lot to think about. Great video, im subscribing!

Omg! I’ve been waiting… thank you!!!!❤

omg cant wait to watch this. i just finished watching all other parts of the series and got food ready

I really love your work. Great vid, I'll miss this series.

watched the entire thing as each episode dropped. fantastic analyses and i'm excited for what you'll be putting out next. seriously recommend you watch nathan for you. i think it's an absolute masterpiece and its sequel the rehearsal is also brilliant.

I hope you know I'm eagerly anticipating that pryce video. I know you mostly meant it as a joke, but I think there's something to look at there as far as someone jumping into a world of crime seemingly without any knowledge of what they're getting themselves into. Like how he got that embarrassing car and didn't even think that he'd look suspicious to the cops when reporting his stolen baseball cards

every time i watch one of your videos, my interest in better call saul is fully renewed

Please never stop creating BCS content ❤

Thank you so much for this series

Interesting how there are multiple comments expressing the opposite position on Mike’s ethics that both seem to disagree with you, despite how clearly you articulate your position. Love the way you highlight the nuances of ways of this show and it I genuinely want to thank you for opening my mind to so many things I would’ve otherwise likely never thought about. You’ve helped me appreciate so much about this show I already loved

You communicate so well great video again!!

Mike told Manuel that the justice will happen to the Salamancas who killed Nacho. But the point is…Nacho died because of Fring, who is Mike’s boss, and Mike was supposed to kill Nacho as planned if Nacho didn’t kill himself first so the Salamancas are less responsible to Nacho’s “trip to Belize” than Fring and Mike. This might explain that Mike’s morality was so twisted at this point and he became too loyal to Gus that he’s willing to overlook Gus and his own sins (because for him, they are the “good” side of the cartel) and put the blames on Salamancas, whom he considers to be the “evil” side of the cartel.

It’s always cool to see analysis videos on Better Call Saul and this on, as well as the others you’ve made, are truly well done and truly unique. I wouldn’t have thought too much about revenge being as major theme with the show beyond the big notable examples of getting even with Howard and Chuck after Jimmy had been wronged by them or at least feels like he’s been wronged to where he has to either even the playing field or get one up on either of them as well as with the Salamancas regarding Mike and Gus. And then of course when Kim wants her revenge on Howard, with Jimmy’s assistance, that really goes south once he confronts the two as to why they went out of their way to ruin his career. I also like how Jimmy was never really interested in doing anything to Howard after what he did and said to Howard in season 5, but he wants Kim to be happy and so he goes along with it for her only to be truly horrified once Lalo shows up and after the next few episodes he becomes Saul Goodman as a way to cope with all that happened throughout Better Call Saul that he doesn’t want to have to really acknowledge. I knew these other moments of revenge existed, but I guess I didn’t exactly see them being revenge such as the Chicago Sun Roof and the slip and fall at the guitar store, but it does make sense when rethinking and rewatching those moments. And I like how you looked at when said revenge is or can be justified as well as when it isn’t. Keep up the great work man!

I wondered if it would come up and it didn't, my favorite, or least favorite revenge example, the pizza tip, that was the first time that made me just immediately think "Oh jimmy no don't be that guy". While each circumstance is its own, that pernicious purposeless drive to give the world back the hurt it gives us, that I feel we all have on some level, is ultimately what the analysis caused me to interrogate most throughout. The actions guided thus were the most difficult to process, most contributory to destructive consequences, and naturally more frequent as things went on. Still, great work, nice to have it essentially complete so I can rebinge as a big whole piece of itself, and looking forward to future projects!

Pumped for this !

If/when you watch breaking bad it would be amazing if you could do some psychology based videos linking the themes of the two shows. If you enjoy breaking bad, of course. Your work is so good

Damn these are excellent points. 👍👍💪💪

I can't believe you're making these for the sheer love and not pure youtuber grindset. It's insanely inspiring to see fulfillment in youtube. I am trying myself but need for money overshadows personal desire. So do I do nothing but work, and give up on RU-vid, or do I risk it at my age (late 20s) to utilize time making youtube videos but maybe not have enough money for my immediate bills but at least have a chance at growing in the long term AND pursue what I really know I want to do regardless of real life getting in the way.

