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The brutal climax of Better Call Saul's Season 6 mid-season finale undoubtedly left viewers dangling from the precipice. Episode 7 of Season 6, titled Plan and Execution, focused on Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman and Rhea Seehorn's Kim Wexler as they carried out the final stages of their plan to bring down Patrick Fabian's Howard Hamlin.
Unlike Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul has very little room for violence and has been somewhat more conservative in that regard throughout the course of its six seasons. So, when episode 7 ended with the horrific character death of Howard, fans were thrown off the edge.
Fans react to Howard Hamlin's death in Season 6 episode 7 of AMC's Better Call Saul
The brutal and bloody ending of Better Call Saul's mid-season finale really got fans talking about Patrick Fabian's Howard Hamlin.
Fans not only reacted to Patrick's portrayal of Howard, but also discussed the character's unfortunate death.
Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk also praised Fabian's acting skills, praising his performance on the latest episode of the show.
Many fans stated that Hamlin's character deserved better than that horrific ending.
In an interview with TV Line, when asked if Howard's death was planned from the beginning, executive producer Thomas Schnauz said:
"I probably could have guessed that he wouldn’t make it, but I didn’t know how. We knew for sure that Jimmy and Kim going after Howard was going to lead to something very bad for Jimmy and Kim. We didn’t know that it meant that he would be shot right in front of them in their apartment."
He added:
"It just so happened that Howard’s death came right in the middle of the season. And it was a good breaking point, midseason, for AMC."
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, episode 7's star Fabian also had a few things to say about his character's tragic death:
"By the time Lalo comes in during that final scene, I had a sense of dread when I was reading it. It was so abrupt and such a turn. But it also feels like Howard is done in that office scene with Cliff [Ed Begley Jr.]. He tries to explain it, but Cliff is like, 'It’s over. Even if you’re right, it’s over.'"
He added:
"Jimmy and Kim have undressed him in his own office and exposed him. It’s a humiliation of untold proportions, and then the final scene is just a real gut punch."
The actor also revealed that right before the season kicked off, he was informed that he would not make it to the end of the season. However, he only got to know the details when he received the script for episode 7.
Howard's demise occurred all of a sudden when he took a bullet to the head from Lalo Salamanca's gun. It was a cruel and horrifying scene that no fan of Better Call Saul will ever forget.
With six episodes remaining in Season 6, Better Call Saul will return in July after a hiatus.
