What You Likely Never Noticed About Kim From Better Call Saul
"Better Call Saul" tells the story of Jimmy McGill's (Bob Odenkirk) journey to becoming criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. The "Breaking Bad" prequel spinoff brings back plenty of characters from the original show, from the terrifying Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) to his original right-hand man, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). But perhaps most central to the show is Kim Wexler, Jimmy's fellow lawyer and friend, who eventually becomes his wife. Played to critical acclaim by Rhea Seehorn, Kim is considered by many to be the heart of "Better Call Saul," acting as a powerful foil to Jimmy.
Where Jimmy is impulsive, often driven by short-term goals, Kim is pragmatic and detail-oriented. However, she shares Jimmy's talent for manipulating people. As the show progresses, she falls for him all the harder when they're skirting the boundaries of the law. When Kim decides to go along with Jimmy's schemes, she can prove a better con artist than he is and can be even darker than him. Her behavior has reached a point where fans are worried about her ultimate fate.
Kim's keen eye for detail allows her to see things Jimmy often misses, and nowhere is that more apparent than in her standout moment from Season 5. In the episode "Bad Choice Road," she comes to Jimmy's defense in a heart-pounding moment. But amid the tension of the scene, there's something eagle-eyed fans have spotted that many viewers may have overlooked entirely.
Kim's attention to detail saved Jimmy from being caught in a lie
After the harrowing events of "Bagman" near the end of "Better Call Saul" Season 5, Jimmy lies to cartel boss Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) in order to avoid his wrath, omitting the fact his car was ambushed by saying it broke down. But Lalo finds the bullet-riddled car in the desert and pays a visit to Jimmy and Kim's apartment to extract the truth. Just as Jimmy is about to crack under the pressure, Kim steps in. With the full force of her litigation skills, she tells Lalo anything left in the desert is bound to get shot at, then pivots to exploiting his paranoia, pointing out that he sent Jimmy to collect the money because he can't trust his own men. It's a huge risk on Kim's part, one that could easily get her killed, but it works. Lalo leaves.
The moment is stunning on its own, but some fans have noticed a detail that makes it even more meaningful. Before the confrontation, Kim sees that Jimmy's coffee mug, stashed in a duffel bag with Lalo's money, has a bullet hole as well. If Lalo had found it, Jimmy's lie would be exposed, as it proves Jimmy was in the car during the ambush. Right before launching into her diatribe, Kim looks toward the room where the bag is stashed, indicating that she's figured out the situation. Her monologue is not only a defense of Jimmy, but also a cunning misdirection, and it proves what viewers already know: she's the best lawyer in New Mexico.
On a Reddit post pointing out this subtle detail, fans were astonished. /u/OShaunesssy wrote, "My heart just stopped realizing this." /u/LifeIsAJungle chimed in, "Well spotted, thought Kim went off the rails but it was a calculated risk".