Better Call Saul: Waterworks (2022)
Season 6, Episode 12
10/10
Waterworks
9 August 2022
It's been a long time since I felt this emotionally invested in a show that's about to come to an end. "Better Call Saul" has proved to be one of the greatest pieces of TV that I have seen in a long time, and have lived up to the hype that surrounded it after "Breaking Bad" ended and this show was announced. They've given us six seasons of killer television, evolving some simple show about lawyers and con men into the full "Breaking Bad" spinoff that it was always meant to be. We're in a post-"Breaking Bad" era and we're still in a period of chaos. Nothing has had time to actually get back to normal and we're trying to figure out how it's all going to end for Jimmy McGill and his narrative. This episode clearly opened up the guessing game and prepared people for what is to come with the final episode, which is only a week away. I'm not ready for it. I know that they're going to end it with absolute class and a focus on the character that we've grown to love over two very different shows that both added to the mystery of Jimmy McGill and his story. It's all coming to a close and with this amazing penultimate episode, the pieces have been laid out for the finale, which is sure to find Jimmy in a tough spot. We got a lot in this episode to set that up, including more of Kim Wexler's life in Florida.

Is there a fan-favorite character like Kim Wexler in this show? I'm not sure. She's been beloved by everyone since she really started having a big part on the show, and this last season has not been good to her. This episode continued the tragedy of her story, with us finally seeing what became of her after she left Saul. It's not necessarily a happy life, but it seems like it's given her careful closure that we all know she needed after that mid-season finale. Or, at least we know that she's on her way to get closure, which is good.

It's rough to see their relationship past that climatic scene in their apartment a few episodes ago. It's clear that there's a lot of tension, and there may still be love there, but none of them are able to actually act on it because of that experience. Jimmy seems like he's lost in a particular animosity towards her in the episode's flashbacks, while in the present-day, she seems more willing to come clean about everything they did together than actually mend things with him. It's a relationship that was dragged through the mud and has now become very tense.

If this episode told us anything, it's that we're gearing up to say goodbye to Jimmy McGill in some way or another. This episode featured a clear change for the character, with Jimmy seemingly having completely snapped back into his former personality, only thinking about conning people and making sure that he's getting away from everything without any problems. It leads to a tense moment between him and Carol Burnett's character, which then sets the stage for everything that's going to come for Jimmy in the finale, and if my prediction is correct, I don't think it'll be anything good.

Rhea Seehorn has been a constant point of praise in this show, and her performance in this episode continues the streak she's been on this entire season. We've never seen Kim more regretful of her actions during the show than in this episode. There were a lot of theories of her going full bad after the fifth season, but this episode shows that she was never that person and that she never should have been that person. I'm so happy that she got to stick around until the end and can't wait to see what happens to her in the finale.

"Waterworks" is everything I could have possibly asked for in a penultimate episode for this show, and it's only going to get better next week. I'm not ready to say goodbye to this excellent show, but I'm sure that whatever they come up with is going to be satisfying and a great conclusion to this 13-year journey.
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