Who is Kim Wexler? A Character Analysis

[@Mattsfitmind]

She had better win an Emmy. Amazing actress and character. I really enjoy your analysis.

[@saint3356]

I’d love a Kim and Walt comparison video!

[@ForcesInMotion]

I'd watch, and enjoy, pretty much any BCS analysis from Courtney. She's got great ideas and an excellent grasp of the depth of the show. But personally, I see/feel more of a parallel between Kim & Jesse than between Kim & Walt. Endless love and respect to all things BCS...

[@davemac9563]

What I love about Kim is that she wasn’t written to revolve around Jimmy, but she was written as her own while also being someone to inspire Jimmy

[@aaronmcintire1183]

One of the most complex and compelling characters I've ever seen. Can't wait to see how it ends.

[@KevinPrimus]

I watch way too many BCS breakdown videos. Yours are the most compelling I’ve seen to date. Keep up the excellent work!!!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Appreciate it and all your comments!

[@PhantomOfManyTopics]

@@courtneysreviews438 , speaking of S2E6, the bartender informs Kim a man wants to buy her a drink. She tells the bartender to give her a moment, the second after that at 30 minutes and 15 seconds into it with 15 minutes and 56 seconds remaining , you can see behind the bartender a handsome Chinese guy head down taking a drink, guess who that is? 😀

[@courtneysreviews438]

@@PhantomOfManyTopics very cool! 😎 I'd love to hear more about your experience on set!

[@phoenixascension1]

Ological’s breakdowns are worth checking out. 👍

[@Blademaster1989]

This is one of the best BCS analysis video. Good job

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thanks for watching, Christian! I appreciate the feedback. This is my favorite video I've made to date. Check back because I'll have more breakdowns like this as Season 6 airs. I am so hyped for Monday!

[@sadiqurrahman9741]

Please make more character analysis videos of BCS like this one. Loved it so much.

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you! I've got some things planned for the hiatus!

[@sirtorchington]

just watched Vince Gilligan on the Gilliverse from right when s6 aired, and he absolutely said the song and/or movie Days Of Wine & Roses is a clue to Kim & Jimmy’s relationship 👏

[@raydavison4288]

"It isn't going down like you think it will." Mike E.

[@saint3356]

Love me a Kim wexler analysis video!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you! Any thoughts about the KC Royals references? I'm curious what others think!

[@saint3356]

@@courtneysreviews438 Really not sure, but I know I want her shirt.

[@birdsongs2417]

"Jane's Addiction" it's like you knew you were saying a band name but went with it anyway lol

[@courtneysreviews438]

Jane says, "I'm done with Sergio" It's funny bc I DID realize it the moment the words came out of my mouth. That's crazy perceptive of you 😳

[@kyliegirlypop]

This is such a good video!! I love Kim so much, you broke down her personality so well she’s such a good character to analyze 😁

[@hanfan26]

I love Kim so much and I'm so happy to see more Kim content :) great job on the video!!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you! I love her, too. She is by far my favorite character (apart from Jimmy). I am planning another Kim video soon. Thanks for watching and for commenting!

[@ellejohnson2045]

This is such a cool analysis! I would love to see more of your comparisons between Walt and Kim

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you! It is coming. Probably during the hiatus... I have a couple thinks cooking :)

[@anaisbismuth8087]

Great video ! Love your takes ! I wanted to share a detail I noticed about Kim. Kim has been a smoker since the beginning of the show but in the last two seasons or so we see her smoking more and more and in situations that are more uncanny (Jimmy is also a smoker but to me it seems that the show is more interested in Kim's smoking). This continues up until the current season where we see her smoke inside their apartment all the time. There are several ways to analyse this, we could say it foreshadows disease or something, but personally I think it fits the overall cleansing theme. The way I see it, her smoking inside her apartment hints at her being beyond rehabilitation, like she is rotten inside and no superficial cleansing will be able to fix that. Would love to hear your take on this 😊😊😊

[@courtneysreviews438]

I did notice that, too! I read it as her becoming more and more self-destructive/wreckless. Someone else wondered if it is foreshadowing the woman's hand ashing a cigarette in the justice scales we see in the show title sequence, which I thought was an interesting idea.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

I love how you say Jim & Kimmy, too! I thought I was the only one who did that! Also I love all these analyses, do keep them coming!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Haha I slip ALL THE TIME and often have to re-record myself!

[@Yan_Alkovic]

@@courtneysreviews438 So that was not on purpose? Still great to see!

[@courtneysreviews438]

@@Yan_Alkovic in this one I think it was intentiona l-- Slipping Kimmy!

[@hollandmarie3995]

Great job. I really enjoyed this.

