An excellent Breaking Bad, where Saul Goodman is living in Omaha, Nebraska under the alias "Gene Takavic." Because Saul left Albuquerque in a hurry and is supposed to be a totally different guy, reminders of his past are in short supply. Saul Goodman's old house and office were littered with nods to Kim Wexler (the desk, the landscape painting, the tequila bottle stopper, etc.) but Gene's world is bleak and empty.
And now audiences know why. Better Call Saul season 6's "Fun & Games" revealed how Kim broke up with Jimmy after their scheming resulted in Howard Hamlin's death. Better Call Saul's flashforward heavily implies she hasn't graced Jimmy's life since - that Kim left Albuquerque and stayed away for the next six years, missing Breaking Bad entirely. The way Saul Goodman surrounded himself with Kim's belongings proved he still loved her during his Heisenberg years, but one small detail confirms those feelings still haven't subsided by Gene's timeline.
While Gene is wandering around Cottonwood Mall in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 10, he carries a KC Royals lunchbox. First seen in season 3, the lunchbox is a subtle-but-direct reference to Kim Wexler, who often wore a KC Royals shirt to bed in Better Call Saul's prequel timeline. All that remains of Gene's former life is a small shoe box hidden in a vent, but by using a KC Royals bag - a team Gene himself holds no connection to whatsoever - to carry his sandwiches, Kim remains part of his life in some small way. Gene clearly hasn't gotten over their breakup, and actively looks for ways to feel connected to his ex-wife. In this case, every lunch break reminds Gene of Kim's over-sized nightshirt. Although Better Call Saul season 6 isn't the first appearance of Gene's KC Royals lunchbox, knowing Kim's fate means viewers now know what the Easter egg represents - not mourning or grief, but love.
Is Gene's Lunchbox A Better Call Saul Ending Clue?
Gene Takavic's KC Royals lunchbox may represent nothing more than a visual link to Kim Wexler, but the Easter egg could potentially play a massive role in Better Call Saul's ending. Now Kim Wexler has successfully navigated Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca to survive Better Call Saul's prequel timeline, a touching reunion between her and Gene has risen to become the spinoff's most popular ending theory. Assuming the couple lost touch after breaking up, Gene wouldn't know where his search should begin. His KC Royals lunchbox may hold the answer.
Young Kim Wexler grew up in Red Cloud, Nebraska, right next to the state's border with Kansas, explaining her connection to the Royals. Because Kim's childhood wasn't exactly brimming with happiness, returning to Red Cloud after dumping Jimmy makes little sense. Kim may, however, have started her brand new life in Kansas City where her favorite team plays - somewhere familiar, but also a new beginning. The KC Royals lunchbox might help Jimmy figure that out, leading toward a touching reunion in Better Call Saul's series finale.
Adding to the intrigue, AMC was asked about Kim's KC Royals shirt by the Kansas City Star as early as 2016, and responded by describing the detail as a choice made with "thought and intention." While that reply could refer to how the shirt hinted Kim was from Nebraska, has Better Call Saul been hiding Kim Wexler's Gene timeline location in plain sight since (almost) the very beginning?
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.