Better Call Saul's Most Tragic Character - Howard Hamlin

[@MisterzzYT]

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[@obamaorb7426]

Howards death was genuinely the most surprising death in the series to me, the moment felt so real, the acting was amazing in that scene

[@JoeyBilbo]

I actually almost cried. I was tearing up. And I never cry watching tv

[@simphobic1373]

For real. I was genuinely so shocked and terrified.

[@nickgarthwaite2059]

my jaw has never dropped so far while watching a tv show. completely caught off guard

[@janwil8248]

Drew sharp? Thats the most surprising death

[@ripdimebag42]

Yeah, Howard's death hit pretty hard for me cause I had just decided that I actually liked Howard about 30 seconds before he git his brains blown out. Phenomenal scene.

[@avian1799]

What I think makes the feud between Jimmy and Howard hit so hard is that Jimmy does this because he thinks Howard can’t change when in fact he can, while Howard believes Jimmy can change when in fact he can’t. Their whole conflict is based on the fact they’re unable to understand one another

[@MisterzzYT]

That’s an amazing insight, never thought of it like that. But you’re 100% right nice work

[@sethost2548]

Never could describe the dynamic between them as well as you, really well put and makes tons of sense

[@AshVsEvilFred]

… but the ending proves with the right influence jimmy will change?

[@spunkymaniac9312]

@@AshVsEvilFred for how long tho ??? You think after his first 5 to 10 years in prison saul will just keep accepting being locked ?

[@1337snake888]

@@spunkymaniac9312 lmao he has no choice, BCS is not the type of show where a character str8 up can escape prison, and after he blew the deal he has nothing to trade, unless he threw vacuum guy under the bus I guess

[@aceyspud551]

Howard was the only one who went to a therapist. Nuff said.

[@nont18411]

@@MisterzzYT You are wrong. Maybe *JIMMY* should have.

[@doodledevore7745]

@@nont18411 Not our precious Jimmy!

[@fronk794]

@@doodledevore7745 chicanery

[@yazidefirenze]

@@fronk794 What a sick joke!

[@Yunathesnowfox]

and walt I guess

[@autonomous8108]

I gotta say. The most heart breaking scene for me wasn't when Howard was shot, but the episode that came after when you see Howard's shoes by the ocean, and it really sinks in. They destroyed this man's life, reputation, career, kill him, and framed it so that it looks like he committed suicide. In just a few seconds of intro, without a word or dialogue, we're told so much from that scene.

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

By the way, Howard's car on the beach was the last scene ever shot in the BB/BCS universe and was the only time they ever filmed outside of New Mexico. (The last scene featuring live characters was Gene stomping around the police cell after being arrested)

[@j3pelfrey]

Howard was not evil. However Howard was willing to participate in the destroying of a man he admired. Part of the reason we got Saul Goodman was because of the lengths that Jimmy was willing to go because of the hurt he felt. His brother

[@ctonyoutube6206]

I watched that episode yesterday. For me the hardest part was to see Howard's body being buried, next to his killer, in plain dirt, under a meth lab. I felt fucking sad. He didn't deserve this at all, and although I didn't liked him at the beggining of the show because of his actions towards Kim espacially. But later on, he tried to make it up, shared his guilt to Kim and Jimmy, offered him a job. Made it even sadder. Vince is merciless with his characters.

[@robbiesammons1016]

Him being buried was the worst. So depressing

[@DrDanka69]

Even when Mike makes the comment about the cocaine addiction”that’s what you guys were setting this up to be”. Was gut wrenching showing how poopy they became

[@JohnSmith-wj2wd]

An extra thing of tragedy was that in Howard's last sentence, he speaks as if he's about to plead to save Saul and Kim's life, thinking that Lalo is out to get them. Despite his conflict with them and everything they pulled on him, he still tried to defend them not knowing he was the one about to get shot.

[@aaronschwingel3330]

Yep, this got me too. In spite of the absolute nightmare they had just put him thru, it felt like he was going to try to defuse the situation as best as he could to defend them. He had ZERO idea of how far over his head he was and how futile his diplomacy was in the face of such a calloused killer. Seeing him get wasted like that hit me harder than most on-screen murders do.

[@ChanelDarkSide]

@@aaronschwingel3330 u write like a poet

[@bodasactra]

Never mind up to his death Howard was delaying Sandpiper hoping the clients would die of old age before the settlement ended. That just might be why Jimmy was trying to discredit the lead attorney in the case to force a faster settlement for the ones he loved. Who was that lead attorney anyway? Oh well, poor Howard, the victim of excellent next level writing and so are you. Empathy? Howard? Watch it again, and pay closer attention to the visual irony, otherwise great talent was wasted.

[@thomasfrazer3405]

on the script, the last sentence he spoke was supposed to be “there’s really no need to hurt them”

[@thedudecalledalan9095]

@@bodasactra Howard was a business man, and businesses have to grow, it was his job to get as much money out of the settlement as possible, doing your job doesn't make you a bad guy Howard has to look out for his, at the time dying company, first

[@jankopransky2551]

I rooted for Jimmy/Saul for most of the time. Until he and Kim destroyed Howard. That made them villains in my eyes.

[@MisterzzYT]

yeah things got pretty bad for them towards the end. Still, I can't help but feel bad for both of them, even if they caused it

[@KeltonTitan]

I blame Chuck.

[@jankopransky2551]

@@KeltonTitan At the end, I don't. They could call it of in any moment. But they didn't, and they did it for fun, just like Howard said. Chuck may have had a significant influence in past, sure, as did a myriad of things. But to ruin Howard was Kim's and Jimmie's decision, they didn't have to do it, and they knew it was wrong, but did it anyway, because it got them high.

[@fansee1368]

The entire time I was just wondering why they did it Howard already moved on with his life and actually kind of respected them, that was way beyond overkill

[@jankopransky2551]

@@fansee1368 Exactly.

[@BareBandSubscription]

Easily the most tragic character, and BY FAR the most misunderstood. How anyone ever “hated” this guy after the first season is beyond me, especially after Chuck’s death. He tolerated so much cruelty and was practically saintly at turns in the later seasons. Howard haters make no sense.

[@MisterzzYT]

For the first half of the season, before Howard dies, we really see how nice he was. Sucks what happened to him

[@1337snake888]

I hated him condescending towards Kim later on but other than that generally good, nobody's perfect

[@BareBandSubscription]

@@1337snake888 Kim callously laughing in his face when he was only trying to warn her about Jimmy was way crueler and more unsettling to me than any way he acted towards her, in my opinion.

[@GeorgeIllustrations]

Well, that's how good people end, basically. The thieves, the "bad boys" always have a good time, and also women are attracted by scumbags, in general. I m pointing this out, cause Kim was enjoying more and more and became worse that Saul, but loving him more than anything, while poor Howard was in a divorce, while struggling to keep his work and firm up. That s reality, no fiction. Yeah, characters and plot are fictious, but the feeling and the messages are so into the real life...

[@Vacuon]

@@1337snake888 exactly, the fake plastic personality and holier than thou attitude is what makes his character so believable. If you work in a job with a lot of PR, there is a good chance your boss is like this. Nobody's perfect but you see a man who is trying real hard and that's worth something, especially when everybody around him aren't.

[@mbanerjee5889]

Howard is the brother Chuck wishes he had. And everyone on the show pay the price for it. Howard was the best of both McGills. We are lead to believe Howard was product of nepotism but he did succeed on his own merit. Howard had Chuck's professionalism but he also had Jimmy's charisma. He never does anything immoral or illegal but ends up sharing a grave with Lalo.

[@barbarapaine8054]

That scene- where Mike has his people handle Howard’s body more respectfully- and that look on Mike’s face. That said volumes.

[@sahilhossain4335]

@@barbarapaine8054 me too

[@Thawhid]

@@barbarapaine8054 me too

[@TheEddieStilson]

@@barbarapaine8054 me too

[@pottergeist]

@@barbarapaine8054 The look on Mike's face is because they'll never find Howard's body, and we all know Mike doesn't like that, at the end it turns out to be his own fate as well, diying without having a closure.

[@viddythehat]

The most heartbreaking scene in this series isn't Howard's Death. It was when he put all the effort to make a coffee for his wife with care and affection, but all she did was to put all that in a tumbler. That scene broke my heart.

[@themustafagoldenboy9008]

Same here, I noticed that detail :(

[@shiptj01]

Whoa! You're right!!

[@syjiang]

I think that was one of the most representative scene of Howard's story. He put so much subtle care and effort in his work and treatment of others, only to be overlooked or disregarded.

[@abramsullivan7764]

Yeah he put all of that effort for that bomb ass chapichinoe for his wife to drink for breakfast.

[@TT-ez1ws]

This scene made me tear up

[@benevolutionary]

what really broke me was seeing the several images of a smiling Howard at his funeral, images of him at the beach just happy as can be. it was such an unbelievably needless death. i just finished the series with my boyfriend a few days ago, and this is the part that's still lingering with me the most. Howard was definitely the most tragic character. rest well, Howard, you didn't deserve any of it 💔

[@luna_vdw1089]

Absolutely. Same here. It was tragic to see the way it happened. But it was just an extra punch in the stomach to see how bad Kim and Saul ruined his life. Especially compared to his life before all the drama

[@danieldelcano3594]

Fun fact those are actual personal photos of the actor that plays howard

[@giap.1586]

exactly. photos of his super healthy lifestyle too doing sports.. and they framed him for cocaine addiction smh

[@willleslie2745]

Seeing howard be thrown into the pit with lalo makes me absolutely bawl my eyes out. It is the saddest thing i have ever seen on screen. It's even worse seeing mike be sad about it because he knew about howards demise, the two's scheme against him and the fact he wasn't even in the game. It is truley, extremely sad.

