Oh, Kim Wexler—you were so close to breaking good. Instead, you decided the con job against your former boss “happens today,” and you made that U-turn back to Albuquerque to continue the scam.
Maybe this is always who Kim was. The flashback shows us she learned at a young age how to scam people. After Kim shoplifts jewelry, her mom puts on a big show about her daughter paying for it, only to steal the item anyway—she invokes righteousness, like her daughter eventually will, and then does something underhanded. “I didn’t know you had it in you,” says her impressed mother, in what could be an overall theme for Kim’s character. The car radio playing Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” is maybe a sly wink to the idea that running a scam is a reflex for the Wexler daughter.
“Relax,” her mom says. “You got away with it.” These lessons carry a big impression with kids that they remember for a long time. (The actress playing Kim’s mom really did her homework. Her voice and mannerisms were so like the adult Kim that we had to check closely to make sure it wasn’t Rhea Seehorn playing her mother.)
Kim could have done some real good, with some significant financial assets backing her, in the law firm for less fortunate clients, but it’s hard to imagine she can just back out the meeting without losing the whole deal. Cliff is kind enough to offer her the meeting, and sees the truth that Kim really does want to help people. She could have just delayed D-Day by one day, but her antipathy toward Howard is just too strong. Helping poor clients can wait; it’s the con job that can’t.
I don’t know—are we supposed to hate Howard? I don’t. He’s coded like a fat cat, with his slick suit and detached attitude, and he was condescending toward Kim, but I don’t think he’s terrible. I felt bad for him, meticulously making his estranged wife a cappuccino, only to have her dump it into a travel mug without a thought and spill some of it on the counter (very nice attention to detail in this scene).
The plan against Howard proceeds. The Post-It notes are back. Where Kim once memorably used them to work her way up the ladder at the law firm, she now uses those colored slips of paper for nefarious purposes, planning revenge that apparently involves a video with the always fun film students, and Slippin’ Jimmy slipping Howard a drug that makes his pupils dilated.
There were a few nods to the future of Breaking Bad this week. I felt bad for Francesca—Saul’s office actually does look pretty nice the way she decorated it. You can almost see her spirit being grinded down until the office is a tacky mess, with cigarette-damaged furniture and the Constitution-themed kitsch of Saul’s inner office.
And the vet is apparently the key to a lot of the illegal shenanigans in Albuquerque. He’s the one with the connections to the fixers and shady characters, including the infamous vacuum cleaner repairman who will disappear Saul. Will Kim need to call Best Quality Vacuum soon and ask to repair a specific model of vacuum?
I don’t know what will happen to Kim. Maybe next week, the last before the mid-season break, I’ll offer up some guesses.
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