Even though fans are saying believing it was better than Breaking Bad, many of the events in the final stretch could have gone another way.
That is particularly true when it comes to Kim, as she made errors through the final season, in judgement and actions, that might have changed the course of her life had she decided in a different way. Even though she got somewhat of a happy ending, there could have been more for Kim.
Not Defending Jimmy
When Jimmy stood up in court and began to confess to things that would immediately terminate his plea agreement to serve only 7.5 years in jail, Kim should have stood up and defended him. Yes, she realized he was doing something good by finally owning up to his actions. He was doing it for his own peace of mind as much as he was doing it to save her, so who was she to stand in his way?
Nonetheless, Kim was a fantastic lawyer – one of the most intelligent lawyers on Better Call Saul. She could have stopped him in the moment and then worked together to figure out a way to get them both out of the mess. Yes, he was more to blame for everything than she was. But knowing Jimmy would be spending the rest of his life in jail might make Kim feel guilty for the rest of her life too.
Settling For A Mundane Life
Kim was not about living a mundane life. The reason she fell for Jimmy in the first place is that she loved the thrill of the con and doing bad things to people she believed deserved it. She even became obsessed with the lifestyle, like when she gave up a huge job opportunity to make sure their plan to embarrass Howard saw through to the end.
In living an ordinary life in the suburbs with an average boyfriend doing normal things like having neighborhood barbecues and eating tuna sandwich lunches with office co-workers, Kim was in her own form of prison. With that said, she might have done this purposefully, viewing it as penance for all the wrong she did and for what happened to Howard.
Confessing To Cheryl
Fans understand that Kim wanted to clear her conscience and give her statement to the police about Howard’s death. Once she did this, it was likely the authorities would reach out to Howard’s wife Cheryl – one of the best characters introduced in season 6 of Better Call Saul - to let her know the truth about what happened.
But Kim wanted to see Cheryl face-to-face, which was an irable move and showed she truly was sorry for what had happened. But it put her in danger of losing everything. In a way, it was this move that drove Jimmy to do what he did because once he found out Kim was willing to risk it all to redeem herself, he felt he should be willing to do the same.
Giving Her Statement To Police About Howard
Kim giving her statement to the police in the first place was a bad move, because it not only implicated her, but also Jimmy should they ever be able to find him. What’s more, it could also impact her chances of ever getting her law license back if she decided she wanted to practice again.
It seemed Kim believed she deserved all that. Nonetheless, she made the decision in a hurry after being flustered and deeply affected by Jimmy’s phone call. She should have given herself some time to weigh the options before making a rash decision.
Leaving Her Legal Career
Kim lived and breathed the law. She worked hard to get where she was and had a great sense of what was right and wrong, even if she didn’t always practice what she preached. When it came to her clients, Kim did everything she could. She also irably wanted to represent those in most need of quality representation, even if she was doing it pro bono.
So, Kim quitting the career she loved so much, the essence of who she was, was a punishment too big for her misdeeds. She learned from her mistakes, decided to leave Jimmy, and could have gone on practicing law somewhere else, away from the draw to do bad things. Her skills as a lawyer and desire to help those in need were wasted in her new career.
Putting On An Act
When Kim was living her suburban life, she was a completely different person. While Kim felt free in some ways because of how her story wrapped up in Better Call Saul, it wasn’t who she was at all. It seemed almost like she was living someone else’s life, spending all her time trying to fake her way through mundane daily activities.
There was no way Kim was happy in this world, barely existing. She made a good decision by approaching a law clinic and getting back into doing what she loved. But in moving away and trying to become someone else, she was not likely very happy.
Not Telling Jimmy How She Felt
While fans loved Jimmy and Kim’s final moments together in prison, sharing a cigarette as they often did years before when they were friends and later married, the dialogue wasn’t as deep as fans would have hoped.
Fans wanted to see Kim express her feelings to Jimmy, just as she did in her most iconic scene from Better Call Saul when she decided to leave him. Fans wanted to see her express her gratitude, her disappointment in what he became after she left, or even simply find out more about his life. But their chat was very surface-level. There’s no confirmation regarding whether that was the last time she visited him or not. But the moment felt final and seemed like there was still a lot unresolved between the two.
Answering Jimmy’s Call
One of Kim’s most critical mistakes was answering Jimmy’s call at the office. She instantly knew it was him when the receptionist dictated the fake name of the person who was on the other end of the line. She hesitated, but then decided to pick up.
It was this angered phone call, where Jimmy yelled at and made her feel bad, that set in motion the events that led to the finale. Kim went to Albuquerque and delivered a written statement about the events that led to Howard’s murder. She then went to visit Claire. It’s likely none of this would have happened had Kim simply not answered the phone that day.