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American Greed: James McGill (Web Video)

 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video)
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 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video)
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American Greed: James McGill (Web Video)
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 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video)
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American Greed: James McGill is the start of a (fictional) episode of CNBC’s American Greed, a documentary series showcasing white-collar criminals. This episode discusses Jimmy's rise and fall.
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Unreliable Narrator
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_1869b4b1
comment
Unreliable Narrator: Most of the people who are interviewed have their reasons for painting Jimmy in an even worse light after his crimes are exposed. The Kettlemans are also criminals (and rather incompetent ones at that) but take the opportunity to present themselves as blameless victims of Jimmy. Bill Oakley heavily resents Jimmy for being far more succesful as a lawyer, presenting Chuck as completely justified in his hostility towards his younger brother. Suzanne Ericsen is more fair in her assessment, but still throws shade at Jimmy's relationship with Kim. Averted by Rich Schweikart. While he regrets what happened to Jimmy and Kim, he doesn't hold a grudge against either of them so he just sticks to the facts.
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Death by Origin Story
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_1aa76d29
comment
Kim Wexler is referred to in the present tense as opposed to Chuck, who died in a fire at the end of Season 3, and Walter White, who obviously died at the end of Breaking Bad. As it turns out in Season 6, Kim did survive the events of the series and didn't die a Death by Origin Story as speculated, but became an Empty Shell of her old self thanks to her guilt in Howard's death.
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No Sympathy
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_1cf11f13
comment
No Sympathy: As expected, none of the people interviewed (with the notable exception of Craig Kettleman) have any sympathy for Jimmy/Saul's situation and instead sympathize with Chuck for having Slippin' Jimmy as a brother.
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Uncertain Doom
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_2854b56d
comment
Uncertain Doom: Jimmy has fled to Nebraska to live under a fake identity, but the public obviously has no idea as to his whereabouts, with speculation ranging from Jimmy having fled the country to having been murdered by his criminal associates.
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The Dreaded
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comment
The Dreaded: The Juarez Cartel is said to be the most feared cartel of them all, owing to their ruthlessness and cruelty.
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Historical Hero Upgrade
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comment
Historical Hero Upgrade: The Kettlemans portray themselves as victims of Jimmy who were exploited and lied to, with the implication that the general public believes their claims.note Given that Jimmy's schemes completely ruined Howard Hamlin, it's entirely possible that the general public may believe that Craig had sufficient cause against Hamlin for insufficient counsel. Thanks to Saul's actions after his death, Chuck is now seen in a positive light as a responsible and honest attorney who had a loser (and later criminal) brother.
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Take That, Audience!
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_3ea462d7
comment
Take That, Audience!: The Misaimed Fandom that Kim has no agency and was settling/corrupted by "Saul", while Jimmy is just doomed from the start and Chuck was completely in the right, is now in-universe as well. With vast helpings of Dramatic Irony.
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Blatant Lies
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_40bb59d0
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Blatant Lies: The Kettlemans are continuing to lie about Jimmy and their own misconduct, even though years have passed since they interacted with Jimmy.
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Surveillance as the Plot Demands
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_48b01c26
comment
Surveillance as the Plot Demands: The documentary includes conversations that were never recorded In-Universe. For instance, Jimmy's quick exchange of words during Lalo's bail hearing is presented as a dramatic phone conversation between the two.
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Affably Evil
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_537dd8fe
comment
Affably Evil: Craig Kettleman, as always. He even starts to pity Jimmy's situation of being stuck with a much more dominating and famous big brother like Chuck, thanks to his own experiences with his wife Betsy dominating and overruling him.
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Run for the Border
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_607d4ada
comment
Jesse is mentioned to be missing in a segment, with the general public around this time also believing that he fled the country. Unbeknownst to them, he was living out a horrible existence as a slave for the neo-nazis prior to Walt's return in "Felina".
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Villain Has a Point
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comment
Villain Has a Point: Despite her selfish reasons for saying so, Betsy Kettleman turns out to be completely right that honest and good people will become victims of Jimmy/Saul as long as he is free when his new identity of "Viktor St. Claire" ends up robbing a cancer patient and later threatens to choke an old woman.
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Noble Demon
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_7360a6b6
comment
Noble Demon: Oakley seems to think Jimmy was like this at first, praising Jimmy's skill with words. Later, of course, he grew to disdain Jimmy after learning of Jimmy's true behavior.
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What Does She See in Him?
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What Does She See in Him?: Ericsen says that she never understood what Kim saw in Jimmy, and the documentary itself frames Jimmy as not worthy of her.
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Entertainingly Wrong
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_81c4faa3
comment
Entertainingly Wrong: The general public at large believes that Saul has either fled the country or has been murdered by former associates Walt and Jesse to tie up loose ends. It's implied that the Kettlemans are some of the only people who believe that Saul is alive and out there.
