Post by LokisMom on Apr 10, 2022 9:16:09 GMT 1
In anticipation of the final season of Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad that features the back stories of Walter "Heisenberg" White's lawyer, Jimmy McGill, and his fixer Mike Ehrmentraut, I binged the five seasons over several weeks.
I've been watching the series for several years, but never realized just how similar Jimmy's story, which is set in reality, is with Loki's in the Marvelverse.
Certainly, Loki as a Trickster is also an archetype common in most folk narratives as well as modern ones. So is Jimmy. His story is that of a natural born con man trying to unsuccessfully break free of his habit. And like Loki, Jimmy is a shapeshifter. He exists under several identities: Jimmy McGill, aka Slippin' Jimmy; James M. McGill, Esq, his try at the straight and narrow path; Saul Goodman, a drug cartel connected shyster lawyer; and Gene Takavic, a false identity to avoid arrest for Saul's many crimes.
Likewise, the first three seasons were about Jimmy's love/hate relationship with his brother Charles, a man highly respected in the law profession as one of the greatest legal minds in the US, but who is experiencing mental health issues. Charles believes he is allergic to electricity and despite Jimmy's years of hard work of reforming his character and becoming a lawyer, Chuck is too jealous of Jimmy's free spirit and popularity, so he never gives his brother the credit, pride, or respect he deserves.
Then there is the fixer, Mike, a retired cop not adverse to "dirty work" and whom Jimmy literally meets under a bridge and even calls him an "evil troll" at some point. Jimmy even calls his very successful con artistry his "magic." So, I'm not sure if the writers and producers are aware of this, though I don't doubt that they don't. The differences are Jimmy never has a glorious purpose; his ego doesn't get the best of him, though his revenge on Charles does; and he is not hedonistic. He's an humble con man.
And if that aint enough, Jimmy's real-life person is Bob Odenkirk.
I've been watching the series for several years, but never realized just how similar Jimmy's story, which is set in reality, is with Loki's in the Marvelverse.
Certainly, Loki as a Trickster is also an archetype common in most folk narratives as well as modern ones. So is Jimmy. His story is that of a natural born con man trying to unsuccessfully break free of his habit. And like Loki, Jimmy is a shapeshifter. He exists under several identities: Jimmy McGill, aka Slippin' Jimmy; James M. McGill, Esq, his try at the straight and narrow path; Saul Goodman, a drug cartel connected shyster lawyer; and Gene Takavic, a false identity to avoid arrest for Saul's many crimes.
Likewise, the first three seasons were about Jimmy's love/hate relationship with his brother Charles, a man highly respected in the law profession as one of the greatest legal minds in the US, but who is experiencing mental health issues. Charles believes he is allergic to electricity and despite Jimmy's years of hard work of reforming his character and becoming a lawyer, Chuck is too jealous of Jimmy's free spirit and popularity, so he never gives his brother the credit, pride, or respect he deserves.
Then there is the fixer, Mike, a retired cop not adverse to "dirty work" and whom Jimmy literally meets under a bridge and even calls him an "evil troll" at some point. Jimmy even calls his very successful con artistry his "magic." So, I'm not sure if the writers and producers are aware of this, though I don't doubt that they don't. The differences are Jimmy never has a glorious purpose; his ego doesn't get the best of him, though his revenge on Charles does; and he is not hedonistic. He's an humble con man.
And if that aint enough, Jimmy's real-life person is Bob Odenkirk.