Kim Wexler and the Building of Breaking Bad

By: Lauren Devlin

“Walter White couldn’t have done it without me.” 

Saul Goodman has a point when saying this in the Better Call Saul series finale, but I think we need to go back in time a bit to truly understand what this meant.

Better Call Saul is the popular prequel series to the just-as-popular Breaking Bad. In it, the audience follows a down-on-his-luck lawyer named Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) on his journey into becoming the sleazy, but loved, Saul Goodman found in Breaking Bad. Within Jimmy’s journey, the audience is also introduced to his main love interest: Kim Wexler. Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) is a young lawyer who does follow the rules. In fact, the only person who could convince her otherwise is Jimmy.

Jimmy and Kim’s relationship is the heartbeat of the show. Any time Jimmy is in a bad situation, Kim is always there next to him, doing whatever she can to get him out of it. At one point, Jimmy is at risk of permanent disbarment due to a “family issue,” but Kim throws everything she is currently working on out the window in order to be there by his side and ensure the disbarment is not permanent.

This is important, because the Saul Goodman we see in Breaking Bad would not exist without Kim Wexler. Kim keeps Jimmy going throughout the show. Jimmy became a lawyer because of his older brother Chuck, played by Michael McKean. He wanted to be just like him. Little did Jimmy know that Chuck wanted him to be nothing like him. Chuck had been working against Jimmy ever since he got his law degree. He tried to keep him in the mailroom and away from any actual cases. When Jimmy finds this out, he’s destroyed. He doesn’t know what to do. He even claims to quit the law for good. But Kim doesn’t let him. Kim finds a way to get Jimmy a job at a very notable law firm opposite of the one his brother owns.

We start the show knowing that Jimmy and Kim have some sort of relationship, but we don’t understand the depth of it until Jimmy finds out what Chuck truly thinks of him. From that point forward, every action Jimmy does goes back to “doing it for Kim.” He commits fraud “for Kim.” He works two jobs, all while doing community service, so he can keep his office “for Kim.” In one scene, when Chuck asks why Jimmy would commit such a felony, he says, verbatim, “I did it for Kim” (season 2, episode 10).

Kim pushes Jimmy to remember he is a good person. That’s why her walking away from him hurts so badly. In season 6, episode 9, after just experiencing a traumatic event together, Kim and Jimmy are soon left alone in their shared apartment. After seeing the sad look on Kim’s face, Jimmy immediately walks to their bedroom in order to pack their things, so they can go somewhere else for a while. Upon opening the door, Jimmy is met with Kim’s bags already packed…without him. He turns around to meet Kim’s eyes, and we can see his heart shatter. He realizes what this means. He begins to plead to her. He asks her to tell him what he needs to do to change. He promises to be better. But Kim knows it’s too late. On his final attempt at making her stay, Jimmy finally tells Kim he loves her. This is the first time the “L word” is spoken between them. Kim looks back at him, tells him she loves him too without missing a beat, and then follows it up with a tear-stained and broken, “but so what?” At this, the scene ends. We are left with Jimmy, now Saul, all alone at his desk.

Throughout the show, Kim was what kept Jimmy Jimmy. She didn’t like Saul, and Jimmy knew that. He would do anything for her. So when she left, there was nothing, and no one, to stop him from becoming “Saul Goodman: Attorney at Law.” There was no more Jimmy McGill. Saul was just a sleazy lawyer who always used loopholes and scams to get his way. He stopped focusing on the repercussions and who he would hurt when Kim left. This is exactly what led Saul Goodman directly to Walter White: his hunt for more. He wanted to be someone. He wanted to bury Jimmy McGill, and to do that, he had to reinvent himself. He started chasing “winners,” as he put it. He put his neck on the line to represent Walter White (Bryan Cranston), because money now drove his actions, not love. He went out of his way to ensure Walter White would succeed. Without Saul, Walter would have ended up in jail. On multiple occasions in Breaking Bad, Walt’s final and only option was that he “better call Saul.” Saul truly was indispensable. Saul was now a man with nothing to lose.

Making his debut in season 2 of Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman is a vital part of Walter White’s journey until the end. Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) would not have given Walter the time of day without Saul. Walter would have never been able to launder the money he earned. Walter wouldn’t have a second phone. Walter wouldn’t have known Mike. Walter White simply wouldn’t have thrived if it weren’t for Saul Goodman. And Saul Goodman wouldn’t have thrived if it weren’t for Kim Wexler.