[@ACDancy]

This was a great breakdown, well done!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you!

[@bor.1011]

Awesome analysis video!

[@robertkirkendall2010]

I think the KC Royals references are about status and the aspiration to be in the upper class. Kim is very ambitious and this would fit her.

[@calengr1]

not that financially ambitious

[@bradleytwilson99]

Hi Courtney... started watching your BCS breakdowns and you are truly a gifted thinker and teacher. Your breakdowns are tops!

[@救星-f4e]

I think that shirt is showing their relationship status. Kim is royalty status in that time to Jimmy. There is no scam behide her behavior.

[@franciskelly8503]

Just picked this up. Great analysis!

[@FrankDaBank25]

I've watched this series multiple times and have watched a ton of videos about it and have never heard the "slippin' kimmy" line 😂😂

[@peterpirate8163]

Love your videos. My own theory is that Kim's knowledge of Jimmy's criminality is creating a cognitive dissonance in her mind, and this is why she needs to "help the needy" and also bring down Howard.

[@mphrdldn]

agreed

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you, Peter! And I agree. The compartmentalization is astounding.

[@JohnnyBallGame100]

Always great stuff. Thank you

[@TheNewEnglandNerd]

I want to think Saul's fate will ultimately be determined in a courtroom and Kim will in someway be tied to that, either as a witness or a lawyer.

[@courtneysreviews438]

Could be. It looks like he comes back to Albuquerque in the Gene timeline. The burning question is why? Walt came back to resolve unfinished business so perhaps Jimmy will return for the same reason. To reconnect with Kim? To turn himself in? I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a plea deal. Idk how much good that will do if Walt and all the Salamancas are dead, but we know one of Kim's talents is getting great deals. Where do you think Kim is during the BB timeline?

[@TheNewEnglandNerd]

@@courtneysreviews438 It's hard to say since we see very little of Saul's personal life throughout Breaking Bad. There's always the possibility that she leaves for her own safety and the man hunt for Jimmy pulls her back in. Maybe she's not talking to him or she landed herself in jail before the end of BCS, maybe she was "relocated" or whatever. I just find it hard to believe that Saul would have continued that way of life if Kim had been killed.

[@courtneysreviews438]

@@TheNewEnglandNerd agreed. I would be really surprised if they kill her off and it would be hard to accept his happy-go-lucky attitude in BB if some awful fate befell her.

[@victortan9086]

Loved your analysis. Writing this comment to fuel the algorithm

[@prlysis]

You should have more views. Any idea which show you plan to breakdown once Better Call Saul ends?

[@beckyhuff4408]

I would enjoy a comparison video en Kim and Walt

[@MetalGearChris1]

my theory is like this: KIM WILL BETRAY JIMMY SOMEHOW, BUT SAUL WILL PREVAIL (SPOILERS AHEAD!! YEP, THAT'S HOW SURE I AM ABOUT MY THEORY) at the beginning of Better Call Saul (BCS) JIMMY has 3 important things in his life: CHUCK, KIM and THE LAW (his work as a lawyer) but at the end of BCS and during Breaking Bad (BB) SAUL GOODMAN (SG) has only 1 thing: THE LAW. In his time as GENE the guy just wants to remember his time as SG, watching his commercials. He doesn't want to remember neither KIM nor CHUCK. (JIMMY's yellow mug says "WORLD'S 2ND BEST LAWYER" / SG's coffee cup says "WORLD'S GREATEST LAWYER") There are youtubers who already have came up with this idea that KIM WEXLER (is that her real name? don't forget the judge's commentary at the wedding!) is not what we have seen. but this is my contribution: THE THEME ABOUT JAMES MCGILL BECOMING SAUL GOODMAN IS ABOUT DEHUMANIZATION! Unlike WALTER, SG does not turn out to be a murderer without compassion, but rather an empty being, without any feeling towards others, with the only interest in beating whoever crosses his path, earning money and enjoying the process. He loses empathy towards others. He loses his humanity. HOW? It happened with CHUCK: when Jimmy feels that a person "betrays" him (from his POV) this causes him great pain and in the end, in order to win, he has to bury all feelings of attachment towards that person. Even REBECCA asks him how he can do that to his brother and JIMMY replies that CHUCK is no longer his brother. Obviously he has feelings like remorse, grief, of course he does, but he buries them and to lock up that dark area he has SG, so Saul keep all the dark at the bottom. And thus, somehow KIM will do something unforgivable to JIMMY and he will suffer but to win he will have to become SG and use all his intelligence to face her. i think this is more tragic than anything if you think about it! And maybe FRANCESCA will watch this tragedy so out of compassion she will stay with SG but not knowing that he will be becoming more and more empty and start making that BB jokes to her (apart from that, I don't know, I imagine a scene with FRANCESCA or with MIKE where she/he tells SG "but she was your wife" and SG responds the same as he did with CHUCK, "not anymore she ain't", but this is already very speculative! XD). i don't know the details for KIM's fate, nor GENE BUT THIS IS THE THEORY AND I AM 100% SURE ABOUT IT great video! keep it up

[@dormin2749]

Sorry dude...

