Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould addresses whether Jimmy and Kim ever see each other again after the series finale. Saul Goodman did not properly appear in his own show until the very last season, as the Breaking Bad spinoff rewound time to explore small-time con man Jimmy McGill’s gradual transformation into the slick lawyer who aided and abetted Walter White. Jimmy may have found momentary life stability on BCS with fellow lawyer Kim Wexler, but their relationship was doomed, as Jimmy landed behind bars, receiving a last visit from Kim in the Better Call Saul finale.
Jimmy and Kim seemed to reach the end of their road together in that emotional final BCS episode, but series co-creator Gould thinks they could still have some kind of relationship in the future, though he doubts they would ever rekindle their romance. Gould gives his thoughts on Jimmy and Kim’s potential future in Alan Sepinwall’s new book Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul, as excerpted in Rolling Stone:
Gould begins by addressing how the last scene between Jimmy and Kim came together, revealing that it was a late addition to the teleplay:
That sequence was not broken in the room. That was something I added as I was writing. What excited me about that was the sadness of it and the ambiguity of it. My hope and desire would be that the characters live on in the heads of the audience. So, a little bit of ambiguity is good.
The door seems to be open on Jimmy and Kim having a future relationship, and for his part, Gould has a hard time imagining that they will never communicate with each other again:
In my mind, I could go back and forth, depends on what day you ask me. I find it hard to believe that she’s done with him. He’s in one of the most awful situations a human being can be in. Now having shot in a real prison, it’s a dire, dire place. It’s just awful, and it’s terrible that we have to have them. She knows he’s there. I find it hard to believe that she’s not going to call him, send him a letter, send him some cash to buy cigarettes, whatever.
Gould thinks Jimmy will do well in prison, and believes there’s “hope” for him to reunite with Kim in some manner, though he admits it’s a long-shot that they would ever be romantically involved again:
And I find it hard to believe that he’s not going to make himself really useful to the other prisoners. It seems like he has already. He’s found a place of equilibrium in there. But I find it hard to believe that she would just walk away forever and never have any contact with him. On the other hand, it would be a big leap to think that they could get involved romantically again. Maybe, but my mother used to say this, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”
What This Means For Jimmy And Kim’s Possible Future
The Breaking Bad Universe Is On Ice For Now
Any rekindling of Jimmy and Kim’s relationship is contingent upon Gould and Gilligan firing up the Breaking Bad universe again. Unfortunately, there are no current plans for that to happen, and indeed Gilligan has admitted to being a little burned out on his signature creation, telling Variety back in 2023 that he is taking a break from Breaking Bad to pursue other projects:
“To be brutally honest, if I get my ass handed to me with this next show and the one after that, and nobody wants to see it and everybody wants “Breaking Bad,” who knows! Maybe we’ll see our way clearer to doing something in the future. But what I’d like to do is leave it be. It’s the work of my lifetime — ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ — it’ll be the first thing engraved on my tombstone, and I couldn’t be more proud of it.
A spinoff focused on Jimmy and Kim is not guaranteed, even if Gilligan and Gould do go back to the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul well. But indeed, nothing has been taken off the table, except perhaps a Walter Jr. sequel spinoff, after Gilligan called such an idea “depressing.”
Our Take On Jimmy And Kim Getting Back Together
Their Relationship Proved A Little Toxic
Jimmy and Kim may have a future together after Jimmy’s jail stint ends, but in reality, their getting back together might be the worst thing that could happen. Their relationship may have started out strong, but Jimmy’s corner-cutting tendencies ultimately led him down a dark path, with Kim first enabling him, and later becoming directly complicit in his ever-more-questionable activities.
Rhea Seehorn received 2 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for playing Kim Wexler.
Things came to a tragic head in Better Call Saul season 6, when Jimmy and Kim’s plans led to the horrifying death of Howard Hamlin, forcing the pair to flee Albuquerque and take on new identities. Given how things shook out for the couple, it’s safe to say their influence on each other was ultimately toxic.
A new spinoff in which Jimmy and Kim grow as people, and are able to have a functional relationship free from criminal activity, might be a nice outcome for the characters, who perhaps deserve a little redemption. On the other hand, Jimmy and Kim just being happy and non-criminal together might be a little lacking in dramatic weight, after the intensity of their Better Call Saul experiences. Leaving the characters where they were at the end of the show is probably the best move Gould and Gilligan could make.
Source: Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul (via Rolling Stone)
Better Call Saul
- Release Date
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2015 – 2021
- Showrunner
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Peter Gould
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Thomas Schnauz, Peter Gould, Michael Morris, Adam Bernstein, Colin Bucksey, John Shiban, Michelle MacLaren, Melissa Bernstein, Larysa Kondracki, Terry McDonough, Gordon Smith, Minkie Spiro, Jim McKay, Daniel Sackheim, Andrew Stanton, Norberto Barba, Rhea Seehorn, Scott Winant, Michael Slovis, Keith Gordon, Deborah Chow, Giancarlo Esposito, Bronwen Hughes
- Writers
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Ann Cherkis, Marion Dayre, Ariel Levine, Jonathan Glatzer