Jimmy and Kim spent months planning their Howard Hamlin scam in Better Call Saul – and not once did either realize what they were really setting up for. By the end of Better Call Saul season 5, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) had reawakened a dormant criminal instinct inside Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). Encouraged by past scam success, Kim suggested their next target should be the insufferable Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). Jimmy eventually agreed… but not without reluctance.
Across the entirety of Better Call Saul season 6, part 1, Jimmy and Kim executed a ruthlessly effective smear campaign against Howard. Planting drugs in his golf locker, artificially dilating his pupils before an important meeting, and spreading rumors of a cocaine habit, Jimmy and Kim successfully convince New Mexico’s legal community that Howard Hamlin is a drug addict. In doing so, they force his law firm, HHM, to settle a lucrative case for which Jimmy and Kim receive a large cut. As the devilish duo anticipates, Howard invades their apartment enraged, but whereas Jimmy and Kim expect him to finish unloading, return home, and sleep off the booze, Howard actually ends up dead courtesy of a surprise visit from Lalo Salamanca. As revealed by Better Call Saul season 6’s “Point & Shoot,” Mike arranges Howard’s car and possessions to appear as if he took his own life.
Neither Jimmy nor Kim ever realized that by scamming Howard Hamlin, they were actually, very steadily, building the perfect cover story for his death. The fictional drug addiction Jimmy and Kim convinced everybody Howard suffered from depicts a man spiraling out of control, dangerously close to the edge, and relying on substance abuse to cope – none of which are actually true. As the scam intensified, Jimmy and Kim steered “Howard” toward even more erratic and violent outbursts, staging an unfortunate public incident with a sex worker. And for a final flourish, Better Call Saul‘s two, er… protagonists gave Howard the most embarrassing moment of his professional life – a full-on mid-meeting meltdown that cost a lot of people big money. Completely by accident, Jimmy and Kim’s scam turned Howard into the stereotypical image of a fallen hot-shot who takes his own life.
Will Jimmy & Kim Get Away With Howard’s Death In Better Call Saul?
Jimmy & Kim didn’t actually kill Howard Hamlin in Better Call Saul, of course, but given how the actual culprit (Lalo Salamanca) was officially dead at the time and Kim’s apartment was the crime scene, they’re in a dubious position. Unless the two lawyers can successfully sell the yarn that Howard took his own life, they’ll become prime suspects in a murder trial before you can say “Better Call Saul!”
Fortunately for them, the tricks pulled across Better Call Saul season 6, part 1 have all but assured Mike’s “walked into the ocean” cover story will be believed without skepticism. Those closest to Howard – his secretary, Cliff Main, etc. – all witnessed the strange behavior first hand, and none of them seemed entirely convinced by Howard’s excuse that Jimmy McGill was secretly behind everything. If questioned by police, none of Howard’s colleagues could honestly say he was of sound mind during Better Call Saul season 6, part 1. Mrs. Hamlin, meanwhile, is so emotionally distant from her estranged husband, she likely wouldn’t have noticed either way.
And yet Jimmy and Kim still can’t breathe easy right away. Better Call Saul season 6 has cast Carol Burnett in an undisclosed role, and one theory suggests she could play Howard’s mother, who rolls into town for his funeral. Maybe Burnett’s character is the one who refuses to accept Howard took his own life, and refuses to rest until police investigate properly, causing a major problem for Jimmy and Kim’s perfectly (albeit accidentally) prepared cover story.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.
