Michael McKean, Jimmy's older brother is a prestigious lawyer afflicted by a psychosomatic aversion to electricity. When Chuck isolates himself indoors, away from all modern appliances, Jimmy makes a big effort to help, but their sibling feud grows increasingly venomous. Jimmy takes away Chuck's ability to practice law; Chuck takes his own life.
After spending three whole seasons brushing Chuck's death under the emotional rug, Better Call Saul's series finale sees Jimmy confess his role in Chuck's death, acknowledging the guilt he pretended wasn't there for so long. Jimmy's courtroom monologue leads to a pre-Better Call Saul flashback that proves how badly both brothers wish they could turn back the clock. This poignant scene serves as a fitting farewell to both Chuck McGill and the brotherly dynamic that, even after the older sibling's death, played a huge part in Jimmy McGill's story.
Chuck's Better Call Saul goodbye is made even better by a small detail during book reveal from Chuck and Jimmy's final scene. "Chicanery" is a "time machine" moment for Jimmy.
Better Call Saul's Chuck Electricity Reference Has A Deeper Meaning
Better Call Saul's series finale "EXIT" sign carries another - possibly even more depressing - hidden meaning for Jimmy McGill. Whenever a loved one dies, reminders are a difficult aspect of grieving. A favorite song comes on the radio, an old photo turns up, even a stranger wearing the same perfume can bring back bittersweet memories. Jimmy McGill will always be haunted by the sound of buzzing electricity. Every time he hears the hum of a neon sign, the gentle whirr of a battery, the fizz of distant static, Jimmy will be reminded of Chuck, and the guilt of exploiting his brother's illness for personal gain. Even in prison, that sound will be damn near impossible for Jimmy to escape.
It's almost as if Chuck himself is watching down on his younger brother. During the three Better Call Saul seasons Chuck McGill was alive, the buzzing audio effect would often be used as a point-of-view technique, allowing viewers to hear the crackling electricity as intensely as Chuck himself. Hearing that noise again during Jimmy's finale confession is as close as Better Call Saul can get to dropping Chuck McGill's ethereal ghost into the courtroom. Would he be proud to see his brother finally taking ability, or horrified by how much lower Jimmy's ethical floor actually was?