Love these videos, and I appreciate how much work goes into them, keep it up!

It’s 5am thank you for giving me something to watch :)

Midway through and loving this one. Based on what you are talking about here I have to highly recommend an episode from the fourth/final season of the show Atlanta called ‘The Homeliest Little Horse’. Touches on the consequences of using spite as a sort of fuel or motivation and the way a lot of people, unfortunately, prematurely view one realization in therapy as an indication that they are ‘cured’ and decide to stop when they clearly have a lot of work to do on themselves. Atlanta is an amazing show that I highly recommend watching all the way through, but, as is the case with this episode and most episodes of the show, it can totally be viewed and enjoyed out of context as a stand-alone episode of tv. Anyhow, it’s an exploration of a similar topic and, in my view, does a pretty good job of honoring what therapy is actually like.

To see Jimmy argue for the skateboard twins and then know a few years later he becomes saul goodman who would just get out of dodge and leave them to die really makes you think

This series was fantastic. Cannot wait for that Pryce video!

I verbally exclaimed in excitement when I saw this video on my recommended - Bless your existence What's Therapy

The cops that killed Mike's son were going to kill him, so arguably he acted in self-defense first and revenge second.

unfortunate that the series is ending the week I find it and the day after I finish watching the others, but thank you for the excellent analysis!

love to listen to these while on my overnight shifts - makes the last hour fly by

Amazing video as always! I hope you start breaking bad next, you could make just as much content on Walter White

I don't think revenge is necessary to justify hanging the guys up. It's not even really a punishment, more of a threat. You could argue it's self defense or something, but needs to be extreme for him to go about his business in peace.

Fantastic as usual.

i love hearing you ramble

i got so excited seeing a new video from u :D love love LOVE these videos!! if you started doing video essays about movies you enjoy as well it would be so great

22:51, bruh when Jimmy slips on the drumstick fits perfectly with you saying DEBT!

I think you can easily do more with BCS, but you analysis is so good that getting it on other shows or movies would be really nice

The Better Call Saul therapy never ends, and god damn I hope it never does. I will certainly stick around for future analysis

I'm probably in the minority of those who feel that what Mike did wasn't Justice. We often conflate what *is* justice with what *feels* like justice. Mike lost a son, so of course he feels like the only way to get justice is to take the life of his killers, and often those who justify what he did do so with the argument you brought up in the video: "what if it was your son?" This, however, isn't a good argument. What does the death of those cops do? It won't bring back Mike's son, it won't help the cops learn their lesson (they're dead), it won't discourage more of that kind of senseless crime (this was done in secret, and that's not how you reduce crime anyway), and won't help reduce the trauma of losing a loved one. I think real justice here would have been to out the cops for what they did, have systemic reform to hold future cops accountable for this kind of corruption by independent third parties. Hold the cops accountable both to Mike and to society for what they did through restorative justice. I'm glad you brought up these points in the video, and really expanded on the nuances and complexities of revenge as a concept.

I'll miss these videos. I'll miss this franchise.

I love these videos so much

Great Video👍🏾

Mike visiting Nacho’s dad wasn’t selfish, but he was projecting his own experience onto him. He was assuming everything Manuel was feeling was the same thing Mike felt when Matty was killed.

I think Mike was wrong to kill the cops who killed his son. It was vigilante justice. It's understandable, but it doesn't make it right.

This is the greatest analysis video I've ever seen and it just so happens to be on one of my favorite TV shows of all time. ❤❤❤ Thank you for this

Great video!

I so much agree with what you said about intentions and means and results. Also I would like to add that many times people give too much weight to words (e.g. what someone said and what explanation he gives), but what most affect our lives are actions and I would rather concentrate at that. The movie is very interesting in the way it presents the length people go to try and justify actions that they feel are morally objectionable... do we need so much to feel that we are good people and that we deserve to get what we want, instead of simply taking it. And our desire for justice - life is not fair by default: some are born ugly, some pretty; some smart, some stupid; some in Canadian, some in Siria during a war,...

