How Better Call Saul became a slow tragedy about choices

Better Call Saul begins as a smart and entertaining spin-off. It focuses on Jimmy McGill, who is a charming but sketchy lawyer. In the beginning, the show feels light, the problems seem less serious. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear that this show isn’t just about a shady lawyer. It’s a deeper, darker tale about how small, everyday choices slowly change a man's life into something else entirely.

What makes Better Call Saul truly tragic is that most of its sadness comes not from violence or sudden disaster, but from decisions. Every major character in the show makes a series of choices. Some of them seem harmless at the time. Others feel necessary. The most important thing is all of them, in one way or another, lead to regret, pain, and loss. Let’s delve into those choices, which turn hopeful beginnings into heartbreaking ends.

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How Better Call Saul became a slow tragedy about choices

Jimmy McGill: Where a man is trying to do the Right Thing, Until He Isn’t

In the early seasons of Better Call Saul, Jimmy McGill is trying to move on from his past as “Slippin’ Jimmy,” a small-time conman. He wants to be respected by others; especially by his older brother, Chuck. He works hard as a lawyer, takes care of Chuck during his illness, and even tries to do things the right way.

But Jimmy can’t help bending the rules. He lies, stretches the truth, and pulls little scams. At first, it's all harmless. At least, it seems that way. He fakes documents to win a case. He runs ads without permission. He forges letters to push Mesa Verde away from Chuck and toward Kim.

One of the most powerful scenes is when Chuck secretly records Jimmy confessing to tampering with legal documents. Chuck later uses that tape to try to destroy Jimmy's career. This betrayal sets off a chain of events that changes Jimmy forever. He stops trying to be “good” in the traditional sense. He decides that playing by the rules doesn’t work. This moment is one of the first big turns toward tragedy.

Jimmy becomes Saul Goodman, loud, flashy, dishonest, and cold. The slow change is painful to watch because we know he had a choice. He could’ve stayed, Jimmy. But with every choice he makes, he becomes someone else.

Chuck McGill: Man Destroyed by Pride

One of the saddest characters in Better Call Saul is Chuck McGill, brilliant, successful and well-respected. But he can’t stand the idea that Jimmy might succeed in the same world as him. Chuck believes that Jimmy doesn’t deserve to be a lawyer, that he’s too dishonest and too much of a “con man.” Chuck says he’s trying to protect the law. But deep down, it’s clear that he’s jealous and scared of his younger brother. He tries so hard to ruin Jimmy’s career.

Chuck’s obsession with his own moral standards becomes his downfall. After losing his status and being forced to retire, he breaks down. We can see the most tragic moment in the show when Chuck knocks over a lantern in his home, starting a fire that takes his life.

Though his death is shocking, it is not sudden. It comes after years of pushing people away and holding on too tightly to his pride. His choices to isolate himself, to fight Jimmy, to believe he’s always right, lead him to a lonely and painful end.

Kim Wexler: Slowly Breaking Her Own Rules

One of the most complex characters in Better Call Saul is Kim Wexler. She’s smart; focused. She works hard to build a career, and she truly wants to help people. But over time, Kim starts slipping. It starts small. She helps Jimmy with little scams. Then she helps him fool the court. Eventually, she helps plan an elaborate scheme to ruin Howard Hamlin’s reputation.

At first, she tells herself it’s for justice. She believes Howard deserves it. But the truth is, she enjoys the thrill. She enjoys the power of being in control. One of the most powerful episodes is when their plan against Howard succeeds, but at a terrible cost. Howard confronts Jimmy and Kim, asking why they’ve done this to him. Just minutes later, Lalo Salamanca shows up and shoots Howard in the head. The shock is immediate.

Their choices in Better Call Saul, which seemed clever before, led to someone’s death. Kim is devastated. She realizes how far she’s gone, and she can’t live with it. In a quiet, emotional scene, she gives up her law license and leaves Jimmy. Her choice to walk away is one of the saddest in the show, because it means giving up everything she had worked for.

Howard Hamlin: The Fall of a Good Man

Howard isn’t a perfect character. He’s arrogant and stiff at times, and he often comes off as smug. But as the show goes on, we see that he’s not a bad person. He tries to help Chuck and later tries to be kind to Kim and Jimmy, even when they’re trying to destroy him.

In Season 6 of Better Call Saul, Jimmy and Kim decide to ruin Howard’s reputation so they can settle the Sandpiper case faster and get their money. They frame him as a drug user and push him into public embarrassment. Howard tries to stand up for himself, but no one believes him.

When the guy visits Jimmy and Kim, he is there to ask them why they did this. This time, we see him as a broken man. His death is brutal, but he didn’t deserve the tragedy at all. He was caught in the middle of the story of someone else. His life was destroyed by choices that weren’t even his.

Nacho Varga: Trapped Between Two Worlds

Nacho is one of the few characters who want out in Better Call Saul. He’s working for the Salamanca cartel, but he doesn’t want to be a criminal forever. He tries to protect his father and stay alive. He even risks his life to help Gus Fring. Nacho’s story is full of tension. He’s stuck between the violent cartel and the cold, calculating Gus. No matter what he does, he can’t win. His final choice to sacrifice himself so that his father can live shows his courage.

One of the most moving scenes in the show was his final speech to Hector Salamanca. After that, we see him take his own life before the cartel can torture him. Here, Nacho’s story is tragic because he tries so hard to do the right thing. His choices are brave, but they don’t lead to freedom. They lead to death.

Mike Ehrmantraut: The Cost of Keeping Control

Mike is a fixer, a professional. He’s smart, calm, and deadly. But Mike is also deeply sad. He’s haunted by the death of his son and tries to support his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. He tells himself he’s doing it all for them. But Mike’s choices to work with Gus Fring, to help criminals, to kill when needed slowly wear him down.

He becomes colder, more distant. He tells Nacho that “there are no good choices,” and that line sums up Mike’s story. He doesn’t believe in justice anymore, only in survival. In Breaking Bad, we see how Mike dies, shot by Walt in a moment of anger. But in Better Call Saul, we see how Mike got there. It wasn’t one big decision. It was hundreds of small ones. That’s what makes it tragic.

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Better Call Saul is a slow tragedy, not because of one big moment, but because of many small ones. It’s a show where people slowly become their worst selves, one step at a time. Each character thinks they’re doing what they have to.

Each choice feels like it makes sense. It shows us how easy it is to become someone you never meant to be. In the end, the tragedy isn’t just in what happens. It’s a fact that almost all of it could have been avoided if only the characters had made different choices.