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Better Call Saul: What Kim's "Coming Next" Line To Jimmy Means
Jimmy and Howard have finally come to blows, but after Jimmy loses the fight, Kim tells him that he 'knows what's coming next' - what does she mean?

Warning! SPOILERS for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 5, “Black and Blue”

There’s an ominous tone to Kim’s line to Jimmy that he knows “what’s coming next” in Better Call Saul. The line comes after Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) expresses disappointment at being goaded by Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) into an after-hours boxing match. Having figured out that it’s Jimmy behind the false accusations of his cocaine addiction, Howard hoped to end the long-running feud between the lawyers once and for all, but both men know it’s far from over.

The feud between Howard and Jimmy has been running through Better Call Saul since it began. Alongside Kim, as well as Jimmy’s brother Chuck (Michael McKean), Howard also contributes to the birth of the Saul Goodman character. In Better Call Saul season 1, Howard makes a legal claim against Jimmy’s mischievous billboard that infringes Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill’s copyright. Furious, Jimmy exclaims that “he wants me to change my name!” Howard eventually gets his wish, but their feud hasn’t ended just because Jimmy has become Saul Goodman, and Kim’s line suggests it’s only going to get worse.

During “Black and Blue”, Kim is still working on the scam. She arranges a meeting with her former colleague Viola (Keiko Agena) to coax out more information about the Sandpiper Crossing lawsuit. In manipulating Viola into giving her the information on which judge will be handling the case, Kim is supremely focused on achieving her goal. In season 6, episode 4, “Hit and Run”, Mike observed that Kim is “made of sterner stuff“, and she continues to prove that in the next episode as well. While Jimmy has been running scams since childhood, he’s met his match in Kim; a calculating and intelligent con artist who is the real driving force behind their plot against Howard. It’s clear to Kim that, rather than derail their plans, Jimmy’s fight with Howard is an unexpected bonus in their scam. That’s why she tells Jimmy he fought Howard because he “knows what’s coming next“.

What’s coming next is not yet entirely clear, but the events of  “Black and Blue” suggest that there’s more to the scam than merely a bag of cocaine, and the return of Wendy and the Kettlemans. When Cliff Main (Ed Begley Jr.) confronts Howard about his cocaine use, he witnesses his colleague fly off the handle, blaming Jimmy and refuting Cliff’s accusations. Because of Cliff Main’s family experiences with drug addiction, he sees his son reflected in how Howard acts paranoid, refuses help, and behaves erratically. By challenging Jimmy to a fight, Howard may actually be playing into his and Kim’s hands.

Kim and Jimmy’s plan has always been to plant the idea that Howard Hamlin is unfit to handle the Sandpiper Crossing case, leading to a swift resolution and a big payday for Jimmy. A small bag of cocaine and Jimmy disguised as Howard throwing Wendy from a car won’t be enough. When he returns from his fight, Jimmy uses Kim’s foundation to conceal the black eye he got from Howard. Kim suggests that it would be a good promotional opportunity; “Saul Goodman: I fight for you“. A photo of Jimmy with a black eye from Howard would also be another piece of evidence in presenting Howard as an erratic and unfit lawyer. “What’s coming next” in Better Call Saul is the continued dismantling of Howard Hamlin’s character, and now that Kim has the details of the judge, her next step will be to bring him her “concerns” about Howard. Jimmy’s black eye will be a big help, and that’s why he agreed to the fight.