Better Call Saul Used A Walter White Trick To Make Us Care For Howard
Warning! SPOILERS for Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul season 6, episode 6 «Axe and Grind» contains a moment that parallels Howard Hamlin with Walter White, but rather than villainizing Howard, the show actually makes him sympathetic. Throughout Better Call Saul, Howard is a pseudo-villain that gets on the wrong side of Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler. Howard's white knight complex infuriates the couple into scheming his downfall, and their plan looks set to implode during the rest of Better Call Saul's final season. While Howard's sense of moral superiority echoes how Walter White remains convinced of the lie he spins to his family in Breaking Bad, the depths of Walt's depravity make Howard look like a knight in shining armor.
Kim and Jimmy's scheme leads to more screen-time for Howard in Better Call Saul season 6. The audience learns of his troubled home life as he tentatively divulges information to his therapist, unaware that Jimmy sports a disguise and steals his car in the meantime. Howard's wife Cheryl makes her first appearance in the series, and instantly the icy divide in their relationship is evident. At the advice of his therapist, Howard tries to build bridges with Cheryl, offering to accompany her to dinner before he is swiftly rebuffed.
Related: Better Call Saul: 1 Genius Detail Explains Kim's Breaking Bad Absence
The most damning aspect of this scene, however, is how Cheryl casually pours her coffee into a travel mug. Howard delicately makes the coffee for her, crowned with a peace symbol on the foam. Yet, this peace offering is ignored and declined. The frostiness of the scene echoes Breaking Bad when Walt and Skyler's relationship first begins to deteriorate, once Skyler becomes aware of Walt's second
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