[@greenbrickbox3392]

Exact opposite lol but my predictions were just as far off (I thought she was going to die due to one of Jimmy's schemes)

[@h0gheadS]

As a KC native, I can't help but love the idea of a Kim and Gene reunion in KC.

[@rkerlin]

Hey Courtney. Since I have some time on my hands waiting for the final season to resume, I thought I'd go back and watch your videos again. Who IS Kim Wexler, indeed. I especially enjoy your character analyses and other plot point ponderings. A lot of other channels just give recaps. But if all they give me is a recap, I might as well just watch the episode again. Thanks for all of the hard work you put into these videos.

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thanks for the nice words! I think I definitely need to make a follow-up to this video! I had no idea *how* dark she'd go this season 😳

[@ChubbyChecker182]

Nice videos, just found ya and have subscribed.

[@misterx4757]

Great video.🙂

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you!

[@ELou825]

Please do a Walt/Kim comparison video! Love your content, always so insightful.

[@KevinPrimus]

Kim’s Dad is Ed the Disappearer. In Ice Station Zebra, the plot centers around two spies with false identities.

[@courtneysreviews438]

I love this theory!

[@dandavis8300]

Kim is actually Paige Jennings from "The Americans". I agree Ed is one of their operatives but not her Dad. The scene with her in front of "Red Cloud Jr. High", took place before "The Americans" series began. They were probably in Nebraska spying on Strategic Air Command. The name Red Cloud because there was a red cloud over little Kim/Paige's life. And yeah, Howard Hughes dug "Ice Station Zebra" because he was a big time cold war spy himself. His Glomar Explorer recovered a Soviet nuclear submarine, the K-129.

[@misterx4757]

Great theory!

[@mattst.germain4023]

@@dandavis8300 ??? Seriously? You think all of that is going to be explained?

[@dandavis8300]

@@mattst.germain4023 --I don't know. I think when the writers came up with the "Kim" character, she was Paige Jennings. But probably they'd have to pay FX for doing their prequel. The last episode her mother just looked like a small time grifter.

[@juanarosas6581]

Kim es la mejor Abogada del mundo

[@Avital4414]

I don’t think it’s about thrill. I think it’s about a thirst for revenge. Kim’s mother is probably her original inspiration in this vindictive quest. Incidentally, Ice Station Zebra co-star, Patrick McGoohan, also starred in the iconic British series, The Prisoner. Kim is hostage to her need for revenge.

[@jakepayne2985]

Walt/Kim video please!!!!

[@courtneysreviews438]

It's coming! During the hiatus. I wanna see what she does in these next 2 episodes and I'll finish it up over the break 😊

[@raydavison4288]

Kim's past is an interesting subject. Her mother calls her, "Kimmy", so Kim is real, but what about her last name? And why no middle name? Who was Kim before she came to Albuquerque & is she on the run from some earlier episode where she "broke bad"? I also don't understand why Jimmy isn't more interested in her past.

[@courtneysreviews438]

So many questions about her past! Maybe he knows more than we do 🤷‍♀️

[@briangonigal3974]

@@courtneysreviews438 There's a odd little beat in her interview with Schikert & Cokely (or something like that) when they mention her past. They ask why she left Nebraska & came to Albuquerque, she replies "I looked around at my life, who I was and realized that if I kept going on the way I was going..." at this point Schiekert interrupts with "Which way was that?" and Kim sorta responds with "Best case; probably married to the guy that ran the town gas station". There's kind of a unspoken suggestion there that a less-than-best-case scenario might also have been in the cards for her, perhaps even more likely. Where was Kim really headed if she stayed hanging around Red Cloud? Maybe someplace not all that dissimilar to the future Jimmy was looking at back in Cicero

[@mattst.germain4023]

She actually went to Colorado before coming to ABQ

[@gordonmorris6359]

But, maybe that Royals shirt is Jimmy's.

[@courtneysreviews438]

I dont think it is. Proximity to Red Cloud makes more sense for her. Jimmy, I'm sure, was a Chicago fan.

[@Cacacos]

Kim's dad.... Eladio!

