Better Call Saul: Inside Kim Wexler’s Bombshell Marriage Proposal That No One Saw Coming
It doesn’t seem possible, but each episode of Better Call Saul, Season 5 seems better than the last. The show has always been masterful with character development and rewarding perceptive fans with Easter eggs and hidden messages along the way. But it feels like the penultimate season in particular has taken those techniques to the next level.
There were multiple extraordinary moments in Episode 6, “Wexler v. Goodman.” But perhaps the most shocking line of all came at the very end just before the credits started rolling. Now fans are going wild trying to figure out if Kim Wexler was serious when she said what she said or if it’s just another con in disguise.
[Spoiler Alert: Spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul, Season 5, Episode 6]
Fans have learned to expect the unexpected on ‘Better Call Saul’
Just when it seems like Better Call Saul is going in one direction, showrunners abruptly change track and take their audience by surprise. The unpredictability is a huge part of the show’s appeal — fans truly never know what will happen next.
The first half of Episode 6 focuses on Jimmy, along with his familiar UNM film crew, producing a commercial that will help convince Mesa Verde to give up their war against Everett Acker. We don’t get to see the content, but knowing Jimmy, it’s bound to be dramatic.
Then Kim shows up and calls the whole thing off. She decides she’s done scamming her client and wants to just settle with Acker, out of her own pocket if necessary. Jimmy agrees to cease production and settle the case.
Kim’s first mistake was believing Jimmy could let it go
There’s a moment during the episode when it seems like Jimmy really will abandon their scam plans and go along with Kim’s safe settlement. But anyone who truly knows Slippin’ Jimmy must realize that would be way too easy.
Jimmy arrives at the meeting with Kim, her Schweikart and Cokely colleagues, Paige, and Kevin. Everyone thinks he’s there to settle, but he quickly makes it clear that won’t happen. He pops in a DVD of the commercial he made even as Kim’s trying to shield everyone from seeing it. Her fury with Jimmy is palpable.
Ultimately, Jimmy strikes a handshake deal with Kevin that will allow Acker to keep his home and keep the ridiculous slander campaign from seeing the light of day. But at what cost?
In the end, Kim makes a shocking proposition
Kim arrives home from the meeting seething. Jimmy knows she’ll be mad, but ultimately defends his decision to fool her by explaining that no one on her legal team would be suspicious they were in working together since technically they weren’t. “Real anger worked like protective immunity,” Jimmy says. “There’s no way Rich or Paige believe we’re in cahoots because we weren’t.” But Kim doesn’t see it that way.
“You win, Jimmy,” Kim says before launching into a long tirade that sounds like the prelude to a breakup. And as Jimmy heartbreakingly pleads for her not to end them, suddenly Kim veers in a surprising direction.
“This has to end,” Kim says. “I cannot keep living like this. If you don’t see it, I don’t know what to say because we are at a breaking point. Either we end this now, and enjoy the time we had and go our separate ways, or maybe…” she trails off, and everyone waits in total suspense.
“…or maybe we get married,” she concludes.
Why would Kim want to marry Jimmy?
Marriage seems like the worst possible idea for this fatally flawed duo. But it’s clear that Kim’s proposal doesn’t come from a place of love or romance but is rather a reluctant acceptance of their current situation. No matter what happens after, Kim is willing to see the con through.
Yes, Kim loves Jimmy, in her own twisted way. But the most important change marriage will have is legal. As spouses, Kim will not be compelled to testify against Jimmy in criminal proceedings. Plus, marital communications privilege gives both husbands and wives the right to refuse to testify based on confidential statements made in their spousal relationship.
If there’s a war coming, then it’s clear Kim just picked sides. And for now she’s still sticking with Jimmy.
Catch new episodes of Better Call Saul on AMC Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET
