Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn confirms one very observant theory about Kim’s signature look. As it approaches its ending, with only a few episodes left to go, fans of Better Call Saul are taking a moment to appreciate the many strengths of the Breaking Bad prequel spinoff. Over the course of its run, the series has struck an impressive balance between adapting the story on the fly and paying close attention to detail. Nowhere is this balance more obvious than with the character of Kim Wexler.
As played by Seehorn, Kim has become an indispensable part of Better Call Saul. But as the show’s writers recently revealed, she wasn’t originally meant to be so significant. That changed once those in charge saw what Seehorn was able to bring to the role, and they began to write for the character accordingly. In fact, as some fans of the spinoff noticed, there was even a lot of focus on the way Kim styled her hair and what it meant about her as a person. In new comments, Seehorn both elaborates on and confirms those observations.
As part of a video feature for Vanity Fair, Seehorn read Better Call Saul theories with co-star Bob Odenkirk. One theory mentioned that Kim puts her hair up in a ponytail to present an image of herself as a straightforward and no-nonsense lawyer. But when she’s around Jimmy (Odenkirk), Kim literally lets her hair down and allows more of her mischievous and fun self to shine through. Seehorn confirmed that this was correct, adding that the show’s writers are very particular about how Kim is styled and that it all depends on the scene. Seehorn’s quote has been transcribed below.
SEEHORN, reading the theory: “I noticed Kim didn’t have the perfectly curled ponytail at the end of the finale. For me, it’s always been a symbol of how she puts up a front for the world. I wonder if she’s been playing the perfect lawyer all through the series and now, the real Kim is showing through.”
SEEHORN: “I’ll tell you this, and they are very particular about when her hair is down and very particular about when that ponytail loosens or gets tighter. You are not wrong to connect that to her initial logical state.”
ODENKIRK: “Yeah, so watch what happens. Watch what happens to the ponytail. I’m not saying it dies. But the ponytail is not long for this world. You’ll see.”
Odenkirk offers a small tease about Kim’s unknown fate, given that she doesn’t appear in Breaking Bad, and that remains to be seen. But it is true that Kim is more herself, or at least the self that she would sometimes like to be, around Jimmy. In earlier seasons of Better Call Saul, Kim would refer to herself as Giselle Saint Claire when scamming with Jimmy. It’s another side of the straightforward lawyer that she wouldn’t permit others to see, speaking to her affections for Jimmy – even if they are, in the end, not good for each other.
It speaks to the benefits of how Better Call Saul, and Breaking Bad before it, worked on its feet and thrived often on improvising. Although it’s true that Kim wasn’t originally intended to be a huge character, the show shifted once she caught on and did a lot to explain her backstory and motivations through flashbacks, devastating monologues, and even something as ostensibly simple as how her hair looks. It’s one of the things that has made the prequel one of the very best shows on television.
