Better Call Saul season 6’s “Plan & Execution” makes several references to Chuck McGill, and casts two separate deaths in a more tragic light.
Better Call Saul tugs on the heartstrings with a timely reminder of the late Chuck McGill – here’s why the reference is so important. Portrayed by Michael McKean, Chuck McGill tragically took his own life in Better Call Saul season 3. Beset by illness and professionally embarrassed by younger brother Jimmy’s chicanery, Chuck intentionally kicked over a lantern and let his home burn, making no attempt to escape. The incident left a grave sadness over Howard Hamlin, but while the last remaining letter in HHM eventually recovered, his own tragic end comes in Better Call Saul season 6’s “Plan & Execution” courtesy of Lalo Salamanca.
Howard’s final episode is peppered with references to Chuck McGill, and by far the least subtle is a giant portrait hanging in the Sandpiper mediation conference room. Howard tells some fresh-faced intern about a soda can trick Chuck once taught him, before describing his fallen friend as “the greatest legal mind I ever knew.” In a rare moment of authentic self-reflection, Howard then admits, “Maybe there are more important things…” Chuck comes up in conversation once again when Howard confronts Jimmy and Kim in the episode’s shocking final scene. Remembering how he and Chuck would share a glass of whisky after a big victory, Howard evokes Jimmy’s brother with the line, “Jimmy you can’t help yourself… Chuck knew it.”
The portrait and Howard’s final speech both make Chuck McGill’s death even more heartbreaking. When Howard concedes there are “more important things” than being a great lawyer, he’s referring to personal sacrifices made in the name of career prosperity – a flaw Chuck is certainly guilty of. Once wedded to Rebecca, Chuck’s marriage broke down, and although Better Call Saul doesn’t explicitly reveal why, it’s possible the lawyer prioritized career over romance. Being an attorney was, quite literally, Chuck’s life, and losing that sense of purpose prompted his fateful lantern to tip. Speaking of Jimmy, Howard’s “Chuck knew it” quip finally justifies how the older McGill brother’s assessment of his younger sibling. Howard once believed Chuck was harsh on Jimmy, but now realizes his mentor was right all along – far too late for it to matter.
Better Call Saul‘s Chuck references add a little extra sting to Howard’s death too. Showing off Chuck’s soda can trick, Howard remembers how the late lawyer was always “prepared for anything, accidental or otherwise.” These words sound eerily ominous given what transpires later with Lalo. “More important things” then serves a painful reminder of Howard’s own failed marriage – yet another trait shared with his mentor. There’s a real sense of tragedy in how Howard is just beginning to consider putting his personal life before professional endeavors… then Lalo Salamanca puts him down.
Perhaps the real meaning behind Chuck’s presence in Howard’s final Better Call Saul episode relates to the last scene shared between the two McGill brothers. Chuck ruthlessly told his brother, “In the end, you’re going to hurt everyone around you. You can’t help it.” Howard’s corpse lying in Kim’s apartment is the most harrowing testament imaginable to Chuck’s foresight. Jimmy didn’t pull the trigger personally, but he involved himself with notorious criminals and drove Howard to desperation. This outcome is entirely of Jimmy’s making, and Chuck’s ruthless prediction is rapidly looking prophetic. The portrait hanging over HHM’s conference room almost feels like Michael McKean is there in person telling Howard “I told you so.”
About The Author
