The following contains spoilers for the Season 5 mid-season finale of Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul’s mid-season finale brought many of its anticipated storylines to a close. Kim and Saul’s long con on their former boss, Howard Hamlin, was finally paid off when the esteemed attorney was made to look like a fool in front of a slew of associates and partners. However, shortly after the climax of the heroes’ plans, Howard met his untimely death in Saul and Kim’s apartment, leaving the pair and audiences wondering if they’re to blame for his fate.
Throughout its six seasons, Better Call Saul has become known for Saul and Kim’s elaborate scams and cons on those who often deserve it. Now, the show has flipped the script and presented the question of whether they have been in the right this whole time. Howard’s poignant speech prior to his death highlights just how wrong Kim and Saul may have been in their quest to play God.
The events leading up to the confrontation in Saul and Kim’s apartment are complex, but clearly point at who’s to blame for the fate of Howard Hamlin. In Season 5, Episode 6, “Bad Choice Road,” Lalo Salamanca confronted Kim and Saul at their apartment, and accused Saul of lying to him about what happened in the desert when retrieving bail money from the cartel. Saul’s involvement in helping the Salamanca, and ultimately leading him to their home, is what sticks in Lalo’s head long enough for him to return in Season 6.
If Saul had refused to represent Lalo Salamanca when Nacho asked him back in Season 5, Lalo wouldn’t even know who Saul is. Beyond that, Saul continued to bend the law and carelessly retrieved illegal blood money for the crime lord. All of these decisions led to Lalo knowing who Saul is as a person and where he lives. These decisions will weigh on Saul’s conscience as he moves toward the end of the show.
While it was Saul’s fault that Lalo appeared at their home, it was primarily Kim’s fault that Howard was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the beginning of Season 6, Saul was uncharacteristically apprehensive about going after Howard in order to get the Sandpiper settlement money. It was Kim who pushed Saul to go forward with a plan to knock Howard down and get their payday. She then went on to spearhead the plan, devising many of the strategies, while Saul carried them out.
In Season 6, Episode 6 “Axe and Grind,” Saul realized a flaw in their plan and called Kim to delay their attack on Howard. Kim, on her way to an important meeting in Santa Fe, insisted that she turn around and help fix their plan, so it could still happen when it was originally supposed to. If Kim wasn’t there to egg on Saul, and had just accepted a setback, Howard would not have been in their apartment when Lalo arrived, and subsequently would’ve survived.
As Howard pointed out in his final moments, Kim and Saul are perfect for each other. Saul’s involvement with the cartel and his knack for scams combined with Kim’s tenacity and itch for adventure led them down a dark path. Their arrogance caused Howard not only humiliation and suffering, but his life.
A long line of dominoes preceded Howard’s unfortunate presence in the apartment when Lalo arrived. However, every step of the way it was Saul Goodman and Kim Wexler pushing those dominoes. Lalo Salamanca may have pulled the trigger, but the protagonists are to blame for Howard’s death.
The second half of Better Call Saul’s final season premieres July 11 on AMC.
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