Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 12 Review: Waterworks
Waterworks is right.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 12, “Waterworks,” reveals what ultimately happened to Kim Wexler — and what she’s doing now in the present-day Gene timeline. It is, perhaps, the most devastating episode of the entire series, taking the story in what feels like an even more tragic direction.
Kim’s life in Florida is the epitome of mundane — a real parallel to Gene’s life working at the Cinnabon. She’s changed her entire look, with dark hair and knee-length skirts, in a relationship that feels bland and participating in social gatherings that are even more so.
It’s an apparent attempt at normalcy — a life wildly opposite of the one she was living with Jimmy. It’s also a life that couldn’t possibly bring about the same kind of trouble, and one that makes it clear that everything they did to Howard is still weighing on her conscience.
The details here are so smart, from the Miracle Whip vs. mayonnaise discussion to the talk of ice cream flavors ahead of a co-worker’s birthday. It all signals such a different, and very specific, life for Kim.
Then a phone call from Jimmy/Saul/Gene becomes a pivotal moment for her too.
We saw Gene’s side of that phone call on Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11, but it wasn’t clear if he had actually gotten through to Kim. Whatever happened on that call is what prompted him to revert back to his old ways as Saul Goodman, but in a little more of a reckless way this time.
Now we see the other side of that call, where Kim encourages Gene to turn himself in. He can’t be living any kind of a life the way things are going, she says. He retorts that she should do the same, and the phone call ends badly.
But it turns out to be the catalyst for Kim to do exactly that.
It does feel right that her character would make that decision. She returns to Albuquerque, to that same courthouse where she watches a spirited lawyer with a tight ponytail, just like the one she used to have, helping get a client ready for court.
She also visits Howard’s wife, with a written account of everything that happened. It’s brave and sad, and yet somehow almost silly — the fact that she and Jimmy were pranking this man is what ultimately led to all of this.
Through all of these scenes, Rhea Seehorn’s performance is impeccable and certainly award-worthy. But the moment that truly stands out is when she bursts into tears on the bus.
Her crying is so filled with grief and so realistic that it’s difficult to watch. It elicits the kind of visceral reaction that makes it hard to breathe while you watch. And it’s incredible.
We also do get to see where Kim fits into the timeline of Breaking Bad, and that’s a sad moment as well.
She meets with Saul to sign divorce papers, and he’s flippant, telling her to have a nice life.
That’s all very obviously a cover, because to us, and probably to her too, it’s easy to see that he’s heartbroken deep down inside. But he keeps up with his Saul Goodman persona all the same.
Kim also has a run-in with Jesse Pinkman, which is a fun interaction. Granted, it also requires some suspension of disbelief considering Aaron Paul’s current age.
It’s almost cheesy to hear him talk in that same way now, though I suppose if the alternative was to never have these two characters meet, I’d prefer this. It even seems symbolic that those two would cross paths, particularly at this point in time.
As for Gene, we pick up where we left off, with him nearly getting caught in the middle of a scam. Jeff does find himself locked up, and as Gene works to try to get him out of it, he learns that Marion has figured him out.
This all had to catch up to him sometime. And maybe, deep down, he’s been wanting to get caught ever since that phone call with Kim.
While I do buy that Marion is suspicious of Gene, she figures out who he is just a little too easily.
As Marion tries to call for help, Gene almost takes things a step too far. He threatens her, showing a darker side of him than we’ve ever seen.
Thankfully, he’s not that broken. He’s still got just enough of Jimmy in him to realize what he’s doing and run away instead.
At this point, I can’t help but wonder if his fate is going to wind up being similar to that of Walter White.
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Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 9/8c on AMC.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.