Better Call Saul · Season 3, Episode 5
“Chicanery” · Season 3, Episode 5
In this episode: Howard Hamlin (2), Chuck McGill (2), Jimmy McGill (1), Kim Wexler (1)
[Jimmy visits Dr. Caldera at his veterinary clinic, holding a goldfish in a plastic bag]
Jesus, what are you doing, man? There's barely any oxygen in that bag! You're suffocating her!
"Her?"
Yeah, just because you don't see swinging dicks doesn't mean you can't tell a boy fish from a girl fish.
Oh, yes, now I can see the lipstick.
[Chuck and Howard visit the courtroom where Jimmy's hearing will be held]
How are you feeling, Chuck?
I'll muddle through.
Because this is a lot to ask, and if you're not up to it, just throwing this out there: Maybe you don't need to testify at all.
No, I do. I'm the only person who can adequately explain the context of that tape, otherwise the defense will tear it to shreds.
It's already a solid case. We have Jimmy's statement from the Pre-Prosecution Diversion, there's my testimony and the private eye's... maybe there's no need to put you through the wringer like this.
…This isn't about me, or my health. This is about PR.
We lost a client. That happened because while you were... incapacitated, your brother accessed documents that should have been secured at HHM. What Jimmy did is unconscionable, yes, but one of my jobs is to safeguard the firm's reputation.
This is not the time to worry about how we look! This is about what's right and what's wrong. I'm not going to risk Jimmy getting- what, a year of suspension, maybe two? He deserves disbarment, not some slap on the wrist. No, Howard. There's only one way forward. "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall."
Did you consider taking [Jimmy] on as an associate?
We did. Briefly.
Sounds like you didn't hire him. Why not, with that kind of grit?
The partners decided it would be best to avoid the appearance of nepotism. We felt hiring Jimmy might damage morale.
Nepotism, hmm? Your firm is Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, right? Who's the other Hamlin?
[beat] My father.
[Chuck gives his testimony]
I recorded my brother to build a case against him.
And at the time, would you say you were in full possession of your faculties? All due respect, but you do sound somewhat unhinged on the recording.
Yes, I understand, but what you heard was theater, a performance, play-acting. I exaggerated the symptoms of my disease to extract the truth.
Can we talk about your disease for a moment? I'd like everybody here to be on the same page.
Of course. It is sometimes referred to as EHS: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. I describe it as an acute allergy to electromagnetism.
It's not a common condition, is it?
I know it sounds strange, I do, but 30 years ago, no one had heard of peanut allergies.
But you admit that no one... no doctor has ever diagnosed you?
AIDS was not identified properly until 1981. HIV wasn't known as the cause until '83. These things take time to unravel, even for doctors.
Would you say that your illness affects your ability to think clearly?
No. It affects me physically. It causes me great pain; however, I'm perfectly lucid.
Thank you. Mr. McGill, I have only one more question for you... do you hate your brother?
Absolutely not. I love my brother. There's nothing malicious in Jimmy. He has a way of doing the worst things for reasons that seem almost noble... but what I know for sure is that the law is too important to be toyed with. It's mankind's greatest achievement. The rule of law, the idea that no matter who you are, your actions have consequences, and the way my brother treats the law... it breaks my heart. That's why I did what I did. Not to hurt him, but to protect something that I hold sacred.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Better Call Saul pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
