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You’ve mistaken my kindness for weakness. I like to think that tonight made a difference.
„
~ Howard after beating Jimmy in a boxing match.
“
I'm going to make it clear to everyone, because I'm going to dedicate my life to making sure everybody knows the truth... believe it... you can't hide who you really are forever.
„
~ Howard promising to expose Jimmy and Kim for who they really are.
“
Oh yeah, sure. The Sandpiper settlement—HHM's share will be substantial, absolutely. Even though I humiliated myself. And my clients and peers will whisper that Howard Hamlin's a drug addict. You're right. I've worked my way through worse. Debt. Depression. My marriage falling apart. Oh, yeah. Been sleeping in the guest house for the better part of a year. Just one more thing that good ol' Howard has to work through. But yes, I will land on my feet. I will be okay. But you? Far from it. You two... you two are soulless. Jimmy, you can't help yourself. Chuck knew it. You were born that way. But you—one of the smartest and most promising human beings I've ever known, and this is the life you choose. (...) You're perfect for each other. You have a piece missing. I-I-I thought you did it for the money, but it-it—It's so clear. Screw the money, you did it for fun! You get off on it! You're... you're like... Leopold and Loeb. Two sociopaths. (...) Oh, you know it's true, you just don't have the guts to admit it.
„
~ Howard's angry rant at Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler for their scheme to undermine him.
Howard Hamlin is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Hector Salamanca) of the 2015 crime drama Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad.
Depicted as a highly respected attorney, Howard is one of the senior partners at the law firm HHM (Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill), alongside his father and his friend Chuck McGill. He initially comes across as a polished, elitist, and seemingly antagonistic figure, helping Chuck prevent his brother, Jimmy McGill, from becoming a successful attorney.
Throughout the series, however, it becomes clear that while Howard is outwardly successful and confident, he faces personal struggles, including conflicts with his late partner Chuck and the emotional load of his demise. As the series progresses, Howard’s character becomes more sympathetic as viewers see the immense pressure and burden he carries to keep the firm afloat and his desire to make amends, particularly with Jimmy and Kim Wexler,
Over the course of the story, the latter two become increasingly hostile toward Howard over perceived slights and eventually tarnish his public image by implicating him as a deranged cocaine addict through elaborate schemes. This drives Howard to expose Jimmy and Kim for who they really are, but he ultimately meets his demise at the hands of cartel don Lalo Salamanca, an unfortunate associate of his former employees, being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Howard struggling with his guilt over Chuck's death
Promotional Image for Howard in season 5
Quotes[]
“
You know Jimmy, sometimes in our line of work you can get so caught up in the idea of winning that you forget to listen to your heart.
„
~ Howard to Jimmy in Uno.
“
I'm just getting warned up.
„
~ Howard to his therapist
“
You're right. I do have a problem. Just not the problem you think. I have a Jimmy McGill problem.
„
~ Howard realizes Jimmy is scamming him
“
You didn't even try to hide your tracks. The baggie of drug at the country club. The clients you sent to discredit me. Another prostitute. Please. I could go on. All roads lead back to you. It's Psych 101. You want to get caught.
„
~ Howard confronting Jimmy about the scam to ruin him
“
I mean, what do you tell yourselves? What justification makes it okay? "Howard's such an asshоlе that he deserves it?" So... what is it? I sided with Chuck too often? I took away your office, put you in doc review? All of the above? Howard's daddy helped him get to the top, but you both had to struggle. "Howie has so much, and we have so little, let's take him down a peg or two"? What allows you to do this to me? Because this isn't just a prank. No. This goes beyond throwing bowling balls on my car. This took planning. Coordination. I mean, how many weeks? O-Or was it months? It couldn't have been easy. So, tell me... why? Why go through this elaborate plot just to burn me to the ground?
„
~ Howard confronting Jimmy and Kim over their scam
“
Oh yeah, sure. The Sandpiper settlement—HHM's share will be substantial, absolutely. Even though I humiliated myself. And my clients and peers will whisper that Howard Hamlin's a drug addict. You're right. I've worked my way through worse. Debt. Depression. My marriage falling apart. Oh, yeah. Been sleeping in the guest house for the better part of a year. Just one more thing that good ol' Howard has to work through. But yes, I will land on my feet. I will be okay. But you? Far from it. You two... you two are soulless. Jimmy, you can't help yourself. Chuck knew it. You were born that way. But you? One of the smartest and most promising human beings I've ever known... and this is the life you choose. (...) You're perfect for each other. You have a piece missing. I... I thought you did it for the money, but now it's... It's so clear. Screw the money. You did it for fun. You get off on it. You're... you're like... Leopold and Loeb. Two sociopaths. (...) Oh, you know it's true, you just don't have the guts to admit it.
„
~ Howard's angry rant at Jimmy and Kim, ending right before Lalo Salamanca enters.
“
I’m going to make it clear to everyone, because I’m going to dedicate my life to making sure everybody knows the truth... believe it... you can’t hide who you really are forever.
„
~ Howard's final words to Jimmy and Kim during his angry rant, just as Lalo enters.
“
I, uh... I think I'm in the middle of something, uh... There's really no need to—
„
~ Howard's final words before being shot by Lalo
Trivia[]
Given Howard's fate, fans agree that he is the most tragic character in Better Call Saul, and possibly the entire Breaking Bad franchise.
A significant reason as to why is because, unlike other sympathetic characters such as Jesse Pinkman or Nacho Varga, he never associated himself with the drug trade, but was incidentally involved by proxy, leading to his demise.
Since Howard was buried under Gus’s meth lab with Lalo, this means he, along with Lalo, have been under Walter White and Jesse’s feet for most of Season 4 of Breaking Bad.
Howard is the only main character in Better Call Saul to not have a page on the villains wiki.
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