Wow, what a ride this final season of Better Call Saul is. This episode broke my heart, Jimmy’s heart, and Kim’s.
This episode officially closes the book on Jimmy McGill. In his place remains Saul Goodman, with his wife gone, Howard dead and HHM in ruins. With Lalo gone too, the final episodes are shaping up to show us the Saul we met in Breaking Bad, and why Kim Wexler is no longer present during that time. While he’s still Jimmy on the inside, losing Kim is the final straw that makes him go full-Saul.
I feel for him. We know him. There’s a deep sadness in Jimmy, as Howard being killed right in front of him has no doubt caused irreparable damage. It’s clear Jimmy and Kim feel guilty about Howard’s death and their part in it, and Kim decides she can’t be here any longer. Both mentally and physically. Jimmy begging her to stay as she packed her suitcases to leave has surely secured both Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn’s Emmys.
Prior to this heartbreaking scene, Jimmy and Kim lie one last time when they convince Howard’s former wife that the rumors about him were true. Kim in particular seems almost too good at this, and it’s clear that this is her final straw.
It’s not just that Kim is leaving Jimmy. She’s leaving her career, her cases, her entire life as she knows it. It makes me so sad to see her give up her law license after everything she has done and sacrificed to build up her career. It’s devastating to watch her just walk away from it all. Jimmy’s absolute desperation to keep his wife adds to the sad state of affairs.
When Jimmy arrives home to find her suitcases half-packed and learns Kim knew about Lalo and had been keeping it from him, he realizes everything isn’t going to be okay. It’s far from okay. It’s broken. Kim ends the relationship because she knows she’s in too deep – she enjoyed the scams, and it went too far. Now people are dead, and it’s partially their fault. She needs to leave before she ends up in prison or dead herself. Some people expected this ending for Kim, but seeing her leave Jimmy heartbroken is a sucker punch to the gut for viewers and Jimmy himself.
However, I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of Kim Wexler. She’s far too important to the story to have it all end without her. We know the show jumps forward to see Jimmy become not only Saul but Gene, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gene and Kim just so happen to cross paths down the track.
Mike informing Nacho’s father of the news was also a highlight of this episode, and Mike telling him his son had a good heart and a painless death is painful in itself. We’ve known these characters for so long now that we all feel Nacho’s loss with his father.
The cinematography in this show is insane. The intricacy in the shots, the coloring, the framing, it’s all meticulously planned and thought out. The whole team should be very proud of their work. I’m both excited and terrified to see what the final episodes bring us.
Photo Courtesy: AMC