[@jamesburke2110]

Really? Gee i thought of Howard as the ultimate asshole who only really cared about one person, Howard Hamlin.

[@krowpan799]

I like how Howard does not freak out at all in the series, he seems to always think before he speaks.. So thoughtful and methodical

[@Tree_e888]

He can find his car destroyed by a bowling ball and a literal gun to his head and he'll still keep his posture.

[@darksideofevil13]

“Fuck you Jimmy!” But that aside yeah.

[@bencarlson4300]

He’s surprisingly calm in the set-up board room meeting considering he’s been drugged and been gaslit for who knows how long. He even handles that last scene so well where he doesn’t threaten violence and he’s extremely calm and even understanding in a way. No revenge, just disappointment and scolding. I would have broken down that door and kicked Jimmy’s ass if I was Howard ESPECIALLY given how smug they acted until Lalo walks in. Plus, we know he could have given that he already beat up Jimmy earlier. Probably would’ve punched Kim too since she had that smirk on her face the whole time. But Howard was better than that.

[@darksideofevil13]

@@bencarlson4300 ...Well that and he doesn't want an assault charge lol. If Howard's life was bad then, it would have only gotten worst.

[@bodasactra]

@@dddayesq5061 The show really went over your head by a country mile if you think Howard was a good guy. Why do you think they buried him with Lalo? I will give you a hint, birds of a feather lay together.

[@cipherisntsane9287]

I honestly felt so bad for Howard, if Chuck didn't meddle around and make Howard to do all his dirty work then I feel like Jimmy would have taken that job offer, whether that conversation would have even taken place considering Chuck's end was the result of Howard & Jimmy. I just wanted Jimmy to succeed so much, but his hatred towards Howard was really his own hatred towards Chuck that he just couldn't shake because it was always deeply rooted in Jimmy's mind that Howard is the evil one here.

[@MisterzzYT]

It was honestly so sad. Chuck didn't even have to support Jimmy's legal career he just had to not stand in the way like he did. If Chuck simply left Jimmy alone we may never have gotten Saul Goodman. Now obviously this being a prequel we knew the end result but still really sad. There's so many moments were it seems like Jimmy won't turn into Saul and if Chuck wasn't in his way his entire career, then he likely wouldn't have.

[@Mellerman4]

@@MisterzzYT But Chuck could never have just left Jimmy alone. Chuck knew Jimmy when he was Slippin Jimmy and was convinced that Jimmy would never be able to change from that persona. As such, he felt that Jimmy being a lawyer was a threat to the law which he cherishes above all else and a threat to the innocent people that would get caught up in Slippin Jimmy's manipulation of the law. Check's inflexibility in thinking that Jimmy would not be able to grow and improve is what leads him to block Jimmy in order to protect the law from him. Chuck ends up being correct about Jimmy, but the question about whether Jimmy would have done those things anyway or whether he was pushed into it as a result of Chuck's actions are what make this a fascinating character study.

[@MisterzzYT]

@@Mellerman4 Exactly. The tragedy wasn’t that Jimmy couldn’t live Saul free with Chuck it’s that without Chuck he would’ve been Saul free. Chuck tried to tear Jimmy down at every single possible point because one he couldn’t respect him for being “slippin Jimmy” but also, due to chucks ego, pride, need to be in control, etc, he could never have Jimmy on the same level as him, and the fact that he used to be slipping Jimmy only exasperated this ideology that him and Jimmy should never be equal. It’s sad because with Chucks support Jimmy likely would’ve been a better and maybe even good man, and ofc a phenomenal lawyer. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way

[@cyancoyote7366]

I thinking that Chuck's inflexibility, as you called it, his way of thinking that Jimmy could never leave behind Slippin Jimmy, pretty much acted as a self-fulfilling prophecy, because had Chuck left Jimmy alone and had Jimmy accepted the job offer, and felt appreciated as a lawyer at HHM, he would have grown out of his antics. Instead, Chuck actively did everything to make Jimmy succeed as little as possible, feel as underappreciated as he possibly could, simply because Chuck was seeing Jimmy as morally inferior to him and enjoyed thinking that his superior self was doing the right thing, when, in reality, he was just being the most awful brother to a very talented and creative, but way too emotionally driven person who just needed some support and validation from the people he cared about.

[@SAK1855]

@@MisterzzYT I think Jimmy was always going to become Saul. Jimmy was a conman who swindled innocent people - besides Slippin Jimmy, we saw the fake Rolex scam as one example. Indeed Jimmy was just constantly lying - the billboard stunt, and too many others to name, well before Chuck stood in his way. Dishonesty and corner-cutting and no respect for the law were embedded in him. And remember: Chuck didn’t try to undermine Jimmy at every turn. He did it at one turn: to keep Jimmy from getting hired at HHM - which was Chuck’s firm. He didn’t stand in the way of Jimmy being a solo practitioner. He just said, “Not in my house.” Which was absolutely justified. Oh, and Chuck made a recording of Jimmy admitting to destroying Chuck to get Mesa Verde to Kim. Kinda justified, no? And when Jimmy found out, he broke into Chuck’s house and threatened to burn it down if Chuck didn’t give him the tape. Jimmy was a defective person through and through - a charming one, and certainly one we loved to watch as he got even worse. But Chuck was right. The tragedy was not that Chuck tried to stop Jimmy; it was that Chuck failed.

[@dashman8499]

Something that always made the death tragic for me is how little it means to Lalo. Howard is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, Howard means nothing to Lalo, he isnt even in his way. Lalo is such a force it feels more akin to Howard being killed by a train or a bus, the way it's done is so good to me because such a quick action to one character has rippling after effects to others. The final kill count in Better Call Saul is so small in comparison to Breaking Bad, but every death is treated with an extra layer of thought and their consequences are always satisfying to witness. All of Howard's dreams and reputation he cared so hard to protect are ruined purely because he was just in the wrong place. (I know the death is the result of Jimmy and Kim's actions, but the actual killing is so sad because of how non chalant it seems for Lalo)

[@MisterzzYT]

I’ll always stand by the fact that Better Call Sauls characters and cast as a whole is surprise to breaking bad. The fact that every death, no matter how important the character has major implications on the entire story and characters as a whole. Mike killing some random person might not seem like a big deal but it shows his further descent into the criminal world. Lalo killing that random guy while looking for the German Scientist (Ziegler) might not seem like a big deal, but it further confirms Jimmys fear of Lalo as well as his further transformation into Saul. Such a well written show

[@nont18411]

@@MisterzzYT I love everything about Better Call Saul, except the ending. Jimmy has no regrets in destroying Howard’s life which led to his death. His only regret was that Kim dumped him for it so he “made things right” by taking all the blames so that Kim never get in jail. Kim got away with everything and the audience celebrates only because in their logic, dumping Jimmy means she’s good now.

[@Tree_e888]

​@@nont18411 I don't think they were trying to make Kim seem "good", it's just that she was always much quicker to realize the error of her ways than Jimmy was. I wouldn't even say that Jimmy gets over death easily, he just buries his true emotions under a confident and charismatic facade.

[@teddyjackson1902]

“Wrong place, wrong time” is literally being involved with scum like Saul.

[@NP1066]

@@MisterzzYT Well without killing Fred at the travelwire Lalo could never have been arrested. Truthfully, only after Mike was able to "direct" the police to the evidence

[@wacktastic298]

Jimmy doesn’t hate Howard, he hates Chuck. Everything he thinks of Howard is actually how he thinks of his brother. Jimmy just can’t admit it. He still idolizes his brother. He can’t admit that his brother was terrible to him.

[@fitzpatric12]

correct! and remember. he told jimmy " i just dont like you"

[@nonchefsaussy]

so true! it’s almost like Chuck projected the love he should’ve gave Jimmy on Howard and Jimmy projected the hate he should’ve gave Chuck on Howard. the McGills were bad just for him ultimately.

[@Onaterdem]

I was honestly so relieved when Kim came forward at the end of S6. Howard honestly deserved NONE of this, yet it all felt so real, like there are people who undeservingly have their lives ruined IRL, similar to him. And there 100% are. It felt so sad. So tragic. When Kim finally came forward and spoke the honest truths, it felt like a cold breeze after a terrible summer day.

[@erikrupp692]

Exactly. Kim got caught up in the cons with Jimmy because that's how she grew up. Her mom was a con artist. But Howard's death broke Kim. Kim realized that she had gotten caught up in something that she loved, but something that genuinely hurt other people - and she couldn't live with that. So the first thing she did was to run away. Run away from her legal profession, run away from her life as she knew it, and run away from Jimmy. You see her life in Florida and it absolutely sucks. Lousy job, lousy boyfriend, lousy clothes - it's as if she's continuing to punish herself! And after talking to JImmy on the phone when he tells her she should turn herself in because he wasn't going to do that it clicked with her. That was the final step in her own redemption. It could never make up for what happened to Howard, but it would make her a better person. It would make things as right as they could be. In the end Kim did the right thing. She was back to being the person she was before Jimmy moved in to live with her and took her down the wrong path. And that's why I love Kim. Great character. AMAZING writing. (Just like the writing with all the main characters - Jimmy, Chuck, Howard, Kim, Mike, Nacho, Lalo, Gus - all of them were written really well and all of them were complex characters.

