Kim Wexler’s Story in Better Call Saul Mirrors Jesse Pinkman’s In Breaking Bad (& 1 Scene Proves It)
Better Call Saul proves that, much like Walter White and Saul Goodman, Kim Wexler and Jesse Pinkman share a number of similarities in their stories.
Since its 2015 debut, Better Call Saul has sparked numerous comparisons to its predecessor, Breaking Bad, primarily because Saul Goodman and Walter White share similar paths toward destruction — though there are other characters whose stories mirror one another. Kim Wexler, Saul’s love interest and former business partner, faces a similar struggle to that of Jesse Pinkman, Walter’s partner in meth production.
Despite being set years before the timeline of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul seamlessly connects to the other series, with Vince Gilligan masterfully weaving Walter’s and Saul’s stories together. Both shows emphasize the impact these characters have on one another, as well as supporting players like Skyler White, Hank Schrader, and Mike Ehrmantraut. Perhaps the two Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul characters most affected by Walter and Saul are Kim and Jesse, though, and their journeys bear some surprising parallels.
Kim’s Downfall In Better Call Saul Mirrors Jesse’s In Breaking Bad
In many ways, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul place Jesse and Kim in similar positions. Both Kim and Jesse do terrible things over the course of their journeys, but they both strive for redemption. However, instead of being able to move on from the difficult positions they’re put in, they’re thrust deeper into trouble by demanding characters whose spiral downward sucks them in as well. As the secondary main characters in their respective shows, Kim and Jesse often serve as a moral voice of reason for the actual leads. Unfortunately, neither is able to convince their co-lead to leave behind a life of crime.
Much in the same way Jesse’s life is derailed by Walter, Kim’s is ruined by Saul Goodman. Even when the two reconcile at the ending of Better Call Saul, it’s only after Kim’s career has been upended and her life destroyed by the guilt of Howard Hamlin’s death. Her story mirrors Jesse’s; it just has a different connection at the center. Kim and Saul share a romantic relationship in Better Call Saul, while Jesse and Walter have more of a father-son bond in Breaking Bad. Still, both Kim and Jesse get caught up in toxic relationships that hurt them tremendously. And one Better Call Saul scene teases their similar fates.
The Better Call Saul Scene Where Kim Meets Jesse Foreshadows Their Fates
In one of the more poignant scenes in Better Call Saul season 6, Kim leaves Saul’s office to find Jesse standing outside. This is before the events of Breaking Bad, but Jesse has a friend who needs legal representation. He asks Kim if she thinks that Saul is “any good.” Kim, who watched Saul pull himself up by his bootstraps and become a lawyer only to be beaten down by unfortunate circumstances, can only respond one way. She tells Jesse, “When I knew him, he was.” Similar to Kim, Jesse also knew Walter as a good man but witnessed his downfall.
She also tells Jesse to get a lawyer, but that eventually leads Jesse to hire Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. Saul and his ability to maneuver Walter is one of the reasons Heisenberg becomes such a big deal, with Jesse getting caught in the fallout. By the end of Better Call Saul, Kim also needs a lawyer after confessing to Howard’s widow. This brings things full circle for both characters. Both travel the same path, just at different times, finding themselves dragged down by the ego and self-deception of their partners.
