Why The Item Kim Took From Her Office Is So Significant

On Better Call Saul season 5, episode 8, "Bagman," Kim reaches out to Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) when Jimmy doesn't return home from his bag run. The Juárez Cartel leader shrugs her off, but the moment unknowingly seals Kim's connection to the drug underworld. That's made clear in the final moments of "Bad Choice Road," as the events of Jimmy's ill-fated trip to retrieve Lalo's bail money comes to light. Arriving at Kim and Jimmy's apartment with a gun in hand, Lalo forces Jimmy to recount what happened.

In a stunning twist, a noticeably terrified Kim goes toe-to-toe with the gun-swinging drug lord and weaves a story that ultimately saves Jimmy's life. While the episode's other twist for Kim is arguably more significant than its first, that tequila bottle stopper remains the linchpin between them. Her taking it from her desk is an important scene because of what it represents for her.

The fictional premium tequila makes its first appearance on Better Call Saul's second season, when Kim and Jimmy pose as siblings looking to invest an inheritance. After tricking Ken into buying them drinks — priced at a chest-burning $50 a shot — they finish off the bottle of Zafiro Anejo and leave him with the bill. It's a comedic moment that's also representative of Kim's craft and desire to stick it to the big man. Kim left the firm because she was defending influential people who were wielding their power over the less so, and she left Ken's table after turning the man's manipulative and predatory tactics on him.

That tequila topper is a memory of what side she's on and who she's ready to fight for — whether it's working alongside Jimmy or against men like Ken and Lalo.