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

@@erikrupp692 I didn't really get the sense that Kim punished herself with that new life. Just that she was trying to get as 180 away from her old life as possible.

[@robscott1615]

@@TheStraightestWhitest Oh she was punishing herself alright. She refused to make a single decision in her new life. She deferred to everyone else.

[@Zack29810]

too bad Kim completely got away with it. that was dumb.

[@kuzofrog4378]

@@Zack29810 Have you even watched the show? She is being sued for everything she has in a civil suit. It ain't all sunshine and roses.

[@sarahreynolds1870]

Howard is so poorly done-over by both the McGill brothers, and he really tried at various points to help them both. It's a heart-breaking arc that Patrick Fabian is never going to get the credit he deserves for.

[@MisterzzYT]

They both just kinda used and put blame on him

[@spadeboi4055]

actually, thanks to a certain treasure buried on an island in an uncharted region of a sea, and a dying pirate with white facial hair, he got a ton of spotlight :troll:

[@FrankYammy]

Who is Fabian?

[@psychosalad6653]

@@FrankYammy Howard’s actor

[@FrankYammy]

@@psychosalad6653 fabian is howard?

[@CuriousPug12]

Nacho and Howard are the two most tragic stories in BCS/BB universe

[@MisterzzYT]

Howard Nacho and Jesse all suffered way too much. At least Jesse survived

[@CuriousPug12]

@@MisterzzYT Jesse went from almost being kill at the end of the season one to the only person in the drug world who survive and living free.🤯 What a great redemption arc.

[@toromontana8290]

It's more tragic for Howard because he wasn't in the game.

[@thepaddyladdy]

@@toromontana8290 For a split second I was like “There’s a f***ing video game!!!!! Whaaaat why didn’t I know about th……wait the “game” Ahhh.” I’m a ham 😂😂 But yes I agree!

[@maxthecat14]

@@CuriousPug12 Jesse wasn't redeemed, he just got lucky and survived.

[@heyidaroo]

This is morbid I know but I appreciated the symbolism of Howard’s jaw breaking after being shot. Everything about Howard is carefully crafted by him; his tone of voice, his vocal cadence, his hand movements, his suits, his hair, his tan, you even see that in the latte he makes his wife, he is incredibly meticulous about his image both physically and his reputation. By him hitting the table and breaking his jaw on the way down to the floor (after already being dead), Saul and Kim have destroyed the whole image of Howard

[@MisterzzYT]

Whether that was Vince, Peter Gould, some other director or Patrick Fabien (likely a combination of them all) Howard was played to perfection. He was always organized and precise with any and everything and even his body language we knew he was a meticulous guy. Patrick Fabien really outdid himself

[@Frankenbutt99]

I think his image was pretty destroyed by his brain being splattered on the wall tbh

[@heyidaroo]

@@Frankenbutt99 that too. That sharp distinct jawline though is part of his look

[@Nintenglo]

I think it was more of a parallel drawn with Chuck at the printer shop scene to demonstrate how Jimmy’s actions and antics lead to bigger consequences. He always takes it too far and people inevitably get hurt as a result

[@williamhornabrook8081]

I think that was a cappuccino that Howard made his wife. It was very frothy and made in a cup whereas lattes are made in glasses typically.

[@wanleaf]

Howard and Nacho are two most tragic characters on two different side of the law

[@BrendanPappas]

It was really depressing to see Howard’s ultimate downfall after you were made to think he was such a stuck up guy, but I honestly never felt bad for anything that happened to Chuck at all. He’s honestly one of the most unlikable characters in either show and he portrays a different type of evil from any other character.

[@ElusiveOtter]

Chuck isn’t an evil character, he’s a “greater good” kind of character. In the early seasons he’s the only character that understands the damage Jimmy could do to people, society, and the institution of the law and he does his best to stop that from happening. The problem is that his jealousy of Jimmy’s charisma as well as Jimmy’s pride make it impossible for them to have some kind of mentor/mentoree relationship so that Chuck believes he has to stop Jimmy, which inadvertently makes things worse. We’re not supposed to see Chuck as a bad guy, we’re supposed to see the relationship between the two brothers as tragic and which, if reconciled, could have prevented almost everything that goes wrong in the BB universe. That’s what the Time Machine metaphor was about. When people pick a side between Saul and Jimmy they perpetuate that same rotten dynamic - the best we can do is understand that as troubled as their relationship was, they were still brothers who loved each other, tried their best to take care of each other in their own flawed ways, and their falling out was mutual, Jimmy mistreated Chuck just like Chuck mistreated Jimmy.

[@BoolyK]

He's evil to you because he's unlikeable. Jimmy is likeable so you don't consider him evil. Who caused the most pain overall?

[@JustapErson]

@@BoolyK Chuck screwed up Jimmy so Chuck.

[@JustapErson]

You feel no pity for him? I was definitely hating him at first but there was a few flashbacks that made me feel a little less hateful. When his mum died and he was the only one in the room because Jimmy had just left, and his mum's final word minutes later is "Jimmy?" Must have been heartbreaking.

[@BoolyK]

@@JetteAMT Jimmy fueled all of breaking bad bro lmfaooo

[@reggie18b]

You don't mention here that after his death they even change the name of his law firm, presumably because his name is now damaging to the firm. He is even erased from his life's work, and that of his father. It's hard to think of a more awful and undeserved death and legacy. I found his death and subsequent disgrace quite disturbing. It's like the writers really went out of their way with Howard to deliver the message that reality doesn't have any kind of moral arc, that bad things can happen to good people without there being any redemption, salvation or happy resolution, a message reinforced by what is effectively Howard's funeral--being dumped into a pit with the man who killed him by indifferent, heartless criminals. It seemed such a lonely end for a character who never had anyone there for him through all his many trials and tribulations. He was in many ways the loneliest character from the two series. Everyone he reached out to rebuffed him.

[@r4ptor253]

Yeah, and the saddest part for me is not, what Kim and Jimmy did to him, as he stated he would carry on, and get over this situation. He may be on his knees, but he was not broken. But then Lalo Arrives, there is no scheme in that, he killed him just like that. Not knowing anything about him. Let's be real here, he could knock him out or just tie him up like he did with Jimmy. But since he got no use of him he just end his life. Which was sad, bcs it made you realize, that even most evil scheme planed by others (kim and Jimmy in this case) can be nothing compared, to just random violence by really evil person

[@northerner3861]

All Howard got in the end was Mike saying "easy" before they dumped his body into the pit. And god that's sad.

[@JustapErson]

There was definitely a bit more to Howard's ending that was ignored in this video. I think it's also revealed in the final episode that Kim confessed about what really happened with Howard/Lalo.

[@OneRedKraken]

@@JustapErson Yeah, there's an entire scene dedicated to her going to Howard's wife and bringing a copy of her confession to what happened to him.

[@jeebus_gaming]

​@@northerner3861the fact that Mike was also likely thinking of his own sons unjust murder while disposing of Howard's body is just another level of sadness

[@pinkcashmere573]

I completely agree. At worst Howard was obnoxious but that should not be punished with death. It is understandable why Kim was so affected by his death. It really was their fault.

[@MisterzzYT]

Kim felt so guilty that she had to get away from it all as well. That's also what led to her crying on the bus. Truly phenomenal writing.

[@jakepayne2985]

@@MisterzzYT Do you think Kim cried on the bus cuz A. She held in all those emotions, punishing herself, and finally set free after confessing. B. The weight of what they did to Howard finally fully hit her. C. All that, plus whatever feelings she’s having after talking to Jimmy. ??

[@MisterzzYT]

@@jakepayne2985 When Kim left Jimmy, besides the divorce, they hadn't seen one another in 6 years. And during those 6 years, Kim had been supressing everything from her past (Howard, her relationship with Jimmy, etc). Then, after Jimmy reached out to Kim after 6 years, 6 years of him being Saul Goodman and making the news for all of his wrong, Kim was overwhelmed. Later on the bus she broke down. She knows what happened with Howard was terrible. She knows her and Jimmy hurt a ton of people for no good reason. I'm not sure if she was punihsing herself though, maybe more like hiding from what she had done. But yes, your'e 100% right. Good eye

[@jakepayne2985]

@@MisterzzYT I took it as a form of self punishment, kinda similar to what Howard did to her by sticking her down in doc review. Kim sequestered herself from what she was really meant to do (help people with law), and unable to make any decisions whatsoever. I dunno if that was intentional or not. You’re spot on about her suppressing everything since the very night with Lalo though. She never dealt with it by any emotion other than bailing and cutting her wings.

[@jakepayne2985]

@@MisterzzYT Right, but I’m sticking with the doc review comparison lol. I think it fits cuz not only do we see the similarities on screen (boring work) but they also both connect back to Howard. The catalyst for all of this, well one of them at least. Mucho catalysts here, if that’s even possible definition wise

[@oscar18034]

9:15 I always thought that Jimmy actually, deep down, blamed *himself* for Chuck’s death, and his telling Howard it was his fault was simply Jimmy (quite cruelly) rubbing salt into Howard’s wounds. He didn’t actually blame Howard, he just projected his own guilt onto him out of hatred. That was the impression I got from the show anyway - whether that’s what we’re supposed to take away from it, I don’t know. Anyway, this is a really great video. I’d like to see more BCS analysis videos. Subscribed.

