Kim And Jimmy Are Proof: Even The Right Person Can Hurt You
The mid-season finale of Better Call Saul was one of the best episodes in all of television. Even though there’s so much more in store during the second half of the season, here are some of the lessons you can take away from the first half. Warning: plenty of spoilers are ahead!
You have no idea what other people are going through.
Kim and Jimmy looked at Howard like he was some horrible human being who deserved to be taken down a notch. All they saw was the perfect self that he presented to the rest of the world. They knew a few key things about him, like that he grew up with money and sided with Chuck one too many times, then they filled in the rest of the picture without knowing the whole story. They never heard him talking about his marriage in therapy. They never saw him sleeping in the guest house. They didn’t really know him, which is why it was so easy for them to pull off this scheme against him. Remember, in real life, you aren’t the audience who knows every little detail about what’s going on. You’re a character who only sees part of the story. Which is why you should always lead with kindness.
Even the right person can bring out the worst in you.
Kim and Jimmy make an adorable couple. They support each other. They make each other laugh. And they see the potential in each other. In another life, they could have lived happily ever after as partners and best friends. But instead of pushing each other to do the right thing, they’ve encouraged each other to explore the most manipulative parts of themselves. They might have originally planned a scheme together because they wanted to bond and build a better life for themselves, they’ve actually been hurting each other in the process. They’ve been dragging each other down the wrong path even though all they want is to make the other feel comfortable and happy. Remember, even the right person can bring out bad sides in you. Your love for them can distract you from everything else that matters. It can cause you to ignore your morals because you’re only focused on one thing. Keeping them around.
It’s never too late to make a change.
Kim could have went down a better path, but she literally took a U-turn and decided that she would rather stick to her scheme. She could have ended up with a job opportunity that would change her life for the better – but she chose to stick to their scheme instead and someone ended up getting killed. Even though what happened wasn’t technically her fault (or Jimmy’s), their decisions led them to this point. And that’s something they can never change, no matter how many times they replay the night in their mind. Remember, you don’t have to continue on the path that you’ve paved for yourself. You’re allowed to change directions or even take steps backwards. What you thought was good for you yesterday might not be what’s good for you today, and that’s okay. Life is about changing. About being flexible. About knowing when to give up, when to regroup, and when to move in a different direction.