Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) carried a tragic detail with her from the beginning of Better Call Saul. The Breaking Bad prequel spinoff is nearing its end, with only the last batch of episodes left before coming to a close with its sixth and final season. Though Bob Odenkirk served as the central character during his transformation from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman, Kim quickly emerged as a vital piece of the story. As her relationship with Jimmy grew stronger, she too began to embrace the life of a con artist.
As Better Call Saul went on, more details regarding Kim's past were revealed. Growing up in Nebraska with her mother (Beth Hoyt), Kim didn't have an ideal upbringing. Due to Mrs. Wexler's financial situation, the pair were forced to quickly move from place to place, meaning Kim never had stability growing up. She also didn't have many belongings, nor a home, to call her own. Still, Kim managed to leave Nebraska and sought a law degree before becoming a litigator at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill. Despite bigger opportunities as a lawyer, Kim wanted to use her career to help those truly in need.
With Kim going full steam ahead with her role as a con artist alongside Jimmy in Better Call Saul season 6, the duo vowed to bring down Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) and manipulate the Sandpiper case through various ploys. However, the season continued to unearth more about Kim's past, including a pivotal moment with her mom. In the season 6 episode titled "Axe and Grind," a young Kim (Katie Beth Hall) was caught attempting to shoplift earrings and a necklace from a department store. Mrs. Wexler arrived and threatened to severely punish Kim, but the manager agreed to let it all slide. In the car, Mrs. Wexler dropped the act and revealed she stole the same set of jewelry. She gave them to her daughter and encouraged her to be happy she got away with the crime. Interestingly enough, those triangular earrings are the ones Kim has been seen wearing throughout all of Better Call Saul, making this decision to continue wearing them all the more tragic.
Why Kim Wexler Still Wears The Gold Earrings
Kim's gold earrings have been a mainstay for Seehorn's character since Better Call Saul season 1. She's always been one to dress professionally and look well-put-together, and those earrings have helped from a stylistic standpoint. The show has even made it a point to show Kim putting on the earrings as if they were a symbol for when the character means business in challenging scenarios. Granted, they now take on another meaning since they were a result of Kim's presumed first crime. In addition, those earrings signify Mrs. Wexler's acceptance of a crime, insinuating that this was the moment that Kim started to question her beliefs regarding crime.
The fact that Kim has worn those earrings since she was a teenager means that she's still carrying around the tragedies of her past. On the other hand, that event and Kim's time in Nebraska helped shape her and eventually led her to pursue a career in law. While Kim isn't necessarily a bad person, she has essentially blurred the lines between right and wrong. This was thought to have happened during the events of Better Call Saul, but the childhood flashbacks involving Mrs. Wexler have proved this dark side of Kim emerged much earlier.
Better Call Saul season 6 returns July 11th on AMC.