[@MisterzzYT]

I agree with you. When he ruined Chuck's malpractice insureance and led to Chuck being forced to retire, Chuck set himself and his house on fire. It was Jimmy's fault that Howard forced Chuck to retire in the first place. So it seems Jimmy deflects his own blame onto Howard so he can feel better about himself, or at least that's my understanding of it. Currently debating between making a better call saul analysis or a breaking bad video. Not sure whiich rn but I'm glad you enjoyed and thank you so much for your support!

[@Xehanort10]

Yeah. Jimmy dumped his own grief and guilt onto Howard.

[@oscar18034]

@@MisterzzYT Glad to see any video from you on either show. Great content man

[@JoshSweetvale]

Kim discussed this. Her diagnosis from what I recall was that Jimmy and Howard were passive-agressively blaming _eachother_ and Jimmy was completely traumatized and could do with less drama.

[@mbevinn]

Jimmy clearly blamed himself. I don't think it was particularly out of hatred that he told Howard it was his fault, as much as just avoiding acknowledging this out loud (like you say, projecting). When he tells Howard it was his fault is also when he then goes into whistling while he happily goes about his day mode that is clearly a coping mechanism in complete denial and contrast to his true feelings, very similar to how his brother Chuck acts, e.g. after Chuck's last talk with Jimmy - he acts all happy and whistles like he doesn't care one bit, when inside he's tearing himself up emotionally, emotions which exhibits themselves in his mental issues exploding worse than ever (the mental illness was always connected to him treating Jimmy badly and him beating himself up unconsciously about it) leading to the fire.

[@valerie0000]

The difference between Jimmy and Howard was that Howard was able to move on from his guilt after Chuck’s death and learn to deal with it in a healthier way. Jimmy didn’t. He outwardly blamed Howard for Chuck’s suicide, but I think deep down he blamed himself. He just couldn’t admit that to himself and just externalized it by scapegoating Howard. It’s not until the final episode that Jimmy accepts his culpability in both Howard’s and Chuck’s deaths.

[@outloat9184]

saddest part is that his last action was trying to bargain for saul and kim’s safety

[@sergiosarmiento4371]

What are you talking about? He never did anything to suggest he cared about Saul and Kim's safety in that scene. If anything it looked like he tried to ask for permission to leave as soon as he saw the gun.

[@sidarth632]

@@sergiosarmiento4371 Thomas Schnauz(Writer of this episode) said that howard was gonna say "There's no need to hurt THEM" if Lalo didn't cut him off.

[@sergiosarmiento4371]

@@sidarth632 I never knew that. I'm trying to find a source to confirm this but I haven't found anything other than a sourceless reddit post. Where did you hear about this claim by the writer?

[@jamesm3471]

Earlier, on the last day of Howard’s life, he witnesses a newly hired young man drop all the soda cans, then steps in to help out, even taking the time to teach Chuck’s trick of how to lower the pressure. Don’t come off as arrogant for even one second…

[@MisterzzYT]

Unforunately I had Howards death spoiled for me, so when I originally saw this scene it was pretty sad. He's built up the entire 6th season and even the entire second half of the show as a nice guy. Rly sad to see him go

[@allofmynope.mp4888]

@@MisterzzYT I also always saw that scene as like a final analysis of Howard before his death. Him rotating the can also seemed like subtle foreshadowing to Lalo tightening the suppressor on his pistol. I'm unsure if it was intentional, but knowing this universe, no scene or plot detail is coincidental

[@jamesm3471]

@@allofmynope.mp4888 Brilliantly said! Yeah, Vince isn’t really into meaningless coincidences at all.

[@principalmcvicker6530]

@@allofmynope.mp4888 the writers actually said they didn't even think about the suppressor/soda can thing, and that it was sort of a lucky coincidence for how well it works as symbolism

[@mbevinn]

he never came across to me as arrogant exactly. rather, a bit stiff and also fake at times (when he's trying to act however he thinks he should be acting + looking, e.g. 'professional' in certain meetings). and very deliberately stiff and formal in some interactions in the early seasons. partly that's just how you have to act as a boss in such situations, and partly it's him overdoing this, and partly it's personality and some lack of empathy which he develops later. and it's also notably in very stark contrast to jimmy who would rather quit his job (as he does) than ever force himself to adjust/temper his character to fit such a role. Howard's character seems for both better and worse to be juxtaposed as quite the opposite contrast to Jimmy's in the show - Howard the consummate professional who deliberately tries to mold himself around what he sees as required for his job (erring on the side of overdoing this at times), vs jimmy who will always sooner or later rebel whenever his personality clashes with what is required for the job.

[@ryanelliott71698]

Chuck really screwed Howard in the end. He was willing to burn his bridge with his friend for the sake of pride and ego.

[@KingSlimeProductions]

yeah the more I think about it the more I realize Chuck was the villain all along, people like to say that it's mostly Jimmy's fault, but Chuck was going around Jimmy's head long before the mesa verde incident. Honestly Chuck got what was coming to him, he should have been happy for his brother

[@TarnishedProductions]

that's not the only thing he burned

[@Richard-fv7rq]

Chuck was a vile character.

[@missisfreddiemercury]

Chuck was the meanest vilest person. Then he cowardly burned himself. What a joke.

[@Tree_e888]

The weird thing is that Chuck does occasionally make good points. He was right about Jimmy not being able to change, he may try hard to prove himself, but when push comes to show he'll go back to his old scamming ways and do what he can to get by, and Jimmy only really changed his ways at the end of the series when he accepted that he'll never change. But Chuck only says it out of his desperate need to be a little bigger person.

[@ul.biggit217]

It was really sad to see him go out like that. Howard was trying his best with what he had. In the end through all what had happened he still had the heart to go see saul and kim and even leave a gift. I think at that moment it really hit how much saul has morally decayed.

[@MisterzzYT]

I completely fogot he brought them a gift, even if it was kind of a sarcastic or F u gift.

[@isaacpianos5208]

"gift" was just the passive agressiveness at its strongest lol

@@isaacpianos5208 they broke someone who was still getting himself fixed. He was drunk, in face of the events, so I'd say the passive aggressiveness was justified.

[@isaacpianos5208]

@ in my opinion every single action by Howard was justified My dude never did anything wrong

@@isaacpianos5208 and I agree

[@grassisgreen1oh4]

There’s so many connections that can be drawn between Howard and Lalo. They both lived similar lives on the opposite ends of the spectrum and both had the misfortune of meeting Jimmy and Kim. It was almost poetic that they were buried together and both died because of their enemies.

[@NP1066]

Jimmy and Kim weren't Lalo's enemies though.

[@grassisgreen1oh4]

@@NP1066 Fring killed Lalo, not Jimmy and Kim. The connection between Lalo and Howard is that the two of them both encountered Jimmy and Kim and their lives got worse from that point on

[@epicfan1598]

@@NP1066 They weren't. Gus was though.

[@linus6718]

Saul didn't even want to be involved with Lalo tho

[@Paul-cl3sy]

Anyone else think that Howard was one of the greatest written and acted characters of all time? I realized this in season 6. I spent 5 seasons hating him only to realize Patrick Fabian was a true tour de force in every season,especially 6.

[@dancortes3062]

You can tell Howard liked Jimmy and always did. Early on he had to be the bad guy because that's the way Chuck wanted it and he didn't want to cross Chuck. He wasn't always perfect or a good guy but that doesn't mean that he deserved his fate. Definitely one of the most tragic characters in the BB universe.

[@MisterzzYT]

So true

[@domferris9963]

He’s a saint compared to the other characters on the show

[@elysianfields84]

Howard comes across as a douche in the early going, but when push came to shove I think Howard made incredibly moral choices. Taking the fall for Chuck to preserve Jimmy's image of his brother, paying Chuck out of his own pocket, offering to help Jimmy on multiple occasions. He wanted the story book ending for Jimmy from the very beginning. Jimmy projected the hatred and betrayal by Chuck onto Howard throughout the show and it really hurts that Howard went out like that. Definitely the most tragic character on the show.

[@nont18411]

@@elysianfields84 The worst part are that Jimmy has zero regret for Howard’s death. The only regret he has was that Kim dumped him for it, and Kim aka the mastermind who destroyed Howard’s life, got away with it. Two scumbags that only one of them got the consequences he deserves.

[@ithinki854]

hes 2nd to jesse

[@mudshrooze]

I really like Howard. Everything he does well...90 percent of what he does is with the attempt at helping others grow. He sometimes makes mistakes. He is often walked all over even though he puts his best foot forward. It sucks that Jimmy is an actual villian towards Howard

[@MisterzzYT]

He is always trying to help others, and yeah sometimes he makes mistakes. Everyone does.

[@Airbender19]

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of how important it is to review and reassess your friendships. If you surround yourself with self destructive people, there's no functional boundary that won't eventually lead to your downfall.

[@Carl_JohnsonGSF]

I honestly lost all simpathy for Jimmy and Kim after what they done to Howard

[@fredoraa]

Howard’s death is (in my opinion) the darkest moment of the show. It went from Saul and Kim having a laugh trying to ridicule him to suddenly having to cover up a murder and they realised they took it too far

[@Flaming_penguin]

I’d go as far to say that Howard becomes a good person, even if he was only decent to start. But by the end of his story he’s taken it upon himself to try and better his own life, and to be kinder and more generous to others around him. The level of self responsibility and selflessness he shows in the later seasons is far better than most people are capable of, and to me, Howard is probably one of the most moral characters in the entire BB universe

[@MisterzzYT]

Honestly you're not wrong. Idk if I'd consider anyone good in the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe (besides maybe Nacho's dad) but Howard comes close

[@Skrenja]

@@MisterzzYT Walt Jr?

