‘Better Call Saul’: Kim Wexler’s Tragedy Isn’t Her Job, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould Say
The final episodes of Better Call Saul revealed Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn)’s fate. Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) found out when he called her office. Then the episode “Waterworks” spent real time with Kim and showed their phone conversation. It may be a tragic end for Kim, but Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan asserted it’s not what she’s doing for a living that’s sad.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6.]
Gilligan and co-creator Peter Gould were on the Better Call Saul Insider podcast on Aug. 9, the day after “Waterworks” aired. They discussed why Kim’s fate is truly tragic for her. The Better Call Saul series finale airs Aug. 15 at 9 p.m. on AMC.
There’s nothing wrong with Kim Wexler’s new job on ‘Better Call Saul’
Kim now works for the Palm Coast Sprinkler Co. in Florida in 2010. She seems to have friends in the office, and a boyfriend, but it’s a modest life.
“By the way, let me preface this by saying there is nothing intrinsically sad about what Kim is doing for a living,” Gilligan said on Better Call Saul Insider. “Plenty of good people have jobs like this. That’s what the country runs on. So we’re not making fun of people who work in irrigation, at irrigation companies, not making fun of Floridians.”
Working in an office is squandering Kim’s unique talents
Kim resigned from the New Mexico Bar. It’s the fact that she’s no longer using her unique skills for the betterment of humanity that makes her Better Call Saul ending tragic.
“It’s sad for Kim that she’s living this life,” Gilligan said. “Knowing that when we know that she has this amazing ability to help people and use her legal acumen to help folks who are deserving. What she’s done with her life as we saw this season is a tragedy. She works in the brochures and catalogs department I think.”
Gould added that her experience with Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) and Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) has made Kim second guess herself.
“I don’t think she trusts herself,” Gould said. “She’s hiding from her true abilities and interests. She’s not trusting herself and she’s somebody who was so contained and had such a clear vision of what should be done next in her life. She was always able to do that. Now I think she’s, I don’t know if this makes sense, she’s trying not to do any harm. In a way, she’s so focused on not doing any harm that she’s not doing any good either. She’s haunted by what happened with Howard. She’s haunted by her own responsibility for that.”
Guilt is Kim Wexler’s punishment on ‘Better Call Saul’
Gould confirmed that Kim is free and clear legally. Nobody suspects Howard was murdered. Mike (Jonathan Banks) did a good job covering it up. But nobody gets away free and clear on Better Call Saul.
I think she’s paying penance is what she’s doing, whether she realizes it or not. Part of this not being able to form an opinion on anything speaks to that. I don’t know that she’d be home doing crossword puzzles watching The Amazing Race. I think she does everything her boyfriend likes. When anybody asks her opinion, chocolate or strawberry, ‘They’re both good.’ It’s being afraid to do any harm but it’s also denying herself some of the things that she’s so good at. You’ve got to have an opinion if you’re going to be a lawyer. You’ve got to be a point of view if you’re going to be a lawyer and if you’re going to be a living human being. She’s denied herself all of that. There’s a great deal of denial and penance going on here.
Vince Gilligan, Better Call Saul Insider podcast, 8/9/22
