Better Call Saul’s Chuck Reference Makes Two Deaths More Tragic
Better Call Saul tugs on the heartstrings with a timely reminder of the late Chuck McGill — here's why the reference is so important. Portrayed by Michael McKean, Chuck McGill tragically took his own life in Better Call Saul season 3. Beset by illness and professionally embarrassed by younger brother Jimmy's chicanery, Chuck intentionally kicked over a lantern and let his home burn, making no attempt to escape. The incident left a grave sadness over Howard Hamlin, but while the last remaining letter in HHM eventually recovered, his own tragic end comes in Better Call Saul season 6's «Plan & Execution» courtesy of Lalo Salamanca.
Howard's final episode is peppered with references to Chuck McGill, and by far the least subtle is a giant portrait hanging in the Sandpiper mediation conference room. Howard tells some fresh-faced intern about a soda can trick Chuck once taught him, before describing his fallen friend as "the greatest legal mind I ever knew." In a rare moment of authentic self-reflection, Howard then admits, "Maybe there are more important things..." Chuck comes up in conversation once again when Howard confronts Jimmy and Kim in the episode's shocking final scene. Remembering how he and Chuck would share a glass of whisky after a big victory, Howard evokes Jimmy's brother with the line, "Jimmy you can't help yourself… Chuck knew it."
Related: Why Howard Insists Irene Sit In A Wheelchair In Better Call Saul
The portrait and Howard's final speech both make Chuck McGill's death even more heartbreaking. When Howard concedes there are "more important things" than being a great lawyer, he's referring to personal sacrifices made in the name of career prosperity - a flaw Chuck is certainly guilty of. Once wedded to
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