[@MisterzzYT]

@@Skrenja and him. Forgot abt him, loves his breakfast

[@rueryuuzaki5448]

@@Skrenja that monster Flynn

[@Groutski]

Imo he’s on the same tier as Hank, kind of a douchebag in the beginning but later on you see that he’s actually just a regular guy trying to do the right thing

[@encyclopediaespx1128]

What happened to Howard was handled so damn well. Very rarely have I seen a scene where an innocent caught in the crossfire get treated with such a grounded take. The attempt at talking it out, the action, the reactions of Jimmy and Kim and what comes after with his lifeless body is just so heavy. Kudos to the team for writing a character so complex. Much like how we sympathized with Walter in the beginning only to hate him by the end; Howard is the parallel opposite, you hate him in the beginning, only to really side with him in the later stages.

[@MisterzzYT]

That's a really good parallel, never picked up on that. Good catch

[@joshhelton2007]

This is a great take, I agree completely. Usually when an "innocent bystander" gets taken out we don't bat an eye as an audience. It's just like damn that sucks, wrong time wrong place dawg. But in this instance it's written and acted so heavily that it has a much more realistic feeling in that scenario than I've seen in any other setting

[@thetruthlies7]

​@@joshhelton2007 To be fair, usually in those movies, the innocent bystanders are people who aren't even characters, just props. They aren't meant to be characters. Take No Country For Old Men. The scene where Anton shoots a driver whilst trying to kill Moss is haunting and disturbing, but it goes by quickly. You feel bad, but you have to quickly move on just like Moss cause there isn't time to grieve. What I'm saying is, most of the time, it matters about what's being said.

[@JustapErson]

Agreed. I watched it before bed, but it felt so unique that I honestly thought I dreamed it the next day.

[@Kali-bs7oj]

Chuck is the villain of the entire Breaking Bad universe. If he had supported Jimmy, nearly all the tragedies in Better Call Saul wouldn’t have happened, and Jimmy wouldn’t have become Saul. And Walter White couldn’t have done it without Saul. It’s crazy how chuck’s actions of not supporting his brother inadvertently elevate the best drug chemist in the world to greater heights Edit: Not saying that Chuck is one dimensional or the exact cause of Walt’s growth; I’m saying that out of all the main characters and side characters we see who push Walt and Saul into become the bad people that they are. Its not like I’m saying Hank Schrader is also the villain because he emasculates Walt and is part of why Walt snapped and wanted free from his bland life; I don’t think Hank is a villain just for doing that. He was just messing around and didn’t realize the mental toll he was taking. Chuck actively took steps to hurt Jimmy’s career AND emotional state (I never actually cared about you!) that’s why I consider Chuck a villain, and not the many other side characters who indirectly cause things. I think chucks were the most unjustified for a man who thinks he’s so righteous. I know he has his reasons, but even after Jimmy was doing wonderfully in his recovery from the scammer lifestyle in the mailroom, Chuck made Howard reject his application for a job. Which is such an evil choice; Chuck’s entire mental state revolves around how successful Jimmy was, to the point where one of Jimmy’s big successes makes Chuck kill himself. it has its layers, but this is just my opinion ^ This is to the many replies stating things like, if Chuck is a villain, so is everyone who interacts with Walt and that Chuck’s actions aren’t entirely evil; I’m not saying they are, I’m saying I think they’re incredibly unjustifiable to the point where he is culpable for some the Saul persona coming to be.

[@cbawitlife]

if only your comment got pinned. because DAMN i love this.

[@H3Vtux]

The thing is when you look at causal chains like that you can blame anybody. Chuck's actions caused jimmy to go down a bad road, but jimmy's behaviors as a con man is what caused chuck to become the distrusting hardass he is, so you may as well come full circle to blaming jimmy.

[@cbawitlife]

@@H3Vtux oh

[@GoGetYourShinebox]

I think Chuck felt Jimmy becoming Saul was inevitable. Slippin Jimmy existed before Jimmy tried to become a lawyer. Chuck knew Jimmy well enough to know that he just couldn't help himself. A man with the nature of Slippin Jimmy and not being able to help himself bending the rules, to become a practising lawyer, would have been catastrophic for the law which Chuck held in such high esteem. Even with Chuck's support Jimmy would have still tried to achieve things by bending the rules

[@Kuzmo]

butterfly effect

[@jacky_west]

Just came here to pay him my respect. We would never forget you Howie 😢

[@DarkWasTakenWasTaken]

The bit that hurts the most is how unnecessary the death was

[@TattooedStoner]

I was honestly so freaking upset the way they killed Howard off. He deserved much more respect than to be dumped in a grave with the man who killed him.

[@roymercer22]

Excellent script and character development

[@helwrecht1637]

It’s all this, all of this, is why Jimmy deserves that jail sentence, and Kim deserves to lose everything

[@MisterzzYT]

Yeah both did some not great thinfs

[@SkittlesInYourHand]

Jimmy definitely deserves the sentence, he did some terrible things during BCS/BB and who knows what else off screen as Saul

[@nont18411]

Except that Kim got no punishment for her actions because Jimmy already took it all from her. That’s the point of his confession, to get her walk away scott free.

[@thetruthlies7]

​@@nont18411 Except Kim definitely got punished in the end. She's trapped with a never lasting sense of PTSD, and stuck in a mundane and boring life.

[@paralleluniverse99]

​@@thetruthlies7Oh wow, what a punishment, compared to someone who will spend his life in jail.

[@tommasosoldati2905]

The way they ruined howard just felt like evil actions made for no reason, for fun. And I hated both jimmy and kim for that, because their plot was so perfect that howard could do nothing about it. And on the opposite i loved Lalo because by killing howard (is life wouldn't have been good anymore), he also punished jimmy and kim, that felt guilt for the first time for what they did

[@Sashazur]

I really like the point you make about how Howard’s life had been ruined, so Lalo killing him saved him from that. The best parts of Howard’s life were definitely finished.

[@brandonvaughn8382]

The worst part about all of it for me is that I’m the end, despite all of the work he put into improving himself, Howard will be remembered for being a drug addict who killed himself. I never understood the plot line of Kim and Jimmy hating Howard so much that they scheme up such an elaborate and risky plan to ruin Howard’s life. In the end there was no reason to hate Howard to the degree that they hated him. After Jimmy found out that Howard didn’t give him a job at the firm because of Chuck there was no reason for Jimmy to hate him. And as Howard said in his final conversation, the only reason Kim had reason to hate Howard is because he put her in doc review. It was just hard for me personally to buy into the entire plot that they hate him to such a degree that they would put the time, money, and energy into destroying his life. Rip Howard

[@NP1066]

The point was. As was actually said by Howard himself few seconds before his death, is that they didn't just hate him. They actually sadistically enjoyed what they were doing to him. There was much more of a demonic pathological element to it than just hate.

[@KOSJ153]

Yeah that whole season was really hard for me to watch because I was rooting against Jimmy and Kim the entire time. Made me realize how their plots really hinged on plot armor to work...

[@brandonvaughn8382]

@@NP1066 yeah I see what you’re saying and it does make sense. I guess as a viewer who really wanted to see Jimmy to succeed in life I wanted more for him than to be a greedy psychopath who took enjoyment in ruining other people’s lives. I wanted there to be a reason but there just wasn’t one other than the demonic pathological element that you mentioned

[@brandonvaughn8382]

@@KOSJ153 me too. I was really hoping Howard would come out on top in that situation. But everything Kim and Jimmy did worked almost flawlessly. Howard was just an innocent man trying to make the most in life despite some recent shortcoming like his issues with his wife. But he will always be remembered for the exact opposite of an honest innocent man

[@treali]

@@brandonvaughn8382 Not to mention that in real life, people can be really petty, so even those small things might still have been the trigger to start those demonic pathways in Jimmie and Kim. Jimmie also used Howard as a proxy for his own self-hatred for what happened to Chuck. Kim is a bit harder to pinpoint but she is mostly motivated by the thrill of it, she always get back to Jimmie when he's becoming more Saul.

[@Mr.Moments]

Never liked Saul. Hamlin seemed like a good dude from the very beginning. It’s a shame what happened to him. This is how life treats good men.

[@smartwater598]

You’re very naive

[@wolfofwarframe3807]

​@@smartwater598Hamlin was a kind man compared to most characters in the universe. Its surprising that some people dislike him, even though he always tried to do the right thing.

[@wolfofwarframe3807]

@@rishisaaptacha Nah, the story framed his as a man who has a secret why he doesnt approve Jimmy, the only mystery was what the secret it was.

[@Mjsnananbbsie737]

I think the sad part about Howard's character was that we were all led to not like him but he was actually a fair honest good person who really wanted the best for everyone. I think Lalo walking behind Howard is just brilliant because it kind of represents how Howard kept getting blindsided by his good intentions.

[@skylarmccloud4080]

Awesome take on his death. It was really messed up how they did Howard, and to think he actually liked and respected Jimmy.

[@darthvincor]

For me it went from a legitimate gripe about an annoying boss to over the top payback to bullying to downright torturing the poor man. And still so composed right at the end when he confronted them about it.

