After a lengthy hiatus, Better Call Saul Season 5 at last went full tilt on shifting Bob Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill into the Saul Goodman persona that first arrived back in Breaking Bad's second season. Odenkirk has been a hoot to watch, with Saul's skeeziness informing so many of Jimmy's actions. It's clear that the actor has a firm grasp on playing Saul in any given situation at this point. But that's not to say Odenkirk fully understands everything that came before Better Call Saul.
In fact, there's a very particular bit in Breaking Bad that, at least at this point, Bob Odenkirk hasn't quite figured out yet, in terms of how Saul behaved. Here's the moment he told Variety he still questions, which actually came back in the character's first official episode, which was presciently titled "Better Call Saul."
The one thing that doesn’t fit yet is when his assistant is walking away in the first scene, and he makes some wisecrack about wanting to grab her ass. Why would he do that? I don’t understand.
The moment Bob Odenkirk is talking about comes in the second half of the episode, after viewers already got their eyes and ears full of Saul Goodman's signature charm/smarm. It's the same huckster appeal that he exudes throughout the run of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. While there are a few times where some specific choices might be questioned, the moment he's talking about definitely stands out, considering Saul doesn't often use sexualized speech for his own benefit.
The actual moment happens just before Saul gets kidnapped by Jesse and Walt, as he and assistant Francesca are leaving his strip mall office. He offers her a ride home, which she turns down, and then when she's out of earshot, he gets all thirsty and says:
God, you are killing me with that booty. [Grunt.]
Considering what's happening between Jimmy and Kim right now on Better Call Saul, it's almost uncomfortable to think about the character reaching a point where he's just casually lusting after Francesca's booty after work. Kim was part of her getting hired in the first place, which just adds another weird layer.
Will we get answers to this question at some point before Better Call Saul ends with Season 6? Possibly, and I can only assume that Kim leaving the picture is one of the inciting incidents, as depressing as that may be. I don't want Jimmy looking at anyone else after Kim, dammit.
With more to come from Jimmy and Kim's struggles, as well as Mike and Nacho's burgeoning work relationship, Better Call Saul airs Monday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET.
