In Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have managed to compose a spin-off that both equals and, at times, surpasses the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. The duo is leaving fans of the Albuquerque-based show clamoring to know how it ends, thanks in large part to deftly written characters that sizzle with complexity and nuance. Chief among these is Jimmy McGill's oft-antagonistic business associate, Howard Hamlin.
Partner at the law firm Hamlin Hamlin & McGill (HHM), Howard is initially portrayed as an unlikable foil to Bob Odenkirk's titular Saul. As the series progresses, Howard's genuine admiration for Jimmy comes unveiled and the audience learns to see him in a much different light.
Worst: Condescension
One of Howard's less-appealing traits is his condescending nature. He interrupts a business lunch between his former employee, Kim Wexler, and her clients to remind her of her demotion to doc review, and offers the broke Jimmy cash when the latter wants to close the Sandpiper case.
When Jimmy's brother Chuck is hospitalized in season 1, Howard shows up to the hospital to show support. Jimmy accuses Howard of only being there to prevent Jimmy from cashing in Chuck's buyout from HHM, something Howard can't afford to happen. Howard attempts to deflect the accusations but his ever-selling persona feels completely disingenuous.
Redeeming: Telling Kim The Truth
In the season 1 episode "Pimento," Howard tells Jimmy that even though he has brought in a huge case to HHM, the firm does not want to hire him as a partner. Jimmy becomes enraged and curses Howard out, and Kim later visits Howard's office to admonish him for not hiring Jimmy.
After first belittling her to keep her opinions to herself, he has a change of heart and tells her the truth: he was covering for Chuck, who did not want Jimmy to be hired by the firm. Chuck had asked Howard to be the bad guy, and Howard agreed to protect his longtime friend.
Worst: Not Hiring Jimmy (The First Time)
While working in the mailroom at HHM, Jimmy secretly attends law school and becomes a lawyer. During Jimmy's celebratory party with his coworkers, Howard stops in to congratulate him and then asks everyone but Jimmy to leave the room. The scene is played beautifully silent from outside the glass windows, as the audience can see Howard is giving Jimmy the bad news that the firm will not be hiring him.
While this was likely another case of Howard acting on Chuck's behalf, his poor tact and timing feel palpable, even going so far as to accept a piece of Jimmy's congratulatory cake.
Redeeming: Protecting Chuck
Despite the callous exterior he projects, Howard consistently displays loyalty and patience for his longtime business partner. He is repeatedly shown adhering to Chuck's specific requests, especially when it comes to hiding the elder McGill's animosity towards his brother.
Howard takes over Chuck's care after he and Jimmy falling out and consoles his friend with a bottle of scotch after Chuck's stunning meltdown at Jimmy's bar hearing. While Jimmy may refer to Howard as "Lord Vader" and other colorful terms, he doesn't realize that Howard is often acting on Chuck's behalf.
Worst: Demoting Kim
For Kim, life is rarely pleasant at HHM under Howard's image-conscious rule. After Jimmy shows Kim a commercial he produced for Davis & Main, Howard demotes Kim to a demeaning position in doc review for not disclosing her knowledge of the controversial commercial to him.
Since Jimmy does not work for HHM and Howard cannot discipline him, he takes his embarrassment out on her. Despite having been assured by Jimmy the commercial was legit, Kim accepts her demotion without a fight.
Redeeming: Second Chances
When Kim provides Howard her resignation, it feels like a cathartic triumph for her character over her boss. She's taken by surprise when Howard offers to forgive her schooling debt to HHM as a parting gift. He then commends her choice to go out on her own and confides to her that he always pushed her harder because he believed she was capable of great things.
In the series' fifth season, Jimmy becomes Saul Goodman following Chuck's death and he is stunned when Howard offers him a job at HHM. Despite their previous bad blood, Howard expresses his admiration for Jimmy (something he's always had for "Charlie Hustle") and pays off a series-long plot thread.
Worst: Chuck's Farewell
Howard and Chuck's relationship reaches an awkward resolution in the season 3 finale. Even though Chuck had no intention of retiring, Howard arranges a hero's farewell for the firm's co-founder, calling a staff meeting in the building's lobby to see Chuck off.
The look of pain on Chuck's face is heartbreaking as he is forced to walk through the cheering crowd and out of the building for the last time. Though Howard thought he was respecting his friend's legacy, Chuck deserved to exit in a less humiliating way.
Redeeming: A Victim of Jimmy
Thanks to Jimmy's evolution into Saul, Howard's character receives some much-needed empathy as the series progresses. Following Chuck's suicide, Howard confesses to Jimmy that he feels responsible for Chuck killing himself, having been the one to ask Chuck to retire before buying him out of the firm.
What he doesn't realize is that Jimmy conned the insurance company into antagonizing Chuck, causing his brother's increased instability. Howard's remorse feels downright tragic, as Jimmy torments him into bearing the burden of Chuck's demise.
Worst: Breaking Kim's Spirit
Following her demotion to doc review, Kim works desperately to get back in the firm's good graces, utilizing her old contacts to pull in a new banking client for HHM. After a successful business meeting, she believes she has earned her way out, only for Howard to tell her she won't be promoted back.
What's worse is that he will not be honest as to why only claiming she has "too much on her plate in doc review." Howard's inability to forgive her for Jimmy's brash behavior remains the most vindictive thing he's done on the show.
Redeeming: Transparency
When Jimmy finds a broken-down Howard in the courthouse men's room in season 4, he clearly appears to be the only one of the two in distress from Chuck's death.
Disheveled and suffering from insomnia, Jimmy callously asks him "What's eating you, Howard," only going to show how little Jimmy cares that his brother is dead or how it is affecting others. The reveal that Howard is seeing a therapist, while Jimmy pretends to be, is a further example of the expectation subversion that Howard and Jimmy experience during the show's run.