Better Call Saul Theory: Kim’s Middle Name Ends Jimmy’s Marriage (& Lalo’s Case)

While Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler got married in Better Call Saul season 5, episode 7, the mention of Kim’s lack of middle name could bring their time together – and Lalo Salamanca’s trial – to an end. Since the death of Chuck (Michael McKean) in Better Call Saul season 3, the relationship between Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) as been at the very heart of Better Call Saul. Like with Chuck, however, it’s one fans generally expect to end in disaster, since Kim never appears in Breaking Bad, not even receiving so much as a mention.

With Jimmy and Kim now married, yet Better Call Saul set to end with season 6, that makes what ultimately happens between the pair even more intriguing (and potentially devastating) to think about. Something major will undoubtedly go down between now and the end of the series, and it’s really a matter of finding out the why as to Kim’s absence in Breaking Bad. The events of Better Call Saul season 5, episode 7, “JMM”, might help offer some clues.

The episode not only sees Kim and Jimmy’s wedding – complete with Huell as a witness, naturally – but Saul Goodman get dragged further into the criminal underworld, working for Lalo (Tony Dalton) as his lawyer, and ready to be made a “friend of the cartel”. These threads are all being carefully stitched together by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and it’s possible – perhaps even likely – that when the Kim part of Jimmy’s life is interwoven with the Lalo part of Saul’s, then that’s where change will really happen. As ever with Better Call Saul, though, it begins with the small details – in this case, Kim Wexler’s lack of a middle name.

Better Call Saul Season 5 Suggests Kim’s Middle Name Is Important

At the beginning of Better Call Saul season 5, episode 7, “JMM”, just as Jimmy and Kim are beginning to exchange their vows, there’s a very pointed moment concerning Kim’s name. The judge begins by saying the vows as normal, “Do you James Morgan McGill take Kimberly Wexler,” and then he pauses to remark: “Hmm. No middle name.” It’s a strange moment, given that the judge must have presided over countless marriages in his time, and, well, not having a middle name isn’t exactly uncommon. It isn’t particularly the kind of thing you’d expect to be commented upon, not least in those circumstances, which means it really stands out.

For Kim’s part, she gives only the slightly reaction to the mention. It’s a quick look at the judge, which she passes off as befuddlement, but there’s a possibility she’s up to something here. After all, there’s no reason for Better Call Saul to reference her lack of middle name, unless that’s going to be an important detail in future episodes. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have a love for the smallest details having the biggest repercussions, so Kim’s middle name – or apparent lack thereof – would fit with that. It’s just obvious enough within the episode to not be normal, meaning it’s something the series could well revisit.

Kim’s Middle Name Could Void Her Marriage To Jimmy

The most logical answer to the question of how Kim’s middle name could be used in Better Call Saul is that it ens up voiding her marriage to Jimmy. If it transpires that Kim does in fact have a middle name, then that would seemingly mean that their marriage certificate was null-and-void, because she’s Kimberly [middle name] Wexler rather than plain old Kimberly Wexler. It’s a technicality, but then Kim has spent the past few seasons learning from the best on how to find sneaky loopholes and ensure there’s a get-out clause. Jimmy would perhaps be proud – assuming this is the case – if it weren’t so harsh on him.

For a few reasons, it makes sense that Kim would give herself on out from her marriage with Jimmy. The whole decision to get married came at the very end of her tirade against him about how she couldn’t keep on living like they were, so while they do clearly love each other, that’s already a somewhat shaky foundation. That goes double when the reason, as spelled out in Better Call Saul season 5, episode 7, is because it means she won’t have to testify against Jimmy. Again, that’s not the only reason, but it’s a major motivating factor.

If Kim decides that she no longer wants to be married to Jimmy – which, given he’s slipping further and further into being entirely consumed by Saul Goodman, is a distinct possibility – then given her knowledge of the law, there’s a very easy way to end things without the need for a potentially messy divorce. On the other hand, should Kim want to stay married to Jimmy long-term, then that’s fine: she can just keep her middle name secret, and things go on as normal. It’s essentially a safety net for Kim, which is wise given who Jimmy is dealing with now.

Kim Could Testify In Lalo’s Better Call Saul Trial

Kim may be happy about being married to Jimmy for now, but it may not last. Jimmy is no stranger to criminal activity, of course, nor is Kim a stranger to helping him out with some of those cases. The pair have pulled off a number of cons during their time together, with Jimmy most recently helping her against Mesa Verde. However, Jimmy’s latest client is his most dangerous yet: Lalo Salamanca. Unlike most of Jimmy’s clients, Lalo isn’t some low-level street rat who’ll be in and out of prison constantly, but a high ranking member of the Salamanca family, who now wants to make Jimmy a “friend of the cartel”. He’s Better Call Saul‘s current main villain, which means things have to go south for him at some point. In fact, viewers already know they do in some way, because of Jimmy’s Lalo line in Breaking Bad, suggesting something bad happened to Lalo, and Jimmy is scared about being blamed for it (meaning he was involved).