[@57hound]

Very insightful, plausible analysis. Only your 2nd ever KZbin video? Amazing! One nitpick criticism, the audio and video quality of you talking to the camera are not of the same quality as the rest of the video. If you can fix that minor glitch your channel will be among the best of the best for this type of content. I look forward to your future videos. Good luck to you and thank you for what you are doing here!

[@courtneysreviews438]

Thank you for watching and commenting! Quality has improved like a million percent 😆 I got a new computer and some proper editing software. No more tinny sound and I also figured out a better way to capture clips. Check out my breakdown of Rock and Hard Place. It is my personal favorite analysis to date.

[@thomashurley4219]

The more videos, the better. I am a big fan. I am a former public defender, and I find Jimmy and Kim so easily hateable because of their pompous private-hire counsel attitude and the contained contempt for "public pretenders." It forces me to consider the show for its artistic beauty because I find my character analysis so direct - she's a big hat no-cattle plea attorney that doesn't know yet that most of that BS service 'millionaires get' is bill padding at best (see generally the plot of The Firm). Worse yet, she misunderstands the point of Atticus Finch.

[@ryerye9178]

theory: Ed is her dad

[@courtneysreviews438]

I've seen this theory before. There's no proof to support it, but there is at least one clue to refute it. Kim's dad is a film buff. We know she used to watch the old classics with him. When Ed drops Walt off in NH, Walt notes there's two copies of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Ed replies, "I'm not a movie guy."

[@robertkirkendall2010]

@@courtneysreviews438 Also, Tom Schnauz has already dismissed the Ed is Kim's father theory.

[@courtneysreviews438]

@@robertkirkendall2010 Ah do you recall where he said that?

[@juzujuzu4555]

@@courtneysreviews438 Though anyone in the disappearing line of work would routinely not say anything about his life. So this "I'm not a movie guy" would slightly point to that direction that it could be possible. But this whole universe does not go with cheap solutions, at least not on important character moments. So I highly doubt they would resort to that sort of cheap trick. But something tells me Kim's dad might be in prison. Pure speculation that came out of the blue. To give partial info, Kim seems to love his dad, she seems to love scamming, you tend to choose partners that resemblance your father (for women), and she seems to be against her mother. Perhaps her dad is in jail in Kansas City. And that shirt reminds or connects her to safety her father brought to them when she was a child. They could have had much more money then, and perhaps her father wasn't using anything, unlike her mother, so the shirt connects to this feeling. Also her changed outlook in the morning after could kind of work as the shirt could remind the destiny of his father. But pure speculation that suddenly came through. At least here it's saved so I can point out how smart I am if this is actually right. I think there are things in BCS that connects to this theory, not proving anything, but things that would connect to this after the confirmation. And the longer I wrote this comment, the more is popping into my head. Like most of the important character moments with Kim would work so nicely with the knowledge that he harbors this secret of his past, that she got fascinated with law, why she actually wanted more while living in Red Cloud, she might feel his father was taken away because of him not having good lawyers thus wanting her to be that to others... If not anything else, I have a talent to make myself believe that my suddenly popping theories might actually be right.

[@robertkirkendall2010]

@@courtneysreviews438 He said it on the Inside the Gilliverse podcast, he co-hosts it sometimes, but I can't recall which episode.

[@hallcyon]

Kim after ending her marriage to Jimmy in the aftermath of what happens between him and his client Lalo at the order of Mike and Gus breaking his oath as attorney. He saves her from their threats by having Lalo sent into limbo as a foreigner in the age of terrorism, yet is claimed dead by his own government. But loses her in the process as she’s an extreme rationalist who is all about the language of law that gives her a firm just foundation in the world. She rejects irrationality, as it reminds her of her mother. Jimmy’s actions to her are utterly irrational, even if out of a place of love as he has desecrated the very thing she and Chuck hold dear.. their duty as lawyers. She then begins to regret her actions against Hamlin. This will lead her to a reconciliation with Howard that will impact her over the next decade, and where she will find security. It’s the last thing Jimmy would ever want. It’s a living nightmare. But she still cares about Jimmy and still has an arrangement to check on him with a phone call at a notorious pay phone on his birthday. When Jimmy returns from Nebraska, the question will be asked, will she call, and what will happen when she does call Saul. Btw Red Cloud is on the way in a journey from Omaha to Albuquerque.

[@hallcyon]

Having double spousal privilege is gonna help her.

[@CWYMAN77]

Is Kim really Howard’s half sister? Would explain an awful lot.

[@mattst.germain4023]

Wtf??

[@CWYMAN77]

@@mattst.germain4023 That’s what I said when I heard it.

[@EM-xj8hy]

No, man.

[@CWYMAN77]

@@EM-xj8hy Yeah thanks for showing up 2 months after the fact