There is a really interesting detail in Mike's fight scene from episode 3. Look closely when he dodges the punch.
This just goes to show why Mike is the best character in both series.
How do people interpret how Jimmy is handling Chuck's death? That scene where Howard reveals that he thinks Chuck committed suicide always puzzled me. Howard brings up the insurance thing, and Jimmy's demeanor changes. "Well, that's your cross to bear", or something like that. My current interpretation is that the guilt for pushing Chuck to suicide is too much to handle, so he projects it on Howard and also tries to mentally detach from the whole thing, which is why he seems so nonchalant about it.
I would say that's an accurate interpretation. The whole thing with Jimmy and Howard is a very clearly displaced emotional reaction to his own stuff he's avoiding. The end of the last episode where he flaunts how awesome he is even though he's actually in a really bad situation and knows it, is what gives it away I think. He admits it to Kim, even though he doesn't want to. On some level he knows that Howard isn't responsible for any of it, but he need someone to blame. He can't take it all on himself because it might actually break him entirely
This show is very similar to watching Walt finally comes to terms with the fact that he's an arrogant self-destructive egotistical asshole, except in reverse. We are introduced to Jimmy as a guy we sympathize with because he's always underfoot. His brother is mean to him, life has robbed him of opportunities that are rightfully his.
But Jimmy is a self-destructive conman, addicted to getting things done in the underhanded way because he has an underdog complex, he's the little guy that's being trounced by the man, when in reality he's the cause of his own problems. he manipulates, he lies, he cheats, he does everything the wrong way almost from the moment we meet him. It's downplayed it first but it's there or throughout the entire series. He's never really straight in terms of legality. He doesn't need to be, because it's showing that that doesn't work. Doing things the right way doesn't get you anywhere so you have to lie, cheat and steal your way to the top. We know that that doesn't turn out to be any better, and in fact worse.
Jimmy is a liar but the person he lies to the most is himself. He's created a victim narrative in which he can't escape.
Chuck was in essence, right about him. It's kind of a grim portrayal of a person but Jimmy is incapable of being Jimmy, he was always going to be Saul no matter what he did.
He had the chance to go straight and he seems unable to do so, so instead he leans into "accepting" who he is. But I think the tragic thing is there's a part of him that isn't really that guy, but by the time we see him in BB, that is more or less repressed entirely.
It remains to be seen who Gene will be.