While that’s still a while off in the Better Call Saul season 5 timeline, the show is nonetheless building a case against Lalo for the murder of Fred Whalen, which could be part of a long game. He’s set to make bail, but that obviously isn’t going to be the end of it. And while one option would be to have Gus arrange for Lalo to be killed once he assumedly skips bail to New Mexico, that might be more in keeping with Breaking Bad‘s style than it is Better Call Saul. What would be perhaps more enticing – and allow Lalo to stick around even longer on the show, which is a bonus – would be for him to be drawn into a full blown trial, with Jimmy as his lawyer.

This, then, is where there could finally be a breaking point for Kim. She’s happily joined in (or at least looked the other way) with Jimmy/Saul’s schemes and unsavory clients, but the cartel is a whole other ball game. Morally, Kim would no doubt find it difficult to stomach, and she’d also surely be incredibly concerned about the risks it poses to Jimmy’s own safety. As well as that, she may begin to lose him as he gets dragged deeper into the cartel’s system, unable to pull away from the control of Lalo and other Salamancas (even if he wants to).

While spousal privilege doesn’t necessarily prohibit Kim from testifying against Jimmy if she wanted to, having something that would void their marriage would no doubt make it easier for her to come to terms with doing so. If she were to be called upon as a witness – or choose to testify – based on the knowledge she gleans from Jimmy talking about the Lalo case at home, then ending things between them would surely have to happen anyway, so again this makes it easier all round. Kim can then help bring Lalo down, because she’d have so much insider information – she could be the key to blowing the whole case open. It makes some sense that she’d do so to, in her mind, protect Jimmy from the cartel, but also likely because of her own moral center too.

Kim’s Better Call Saul Ending Can Mirror Jimmy’s In Breaking Bad

If Kim were to testify in Lalo’s trial, then that presumably wouldn’t mean everything was fine for her and Jimmy. He would likely feel betrayed, and with their marriage over, things between them would be irrevocably damaged. What’s more, though, is that Kim would be painting a target on her own back if she were to go up against the cartel. It’s a highly dangerous situation to put herself in, so there needs to be yet another get-out option. In this case, Kim, working with law enforcement (perhaps even going through Hank Schrader at some point), would likely be given the chance to go into the witness protection programme.

This works on a few levels. If Kim goes into witness protection, then it would be a final break between her and Jimmy, explaining why Kim’s never seen nor mentioned in Breaking Bad. Fans have long wondered what will happen to Kim, usually assuming one of three options: she’s in Saul’s life during Breaking Bad but unmentioned, she has left Jimmy by this point, or she’s dead. The witness protection offers up an intriguing fourth option that works well with the narrative of Better Call Saul: it makes Kim’s absence from Jimmy/Saul’s life a little bit more tragic than them just simply separating, but also means that one of this universe’s best characters, who doesn’t deserve bad things to happen to her, gets to stay alive rather than be killed off.

Most poetically, though, is that this would mean Kim’s ending in Better Call Saul could mirror Saul Goodman’s in Breaking Bad. He’s started a new life for himself as Gene in Omaha, and so too could Kim move far away from New Mexico, adopting a whole new identity and starting afresh. One of the most fascinating aspects of Better Call Saul is seeing the push-and-pull within Kim over Jimmy, and the parallels in her story – how she becomes more like him, does similar things as a lawyer, learns from him, but with her own twist on it. The longer she spends with him, the more she becomes like him, yet simultaneously the more it becomes clear to viewers they can’t last together. This would pay off those parallels perfectly, giving Kim’s story a fitting end on Better Call Saul.

About The Author

James Hunt
(853 Articles Published)

James is Screen Rant’s Movies Lead Editor, having started out as a writer for the site back in 2019. A Sports Journalism graduate, James quickly realized that supporting Sunderland AFC was painful enough without writing about it, and so decided to talk a load of rubbish about movies and TV instead. Formerly the TV editor at WhatCulture, he has a particular love of Star Wars (The Last Jedi was great), Game of Thrones (season 8 was good), and Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling…never mind) – y’know, all that really niche, nerdy stuff. Spending most of his days editing articles about or writing on movies and shows, James likes to really get away from work and unwind by, er, watching movies and shows. He’s fuelled by pint-sized cups of tea, peanut butter, more tea, and a quiet, constant anger (like the Hulk, only not green, or strong, or big).

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