On the surface, it seems as though Kim Wexler is the anti-Skyler White. Jimmy McGill's best friend–and more forgiving ally–on Better Call Saul continues to resonate with audiences, leaving her disappearance altogether in Breaking Bad even more saddening. Yet to immediately think that Kim is somehow a "better" version of Walter White's morally conscious wife (or simply the writers' reaction to the unwarranted vitriol that Skyler received) is to ignore the stark contrasts and surprising connections between the two layered characters.
As with anything in Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's world, the answers are always more grey than black and white.
10 Similar - Willful Ignorance
In each series, Kim and Skyler routinely turn blind eyes to their partners' misdeeds. Latter seasons of Breaking Bad find Walt lying less to Skyler as their relationship becomes about protecting their business. Skyler gradually becomes more numb to Walt's criminal behavior, like when he stores mysterious containers in the car wash or admits to robbing trains.
In the Better Call Saul episode "Nailed," Kim witnesses Chuck accuse Jimmy of sabotaging his Mesa Verde documents. After she takes Jimmy's side and berates Chuck for his accusations, she repeatedly punches Jimmy in the arm once outside, indicating she believes Jimmy is guilty but willfully ignores it.
9 Different - Lifestyle
Skyler is relatively settled down, a housewife with two children who does odd jobs to help make ends meet. Before becoming entangled in Walt's crimes, she's often seen either at home or running errands for her family. As the caretaker of the White household, even before Walt's diagnosis, many of her decisions are driven from a motherly place.
Kim is a rising attorney competing predominantly against men and therefore has to out-work them to succeed. As a result, most of her time is spent in the office or with clients. Being highly career-driven, Kim is written closer to a traditional male archetype than her series predecessor and is self-sufficient without Jimmy, which is smart considering his financial instability.
8 Similar - Loyalty
Despite Kim and Skyler's earlier apprehensions to crime overall, both decide to stick around when things go bad. Though Kim consistently pays the price for Jimmy's actions and admonishes him when he's in the wrong, such as lying about the Davis & Main commercial or his shootout in the desert, she consistently remains in his court.
Skyler's loyalty is bred out of necessity, protecting her kids, and hoping things will resolve themselves before anyone ever finds out the truth. She too admonishes Walt at times but sticks by his side through all he's done, even though in hindsight she should've left the first chance she got.
7 Different - Saul Vs. Heisenberg
Though Jimmy's legal transformation comes at the end of Season 4, Kim has been privy to his crooked nature for years. Her loyalty and ignorance are surprising considering his cons often blow up in her face. After she's banished to doc review by Howard for Jimmy's commercial, Chuck warns her of Jimmy's long criminal history in an attempt to protect her livelihood, advice Kim ultimately discards.
While Kim had a fair warning about Saul Goodman, Skyler has no warning whatsoever of the monster named Heisenberg. The shock and terror she experiences over the course of the series is palpable, considering the man she married and started a family with suddenly becomes a criminal. Unlike Kim, Skyler doesn't have the luxury of someone spelling out Walt's dark side, resulting in her character's believable reaction to his transformation.
6 Similar - Intelligence
Early in Breaking Bad, Skyler's intuition is highlighted after Walt's behavior begins to change. She deduces his fake phone calls, finds out who Jesse Pinkman is, and after confirming the second cell phone, puts the pieces of Walt's lies together. Later, she spins the gambling narrative and manipulates the IRS representative, making her impressive wit and guile hard to ignore.
No slouch to the con game herself, Kim ably proves herself both within the confines of the law and outside of it. As an attorney, she is clearly talented, exhibited by her ability to win Mesa Verde and garnering a plea deal for the helpless Kettlemans. When she needs to play dirty, she demonstrates Saul Goodman-levels of disguise, notably in her recurring "Giselle" persona or when standing up to Lalo Salamanca.
5 Different - Brick Wall Vs Moral Compass
One area the pair is quite a bit different in is how they react to their partners' behaviors. To Skyler, it's fairly black and white: Walt is breaking the law and she won't stand for it. At each step in Walt's transformation, Skyler puts her foot down and draws the line between what's acceptable and what's not.
Kim, on the other hand, rarely puts Jimmy in his place for his behavior. Exceptions to this can be found, like when she refuses his help to get out of Howard's doghouse or threatens to stop rescuing him in Season 4, but overall, Kim remains tolerant of Jimmy's crooked behavior.
4 Similar - Headed For Disaster
Audiences already know the fate of Skyler in Breaking Bad - she pays the steep price for aiding Walt's criminal enterprise. Even after Walt manages to exonerate her, she's unable to afford a decent home, is nearly unemployable, her son hates her, the DEA wants answers, and she'll likely suffer lifelong trauma.
Fans of Better Call Saul have theorized for years what Kim's outcome will be, with theories ranging from death to exile to one-upping Jimmy. Regardless of why she's absent during Saul Goodman's reign, there's no denying the outcome is likely disastrous.
3 Different - Collateral Damage
Kim being in on and an active member of Jimmy's cons make sense when considering she has less to lose. The show has not established that she has any meaningful relationships outside of Jimmy, meaning the greatest things at stake are personal: her life, her job, her reputation. Any action she takes really only puts herself at risk, as Jimmy risks his own life seemingly on a daily basis.
Skyler has no such luxury, as her life is filled with collateral damage that is constantly in danger. As previously noted, her concerns are driven by protecting her family's safety, including Hank and Marie, as well as her home, her children's future, and even Walt (at times).
2 Similar - Conspirators
In addition to being in the game, both Skyler and Kim display an ability to orchestrate elaborate plans. Kim's takedown of Howard Hamlin has the potential to be her largest sabotage yet and audiences are already seeing the wheels being put in motion. After leaving Schweikart & Cokely for the more meaningful pro-bono work, Kim convinces Jimmy they need to settle Sandpiper and earn his payout, sandbagging Howard in the process.
Skyler's gambling story is second only to her whipping up the car wash cover story. Not only did she conceive it on her own, but she also has to convince Walt and Saul it's the right play, manipulate Bogdan into selling it to her, answer all of Hank and Marie's questions, and launder the money herself once she's the manager. As she later tells Walt, she "learned from the best."
1 Different - Why They Break Bad
When it all comes down to it, Skyler and Kim's breaking bad moments are motivated by very different factors. Skyler has one goal in mind: protect the family, which means protecting the story. She knows the only way to potentially survive Walt's actions is to be "unimpeachable." Though Skyler breaks the law on multiple levels, even condoning the killing of Jesse, she never wants any part of it.
Kim has always seemed to have one foot in Jimmy's world, enjoying the feeling of "rolling around in the dirt" but never wanting to fully give in. Though she fights Jimmy along the way, she's consistently being shown as an active participant in the con. Her declaration to bury Howard in Season 6 gives audiences a final clue into her potentially sadistic dark side.
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