Better Call Saul And The Tragic Character Of Howard Hamlin

thegamer.com:

Spoiler warning for Better Call Saul’s latest episode.

I’m still recovering from the final moments of Better Call Saul’s midseason finale. It was a boiling pot of expertly crafted tension that culminated in a death none of us could have expected. Howard Hamlin, who for years has overshadowed Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler with his perfectionist attitude and endless list of career achievements, was murdered in cold blood by Lalo Salamanca. The man didn’t do anything to deserve this, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time after being manipulated for simply being who he is - a good lawyer.

Related: PlayStation Classics Finally Getting Trophy Support Is A Long Time Coming

Jimmy and Kim have spent the past season plotting their former mentor’s downfall, believing that he isn’t deserving of continued success and deserves to be taught a harsh lesson after treating our main characters with such disdain over the years. What began as a handful of innocent pranks culminated in an elaborate scheme that saw Howard drugged, gaslit, and forced into a situation that left his livelihood in tatters. The plan was so perfectly executed that Howard had no way to convince his distrustful colleagues of his innocence, with so many minute incidents building to a beautiful yet tragic disaster. Jimmy and Kim celebrate like they’ve won the lottery, this caper to them is little more than voyeuristic fun.

It can be easy to paint Howard as Better Call Saul’s main antagonist. In early seasons he looked down on Jimmy, not believing him to be deserving of a prestigious legal career and doing everything in his power to put down those beneath them. He worked for his position, and has the responsibility of steering his law firm through continued