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Rewatch Bonus
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_97926168
comment
Rewatch Bonus: Doesn't spoil anything in season six, but Kim is treated as a Fallen Heroine as she quits the law and flees to Florida, Howard is notably not in the interviews as he's dead, leaving behind his utterly ruined reputation, the Kettlemans are treated as victims as it is inferred that Howard's ruined reputation supports the claim of insufficient counsel, implying that Craig went to jail solely through the machinations of Jimmy exploiting Howard's supposed cocaine use, and it ends with Lalo Salamanca coming to ruin everything as circumstances around him lead to Nacho's death, he kills Howard, and trauma from him leads to Kim leaving Jimmy and Jimmy becoming Saul.
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Foreshadowing
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: Howard Hamlin is not interviewed or even mentioned the entire time, despite his importance in the series. As it turns out, not only did poor Howard get his reputation ruined by Jimmy and Kim, he was murdered by Lalo to prove a point and his death framed as a coke-induced suicide. Kim Wexler is referred to in the present tense as opposed to Chuck, who died in a fire at the end of Season 3, and Walter White, who obviously died at the end of Breaking Bad. As it turns out in Season 6, Kim did survive the events of the series and didn't die a Death by Origin Story as speculated, but became an Empty Shell of her old self thanks to her guilt in Howard's death. Betsy Kettleman says that as long as Jimmy is free, he will continue to harm good and honest people. Viktor St. Claire, by far Jimmy's most evil persona, ends up robbing a cancer patient and threatens to kill an old woman for threatening to expose his true identity.
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Protagonist Journey to Villain
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_a0a005d1
comment
Jimmy's descent into Saul Goodman is depicted as him just becoming greedy and wanting easy money, instead of the complex Protagonist Journey to Villain shown in great detail in the series.
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Stupid Crooks
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_a1d48853
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The Kettlemans are also criminals (and rather incompetent ones at that) but take the opportunity to present themselves as blameless victims of Jimmy.
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Mood Whiplash
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: It's mostly a parody of the true crime genre, with foreshadowing the last season, but it turns to tragic Dramatic Irony for a bit in the Chuck segment. Everyone note including people who thought Jimmy would be more than justified to punch him in "Sunk Cost" remembers him as a brilliant man who was justified in being humiliated by his pathetic brother trying to be a lawyer. Only Craig Kettleman has any sympathy, and it's because he's dominated by Betsy like Jimmy was with Chuck.
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Dramatic Irony
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_ab5eea65
comment
Dramatic Irony: Jimmy's descent into Saul Goodman is depicted as him just becoming greedy and wanting easy money, instead of the complex Protagonist Journey to Villain shown in great detail in the series. Jesse is mentioned to be missing in a segment, with the general public around this time also believing that he fled the country. Unbeknownst to them, he was living out a horrible existence as a slave for the neo-nazis prior to Walt's return in "Felina". Kim is presented as a morally upright and bright young lawyer whose romance with Jimmy made her into a Fallen Heroine (making Jimmy The Corrupter in the process). In reality, Kim already had a dark side (being a former shoplifter and implied Con Woman) and was a fully willing participant in all the cons they did. Chuck is mostly remembered as a brilliant and moral man who was completely justified in being ashamed of Jimmy, instead of the Big Brother Bully and mentally ill wreck that he truly was. Not to mention it was his cruel treatment of Jimmy that pushed him into becoming Saul Goodman in the first place. The Kettlemans present themselves as exploited by Jimmy's schemes and it is implied in their interviews that Craig's stint in jail was not for any criminal activity, but because he had insufficient counsel for his defense when he needed it. In fact, because Jimmy was able to smear Howard Hamlin's reputation so well to the point that when Hamlin died at the hands of Lalo Salamanca, everyone now believes the Kettleman's story of being victims of Jimmy instead of the actual criminals they really are.
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Take That!
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: The episode lampoons the unfortunate tendency within the true crime genre to produce sensationalist documentaries of lies. While the basic facts are (mostly) correct, it still distorts reality by imposing a biased narrative onto Jimmy's motivations and actions and takes the statements of several Unreliable Narrators at face value.
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Cassandra Truth
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_cf92fea8
comment
Chuck is mostly remembered as a brilliant and moral man who was completely justified in being ashamed of Jimmy, instead of the Big Brother Bully and mentally ill wreck that he truly was. Not to mention it was his cruel treatment of Jimmy that pushed him into becoming Saul Goodman in the first place.
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Never Suicide
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_cfbd1467
comment
Howard Hamlin is not interviewed or even mentioned the entire time, despite his importance in the series. As it turns out, not only did poor Howard get his reputation ruined by Jimmy and Kim, he was murdered by Lalo to prove a point and his death framed as a coke-induced suicide.
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Cain and Abel
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_eba6a077
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Cain and Abel: Jimmy and Chuck's brotherly dynamics are touched upon, but Jimmy is solidly portrayed as the "Cain" while Chuck is portrayed as the brilliant and righteous "Abel".
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Conveniently Interrupted Document
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_f65c014c
comment
Conveniently Interrupted Document: The video ends before the documentary can describe the events surrounding Lalo and how it will lead to Jimmy becoming Saul Goodman, since they will inevitably spoil a good half of Season 6.
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Running Gag
 American Greed: James McGill (Web Video) / int_f9f2c33
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Running Gag: Keeps up the joke of barely concealed innuendo in-universe about Jimmy's Motor Mouth.
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