Better Call Saul got released in two parts with distinct storylines. One story was about Salamancas and Gus Fring’s cartel war, and another was about Kim and Jimmy’s plan against Howard Hamlin. The two storylines merged at the finale of the season’s first half.
Better Call Saul Season 6, the finale season, was released on 18 April 2022 on AMC, AMC+, and Netflix in the United States. Meanwhile, the thirteenth episode, the last one, aired on 15 August 2022.
Howard Hamlin was a key character and a threat to Kim Wexler and Jimmy McGill. But, he surprisingly got killed by Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 7, and the viewers were desperate to get the reason.
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Howard Hamlin In Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 7
Better Call Saul Season 6 shows Jimmy and Kim destroying Howard’s reputation to settle the Sandpiper Crossing case through which Jimmy was supposed to get $2 million. For that, the duo artificially dilates Howard’s pupils, keeps drugs in his locker, and calls him a drug addict.
The plan gets successful, and Jimmy goes to Kim’s apartment to discuss it. After some time, furious Howard Hamlin arrives at the apartment to congratulate the duo on successfully degrading his reputation. Moreover, he promises to make them land on his feet and their lives hell.
Lalo, who gets no clue of Gus’ plan, surprisingly arrives at Kim’s apartment, causing the candle on the table to flicker. Kim and Jimmy ask Howard to get out, but he ignores it and asks Lalo to get better lawyers.
Lalo immediately takes out his gun and shoots Howard in the head, splattering blood at Kim’s apartment. After that, Lalo continues his conversation with the lawyers. This tragic incident made the audiences desperately wait for the next half of the season.
Why Did Lalo Kill Howard In Better Call Saul?
Lalo has many reasons to kill Howard in Better Call Saul. Howard witnessed what happened at Kim’s apartment. He learned their plan. Thus, it was too risky to keep him alive.
Lalo Salamanca took his family drug business further. Jimmy represented him in court and helped him get bail in the fifth season. Thus, he got famous as ‘Salamanca’s Guy.’ Later, Kim and Jimmy became vulnerable to Lalo’s superiority.
Thus, Lalo must have killed Howard to show his powers to Jimmy and Kim. Moreover, Lalo was dead from the world but shockingly arrived in the seventh episode. Thus, he might not want Howard to bring his secrets out.
The third reason for the murder was Lalo’s ego. Howard jokingly asked him to get better lawyers instead of leaving the apartment as suggested, which must have hurt his ego.
Jimmy and Kim are on a mission to ruin Howard’s reputation, but Howard ends up getting sympathy from the viewers in the final episode. The duo’s plan was too dark, and they must not have thought of having such consequences.
After Howard’s Death
Howard committed the mistake of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. His murder gets staged as a suicide by drowning. Mike’s men take Howard’s body out of Kim’s apartment, park his jaguar on a beach in another state, and keep his shoes in the sand. The police would think his body is still floating somewhere in the sea.
Mike tells Jimmy and Kim to keep the murder a secret and continue portraying Howard as a drug addict. Howard was an innocent soul and a respected person when the series began. However, he turned violent as the series progressed. So, anyone would consider it suicide due to Howard’s ruined image.
Poor Howard had no idea of his misfortune. The viewers also saw how terrorized Jimmy and Kim got after the murder. Lalo turns out to be more ruthless than Jimmy to the viewers. Howard won the hearts of many fans and left them grieving through his death.
In the eighth episode, Lalo takes Jimmy to kill Gus. But Jimmy sends Kim for her safety. Lalo gets shot when he comes before Gus. Finally, Mike’s men bury Lalo and Howard’s bodies in Gus’ underground lab.
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