‘Better Call Saul’: Rhea Seehorn Alludes to Kim Following Mike Ehrmantraut’s Path
Kim Wexler’s fate in Better Call Saul is unknown, but Rhea Seehorn thinks there are similarities between her role and Jonathan Banks‘ Mike Ehrmantraut. Could this mean a dismal fate for Kim in the final episodes of the AMC series? Find out why Seehorn thinks Kim and Mike are cut from the same cloth, plus what she considers the real tragedy when it comes to her Better Call Saul character.
Rhea Seehorn and Jonathan Banks have been waiting to do a scene together
Recounting her directorial debut to AMC, Seehorn spoke highly of her co-star Banks. “He’s just incredibly, incredibly talented but so is the rest of my cast,” she started. “Jonathan and I have wanted to do a scene together for a long time. We’ve prodded the writers good-naturedly for many seasons because we really like each other in real life and we also respect each other’s work and the character that each other has made.” For Seehorn, exploring a conversation between Mike and Kim posed a lot of “interesting possibilities.”
Rhea Seehorn sees similarities between Kim Wexler and Mike Ehrmantraut
As Seehorn describes, Kim and Mike each have a “code of ethics they staunchly protect.” What’s more, Seehorn thinks Mike and Kim are “both are walking very slippery slopes.”
“Mike is aware that his is honor among thieves,” Seehorn described. “He’s aware that he is a criminal who has a code. Kim is not there yet.” At this point in Better Call Saul, Mike has come to terms with the work he does and what influenced his decision to do this kind of work. On the other hand, Kim hasn’t made peace with that yet.
When Jimmy tells her “the wicked flee when no man pursueth,” she gets hung up on the term “wicked.” She’s more concerned about perceptions and less about making peace with her actions.
Undercover operatives aren’t the only thing Mike and Kim have in common. “They also both play their cards very, very close to the chest,” Seehorn says. These characters have no choice but to do so, especially associating with the people they choose to within the world of Better Call Saul.
‘Better Call Saul’ will show the true tragedy — the ‘erosion’ of Kim Wexler
Kim never gets involved with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad, but there’s still time for her to get involved with Gus Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) operation in Better Call Saul. Will Kim’s code get her killed in the end?
Mike stuck to his code of ethics in Breaking Bad, even after Fring’s death. However, that code wasn’t enough to protect him from a frustrated Heisenberg, who shoots Mike in the stomach in “Say My Name.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Seehorn talks about the real tragedy being the “erosion” of her character as it plays out in season 6 — not her death, if it were to happen. “However she goes out, or stays … [is] it’s own tragedy,” said the Better Call Saul actor.
“If she lives unscathed but ends up being the cashier at the Hinky Dinky, which she’s said is the worst fate possible? Is that our happy ending? Or like you’re saying, that she’s the head of the cartel … I don’t know. But I rest easy, knowing I’m going to have some of the most blissful challenges of my career getting there, and it’s going to be great.”
Whether or not Seehorn’s thoughts on the similarities between Mike and Kim spell out death for the character in Better Call Saul remains to be seen. Tune in to new episodes of Better Call Saul on AMC Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
