Nothing Jimmy McGill did inBetter Call Saulwas technically as bad as the worst things Walter White did inBreaking Bad, but Jimmy’s cruelest scheme sure felt a lot worse than any of Walt’s misdeeds. AlthoughBryan Cranston’s performance kept viewers endeared to Walt, he committed some truly horrible acts throughout the series. He poisoned a child, he turned Jesse over to a life of slavery, and he had 10 men murdered across three prisons in the space of two minutes.
But nothing that Walt did inBreaking Badwas quite as reprehensible asthe worst thing Jimmy did inBetter Call Saul. By the order of the law, Walt’s monstrous deeds are technically considered worse. ButJimmy’s most unscrupulous action made the audience feel truly disgustedin a way they never did when Walt was killing his rivals or manipulating situations in his favor. Walt never made the audience feel the way they did when Jimmy threw Irene Landry under the bus at Sandpiper.
Jimmy Turning Irene’s Friends Against Her In Better Call Saul Was Way Too Cruel
Better Call Saulset up the Sandpiper Crossing class-action lawsuit way back in its first season, but as with most legal action, it didn’t see much movement for a couple of years. In season 3, episode 9, “Fall,” Jimmy visitedIrene, one ofBetter Call Saul’s most innocent characters, to follow up on the case. Fooled by his friendly facade, Irene allowed Jimmy to take a look at the settlement offer proposed by Erin Brill. This gave Jimmy an idea:if he could convince Irene to take the settlement, he and Kim would get a hefty payday.
Jean Effron played Irene Landry inBetter Call Saul.
In season 3, episode 10, “Lantern,” Jimmy set about convincing Irene to take the settlement. An unfortunate side effect of this ploy was that it turned Irene’s friends against her. When he saw this poor elderly lady iced out by her friends, Jimmy realized he’d gone too far and orchestrated another ploy that made him the bad guy. Turning an old woman’s friends against her might not be as evil as some of the things Walt did, butseeing Irene sad and alone hurt more than seeing a couple of drug dealers get run over by a Pontiac Aztek.
Jimmy’s Irene Scheme Proved There Was Nothing He Wasn’t Willing To Do
At Least He Regretted It (& Somewhat Rectified It)
Even though Jimmy regretted turning Irene’s friends against her and somewhat rectified it by turning them against him instead, this proved that there was no line he wouldn’t cross. This callous approach to scheming would eventually lead tothe untimely death of Howard Hamlinin the final season ofBetter Call Saul. That shocking twist created a fork in the road for Jimmy and Kim. It led Kim to give up her duplicitous ways and repent by going straight, but it led Jimmy even further down the rabbit hole of amorality.
Better Call Saul
Cast
Better Call Saul follows small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he navigates the legal world to make ends meet. The series, set six years before his encounter with Walter White, chronicles Jimmy’s evolution into Saul Goodman, with notable interactions alongside fixer Mike Ehrmantraut.