[@jacksonkeeling107]

Initially I would have disagreed but when you lay out all the cards and show his entire story for what it truly is I completely agree. He was just a normal guy caught up in a whole world of chaos out of his control. Even so, he still tries to be the bigger person and make amends but just gets shot down. Pun intended.

[@MisterzzYT]

It sucks. He was always trying to be the bigger and better person. Just got caught up in it all.

[@gilghuram7339]

@@MisterzzYT “I’m just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control”… Very difficult to watch this show when you see the good people get systematically dismantled for simply being human…

[@nont18411]

Just like Andrea Cantillo, how both of them “went to Belize” are completely identical.

[@ChristopherSetera]

In the final episode when Kim and Jimmy finally admitted admitted to what happened Howard even though I was a bit miffed about Kim possibly going to jail I felt glad that in some aspect or way Howard's reality was revealed to the world, he wasnt a coked up addict but an actually decent person who was subjected to something he didnt deserve. Even if only a couple people in the BCS world hear about the truth of Howard and what happened to him im glad that in the end he was finally respected, and some aspect of his legacy was restored to show who he really was.

[@MisterzzYT]

True. At least some people learned the truth

[@burbidgeproductions]

Same here so glad especially that his wife perception of her husband was reaffirmed.

[@selemanecu]

well Howard did say he would land on his feet so...

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

I think Kim is really tortured that she has genuinely no clue where Howard's body ended up - and for that reason the chapter is never fully closed. Only the late Mike Ehrmantraut and some of his goons have the answer to that one, it's the one outstanding piece of information she'd want Cheryl to have, but she cannot deliver. The guards killed in the upstairs shootout with Lalo were also buried or returned to their families, so there's no evidence of anything happening at the laundry.

[@ronaksingh637]

Worst part from show for me was when Jimmy and Kim met Howard's wife after his death and they didn't have a slightest of regret about ruining Howard's life in fact in that very moment too that evil woman comes up with wild idea to prove Howard a drug addict to his wife with some imaginary story just so that no one can be suspicious about them. The sad part is this was the same character I admired a lot during S01-05 of show which was now the most hated one after this Howard's plot! And she got away in most easiest way in the end living her normal life after ruining many others and pretending to be the victim!

[@yurichtube1162]

Kim is a scumbag, Jimmy is worse.

[@raymondcarlomaata608]

This is a shit show

[@MrSimonsays2592]

Everyone gangsta until Howard Hamlin asks for the room.

[@charmander466]

When Howard died I screamed and couldn't stop crying. I wasn't a fan, but didn't hate him. He just seemed like a guy who should have just left well enough alone but couldn't because he was really trying to help. He didn't deserve that death.

[@accreditedbythenicemaninth6495]

Watching this video helped me realize that the feeling of entitlement is the root cause of the moral decay of Jimmy, Kim and Walter. From the beginning I always had respect for Howard’s polite professionalism, his tight control over his emotions in confrontational events speaks of his discipline. When Jimmy didn’t get the job, I thought that was sad, but not unreasonable. Jimmy and Kim not getting what they wanted from Howard made them think he was unjust with them, but they are not entitled to the positions he had withheld from them. Walter sold his shares of Grey Matter, it was his decision, but he still held it against his former partners as though it was their fault.

[@mbevinn]

While I think entitlement is the root cause of a lot of moral decay these days, I don't see it so much in Jimmy and Kim. For Jimmy I don't think it's so much entitlement as just losing hope when it becomes clear that no matter what he does, his brother will always see the worst in him, plus feeling betrayed by his brother's betrayal. And Kim truly was treated poorly by Howard - really it's a mistake by Howard that for whatever reason he just fails to promote her - if other companies are desperate to get her and put her in a higher position, to the point where despite her excessive sense of loyalty she finally leaves, then he's definitely making a mistake as a boss on that note. You could only argue it as entitlement on her part if she thought she deserved more but clearly the world (both Howard and all other law companies) disagreed, and that's not the case here.

[@accreditedbythenicemaninth6495]

@@mbevinn Thank you for your insight. I agree it was foolish on Howard’s part to withhold from Kim the reward she strove for so strongly. I think you are right that her loyalty was used against her until it broke. The show has her move on, which is the reasonable thing to do in her situation. I was pointing out that the position doesn’t belong to anyone but to who the partners give it to. It can’t be seized or taken from them. I am going to stay with my assessment that Kim thought that position belonged to her and that motivated her to ruin Howard. I think you a more correct than I am when assessing Jim. I think it is true that the job didn’t matter to him as much as his brother’s opinion was. I think it makes sense that Jim went with Kim’s plan because of the latent feelings he has built up from all the times that Chuck had Howard be the bad guy. I can’t remember if that last thing was from the video, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.

[@kirboshib9471]

@@accreditedbythenicemaninth6495 I don’t think it’s entitlement, they were actually all treated poorly. Like the comment above said chuck held some sort of grudge against Jimmy and it was cruel. Howard also helped get Jimmy disbarred. I think Jimmy realizes how immoral the whole system is and that lets him stop caring. Like the scholarship scene, the girl who didn’t get the scholarship. She made a mistake and corrected it wanting to be a lawyer, however Jimmy knew that a firm like hhm would always see her as a thief. With Walter I think he wanted credit. The company was his idea, although it was a mistake to sell his shares. There’s a scene where the other founders speak about Walt on tv and say he only contributed to the name. This type of thing is what made Walter so angry.

[@accreditedbythenicemaninth6495]

@@kirboshib9471 I forgot about the interview, good point.

[@jeshurandianga1251]

Jimmy tried to change but even after he did they still saw him as that guy especially his brother.

[@RebeccaRider]

My mind is blown that this show made me sympathize with and really care about a millionaire who inherited his wealth and prestige from his daddy. And I do really care about him - I’m broken-hearted that he’s dead and about how Kim and Jimmy set him up. Gotta give it to the writers!

[@MisterzzYT]

Vince and Gould did a phenomenal job

[@mxbx307]

Someone figured out that Howard was probably earning about $1-2m a year by the time of his death. They figured that out based on the perceived size of the firm, other snippets of information, and what you'd expect a real life firm of that size in Albuquerque to be making. Quite involved stuff. They did it for a lot of the characters in the universe.

[@Nick-ce6lt]

I think he had it coming.

[@SkittlesInYourHand]

@@Nick-ce6lt Genuinely how though?

[@Nick-ce6lt]

@@SkittlesInYourHand Every lawyer boss I've had is like him. I was grinning from ear to ear when he dropped

[@its3amagain.]

What made me sad while watching Better Call Saul was when I saw the private life of Howard. Your job can suck, that's fine.. as bad as it sounds. Guess we all have times in our lives where our job is hell. But when you come home after work and even your "family life" sucks.. that's truly tragic and made me feel for him.❤

[@logycaa]

Very nice video, food for thought. Howard often fades into the background of the primary plot lines related to Saul, Kim and Mike, so his suffering through the whole series is easily overlooked on the spectator's side.

[@hamood8934]

I agreed on the whole video except when you said "Howard was an Asshole sometimes". I think he was just professional, calm and collected most of the times. He had lower ego than he portrayed as we see when we see his relationship with his wife. Howard's death truly was tragic. It was about two people bullying someone to death. Howard wanted to fight Jimmy because he thought it would end things, he never wanted to hurt Jimmy. Howard was one of my favourite character in the series.

[@Crimson-m9o]

While I can blame Jimmy and Kim for 'overkill' in getting a degree of payback vs. Howard for his early mistreatment of them, it was hardly their fault that Lalo showed up at their apartment shortly after Howard did and senselessly killed him. They even tried to get Howard to leave as soon as Lalo walked in, to no avail. It was merely a matter of incredibly unfortunate timing, along with Lalo's murderous sociopathy. They weren't trying to get Howard killed, and Jimmy was undoubtedly correct that otherwise Howard would have recovered and rebuilt his career.

[@hamlindigoblue9295]

The one and only person who can rock the signature "Hamlindigo blue" suit

[@MisterzzYT]

Bro rly trademarked his own color.

[@thepaintingbanjo8894]

Howard was my favorite character. I would almost call him the moral protagonist while Saul and Kim were the primary antagonists. Even though he had his own flaws too (like being too much of Chuck's personal doormat and ruining Kim's career at HHM because she stumped for Jimmy to be hired by another accredited law firm) he was the excellent deconstruction of the stoic corporate archetype we've all assume we'd dislike.

[@Anradak]

yes, that is the most amazing thing of Howard's character. you learn to understund and even respect him despite his flaws but the man is so pure and good natured that he does all he can to redeem himself and revert those flaws, when Jimmy spoke for Kristy Esposito Howard appreciated his insight and was willing to give Jim the chance he never had, he even tried to make ammends with Kim, be a better boss, husband, man etc but all of that effort was never appreciated nor recognized by anyone and that's heartbreaking

[@waleeeja]

one of the saddest scenes were after the episode howard was killed. at the beginning of the next episode when we saw his shoes and his car at the beach, my heart SANK. and even after that, when mike and his team were taking his body out from the apartment, or when he was thrown into the ditch dug in the meth lab, and then later on when we saw his memorial at hhm; it TRULY broke my heart. howard didn’t deserve any of that.