I like these videos :)

Can't wait for your breaking bad series!

Jimmy deserved consequences for falsifying the documents, true. But did he deserve the consequences Chuck wanted him to have, which was disbarment? To do that, Chuck set up a situation that went beyond the document issue, which maybe would have resulted in a short suspension. He induced Jimmy to commit a real felony breaking and entering, which got him arrested. That was enough to get him disbarred, a consequence that did not fit the original "crime.'

hey man. I've watched all of your better call saul videos and i just love your mono discussions so much, I've listened to every minute , not skipped even once. it's because i find your logic interesting and also the way you articulate and turn your thoughts into words. i would really love to share my paper with you, which is not very long, just 20-25 pages long. And... since English is not my first language, my paper is written in Georgian language ( a very far country from US) I literally live in a very small country just below Russia. I'm very motivated to have my paper translated into English just to hear your thoughts about it. so do you think you can make time for this?

So cool that you decided to watch BCS first! I think it would be neat if you did decide to watch BB someday though :)

To be honest, I was quite surprised with how often you ran with the assumption of revenge being justified. I don't think Mike's revenge motive was justified, and I don't think Gus' was either. You're right that Mike's revenge isn't really strongly justified by the harm reduction argument, but what you said afterwards about "am I supposed to believe the harm reduction group is distinct from the revenge group?" is a yes in my case. In my opinion, Nacho's dad is correct, and I also think he speaks for the writers of the show.

Hi! I love your analyzes on better call saul. Do you plan to do analysis on breaking bad? I think analyzes on Walt and Jesse would be interesting.

Heartbroken that this series, your video series I mean, is over. Barely even exaggerating. None of my friends watched BCS and so getting to hear you talk about it and shouting at my computer in agreement or, very rarely, disagreement, has been a great time that has deeply fleshed out my experience with the show. Thank you for making these but damn you for not making any more after this. Kudos. Always leave 'em wanting more eh?

"It was the best television" Never have truer words been spoken

Might be interesting for you to do an episode on Breaking Bad at the end of each season, giving your thoughts on a theme that stands out most to for the given season. Just a suggesty:)

just found thus channel, instant sub

I would love to see you break down the SAW movies in ways like this. These videos are very insightful and I feel like you’d explore a lot of unique avenues with the moral grey areas presented in those films

I don't do this very often, but I just subscribed to your channel! :) I recently watched BCS for the first time and it really stood out to me. My recommended feed was full of related goofs and video essays about it, and I just so happened to stumble upon one of yours, figuring I might as well try it out. I find the connections you make interesting and the way you articulate your thoughts keeps me particularly engaged! I could listen to you talk about this stuff for hours, and I guess I've already done just that! -Also, I was gonna comment saying that I'm confident that if you loved BCS, you'd really enjoy Breaking Bad, but I noticed that you recently finally watched it! Can't wait for the extra long video to really hear your full thoughts on that :)

I’m more pumped than a cobbler squatter on banana creme pie for this video 😤

I think it's interesting that at the end you mention their long term resentment and how that relates to their revenge because I never saw their actions as revenge because it doesn't seem to be motivated by anything beyond long term resentment, and to that effect it's mindblowing and tragic that the same long term resentment manifests later with Kim, transforming him fully into Saul Goodman/Gene and a husk of his former self. Jimmy is a man of a thousand chips on his shoulder and I think many of his actions are motivated by resentment. I think in the end when James McGill finally takes accountability for his actions it's because he's finally able to let go of the resentment, maybe only bc it led him down a path where he was about to strangle mary tyler moore, but i guess some people's bottoms can get pretty low.

So are we gonna get breaking bad videos in the future? I would love to see you analyze other big players from that show

great video

"I have a sort of non-killing-people aesthetic; it's sort of my brand." 😂😂😂