[@johns1625]

It's weird how Howard is one of the best people (ethically) in the whole show, yet the audience dislikes him almost all of the time because of his corporate demeanor, meanwhile Jimmy does tons of truly awful and unforgiveable things and we love him. Jimmies older brother was unlikeable the entire time, even though his issues are not all his fault and he's really not that bad. A series that makes you root for the bad guys.

[@casparbenjaminseymour]

Howard was to me like Hank - both come across as unlikeable at first but by the end you realise they were the good guy all along and not Walter or Saul.

[@MisterzzYT]

Both shows do that excellently

[@genghiskhanxxx5276]

Really? I liked hank at the start then over time realised he was a bad guy

[@peternehemiah1606]

@@genghiskhanxxx5276 agree Hank's ego got himself killed

[@gobucs3146]

@@peternehemiah1606 everyone says he had an “ego”. How? He was a DEA agent trying to solve a case. It’s their job. Nothing “ego” about it.

[@con7727]

@@gobucs3146 by using illegal means to take down down Walt and HAVING to do it on his own. That’s where the ego came in, he had to be the one to personally put the cuffs on Walt. He could’ve reported what he found and then excused himself from the case

[@ygts]

I couldn't watch the next episode for 2 weeks after watching the one where Howard got shot. One of my favorite and most respected characters of the show, shot through the head for no reason after getting his reputation demolished in the most despicable way

[@evy2031]

I believe that Jimmy really blames himself for Chuck, and is just using Howard as a personal mental scapegoat. We can see that in the last episode, during his confession

[@gamewriteeye769]

5:52 “You're Slippin Jimmy. Slippin Jimmy I can handle just fine, but Slippin Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp to a machine gun. The law is sacred. If you abuse that power, people get hurt. This is not a game.” - Chucky Mcgill

[@Gravy_seal-r3l]

Howard's a real one he is possibly one of my favriout characters in the show

[@JavahFusion]

I really like Howard's arc throughout the entire series, he starts off as a complete asshole in the eyes of the viewers but as the show progressed it showed more and more of who Howard is and the reasons for his behavior at times and he honestly went from being one of my most hated characters in the bcs universe to one of my most loved. He really was the star focus of this show in a way, seeming insignificant at first but being the one who changed everything in the end. Great character, one of the best acting performances I've ever witnessed as well. Bravo Patrick Fabian.

[@MisterzzYT]

Patrick Fabian did a truly phenomenal job

[@marcusjackson9076]

Glad Howard got some level of justice in the end rather than Mike's version for instance. He was a very decent man.

[@rara3538]

How was it decent to be Chuck's lap dog? I feel like people are forgetting the fact that Howard "played his little game" just as much as Jimmy and Kim, only Howard and Chuck never felt any guilt about it, or at least never showed any guilt for it. It sent them down the path they ended up on, including Howard. All he had to do was hire Jimmy

[@marcusjackson9076]

@@rara3538 ''Jimmy I'm sorry you're in pain''.

[@alternativecrinkz4873]

@@rara3538 Did you not watch the show? Howard couldn't hire Jimmy even if he wanted to because of Chuck. He didn't want to disappoint his mentor and his father's partner in the firm. He did try to hire him but Jimmy was just too blinded by jealousy

[@Crimson-m9o]

Howard had his flaws but he wasn't a 'hit man' and murderer, which Mike was.

[@kareemyasser3590]

One obscure observation is how Kim was able to lie to Howard's wife and shift his death on her, it reminded me of how Jimmy shifted his brother's death onto Howard. Howard told her his marriage was falling apart, she knew she could do it. And we see his wife storming off crying after " You're his wife. Im sure you would've known".

[@MisterzzYT]

Honestly, everyone looks at Jimmy like he's the worst one, but I genuinely think Kim is worse. Might make a video on it if people are interested

[@MChantal76]

@@MisterzzYT Yes please! I'm so sick of BCS viewers who for some reason think Kim is just this lost little lamb corrupted by Jimmy and don't see all the horrible things she did on her own. Personally, I think the only flaw in the series finale is that she didn't pay for her role in everything and got off scot-free.

[@MisterzzYT]

@@MChantal76 My next vid is probably gonna be on Kim. Gonna point out that she's actually pretty evil

[@TheRedCap30]

@@MChantal76 Well Cheryl is still after her I think, and she lives in Florida now lmao

[@mbevinn]

I think this was the final straw for Kim, the moment Kim realized she truly hated and was shocked by what she'd done and become and decided she had to end the relationship with Jimmy as like she said, they were both bringing out the worst in each other.

[@Mr.Moments]

Amazing video. Really great work.

[@slfurnovkfcatria]

Also, this was a fantastic analysis, man. A true labor of love.

[@timchildsmovies]

One tragic dimension of their relationship that I hadn’t considered until recently was how Chuck was like an older brother to Howard-making Howard and Jimmy’s relationship brother-like.

[@MisterzzYT]

Chuck even treated them equally terrible.

[@christopherbarraza9737]

I will never get tired of Better Call Saul analysis videos.

[@sethost2548]

BCS quickly became a comfort show for me after binging the first three seasons because of moments like Chuck's reaction to Jimmy passing the bar. S1's rewatchability for me came from moments like that. You could see Chuck's mind working as he told Jimmy he would "have to take it up with the other partners" to give himself an out, or how Jimmy had to ask if Chuck was proud of him before Chuck said it. This is a rare show where certain parts are often elevated with the benefit of hindsight

[@MisterzzYT]

I think when most preqeuls release as "prequels" they're often hindered by that title. They try too hard to connect theit prequel parts to the original and they often fail or end up boring. But Better Call Saul doesn't. I think Better Call Saul being a prequel only added to how amazing it is and it's truly a rare thing.

[@mushucatninja2865]

Howard literally is the only normal person in this show, everyone else is playin five layer revenge chess and hes just tryna run a company

[@hemantriffs]

Props to the amazing screenwriting, Howard and Lalo, opposite poles from not one but two different worlds are buried in the same grave after one tragic interaction amongst each other. I could've never seen it coming!

[@inviinviinvi]

I guess you could say Howard's death was mindblowing

[@MisterzzYT]

... good one

[@ellaphx]

RIP Howard 💔💐 That man deserved better.

[@popshenroin5797]

I remember there was this one scene… I think it was in Season 2. Where Howard goes to see Chuck and tells him about how they lost Mesa Verde. And he entered his house and told him in the dark. And he was almost cowering in fear of Chucks disappointment. And I swear it almost reminded me of Vader talking to The Emperor. Whether Howard knew it or not Chuck always had him in the palm of his hand. He gave him nothing but grief, made him have to be the bad guy in the eyes of both Kim and Jimmy. And even after his death he wouldn’t be remembered as the man he should be. He tried to please his Partner and (let’s face it) Boss. And in doing so lost a huge piece of his goodness. Chuck should have had the balls to go after Jimmy solo. But he made Howard his patsy. And that’s why he’s so tragic. Because he was a *genuinely* good person. And a terrific Lawyer.

[@MisterzzYT]

But an even better business man New vid with Chuck coming soon

[@popshenroin5797]

@@MisterzzYT Perfect... I identify more with Chuck than ANYONE else in either series. For better and for worse.

[@MrRobotrax]

I wonder how different the show would be if Chuck was a better person

[@tanmay0311]

Its sheer brilliance of the creators of the show that they transformed characters so seamlessly. Plus, the actors cemented the characters’ with their 10 on 10 acting.

[@KombatGod]

It should also be noted that by the end of the show, Kim has revealed to the police the truth about what happened to Howard (and Jimmy tries to do the same) so his reputation may have been at least partly saved. So that truly only leaves his death as the real consequence of Jimmy and Kim's actions.

[@mikerzisu9508]

I am a Howard fan… he didn’t deserve what they did to him and obviously his fate

[@MandelaAffecter]

Howard parallels Hank in a remarkably dual sense. Think about it, both were friends/family of the main villainous protagonist with a certain level of friendship or at the slightest respect for them. Over time though both Jimmy and Walter begin to grow ill feelings towards Howard and Hank respectively and seek to make them pay. Just as Jimmy painted Howard as a deviant and drug addict, Walter's tape slandered Hank as being Heisenberg (which if released would have destroyed Hank's reputation and given him some serious time). Finally, the cherry on top is how Jimmy witnessed Howard being executed by Lalo and Walter saw the same thing with Hank by Jack Welker (both mid-sentence while confronting their "fallen friend"). Ironically when Jimmy is charged in court he gets part of the blame for Hank's death, inadvertently giving Howard some justice. *The difference between the two's fate is that Hank is still considered a hero as everybody knows Walter is Heisenberg.

[@medinaalangabriel]

Another nice difference is that with Hank it was the start for Walter's path to try to fix things later. The man he becomes after his death, when he comes back to ABQ was far better than how he was before it (when his ego was unbounded): willing to admit he did horrible things cause he was good at it, stopping with the lies; managing to leave his money to his children by letting go of his pride against Gretchen and Elliot; and finally rescuing Jesse and being honest with him. He was not a good person at all yet he managed to improve. While for Jimmy it was the exact opposite, given that shortly after Howard's death, KIm leaves him and he fully becomes Saul Goodman, a far worse person for a quite long time.

[@Crimson-m9o]

It never struck me that Walter had any negative feelings toward Hank, other than not wanting his brother-in-law to realize that he was Heisenberg, of course. Walter even tried to bribe the Aryan Brotherhood thugs in order to get them to let Hank live, even though that would have publicly exposed him as Heisenberg.

[@MandelaAffecter]

@@Crimson-m9o Yeah that's true, but it certainly wasn't a friendly relationship.

[@masterzombie161]

At least they told the truth about Howard’s death, unfortunately the years the lie was around totally destroyed HHM and it’s employees.

[@MisterzzYT]

Ig they somewhat redeemed themselves but unfortunately they still ruined a lot of people

[@masterzombie161]

@@MisterzzYT well if we are being fair Howard and his partners also ruined peoples lives by Denying them their scholarships based on their mistakes. I do agree though that Howard, nor the employees deserve what happened, but still the show demonstrated how toxic the lawyer business can be and isn’t exactly wrong on showing how easy it was for your career to down the shitter for a simple mistake.

[@mappingshaman5280]

@@masterzombie161 ruined people's lives is a big stretch. I was constantly denied opportunities, i got bad grades even though i studied hard, I got denied probably dozens of jobs in the field i want to, and now do, work in, but in the end, I made it. Christy Esposito could make it too.

[@masterzombie161]

@@mappingshaman5280 while that’s good that it didn’t hinder your life, however not everyone is as fortunate. Look at how easy it was for people to turn against Howard, or when those insurance premiums went up just because of Chucks meltdown. Yeah Jimmy is the one who instigated both of those, but you cannot deny how easy it was for them to quickly turn on them just to save themselves or make their lives more difficult. That’s why Jimmy couldn’t let it go, and felt insulted that Howard asked Jimmy to work with him, cause he’d be back where he was when we was at Davis and Main. It’s a good job, but if you make one wrong move it could damage your entire career. Again I’m glad things are well for you despite the set backs, but my point about that kind of business is toxic doesn’t look as far fetched as you claimed.

[@mappingshaman5280]

@@masterzombie161 the pronlem with the insurance premiums is Howard just went straight to defcon 1. Chuck didn't even get the chance to move past it. Granted Howard had good reasons for doing so as they would have sabotaged every other employee if they "went to war" as chuck put it, but the point is chuck could not move past it because of Howard's immediate reaction.

[@lesuu]

something that felt so tragic to me was how Howard seems to be one of the only characters in this show that consistently made the right choice. What can you really reproach him? Maybe keeping Kim in doc review after Mesa Verde, sure. But Aside from that, he was either trying to do right by chuck or trying to repair broken relationships. He pretty much did everything right, and yet he suffers the worst fate out of almost anyone in the show. when he died, its that unfairness that hit me so hard.

[@topshelfscrublords8595]

It makes me rethink the fly scene from breaking bad. The fact Howard’s under that lab the whole time lives rent free in my head

[@samhoney1020]

There was one point which I think you overlooked when Howard was depressed in season 4, HHM isn't doing well. Jimmy comes to Howard's office to get the 5k which Chuck had left him from Howard. Jimmy basically tells Howard to get over himself and stop wallowing, he also says he's a shitty lawyer. Howard says "fuck you Jimmy." I feel this really lit a flame under Howard and was the turning point for him to get over his depression. I'm not sure why Jimmy did this tough love, but he knew it was exactly what Howard needed, perhaps it was because he knew Howard was unnecessarily blaming himself for Chuck's suicide and this was his way of saying "you don't need to." Obviously this was before Saul had taken over Jimmy, and is one of the final "good" interactions they shared. I also think there's something to say about how Kim was the big driver behind taking down Howard, and Jimmy's love for her meant he would dip into Saul a lot deeper. There are multiple times Jimmy wanted to back out, even on D-day but Kim kept pushing because of her own hatred for Howard, Jimmy will do anything for Kim so he went along with it knowing that the consequences were going to be bad. Of course the Lalo branch of the story is all Jimmy but the collision of Lalo and Howard definitely represents the two bad parts of Kim and Jimmy blowing up in their face. Kim ultimately had the courage to step away and Jimmy just went deeper.

[@thefearofg0ds758]

I still think the most tragic character was Nacho. Any doctor who checked his blood pressure throughout that series would have had a heart attack...

[@MisterzzYT]

I loved Nacho. Might touch on that side of BCS soon. Chuck video out tho!!

[@Mellliiii]

@@MisterzzYT nacho video please!

[@MoNMoN7100]

He was a decent human being in a very indecent world he didn't deserve any of it he only took the fall for chuck at earlier seasons because of how much he idolized chuck he saw him as a father figure and grew up looking up to him so it was hard to refuse anything he asked specially when he was the most brilliant lawyer he knew and maybe even the most decent after everything is done and chuck dying he tried to make amends and fix his relationship with jimmy but the latter met him with a lot of anger and hatred that Howard did not deserve eventually ending his life in such a tragic way with such horrible reputation that he worked his whole life avoiding what agitated me the most about his death was the fact he died for nothing! like most characters died because of their wrong doings or their beliefs but howard was just in the wrong place at wrong time and it cost him his life! Howard was a good person with a few flaws which made his death the most tragic death in the whole show

[@Noname-ns2md]

Chuck certainly did have his fair share of the blame in helping create the monster that Jimmy ultimately became. However, Howard's words to Kim "You know who really knew Jimmy? Chuck." was such a powerful line

[@joaquinhormazabal1621]

Man, your analysis almost made me cry. Excellent 👌🏻

[@Jakeyisdead]

This is an incredible video and mirrors my thoughts entirely while we never were really meant to like Howard in that last season I think we all started to and when he died I just remember thinking he didn't deserve any of this

[@MisterzzYT]

The entire first half os season 6 I started to actually love Howard. So sad to see him go

[@waitandbleed2870]

I will still root for nacho as the most tragic character

[@toomuchinformation]

Not really, because he chose to be "in the game".

[@waitandbleed2870]

@@toomuchinformation I am pretty sure there were many points where he wanted to get out, but there really was no opportunity after Hector. While going through all that (sometimes literal) shit, taking bullets and everything, he was hoping to get out of it. And then realizing that it was all for nothing, that some powerful people just want him to die- he just fucking accepts his death. Thats tragic. I mean yeah Howard had it bad. But he went through way less stuff

[@MisterzzYT]

I considered making this vid abt him but yeah he “technically” chose to be “in the game” so

[@MisterzzYT]

His death was extraordinarily sad though :(

[@toomuchinformation]

@@waitandbleed2870 But at the beginning, he still CHOSE to enter the drugs business. We didn't see anything suggesting that he was coerced into it. It's only when it begins to affect his father that he becomes worried. When we first meet Nacho, wasn't he doing his own side hustle involving Price and the pills? Nacho may have gone through more, but ultimately it was his choice. Howard was not "in the game" at all, but got caught up in it and paid the ultimate price.

[@DrmCom2003]

I saw Howard and Chuck as two parts of a compass. They both represent the moral compass of Jimmy. Chuck was the needle and Howard was the baseplate. Chuck's issues made him a broken needle and unable guide Jimmy on a moral path. Being the baseplate, Howard doesn't understand the pressures of being a needle. It shows that he is hopeful and resolute in seeing the best in people, but it makes him naive in believing that things can be fixed. Jimmy and Kim are like two kids who would rather abuse a broken toy then take the time to fix it. Howard would be that broken toy that constantly gets abused over and over. When Lalo killed Howard, it was the end of Jimmy and Kim's fun. Not only was their entertainment ruined, but whatever morality still existed in their world was gone. After knowing that him and Lalo were buried together in the meth lab, it makes Breaking Bad all the more darker.

[@MisterzzYT]

Right when I saw lalo and Howard buried in the math lab it made Walt and Jesse's cooks much darker. That'll always be in the back of my mind.

[@willleslie2745]

Seeing howard be thrown into the pit with lalo makes me absolutely bawl my eyes out. It is the saddest thing i have ever seen on screen. It's even worse seeing mike be sad about it because he knew about howards demise, the two's scheme against him and the fact he wasn't even in the game. It is truley, extremely sad.

[@SOBEKCrocodileGod]

It’s wild how this show had me rooting for Saul & Kim when they were ruining this man’s life. And then it just kept going and going to the point where I wanted them to just knock it off already. But they just keep pushing until it eventually gets him killed. Then I felt horrible for even rooting for them.

[@JairusC]

"Who is Howard Hamlin?" Me expecting a nice description of our upstanding, tragic character, but instead getting the gut punch again.

[@MisterzzYT]

... oops

[@chadferrell122]

He's just a fictional character, but man that didn't prevent me from crying for him.

[@pewdiepiesubbot8672]

What I find really tragic is the aftermath. Howard’s reputation and everything he’s worked for has been essentially ruined by Jimmy and Kim’s scheme. Sure, they confess 6 years later, but it’s hard to assess how much that would change things, if anything at all. Cheryl does say in the penultimate episode that this lie of him being an addict is all he is now. I find this weird considering in Breaking Bad and BCS it seems the wrongs are usually “righted” by the end, but for Howard it doesn’t entirely seem like it is. I wish we knew if Howard’s reputation was redeemed

[@mainmanbumfuzz8983]

The camera work at 1:50 is incredible. You can see Howard facing Jimmy head on, even as having shown him the honor of sitting at the head of the table. while chuck position himself slightly behind Jimmy to make himself seem aligned with him, despite Chuck engineering the whole thing, and actually glaring at Howard to make a point. He even feigns surprise for just one second when he thinks Jimmy is turning to look at him. Howard keeps looking away and even looking down, avoiding Jimmy's look. Something he is never seen do anywhere else in the series.